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Operations
Deployments
US Policy
United Nations
Foreign Reactions
News Reports

Current Operations

• COALITION FORCES TARGET IRAQI COMMAND AND COMMUNICATION SITES 16 Feb 2003 -- In response to Iraqi threats to Coalition aircraft monitoring compliance of United Nations Security Council Resolutions, Operation SOUTHERN WATCH Coalition aircraft used precision-guided weapons today to target five cable repeater sites that can be used for communications in targeting Coalition aircraft. The cable repeater sites were located between Al Kut, approximately 95 miles southeast of Baghdad and An Nasiriyah, located approximately 170 miles southeast of Baghdad, and between Al Kut and Al Basrah, located approximately 245 miles southeast of Baghdad. The strikes occurred at approximately 8:45 a.m. EST.

Deployments

• USS Kitty Hawk transits Strait of Malacca 7th Fleet 16 Feb 2003 -- The U.S. Navy's oldest active duty warship transits the Strait of Malacca, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, en route to the Central Command area of operations.
• CJTF-HOA troops receive smallpox vaccinations USMC News 16 Feb 2003 -- Their guard is up. They are equipped with defenses against malaria, anthrax and yellow fever. Now service members here in support of Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa are being protected against smallpox.
• CIC keeps information flowing for CJTF-HOA USMC News 16 Feb 2003 -- Information is one of the key factors contributing to the success of Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa whose mission is to disrupt and defeat terrorism in the Horn of Africa region.

US Policy

• White House Official Says UN Must Enforce Iraqi Disarmament Washington File 18 Feb 2003 -- The UN Security Council must enforce the provisions of Resolution 1441 calling for "serious consequences" if Iraq does not immediately and fully disarm its weapons of mass destruction, according to White House National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice.
• BUSH / IRAQ VOA 16 Feb 2003 -- A top White House official says while the U-S continues to seek a new U-N resolution on Iraq, the window for diplomacy is about to close. National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice says calls for more time for weapons inspectors only lessens the pressure on Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to comply with U-N disarmament demands.

United Nations

• UN germ warfare experts probe food-processing facilities in Iraq UN News Centre 16 Feb 2003 -- United Nations germ warfare experts in Iraq today probed two food-processing facilities in a bid to uncover information about Baghdad's clandestine weapons programme.
• IRAQ/INSPECTIONS VOA 16 Feb 2003 -- U-N weapons inspectors in Iraq have been taking a close look at missiles that may be in violation of U-N Security Council resolutions.
• UNMOVIC IAEA Press Statement on Inspection Activities in Iraq UNMOVIC/IAEA 16 February 2003
• Tracking Inspections in Iraq RFE/L 16 Feb 2003

Foreign Reactions

• Statement by NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson after the NATO Defence Planning Committee Meeting NATO16 Feb 2003 -- "Good evening ladies and gentlemen and thank you for your patience. It's been a long day for all of us. But we have come to a conclusion. Ambassadors of 18 NATO nations, members in the Defence Planning Committee of NATO, came to this building this morning confident that we had the elements necessary to provide the basis for a consensus decision."
• Decision Sheet of the Defence Planning Committee: NATO Support to Turkey with in the Framework of Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty NATO Press Release 16 Feb 2003 -- At the Prague Summit, the NATO Allies committed themselves to take effective action to assist and support the efforts of the United Nations to ensure full and immediate compliance by Iraq, without conditions or restrictions, with UN Security Council Resolution 1441. This remains our policy. Following Turkey's request for consultations within the framework of Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty, as expressed in its letter of 10 February 2003, and pursuant to Article 4 of the Treaty which states that "the Parties will consult whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened", Allies have begun consultations.

• ARAB / IRAQ VOA 16 Feb 2003 -- A struggle is under way in the Arab League over what position the league should take regarding a possible U-S-led attack against Baghdad.
• NATO / IRAQ / TURKEY VOA 16 Feb 2003 -- NATO appears to be inching closer to a compromise that would break the alliance's deadlock over planning for the defense of Turkey in the event of a U-S-led war against Iraq.
• AUSTRALIA PROTEST VOA 16 Feb 2003 -- Hundreds of thousands of people have marched through Australian cities in protests against a possible war with Iraq. The country's prime minister says the protests will not change his support for efforts to disarm Iraq.
• SWISS AID / IRAQ VOA 16 Feb 2003 -- A senior Swiss official warns that millions of Iraqi civilians will face a catastrophic situation should the United Nations oil-for-food program collapse as a result of a possible war. A two-day Swiss-hosted conference on the humanitarian consequences of war in Iraq has ended in Geneva with pleas for money to finance expensive humanitarian assistance programs.
• ARAB /DEMOS VOA 16 Feb 2003 -- While huge anti-war demonstrations have been taking place around the world, the streets of the Middle East have been relatively quiet. Political analysts say one reason is because governments in the region have don't want large demonstrations, fearing they could turn into anti-Arab government rallies.

News Reports