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 28 Mar 2003 -- "One week and a few minutes ago, the air war began in Iraq. So Operation Iraqi Freedom is now just a little over one week old. In that brief period of time, the coalition forces have made solid progress. And interestingly, in that short period of a week, we have seen mood swings in the media from highs to lows to highs and back again, sometimes in a single 24-hour period. "
• TRANSCRIPT OF 3/28 CENTCOM BRIEFING CENTCOM 28 Mar 2003 -- "Iraqi Freedom continues this eighth day since the coalition ground forces entered Iraq. The coalition is setting the conditions for future operations, and we remain focused on the key objective of removing the regime and disarming Iraq."
• Transcript: Press Conference at the Ministry of Defence UK Ministry of Defence 28 Mar 2003 -- "Within south east Iraq, 3 Commando Brigade remain in control on the Al Faw peninsula, and as you heard from the Minister, are dealing amongst other things with the arrival of humanitarian aid. 7 Armoured Brigade continue to keep watch on Basrah, to start to change the circumstances there, to exploit wherever we can ways of unhinging the regime's control from the populous. There have been a number of quite successful, highly successful I would say, engagements around Basrah well reported, and 16 Air Assault Brigade continue to secure and control the Ramaila oil complex, denying it to the enemy, and allowing work and production there to recommence, and hopefully quite soon."
• Transcript: Media Briefing Australia's contribution to Global Operations Australian Department of Defence 28 Mar 2003 -- "Our divers continue their vital role in the clearance of mines, obstacles and potential booby traps in the murky waters of Umm Qsar and the port facility. Mine Divers warning was increased over night after the discovery of some explosive charges.(...) Our special forces continue with their job, undertaking vital reconnaissance work deep inside Iraq. (..) All our aircraft have continued with flying operations overnight without significant incident. Our FA-18 Hornets have again conducted a Close Air Support mission attacking a designated enemy position."

• IRAQ WRAP VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- U-S-led forces are stepping up their bombardment of Baghdad, targeting key government installations in the center of the Iraqi capital. Meanwhile, U-S Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld accused Iraqi neighbor Syria of allowing weapons shipments into Iraq.
• TERROR SQUAD MEETING STRUCK IN AL BASRAH CENTCOM 28 Mar 2003 -- A pair of F-15E Strike Eagles attacked what Central Command officials termed "an emerging target" tonight, destroying a two-story building in Al Basrah where some 200 Iraqi regime paramilitary members were meeting.
• Iraq: Baghdad Bombed As War Looks To Be Longer Than Expected RFE/L 28 Mar 2003 -- The U.S. military attacked Iraqi command-and-communications centers in Baghdad with cruise missiles and massive "bunker-busting" bombs today amid warnings that the war in Iraq could be a long fight.
• Iraq: British Aid Ship Docks In Umm Qasr RFE/L 28 Mar 2003 -- The first humanitarian aid ship since the start of the war in Iraq has arrived in the southern Iraqi port city of Umm Qasr.
• IRAQ / DOHA BRIEFING VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- The first coalition ship carrying humanitarian aid to Iraq has docked at the southern Iraqi port of Umm Qasr. The ship, which is carrying 200 tons of relief supplies, was delayed for several days because of mines in the waterway leading to the port.
• PENTAGON: MOOD SWINGS VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- Bush administration officials are defending coalition military strategy in Iraq, blaming the news media for fostering the perception that things may not be going as well as the Pentagon anticipated. But there are some serious questions about the planning of Operation Iraqi Freedom that appear to be going unanswered.
• PENTAGON / DEATH SQUADS VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says Iraq is sending "death squads" into Iraqi cities to threaten people who want to support coalition soldiers. Mr. Rumsfeld is urging Iraqi civilians to remember those who are terrorizing them.
• IRAQ WRAP (L-2ND UPDATE) VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- -S-led forces are stepping up their bombardment of Baghdad, targeting key government installations in the center of the Iraqi capital. Meanwhile, U-S Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld accused Iraqi neighbor Syria of allowing weapons shipments into Iraq.
• IRAQ / REPUBLICAN GUARDS VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- The top three U-S military commanders in Iraq have met to coordinate the strategy for confronting Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard divisions near Baghdad.
• C-17 crews describe paratroop drop AFPN 28 Mar 2003 -- Training. Teamwork. Focus. Pride. That is how the commander of the largest airborne mission since 1990's Operation Just Cause sums up the aerial delivery of 1,000 members of the Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade into northern Iraq on March 26.
• Sense of Purpose Prevails on Kitty Hawk Navy NewStand 28 Mar 2003 -- Busy days are becoming more commonplace for some personnel aboard USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63), as the forward-deployed aircraft carrier continues to work in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
• Iraq: Security Council Unites To Revise Oil-For-Food Program RFE/L 28 Mar 2003 -- The UN Security Council has temporarily set aside its differences over the war in Iraq and passed a resolution to revive the main humanitarian program for Iraqis, placing it under UN control.
• IRAQ WRAP VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- The Iraqi capital of Baghdad came under heavy bombardment Friday with coalition warplanes targeting communications facilities and Republican Guard units poised to defend the city from a ground attack.
• IRAQ WRAP VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- The Iraqi capital of Baghdad came under heavy bombardment Friday with coalition warplanes targeting communications facilities and Republican Guard units poised to defend the city from a ground attack.
• IRAQ / TACTICS VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- U-S military planners deny that they have underestimated Iraqi troop strength and fighting ability, despite the assessment of a senior commander in the field that Iraqi tactics and resistance have slowed down the U-S-led campaign.
• PENTAGON/RUMSFELD VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- Senior U-S defense officials say coalition forces fighting in Iraq are making solid progress. But there are new issues of concern one week into Operation Iraqi Freedom, including what Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says is hostile activity affecting Iraq coming from Syria and Iran.
• U-S-Iraq-Terrorism VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- The State Department says it has asked unspecified number of countries to expel suspected Iraqi intelligence officials after turning up information they were planning terrorist attacks against U-S interests. It says specific plots in two countries have been broken up and Iraqi agents arrested.
• BRITAIN / MILITARY VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- Britain's army chief says the battle with Iraq's elite Republican Guard is imminent, and he says Iraqi paramilitary forces are dying by the hundreds.
• B-2 strikes Baghdad communications tower AFPN 28 Mar 2003 -- An Air Force B-2 Spirit bomber shook downtown Baghdad after hitting a key communications facility with two precision-guided munitions March 27.
• 82nd Airborne Launches Operation Near Bagram AFPS 28 Mar 2003 -- Coalition forces in Afghanistan launched another battalion-sized operation March 27, this time in the Kohe Safi Mountains near Bagram Air Base, Combined Joint Task Force-180 officials said.
• Iraqi Units May Have Orders to Use Chem/Bio Weapons AFPS 28 Mar 2003 -- Coalition forces have seen indications that Iraqi units have been given the freedom to use chemical weapons, Army Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks said today.
• DoD Leaders Detail War Progress, Death Squad Atrocities AFPS 28 Mar 2003 -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld gave details of Saddam Hussein's death squads, during a Pentagon press briefing today.
• Wounded U.S. Troops Recall Fights With Iraqi Combatants Dressed as Civilians AFPS 28 Mar 2003 -- Two wounded American fighting men yesterday described their experiences in Iraq to interviewers -- including how some Iraqi combatants don't play by the rules of war.
• BRADLEY ROLLOVER KILLS ONE, INJURES FIVE CENTCOM 28 Mar 2003 -- One soldier was killed and five injured early this morning when the Bradley fighting vehicle they were riding in rolled over.
• F-18 STRIKES IRAQI MISSILE LAUNCHERS CENTCOM 28 Mar 2003 -- Two United States Navy F/A-18C attack aircraft targeted and struck three Al Samoud missile launchers at approximately 8:00 a.m. EST. The missile launchers were approximately 25 miles northwest of the Iraqi city of Basrah, which is located 240 miles southeast of Baghdad.
• Multiaircraft Capability Aids In Operation Iraqi Freedom Navy NewStand 28 Mar 2003 -- As many watch wartime world events unfold, a virtual mobile airport patrols the waters of the Arabian Gulf, launching aircraft night and day in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
• CENTCOM Officer Says Iraqis Have Orders to Use Chemical Weapons Washington File 28 Mar 2003 -- Iraqi forces have been given preliminary orders to use chemical weapons on advancing coalition forces headed for Baghdad, and apparently they would be used when coalition forces cross pre-selected "trigger lines" as they near the Iraqi capital, a U.S. Central Command briefing officer says.
• Four Marines Unaccounted For Near An Nasiriyah CENTCOM 28 Mar 2003 -- As a result of recent intense combat operations in the An-Nasiriyah area, four Marines with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force are currently unaccounted for and officially in a "Duty Status and Whereabouts Unknown" status.
• ONE MARINE KILLED AND ANOTHER INJURED IN VEHICLE ACCIDENT IN IRAQ CENTCOM 28 Mar 2003 -- A United States Marine from the First Marine Expeditionary Force was killed and another one injured Wednesday night when a US armored vehicle ran over them in Southern Iraq.
• IRAQ / BASRA VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- A British military spokesman says Iraqi paramilitaries in Basra, Iraq's second biggest city, have fired mortars and machine guns at about two-thousand civilians trying to flee the beleaguered city.
• IRAQ / WRAP VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- Coalition missile attacks rocked Baghdad Friday morning, as U-S-led ground troops advancing on the Iraqi capital continued to meet stiff resistance from Iraqi forces.
• U.S. Coast Guard protects aid shipment to Umm Qasr, Iraq USCG 28 Mar 2003 -- Coast Guard cutter Wrangell, homeported in Portland, Me., along with a Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Honolulu, escorted the first waterborne humanitarian aid shipment into the port of Umm Qasr earlier today, while members of Coast Guard Port Security Unit 311, from San Pedro, Calif., assisted other coalition forces protecting the harbor.
• SCUD attack, bio scare alarm forces in Kuwait USMC News 28 Mar 2003 -- An Iraqi missile attack and the detection of biological agents March 27 had the U.S.-led, multi-nation task force, whose mission is to respond to biological and chemical attacks here, believing they would be called into action.

Deployments

• Afloat prepositioning: Key to U.S. war fighters' rapid response Military Sealift Command 28 Mar 2003 -- Violence erupts thousands of miles away from the nearest U.S. military base, yet troops and equipment are called upon to keep the peace and restore order. When minutes can mean the difference between life and death, the U.S. armed forces must be able to respond swiftly when requested to do so. Military Sealift Command's afloat prepositioning ships are an essential element in the military's ability to respond.

US Policy

• White House Press Briefing White House 28 Mar 2003
• Myers Says Coalition Will Leave Iraq as Soon as It is Stabilized Washington File 28 Mar 2003 -- The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff says coalition forces will remain in Iraq in a post-conflict transition phase long enough to ensure the territorial integrity of the country, to stop "factional ethnic fighting," and to find, secure and deal with weapons of mass destruction sites.
• Bush Praises Vets, Lauds New Generation of Troops' Performance in Iraq AFPS 28 Mar 2003 -- President Bush today praised military veterans for their past service and saluted the current generation of troops for their bravery and performance so far in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
• BUSH IRAQ VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- President Bush says the United States will accept no less than total victory in Iraq. During a White House gathering with veterans groups, Mr. Bush praised the efforts of coalition forces involved in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
• PENTAGON / SYRIA / IRAN VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has accused Syria of allowing shipments of military equipment to cross into Iraq, where they could endanger the lives of coalition forces.
• IRAQ / RECONSTRUCTION VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- A senior U-S official has called on European countries to put aside their disagreements over war in Iraq and cooperate with the United States in the post-war reconstruction of the country. The United States also denies that American companies will capture most of these reconstruction contracts.
• Rumsfeld Warns Syria, Iranian Badr Corps Not to Interfere in Iraq Washington File 28 Mar 2003 -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld sent a warning March 28 to two of Iraq's neighbors -- Syria and Iran -- not to interfere in coalition efforts to topple Saddam Hussein's regime.
• U.S. Military Plan in Iraq on Track, White House Says Washington File 28 Mar 2003 -- The U.S. military plan for disarming Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction and removing Saddam Hussein from power is working, White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer told reporters March 28.
• Wolfowitz, Iraqi-Americans Call End of Hussein Regime Vital to Iraq Washington File 28 Mar 2003 -- Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and three Iraqi-American professionals told international reporters at Washington's Foreign Press Center March 28 that removal of the Saddam Hussein regime is vital to free Iraqis from decades of atrocities and intimidation.
• Allied Forces Will Win Total Victory in Iraq, Bush Says Washington File 28 Mar 2003 -- The fierce fighting currently under way in Iraq will demand further courage and further sacrifice from coalition forces, yet victory is assured, Bush said March 28 in remarks at the White House to representatives of U.S. national veterans organizations.
• EDITORIAL: ILLUSIONS SHREDDED IN IRAQ VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- Today, the world is learning even more about the brutal nature of the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq. But some learned the truth about Saddam Hussein and how most Iraqis feel about him even before the war began. In February, a group of peace activists traveled to Iraq with the intention of protesting military action against the Saddam Hussein regime. Now that the war has come, most of the protesters have returned home. But before they left Iraq, they saw with their own eyes how cruelly the Saddam Hussein regime oppresses the Iraqi people
• EDITORIAL: RUSSIAN EQUIPMENT SOLD TO IRAQ VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- U.S.-led coalition forces are battling to disarm the regime of Saddam Hussein and liberate the Iraqi people. In the midst of this, the world has learned that Russian firms have been secretly selling sensitive military equipment to the Saddam Hussein regime. The equipment includes devices that could be used to interfere with the coalition's satellite-based global positioning system, or G-P-S. Fortunately, the equipment has not been used successfully.
• EDITORIAL: HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE FOR IRAQ VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- Under Saddam Hussein's oppressive rule, the people of Iraq have suffered. Iraq is a country rich with oil, but Saddam Hussein has squandered his people's wealth on weapons of mass destruction and on building more than forty lavish palaces for himself.
• EDITORIAL: FREEZING IRAQ'S ASSETS VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- The U.S.-led coalition is now in Iraq to liberate the Iraqi people from the tyranny of Saddam Hussein and to destroy his weapons of mass destruction.
• EDITORIAL: IRAQI WAR VIOLATIONS VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- Iraqi military personnel are committing serious violations of the laws of war. In the words of U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the world is seeing direct evidence of the Saddam Hussein regime's brutality
• EDITORIAL: SADDAM'S REGIME WILL BE REMOVED VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- Coalition forces are fighting to eliminate the Saddam Hussein regime as a threat to the security of the Iraqi people, the Middle East, and the world. Many people have asked how long that will take. But as President George W. Bush made clear, "It isn't a matter of timetable; it's a matter of victory
• WHO Gets $10 Million USAID Grant for Health Program in Iraq Washington File 28 Mar 2003 -- The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced it has awarded the World Health Organization (WHO) a $10 million grant to strengthen the health system in Iraq.
• USAID Grants $8 Million to UNICEF for Water Services In Iraq Washington File 28 Mar 2003 -- The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced it has awarded the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) an $8 million grant to provide basic health, water and sanitation services in Iraq.
• Senate Resolution Hails Coalition Nations Washington File 28 Mar 2003 -- The United States is grateful for the help of its allies in the fight against Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, according to a March 27 Senate resolution.
• BUSH / MEDIA VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- A senior Bush administration official says the president is frustrated by media coverage questioning how long the war in Iraq will last. The White House is trying to downplay expectations of a quick finish to the fighting.

United Nations

• Iraq: UN Security Council Revives Oil-For-Food Program RFE/L 28 Mar 2003 -- The UN Security Council has unanimously approved a resolution reviving the oil-for-food program in Iraq under the authority of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
• U-N / OIL FOR FOOD VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- The United Nations Security Council has voted unanimously to resume shipments of humanitarian aid to Iraq through the oil-for-food program.
• UNICEF / IRAQ VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- The United Nations children's fund official responsible for Iraq says the U-N relief organization is planning to provide aid to large numbers of Iraqi children as soon as the war has ended.
• U.N. Food Agency Outlines Iraq Food Aid Situation Washington File 28 Mar 2003 -- The U.N. World Food Program (WFP) March 27 issued a press briefing summary outlining the food aid situation in Iraq.
• IRAQ/HEALTH VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- United Nations health officials are concerned about the outbreak of disease from poor water and sanitation conditions in Iraq if the war drags on. But so far, they say, conditions are stable.
• Voicing concerns, UN relief agencies plea for urgent access to Iraqi civilians UN News Centre 28 Mar 2003 -- Expressing increasing concern over the health and safety of the civilian population in Iraq, particularly in the southern city of Basra, United Nations aid agencies today appealed to all sides for access to bring in humanitarian relief.
• Annan welcomes Security Council vote on aid to Iraq, urges speedy action UN News Centre 28 Mar 2003 -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today the UN must move speedily to bring humanitarian aid to Iraq and welcomed the unanimous Security Council approval of adjustments to the suspended Oil-for-Food programme giving him more authority to administer the operation for the next 45 days.
• UN launches massive $2.2 billion appeal for humanitarian relief in Iraq UN News Centre 28 Mar 2003 -- The United Nations today launched a $2.2 billion emergency appeal for immediate humanitarian assistance for the people of Iraq over the next six months, with $1.3 billion devoted to a massive food aid operation.
• Iraq: Security Council adopts adjustments to UN's Oil-for-Food programme UN News Centre 28 Mar 2003 -- The Security Council today unanimously approved a resolution adjusting the suspended Oil-for-Food programme to give United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan more authority to administer the operation for the next 45 days.
• U.N. Security Council Restarts Iraq Oil-for-Food Program Washington File 28 Mar 2003 -- Regaining the unity it lost before the start of hostilities in Iraq, the U.N. Security Council March 28 unanimously adopted a resolution authorizing the secretary general to use money in the oil-for-food program to provide emergency humanitarian aid to Iraqi civilians.
• U.N. Secretary General to Administer Iraq Oil-For-Food Program Washington File 28 Mar 2003 -- The Security Council March 28 unanimously adopted a resolution allowing U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to use funds in the oil-for-food program to meet the humanitarian needs of Iraqi civilians suffering the effects of the current conflict.
• Modified Oil-For-Food Program Will Address Iraq's Immediate Needs Washington File 28 Mar 2003 -- The United States March 28 welcomed the decision of the United Nations to modify its Oil-for-Food Program, which uses Iraq's oil revenues for the purchase of medical supplies and food.
• U-N/ IRAQ APPEAL VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- The heads of United Nations humanitarian agencies launched an urgent appeal for more than two-billion dollars in aid for Iraq today (Friday). It is the largest relief appeal the global organization has ever announced.
• IRAQ: UN seeks $ 2.2 billion for humanitarian relief IRIN 28 Mar 2003 -- The United Nations today launched a $2.2 billion emergency appeal for immediate humanitarian assistance for the people of Iraq over the next six months, with $1.3 billion devoted to a massive food aid operation.

Foreign Reactions

• IRAQ / ARAB DEMOS VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- For the second week in a row, thousands of people rallied in Egypt after Friday prayer to voice their opposition to the U-S-led war in Iraq.
• BRITAIN/IRAQ VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair says the war in Iraq will face "tough and difficult moments," but he is confident the United Nations will soon approve massive food aid for the Iraqi people. Mr. Blair spoke in New York, following his talks with President Bush and U-N Secretary General Kofi Annan.
• RUSSIA / IRAQ VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has again called for a halt to the U-S-led war on Iraq, saying a political settlement is the only path to peace.
• S. Korean "National Assemblymen" reject troop dispatch to Iraqi war KCNA 28 Mar 2003 -- Voices opposing the passage of the "motion calling for troop dispatch" to the Iraqi war through the "National Assembly" are growing stronger from among its members from the democratic party, according to MBC of South Korea.

News Reports

• RFE/RL Iraq Report, Volume 6, Number 14 28 Mar 2003 -- BAGHDAD PRESENTS OFFICIAL VIEW OF WAR... / ...AND CLAIMS TO HAVE INFLICTED SEVERE CASUALTIES / 'SKY SOLDIERS' BEGIN SECOND FRONT IN NORTHERN IRAQ / IRAQI OPPOSITION CALLS ON CIVILIANS, MILITARY TO RISE UP... / ...AND STATES IT WILL DECLARE TRANSITION GOVERNMENT / PUK, ANSAR AL-ISLAM FIGHTING FIERCELY DESPITE OFFER OF AMNESTY / WAS THERE AN UPRISING IN AL-BASRAH? / SCIRI UNENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT U.S. HELP / COALITION FORCES TARGET IRAQ TELEVISION / SAUDI FOREIGN MINISTER PRESENTS IRAQ PEACE PROPOSAL, SAYS U.S. NOT IMPERIALISTIC / TURKISH CHIEF OF STAFF GIVES ASSURANCES ON IRAQ / CLERICS URGE IRAQIS TO RESIST INVADERS / IRAN TURNS ITS BACK ON ANSAR AL-ISLAM / U.K. AID AWAITS MINE CLEARANCE / IRAQI AMBASSADOR URGES SECURITY COUNCIL TO TAKE ACTION... / UNMOVIC CHIEF CAUTIONS ON DISCOVERY OF CHEMICAL SUITS IN SOUTHERN IRAQ / U.S., U.K. LEADERS MEET TO DISCUSS IRAQ / U.S. PRESIDENT TELLS CONGRESS OF 'URGENT' NEED FOR APPROVAL OF IRAQ-WAR FUNDS / U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: IRAN-BACKED PRESENCE IN IRAQ 'UNHELPFUL.' / PRESIDENT SAYS EC WORKING HARD TO DELIVER AID TO IRAQ / FOREIGN MINISTER BACKS ARAB LEAGUE CALL FOR END TO IRAQ WAR...
• Oil Prices Recover VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- Crude oil prices rebounded this week in New York to post their biggest gain in a year with the contract for May delivery closing at just over 30 dollars a barrel.The 12 percent rise in oil this week is tied to a belief that the Iraq war will last longer than first expected.
• IRAQI BORDER TOWN VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- U-S-led coalition forces left many small Iraqi villages in their wake as they rushed toward their current positions outside Baghdad.
• BACKGROUND REPORT Iraqi Fighters VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- Iraq's army has help from several groups of fighters loyal to President Saddam Hussein. These groups are also called militias or paramilitaries. They have been strongly resisting American and British troops in southern and central Iraq. They also work to suppress any uprisings by Iraqis.
• IRAQI-AMERICANS VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- As the US-led military campaign in Iraq pushes closer to Baghdad, Iraqi-Americans follow the situation with mixed emotions. To a man or woman, they are opposed to Saddam Hussein. Many are still in touch with relatives in Iraq and hope the war will be over soon. Most appear to support the U-S military intervention, though some are less enthusiastic.
• Iraqi-Americans United Against Hussein's 'Republic of Fear' AFPS 28 Mar 2003 -- Saddam Hussein is a brutal dictator who doesn't care a whit about the Iraqi people, and he is only concerned with how they and the country's principal natural resource, oil, may serve him.
• BACKGROUND REPORT - Russia / Iraq VOA 28 Mar 2003 -- On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin again called on the United States to end the war in Iraq. He said the only way to solve what he called "the Iraqi problem" is to renew diplomatic efforts. But Russia has its own diplomatic problem with the United States. This involves reported sales of military equipment to Iraq by Russian companies.
• IRAQ: Relief agencies anxious to gain access IRIN 28 Mar 2003 -- Relief agencies and NGOs in the Jordanian capital, Amman, are anxious to gain access to neighbouring Iraq as soon as security conditions permit, IRIN learnt on Friday.