December 2004 - Iraq Special Weapons News

20 December 2004 - Iraq Special Weapons News

OIF/OEF Casualty Update 20 Dec 2004 [PDF]
1st ID Soldiers Detain 19 Individuals in Raids Near Siwash MNF-I/MNC-I 20 Dec 2004 -- First Infantry Division Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, detained 19 individuals suspected of anti-Iraqi violence during a series of raids in the village of Siwash on Dec. 20 at about 4 a.m.
Soldiers Detain Three Following Attack on Checkpoint MNF-I/MNC-I 20 Dec 2004 -- Task Force Danger Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry Regiment, detained three individuals after anti-Iraqi forces attacked a traffic checkpoint near Ad Duluiyah on Dec. 20 at about 1:20 p.m.
50 Detained After Al-Najaf Suicide Bombing RFE/RL 20 Dec 2004 -- Iraqi officials say 50 people suspected of involvement in Iraq's insurgency have been detained in Al-Najaf following yesterday's suicide car bombing.
IRAQI CITIZENS LEAD SOLDIERS TO POSSIBLE MASS GRAVE CENTCOM 20 Dec 2004 -- Iraqi citizens stopped a Task Force Danger combat patrol and lead them to a possible mass grave site near Kirkuk on Dec. 20 at about 2:15 p.m.

EDITORIAL: IRAQI ELECTION VOA 20 Dec 2004 -- More than thirteen-million Iraqis are registered to vote in national assembly elections scheduled for January 30th. The voter registration list was prepared by Iraq's Independent Electoral Commission. Iraqis had until December 15th to register.

Annan recommits UN to help Iraq hold elections after deadly terror attacks UN News Centre 20 Dec 2004 -- Secretary-General Kofi Annan today pledged anew full United Nations support for the Iraqi people in holding elections following yesterday's terror attacks that killed over 60 people, including three election workers, while in Baghdad his top envoy took the symbolic step of determining which parties would head the ballot list.

United States to Provide Technical Support to Iraqi Oil Ministry Washington File 20 Dec 2004 -- The United States will provide technical training in the petroleum sector to the Iraqi Oil Ministry under the terms of two memorandums of understanding (MOUs) signed by U.S. and Iraqi officials in Washington December 20.
Coalition Working to Improve Iraqi Security Force Training AFPS 20 Dec 2004 -- Progress in standing up a trained, equipped Iraqi security forces willing to fight for their country is "mixed," President Bush acknowledged today, noting that the coalition is continuing to work toward this critical milestone in Iraq's long-term security.
Iraqi Shi'ites Call For Restraint After Attacks RFE/RL 20 Dec 2004 -- Iraqi Shi'ite Muslim leaders have urged their supporters to show restraint following bombings in the Shi'ite holy cities of Al-Najaf and Karbala that killed at least 62 people and injured more than 100 others.

IRAQ/BOMBINGS/SHIITES VOA 20 Dec 2004 -- Iraqi authorities in the Shiite holy city of Najaf say they have detained at least 50 people in connection with Sunday's deadly car bombings in Najaf and nearby Karbala. The two blasts killed about 66 people and wounded around 175. Shiite clerics and political leaders say the attacks were aimed at sparking sectarian conflict before next month's election. They are urging their followers to resist the provocation.
Iraq: Georgia, Romania May Boost Small UN Protection Force RFE/RL 20 Dec 2004 -- Fijian peacekeepers this month became the first to answer the call of a seven-month-old UN Security Council resolution urging a special protection force for United Nations workers in Iraq. Georgia and Romania are the only other countries known to have pledged troops. But it is unclear whether these or any other forces will lead to what Iraq's interim government wants: an expanded UN presence across Iraq ahead of next month's scheduled elections.
Pakistan 'concerned' at Iraq`s security, says FM IRNA 20 Dec 2004 -- Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri on Monday held talks with his interim counterpart Hoshyar Mahmood Muhammad Al-Zebari in Islamabad.
Pakistan supports Iraq`s territorial integrity: Musharraf IRNA 20 Dec 2004 -- Pakistan`s President Pervez Musharraf on Monday told the visiting Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari that Islamabad supports the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of Iraq.