Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Operations
Deployments
US Policy
United Nations
Foreign Reactions
News Reports

Current Operations

• Transcript: DoD News Briefing - Secretary Rumsfeld and Gen. Myers 25 Mar 2003 -- "Operation Iraqi Freedom continues. I don't have much additional information following CENTCOM's brief, but wanted to update you on the overall picture. On the ground, our forces are nearing Baghdad. They have moved some 200-plus miles into Iraq in less than five days of the ground campaign. We are now poised for the next objectives and our plan is on track. The air campaign is continuing well. We flew nearly 1,000 sorties over Iraq yesterday, most against Republican Guard units, and conducted close air support for the ground advance in the south and Special Forces in the west. Coalition forces have secured the port of Umm Qsar and are preparing the port for the arrival of humanitarian aid to the people of Iraq."
• TRANSCRIPT OF 3/25 CENTCOM BRIEFING CENTCOM 25 Mar 2003 -- We continue to progress with our operations in support of Iraqi Freedom. Coalition forces are on plan to achieve our objectives, and we're doing so on our planned time line.
• Transcript: Media Briefing: Australia's commitment to Global Operations Australian Department of Defence 25 Mar 2003 -- "Weather has deteriorated in the AO. Wind and limited visibility is affecting air operations. (...) Weather has deteriorated in the AO. Wind and limited visibility is affecting air operations."

• IRAQ WRAP 3rd UPDATE VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- The Pentagon is reporting several hundred Iraqis forces have been killed after U-S troops came under fierce attack south of Baghdad Tuesday. As the war to topple Saddam Hussein enters its seventh day (Wednesday), reports are also coming in of an uprising against Iraqi rule in the country's second largest city of Basra in the south.
• PENTAGON / UPRISING VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- A reported uprising against Saddam Hussein's government in the southern Iraqi city of Basra has Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld concerned.
• PENTAGON: A 24-7 WAR VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- Much of the skepticism about the war in Iraq is reflected in reporting that suggests after six days of Operation Iraqi Freedom, U-S led coalition forces should somehow have achieved greater success. Trying to dampen those kinds of expectations has become a full-time job for top defense officials
• IRAQ WRAP 2nd UPDATE VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- U-S led coalition troops are battling Iraqi Republican Guard units near Baghdad as they press the campaign to topple the government of Saddam Hussein. With the war in Iraq about to enter its seventh day (Wednesday), reports are also coming in of protests against Iraqi rule in the country's second largest city of Basra in the south.
• U.S.-Led Coalition Works to Protect Iraq's Oil Wells Washington File 25 Mar 2003 -- U.S. and British troops are moving quickly to extinguish fires at a number of Iraqi oil wells and prevent the destruction by Iraqi troops of strategic oil fields that will be vitally important in ensuring Iraq's future economic recovery and prosperity.
• Massive Coalition Food Program Ready to Enter Iraq, U.S. Says Washington File 25 Mar 2003 -- A massive humanitarian operation by the United States and its coalition partners stands poised to enter Iraq as soon as the port of Umm Qasr is opened for traffic, the United States says.
• BUSH IRAQ OVERNIGHTER VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- President Bush is traveling today (Wednesday) to a military installation in Florida that is providing the leadership for the war in Iraq. It's his first trip outside the Washington area since the start of the conflict a week ago.
• WAR ASSESSMENT VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- As the battle for Baghdad draws closer, the question looms over whether Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein will order the use of chemical weapons against U-S and British troops. Political and military analysts discuss this possibility and offer their assessment of the fighting.
• IRAQ / MINES VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- U-N officials are voicing concern about a potential humanitarian crisis arising from the current conflict in Iraq. However, food, water, and medicine shortages are not the only humanitarian relief problems caused by the war.
• IRAQ / WRAP UPDATE VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- In Iraq, fierce sandstorms have slowed U-S led forces heading for Baghdad. But President Bush says there is no doubt about the outcome of the war.
• IRAQ / DOHA BRIEFING VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- Commanders of the U-S led coalition forces in Iraq say their troops continue to put pressure on Iraqi forces despite bad weather and some casualties. Senior military officials also say humanitarian aid is to arrive in southern Iraq within days.
• IRAQ HUMANITARIAN VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- Commanders of the U-S led coalition forces in Iraq say the southern port of Umm Qasr is now secure and humanitarian aid is due to arrive within days.
• PENTAGON / BUSH VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- President Bush says coalition forces in Iraq are on a steady advance, but he can not predict when the fighting will be over. The president made his remarks during a visit to the Pentagon
• BASRA / UNREST VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- Reports from the Southern Iraqi city of Basra say there have been protests against Iraqi rule. One British military official is quoted as saying that Iraqi troops have fired on the protesters.
• IRAQ / BRIEFING / W-M-D VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- A top U-S general, briefing reporters at coalition headquarters in Doha, Qatar, says U-S forces in Iraq have not yet found chemical weapons or other weapons of mass destruction. But the general says allied forces are concentrating on knocking out rocket and artillery systems that can deliver such weapons, rather than searching for the weapons themselves.
• PENTAGON / CHEMICALS VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says intelligence information indicates the Iraqi military may use chemical weapons against coalition forces as they close in on Baghdad.
• IRAQ / BRIEFING / G-P-S VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- A top U-S general says allied forces in Iraq have destroyed six jamming systems he says Iraq tried to use to disrupt a U-S satellite positioning system that is crucial for the targeting of precision-guided weapons.
• PENTAGON / IRAQ VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says the war in Iraq is much closer to the beginning than the end. Mr. Rumsfeld says the conflict could become more dangerous in the coming days as coalition troops approach Baghdad.
• Coalition Aircraft Flew More Than 1,500 Sorties Over Iraq AFPS 25 Mar 2003 -- Coalition aircraft flew more than 1,500 sorties in the continuing air war against the regime in Iraq on March 24, coalition officials in the region said today.
• 405th Commanders, Bomber Pilots Talk War's Optempo AFPS 25 Mar 2003 -- Right now, deployed at an undisclosed location, the 405th Air Expeditionary Wing is in what Col. James Kowalski calls "surge operations." That means that all the unit's aircraft, primarily B-1 bombers, are flying at rates higher than what would normally be planned in time of war.
• AIR FORCE F-16 STRIKES PATRIOT RADAR CENTCOM 25 Mar 2003 -- During combat air operations at approximately 3:40 p.m. local time Monday, a U.S. F-16 fighter engaged a U.S. Patriot battery approximately 30 miles south of An-Najaf, Iraq.
• TASK FORCE TARAWA SECURES ENEMY STAGING AREA; TAKES APPROXIMATELY 170 EPWS CENTCOM 25 Mar 2003 -- Earlier today Task Force Tarawa secured a hospital being used as a military staging area for Iraqi para-military forces here.
• CENTCOM Charts Operation Iraqi Freedom Progress AFPS 25 Mar 2003 -- All of Iraq is a battlefield and coalition forces are challenging the heart of Iraqi resistance around Baghdad, Air Force Maj. Gen. Victor Renuart said today in Qatar.
• USS Constellation Air Wing 2 Hits Targets Near Basra Navy NewStand 25 Mar 2003 -- Aircraft from two squadrons with Carrier Air Wing 2, USS Constellation (CV 64) Battle Group successfully destroyed three significant Iraqi naval targets March 25. The aircraft involved received short-order tasking for a time-sensitive strike to engage several naval targets in the vicinity of Basra.
• Iraq: Marines Cross Euphrates In Nasiriya Amid Heavy Fighting RFE/L 25 Mar 2003 -- U.S. Marines fought their way across the Euphrates River into the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriya today.
• Iraq: U.S., British Forces Face Resistance As They Close In On Baghdad RFE/L 25 Mar 2003 -- U.S.-led forces are facing continued Iraqi resistance as they close in on Baghdad on the sixth day of the war. U.S. Marines fought a fierce battle with Iraqi forces in the strategic southern city of Nasiriya today before pushing through the city and crossing the Euphrates River.
• Iraq: Battle For Baghdad Looms As U.S., British Forces Meet Resistance RFE/L 25 Mar 2003 -- U.S.-led forces are closing in on Baghdad amid warnings by a top U.S. general that the toughest battles of the war still lie ahead.
• Iraq: Coalition Forces Drawn Into Urban Combat RFE/L 25 Mar 2003 -- The war in Iraq entered its sixth day today and coalition forces in southern and central Iraq battled fierce sandstorms as well as continued pockets of intense resistance by loyalists to President Saddam Hussein.
• Lancer crews describe B-1 missions over Iraq AFPN 25 Mar 2003 -- B-1B Lancers, combining the latest in technology with old-fashioned elbow grease, are taking the air war of Operation Iraqi Freedom to regime and military targets in every inch of that country.
• SECDEF: Air strikes not aimed at civilians AFPN 25 Mar 2003 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld lauded the air coalition's unsurpassed ability to avoid collateral damage during a March 25 press conference in the Pentagon.
• Navy, Air Force sink Iraqi patrol boat AFPN 25 Mar 2003 -- U.S. Navy and Air Force assets teamed together to target and sink a fast-attack Iraqi patrol boat in the Arabian Gulf on March 21 using precision-guided ordnance.
• Poor Weather Slows Coalition Troops Moving on Baghdad Washington File 25 Mar 2003 -- Poor Weather Slows Coalition Troops Moving on Baghdad
• IRAQ/CHEMICAL WEAPONS VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- U-S ground forces in Iraq have crossed the Euphrates River, entering an area that leads directly to the capital, Baghdad. But U-S military commanders say the troops could also be within striking distance of Saddam Hussein's artillery shells, which they fear could be filled with deadly chemicals.
• IRAQ / WAR WRAP VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- U-S led coalition forces have advanced to positions 80 kilometers from Baghdad as coalition warplanes target installations in Baghdad of Iraq's elite Republican Guards. Despite the advance, the U-S led forces continue to meet pockets of resistance in southern Iraq.
• BRITAIN / BASRA VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- British troops are battling irregular forces for control of the southern Iraqi city of Basra. Two British soldiers have died in combat in the region since Sunday.
• Coalition on Track, Forces 'Flowing' into Iraq AFPS 25 Mar 2003 -- After five days of ground combat, coalition forces are more than 200 miles into Iraq and poised to take on forces defending Baghdad, DoD leaders said today.
• Air assault division goes deep into Iraq Army News 25 Mar 2003 -- The 101st Airborne Division conducted its first air assault for "Operation Iraqi Freedom" beginning March 23.
• Navy and Air Force Team Up to Sink Iraqi Patrol Boat Navy NewStand 25 Mar 2003 -- U.S. Navy and Air Force assets teamed together to conduct a successful nautical strike March 21, as a fast-attack Iraqi patrol boat in the Arabian Gulf was targeted and sunk by precision-guided ordnance.
• Tarawa Participates in Opening Phase of 'Operation Iraqi Freedom' Navy NewStand 25 Mar 2003 -- Sailors and Marines aboard the San Diego-based amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa (LHA 1) recently participated in the opening phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom in the North Arabian Gulf.
• Electrons get B-52's to the fight USAFENS 25 Mar 2003 -- It's not just jet fuel that launches B-52s to the fight. It's electrons forming air-tasking orders streaming through a secure, secret military network that ignites the bombers into flight.
• Rumaylah oil fields secured, preserved for Iraqi people USMC News 25 Mar 2003 -- Elements of the I Marine Expeditionary Force secured the Southern Oil Producing Region of Iraq in one of the first objectives of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
• Iraqi Freedom coalition readies humanitarian aide USMC News 25 Mar 2003 -- The U.S.-led coalition fighting to disarm the Iraqi regime is poised to open massive channels of humanitarian assistance for the Iraqi people.
• 'Overwhelming force' at work in Iraq USMC News 25 Mar 2003 -- Gen. Tommy R. Franks emerged from his forward command post March 21 and said operations in Iraq will be characterized by shock, surprise and flexibility.
• Wings of Freedom: 3rd MAW aircraft support Operation Iraqi Freedom USMC News 25 Mar 2003 -- The air is filled with mixed senses of urgency, power, awe, fear and determination. Ordnance personnel load various bombs and missiles on the aircraft. Plane captains signal their pilots to start engines and complete pre-flight checks. With a final signal to taxi, they render crisp salutes to wish the pilot success on their mission and safe return.

Deployments

US Policy

• On-the-Record Briefing: U.S. Humanitarian Relief and Reconstruction Efforts with Andrew S. Natsios , U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator 25 Mar 2003 -- "Now that the President has submitted the supplemental budget to the Congress we have, potentially a large pool of money: $2.4 billion both for the relief and the reconstruction of the country. We have awarded as of yesterday the contract for the management of the port, and four people have headed out this weekend from that company to set up shop and begin to recruit people in order to manage the port when the British military turns it over to us for civilian purposes."

• Transcript: Background Briefing on Budget Supplemental 25 Mar 2003 -- "We are about to release to Congress a supplemental request, and we are going to really push for prompt and full congressional passage."

• White House Press Briefing White House 25 Mar 2003
• U.S., Aid Agencies Ready to Assist Impoverished Iraqis AFPS 25 Mar 2003 -- United States and international relief workers are poised to enter the Umm Qasr port to address acute shortages of public drinking water and unsafe sanitary conditions in southern Iraq, particularly in the city of Basra to the northwest.
• BUSH-IRAQ AID VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- The White House says humanitarian aid will flow into Iraq once the main gateway the port of Omm Qasr - - is declared safe. An extensive de-mining operation is under way.
• IRAQ / BUDGET REACT VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- Congressional appropriators say they will move quickly to get President Bush's war budget request through the House of Representatives and the Senate. At the same time, lawmakers say tough questions will be asked about long term plans for reconstruction in Iraq.
• U-S-IRAQ DIPLOMACY VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- The United States brushing aside Arab calls for a truce in the war with Iraq and a return of the issue to the United Nations. The State Department says the time for crisis solutions involving Saddam Hussein's government has passed.
• IRAQ BUDGET REACT VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- Congressional appropriators say they intend to move quickly to get President Bush's war budget request through the House of Representatives and the Senate.
• BUSH IRAQ VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- President Bush is asking Congress for nearly 75-billion dollars to pay for the war in Iraq and relief and reconstruction efforts during the next six-months.
• Bush Asking Congress for $75,000 Million for Iraq War and Aid Washington File 25 Mar 2003 -- President Bush March 25 asked Congress for $74,700 million more funding for the current fiscal year ending September 30 to pay for costs related to the war in Iraq and to anti-terrorism efforts.
• Transcript: Bush Asks Congress to Approve $74.7 Billion for Iraq War Washington File 25 Mar 2003 -- President Bush, in remarks at the Pentagon March 25, announced that he was sending the U.S. Congress a wartime supplemental appropriations request of $74.7 billion, "to fund needs directly arising from the Iraqi conflict and our global war against terror."
• Transcript: Wolfowitz Tells BBC Iraqi Civilians Not a Target Washington File 25 Mar 2003 -- Coalition military operations in Iraq are targeting the regime of Saddam Hussein with "extraordinary precision" and are making an "enormous effort to distinguish between military targets and the civilian population," U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz told the BBC World Service March 25.
• Fact Sheet: U.S. Coordinating Iraq Aid With Nongovernmental Groups Washington File 25 Mar 2003 -- The United States is coordinating with nongovernmental and international organizations to provide rapid humanitarian assistance to the people of Iraq, according to a fact sheet released March 25 by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
• Iraq Liberation "Closer to Beginning Than End," Rumsfeld Says Washington File 25 Mar 2003 -- U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq are "still ... much closer to the beginning than to the end" of military operations there, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said March 25 at a Pentagon briefing.
• Text: Bush Requests $74,700 Million for Iraq War, Aid and U.S. Security Washington File 25 Mar 2003 -- The White House March 25 issued a fact sheet on President Bush's request to Congress for $74,700 million more spending for the year ending September 30 to support military operations related to the war in Iraq, provide humanitarian relief for the Iraqi people and help defend the United States from terrorism.
• Bush, Blair to Confer at Camp David Washington File 25 Mar 2003 -- President Bush will host British Prime Minister Tony Blair at Camp David, Maryland, on March 26 and 27 to discuss "the progress of the conflict in Iraq, urgent issues of humanitarian relief, reconstruction, and helping the Iraqi people build democratic institutions,"
• EDITORIAL: OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- The United States-led coalition of more than forty countries is in the beginning phases of a campaign to remove the regime of Saddam Hussein.
• EDITORIAL: IRAQI WAR CRIMES WILL BE PUNISHED VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- Since the beginning of military action by a U.S. led-coalition, thousands of Iraqi troops have chosen the wise and honorable course of refusing to fight for Saddam Hussein. But some Iraqis who have chosen to fight for the doomed regime have committed serious violations of the rules of war.

United Nations

• Annan, Condoleezza Rice hold talks on Iraq and humanitarian situation UN News Centre 25 Mar 2003 -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan met today with United States National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice to discuss the situation in Iraq, including the humanitarian conditions and the requirements for providing assistance to the Iraqi people.
• Iraqi petrol exports plummet on suspension of UN Oil-for-Food Programme UN News Centre 25 Mar 2003 -- Iraqi oil exports under the United Nations Oil-for-Food Programme plummeted last week to just 25 per cent of the previous week's level following the suspension of the programme, which allows Baghdad to use a portion of its petroleum sales to buy relief supplies.
• Heads of UN agencies to discuss aid to Iraq amid growing concern over Basra UN News Centre 25 Mar 2003 -- As Secretary-General Kofi Annan prepared to chair a top-level meeting of United Nations relief agencies in New York tomorrow on the humanitarian crisis in Iraq, UN spokesmen for the organizations in the region expressed growing alarm today for the southern city of Basra, where the 1.7 million residents have been without full water supplies for four days.
• Security Council to hold first open debate on Iraq since outbreak of hostilities UN News Centre 25 Mar 2003 -- The United Nations Security Council will hold on Wednesday its first open debate on Iraq since hostilities broke out and will also seek to reach a consensus on providing humanitarian assistance to the country since the suspension of the UN Oil-for-Food Programme, which allows Baghdad to use part of its petroleum sales to buy relief supplies.

Foreign Reactions

• JORDAN / IRAQ VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- Jordan's Foreign Minister says his government is intensifying diplomatic efforts to end the war in neighboring Iraq. The moves echo a similar initiative by Saudi Arabia.
• SAUDI/PEACE PROPOSAL VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- Senior officials in Saudi Arabia say they are trying to mediate a peace deal between Washington and Baghdad and have sent a peace proposal to both capitals.
• IRAQ/SYRIA PROTEST VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Damascus Tuesday to protest the war in Iraq. The protesters also had words of scorn for the leaders of some Arab countries.
• GERMANY / HUMAN RIGHTS VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- Germany's minister for foreign affairs, Joschka Fischer, says his country is concerned about a humanitarian disaster in Iraq. In a speech to the United Nations Human Rights Commission he said now is the time to consider steps to help the people of Iraq.
• BRITAIN / IRAQ BROADCASTING VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- A senior British politician is calling for coalition forces to attack Iraq's broadcasting facilities to knock Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and his government off the air.
• Byliner: British Parliament Member Decries Rights Violations of Iraqi Regime Washington File 25 Mar 2003 -- The following article by British Labor Party Member of Parliament Ann Clwyd first appeared in the Times of London March 18, 2003. She is chair of INDICT, established in 1997 to campaign for the creation of an ad hoc International Criminal Tribunal to try leading members of the Iraqi regime on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including genocide and torture
• CHINA-PAKISTAN VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- Pakistan's prime minister, on a state visit to Beijing, has signed several agreements to boost cooperation with China. Chinese leaders also have used the occasion to call for an end to the U-S-led war on Iraq.
• ASIA REACT POLLS VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- In Asia, new public opinion polls show shifting attitudes towards the war in Iraq and governments supporting the U-S led coalition. In some countries, opposition to the conflict seems to be waning while others remain firmly opposed.
• SOUTH KOREA IRAQ VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- South Korea's Parliament is postponing a vote on a government plan to send non-combat troops to support the U-S led war in Iraq. The decision was made as civic groups, students and celebrities held anti-war protests in Seoul.
• JORDAN/IRAQ/REFUGEES VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- Refugee camps near Jordan's border with Iraq stand mostly empty. A few-hundred third country nationals have crossed into the country, but no Iraqis.
• IRAQ / ARABS VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- Senior Iraqi officials criticized Arab leaders in other countries Tuesday for what they said was a lack of serious support in their war against coalition forces.
• BRITAIN / BLAIR VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair will travel to the United States Wednesday to discuss the Iraq war with President Bush. Mr. Blair says the war is progressing as planned.
• IRAQ: Norway grants US $21.6 million to alleviate humanitarian needs IRIN 25 Mar 2003 -- Norway has granted 160 million Norwegian kroner (US $21,622,790), to help alleviate humanitarian needs resulting from war in Iraq, the Royal Norwegian Embassy announced in the Jordanian capital, Amman, on Sunday. The contribution will be shared by the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross/Red Crescent, and NGOs.

News Reports

• RFE/RL Iraq Report, Volume 6, Number 13 25 Mar 2003 -- IRAQI PRESIDENT SPEAKS TO NATION / IRAQI VICE PRESIDENT CRITICIZES UN SECRETARY-GENERAL / IRAQI INFORMATION MINISTER SAYS IRAQ WILL ABIDE BY GENEVA CONVENTIONS / IRAQI GENERAL COMMAND ISSUES FIFTH COMMUNIQUE / IRAQI OFFICIAL COMMENTS ON CRISIS / A BATTLE FOR THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF IRAQIS? / IRAQI OFFICIAL DENIES WOMEN, CHILDREN USED AS SHIELDS / IRAQ PROTESTS U.S. CONFISCATION OF IRAQI ASSETS / COALITION FORCES TARGET ANSAR AL-ISLAM / SCIRI GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEETING IN NORTHERN IRAQ / IRAQI SHIA OPPOSITION LEADERS DESCRIBED AS IRANIAN 'APPARATCHIKS.' / WARNING OF AN ANTI-U.S. SHIA UPRISING / ARAB LEAGUE ISSUES RESOLUTION CONDEMNING WAR ON IRAQ / JORDANIAN PRIME MINISTER DENIES COALITION ACTIVITIES LAUNCHED FROM JORDAN / WAR HOLDING UP FLOW OF OIL FROM IRAQ / SYRIA ACCUSES U.S. OF BREACHING GENEVA CONVENTION IN BUS BOMBING / RED CROSS WARNS IRAQ AND COALITION FORCES TO RESPECT GENEVA CONVENTION / JORDAN, PHILIPPINES EXPEL IRAQI DIPLOMATS, BUT NOT LEBANON / IRAQI AMBASSADOR CRITICIZES UN SECRETARY-GENERAL / UN HUMANITARIAN AGENCIES BRIEF PRESS ON CRISIS / U.S. ASKS RUSSIA TO INVESTIGATE SALES OF PROSCRIBED ITEMS / U.S. DEFENSE OFFICIALS SAY IRAQ VIOLATING LAWS OF WAR / TURKEY-U.S. DISCUSSIONS DRAG ON / U.S. FORCES MAY HAVE CAPTURED CHEMICAL-WEAPONS FACILITY
• NY STOCK EXCHANGE / AL JAZEERA VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- The New York Stock Exchange has revoked the credentials of the Arabic satellite news channel, Al Jazeera. Some journalist watchdog groups worry about the repercussions of the war on press freedom.
• HOW MILITARY CLERGYMEN SEE THE WAR WITH IRAQ VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- There are 5,000 men and women aboard an American aircraft carrier. Many are Christians, but any population that large is bound to have adherents to a variety of faiths, including Muslims. How do these people see the war? What do their leaders say?
• Study Abroad and the War VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- The war in Iraq has raised new security issues for college administrators working with American students studying abroad. Even if those students aren't at universities in the Middle East, school officials say a wave of international animosity toward American policies has raised personal safety concerns that both parents and students must address.
• RED CROSS / BASRA VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- Red Cross experts are struggling to fix a key water plant in the southern Iraqi city of Basra in the hopes of averting a humanitarian crisis.
• Role of Kurds and Shi'a in Post-Saddam Iraq VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- Upon the eventual collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime, U.S. and coalition forces will play a key role in the maintenance of order. President Bush has pledged American commitment to help Iraq establish a democratic government. This government would enfranchise ethnic and religious groups that were excluded under Saddam.
• WILSON-IRAQ VOA 25 Mar 2003 -- Joining us now, Ambassador Joe Wilson, with J.C. Wilson International Ventures Corp., and also associated with the Middle East Institute here in Washington. He is a former U.S. diplomat in Iraq.
• IRAQ: Rapid assessment process to provide aid workers with "common snapshot" IRIN 25 Mar 2003 -- A rapid assessment process (RAP) to gather essential baseline data about the general situation in post-conflict Iraq has been developed for use by humanitarian agencies once they are able to enter the country.
• IRAQ: No IDP crisis yet says ICRC IRIN 25 Mar 2003 -- While there are several hundred thousand internally displaced persons (IDPs) in northern Iraq, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) maintains that the situation has yet to reach crisis point.