April 2007 - Iraq Special Weapons News

20 April 2007 - Iraq Special Weapons News

Operations
Deployments
US Policy
United Nations
Reconstruction Issues
Foreign Reactions
News Reports

Current Operations

OIF/OEF Casualty Update 20 Apr 2007 [PDF]
ROCKET HITS FOB MAHMUDIYAH
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Small arms fire targets MND-B patrol

April 19 airpower: Horn of Africa mission continues AFPN 20 Apr 2007 -- Coalition airpower supported coalition ground forces in Iraq and the International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF, in Afghanistan in the following operations April 19, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.
Coalition Forces Kill, Capture Terrorists; Car Bomb Kills Iraqis AFPS 20 Apr 2007 -- Coalition forces killed 10 terrorists and detained 42 in operations throughout Iraq today, and a car bomb detonated in Baghdad yesterday, killing five Iraqis and wounding 10, military officials reported.
Reconstruction Teams Help Accelerate Progress in Iraq AFPS 20 Apr 2007 -- U.S. provincial reconstruction teams are helping accelerate progress in many provinces of Iraq, Rick Olson, the director of the PRT national coordination team, said here.
Training and Technology Combine to Save Lives in Iraq AFPS 20 Apr 2007 -- Expanded training in combat life-saving procedures has enabled a greater than 98 percent survival rate for U.S. troops injured in Iraq, a coalition surgeon said yesterday.
U.S. Military Builds Barrier To Separate Sunni, Shi'a RFE/RL 20 Apr 2007 -- The U.S. military says it is building a 5-kilometer wall to separate a Sunni enclave from the surrounding Shi'ite neighborhoods in Baghdad.

Deployments

U.S. Troop Levels in Iraq Depend on Political Progress Washington File 20 Apr 2007 -- In an unannounced visit to Iraq, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates urged Iraqi leaders to make political progress and speed up reconciliation between Sunnis and Shiites before U.S. troop levels are evaluated this summer.
Submariners Return Home to Naval Station Norfolk from Iraq Navy NewsStand 20 Apr 2007 -- Navy Customs Battalion ROMEO, a group of reservists including submariners from all over the continent, returned to Naval Station Norfolk from a deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom on April 17.

US Policy

Media availability with Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and Iraqi Minister of Defense Abd al-Qadir al-Mufriji from Iraq 20 Apr 2007 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and Iraqi Minister of Defense Abd al-Qadir al-Mufriji
New U.S. Envoy to Iraq Expresses Optimism at Iraqi Determination Washington File 20 Apr 2007 -- The new U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, expressed optimism at the attitude of Iraqi citizens he has encountered during his first weeks in Baghdad, and he urged them to remain patient as the new security plan is implemented.
Gates Urges Iraqis to Pass Laws, Expedite Reconciliation AFPS 20 Apr 2007 -- The United States is committed to the success of the fledgling Iraqi government, but not to the indefinite use of American troops to secure Iraq, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today.
US Defense Secretary Urges Iraq Leaders to Reconcile Shi'ites, Sunnis VOA 20 Apr 2007 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the U.S. military presence in Iraq is not open-ended
Bush Again Rejects Timetable for Troop Withdrawal VOA 20 Apr 2007 -- President Bush is again rejecting opposition calls for a timetable to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq, saying his new strategy is beginning to reduce sectarian violence
Bush: New Strategy Focuses on Providing Joint Security AFPS 20 Apr 2007 -- The top priority for American reinforcements in Iraq is helping Iraq’s elected leaders secure their population, President Bush today told high school students in East Grand Rapids, Mich.
Gates Says 'Clock Ticking' On U.S. Time In Iraq RFE/RL 20 Apr 2007 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, on a surprise visit to Iraq, said the U.S. commitment to the war in Iraq is not open-ended.
US Defense Secretary to Meet Iraqi Leaders VOA 20 Apr 2007 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is in Baghdad Friday for meetings with top Iraqi leaders. From northern Iraq
US Defense Secretary Urges Iraq Leaders to Reconcile Shi'ites, Sunnis VOA 20 Apr 2007 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has stressed that the U.S. commitment to Iraq is long-term, but that military support is not open-ended.