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Current Operations

• Transcript: CENTCOM Operation Iraqi Freedom Briefing CENTCOM 08 Apr 2003 -- "I'd like to now update you on some of the things that have occurred over the last 24 hours. (...) The main focus of the operation continues to be, for the land component, in and around Baghdad.
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing - ASD PA Clarke and Maj. Gen. McChrystal 08 Apr 2003 -- "Finally, I'd like to express again the department's condolences to the families and friends of the journalists who have been killed in this war. They have been doing very, very important work, and we're saddened by their deaths."
• Transcript; Media briefing Australia's contribution to Global Operations Australian Ministry of Defence 08 Apr 2003

• PENTAGON/PRISONERS VOA 08 Apr 2003 -- With U-S led coalition forces cleaning up pockets of resistance around Iraq, the Pentagon has not forgotten Americans taken prisoner or missing during nearly three weeks of fighting.
• IRAQ WRAP - 3rd UPDATE VOA 08 Apr 2003 -- U-S forces seized a key military airport in southern Baghdad Tuesday, while facing stiff resistance in other parts of the Iraqi capital. Meanwhile, U-S military officials say they do not know if Saddam Hussein was killed in a bombing attack Monday that targeted the Iraqi leadership.
• IRAQ WRAP - 2nd UPDATE VOA 08 Apr 2003 -- U-S forces seized a key military airport in southern Baghdad Tuesday, while facing stiff resistance in other parts of the Iraqi capital. Meanwhile, U-S military officials say they do not know if Saddam Hussein was killed in a bombing attack Monday that targeted the Iraqi leadership.
• U.S. Forces Expand Presence In Baghdad RFE/L 08 Apr 2003 -- The Pentagon says coalition forces are encircling Baghdad and there is a substantial presence of American troops in the Iraqi capital.
• KUWAITI REACTION VOA 08 Apr 2003 -- British tanks have taken control the center of Basra, Iraq's second largest city.
• COALITION F-15E DOWN, TWO AIRMEN MISSING CENTCOM 08 Apr 2003 -- Two Coalition airmen are missing after their F-15E Strike Eagle went down in Iraq approximately 7:30 p.m. EDT Sunday. The airmen and their aircraft were forward deployed from the 4th Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C.
• IRAQ WRAP UPDATE VOA 08 Apr 2003 -- More fighting is reported in and around downtown Baghdad as U-S forces seek to consolidate their foothold in the center of the capital. Meanwhile, U-S military officials say they do not know if Saddam Hussein was killed in Monday's bombing attack that targeted the Iraqi leadership.
• PENTAGON / IRAQ VOA 08 Apr 2003 -- Top Pentagon officials say coalition forces now have a substantial presence in and around Baghdad and have isolated the city.
• CONGRESS / IRAQ WAR CRIMES VOA 08 Apr 2003 -- Key U-S lawmakers have introduced a resolution condemning Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and other Iraqi officials for committing war crimes, and are vowing the United States will prosecute those responsible.
• PENTAGON / SADDAM VOA 08 Apr 2003 -- A top Pentagon official says the end of Saddam Hussein's regime is getting closer, but the Iraqi leader's fate remains uncertain following an overnight bombing.
• B-1 crew describes taking out 'The Big One' AFPN 08 Apr 2003 -- An Air Force B-1 Lancer crew rode an "adrenaline rush" as they prepared to strike a recently discovered target of opportunity believed to be the site of a high-level Iraqi leadership meeting April 7.
• B-1B Crew Details Mission Against Leadership Target AFPS 08 Apr 2003 -- It might have been "The Big One." The mission that a B-1B crew flew April 7 may have killed Saddam Hussein and his sons. The crew comes from the 405th Air Expeditionary Wing deployed in the region.
• Coalition Medics Provide Care to Iraqi Soldiers, Civilians AFPS 08 Apr 2003 -- American combat medics are treating scores of Iraqi civilians and service members throughout that country, the Pentagon's chief spokeswoman said today.
• Najaf cheers 101st liberators, markets open Army News 08 Apr 2003 -- The smiles and cheers of a liberated populace greeted the soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) as they secured the city of Najaf in the first days of April.
• Patriot missiles shield Arabian Peninsula Army News 08 Apr 2003 -- Every launched Iraqi missile targeted by Patriot sites so far has been killed.
• HMAS SYDNEY TO provide maritime security for IRAQ Australian Ministry of Defence 08 Apr 2003 -- Prime Minister John Howard and Defence Minister Robert Hill joined senior military officers, friends and family to farewell the HMAS Sydney which left today for the Middle East.
• Three Journalists Killed In Baghdad in Incidents With U.S. Forces RFE/L 08 Apr 2003 -- Three journalists were killed in Baghdad today in two separate incidents involving U.S. forces.
• IRAQ WAR / MEDIA VOA 08 Apr 2003 -- U-S bombing and gunfire in Baghdad have killed three foreign journalists, one from Qatar's al-Jazeera television, one from Reuters television, and one from the Spanish television network. The incidents have sparked anger and sadness among the dead men's colleagues, and analysts say they could erode U-S credibility in the Arab world.
• 24th MEU (SOC) Marines eliminate Ba'ath Party presence in Qalatsukar USMC News 08 Apr 2003 -- Earlier that morning, Marines from the 24th MEU rolled into the center of town with the mission to destroy all symbols of Saddam Hussein and his Ba'ath Party Regime.
• 24th MEU (SOC) ROWPU site is scene of action and good deed USMC News 08 Apr 2003 -- April 5 started out as a typical day for the Marines from MEU Service Support Group 24, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) working at the Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Unit site.
• 3rd MAW CG Discusses Role of the Wing in OIF USMC News 08 Apr 2003 -- 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing's commanding general recently spoke candidly with a group of embedded media here about the Wing's role in Operation Iraqi Freedom Maj. Gen. James F. Amos described the coordinated effort that has allowed coalition forces to reach Baghdad in just two weeks.
• MSSG-15 offers 'pure' humanitarian assistance USMC News 08 Apr 2003 -- Using some of their unique capabilities, the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) recently assisted Iraqi citizens get one of their most precious resources -- water.
• Lancer hits regime leadership target AFPN 08 Apr 2003 -- An Air Force B-1B Lancer struck a building in a residential area in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 7 where a high-level Iraqi leadership meeting was believed to be ongoing.
• A-10 crashes in Baghdad AFPN 08 Apr 2003 -- An A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot ejected safely before the aircraft crashed in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 8. The pilot was rescued by coalition ground forces, according to a U.S. Central Command official.
• Coalition Targets Senior Iraqi Leaders; Basra Liberated AFPS 07 Apr 2003 -- Coalition forces targeted "senior regime officials" in a strike in the Baghdad suburb of al Mansour April 7, a U.S. Central Command official said during a briefing in Qatar today.
• Coalition Forces Tighten Control Throughout Country RFE/L 08 Apr 2003 -- Military officials say U.S. forces again have made a show of force in downtown Baghdad, while British troops have taken control of much of Basra in southern Iraq. In the north, Kurdish forces backed by American soldiers have been closing in on Mosul and Kirkuk.
• Early-Morning Bombing of Baghdad; Saddam, Sons Rumored To Be Dead RFE/L 08 Apr 2003 -- U.S. forces today mounted an intense early-morning bombardment of an area in central Baghdad that houses a number of Iraqi government ministries and other official buildings.
• U.S. Forces Expanding Presence in Baghdad, Meeting Little Resistance RFE/L 08 Apr 2003 -- The U.S. military says coalition forces are increasing their presence in Baghdad and are meeting little organized resistance from Iraqi fighters.
• Coalition Continues to Target Iraqi Regime Leadership Washington File 08 Apr 2003 -- Coalition forces received credible information that indicated some of the most senior Iraqi leadership was meeting April 7 at a building in Baghdad's al Mansour neighborhood, and an airstrike was conducted that effectively destroyed the building, a Central Command (CENTCOM) briefing officer said.
• Pentagon Says Coalition "Rooting Out Resistance" in Baghdad Washington File 08 Apr 2003 -- Coalition forces have a "substantial presence" in Baghdad and are conducting raids from different directions into the city, "rooting out resistance wherever we find it," says a Pentagon military official.
• Outcome of Attack on Iraqi Leaders Not Known, U.S. Says Washington File 08 Apr 2003 -- The fate of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is uncertain after a U.S. bomber dropped four "bunker buster" bombs on a building in a residential area of Baghdad where intelligence indicated he and his sons may have been meeting April 7.
• IRAQ / BRIEFING VOA 08 Apr 2003 -- Fighting continues at several locations in and around Baghdad, with U-S ground troops moving on the city from the southeast, west, and the north. One of the prime targets was a residential neighborhood of Baghdad where the Iraqi leadership was believed to be holding a meeting on Monday.
• IRAQ-U-S BRIEFING-AIRFIELD VOA 08 Apr 2003 -- U-S forces have taken control of a military airfield in Baghdad, after seizing the Iraqi capital's international airport last week. A military spokesman also says U-S troops have pushed into Baghdad from the north, as well as the south.
• PENTAGON / BAGHDAD BOMBING VOA 08 Apr 2003 -- U-S Air Force officers say they were told "this could be the big one" on Monday when they scrambled to launch an air strike over Baghdad that intelligence indicated could have targeted Saddam Hussein and other senior Iraqi leaders.
• IRAQ/U-S BRIEFING/STRIKE VOA 08 Apr 2003 -- The U-S military says it destroyed a building in Baghdad where Iraqi President Saddam Hussein might have been meeting with his top associates. But a top general says U-S forces may never know who was inside.
• IRAQ / U-S BRIEFING / JOURNALISTS VOA 08 Apr 2003 -- The U-S Central Command says it regrets that three journalists were killed in Baghdad as U-S warplanes bombed the city and U-S and Iraqi units fought near a downtown hotel where many reporters are staying. The U-S military says it does not target journalists and accuses forces loyal to Saddam Hussein of putting the reporters in danger.
• IRAQ WRAP VOA 08 Apr 2003 -- More fighting is reported in and around downtown Baghdad as U-S forces seek to consolidate their foothold in the center of the capital. Meanwhile, U-S military officials say they do not know if Saddam Hussein was killed in Monday's bombing attack that targeted the Iraqi leadership.
• UPDATE ON JOURNALISTS CAUGHT IN CROSSFIRE CENTCOM 08 Apr 2003 -- U.S. Central Command has received further clarification on two incidents of journalists being harmed during combat operations in Baghdad today.
• INITIAL RELEASE: REPORTS OF ATTACK ON AL JAZEERA CENTCOM 08 Apr 2003 -- US Central Command is investigating reports that an Al Jazeera news team may have been injured during hostilities in Baghdad.
• A-10 DOWN IN BAGHDAD; PILOT RECOVERED BY COALITION GROUND FORCES CENTCOM 08 Apr 2003 -- A Coalition A-10 "Warthog" went down near Baghdad International Airport at approximately 2:15 a.m. EDT.
• BOMBING IN AL MANSOUR TARGETED IRAQI LEADERSHIP CENTCOM 08 Apr 2003 -- A U.S. Air Force B-1B bomber used precision-guided munitions Monday to strike a suspected meeting of senior Iraqi regime leaders in the al Mansour section of Baghdad, Iraq. The strike, using four 2,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), took place at 2 p.m. Qatar time (7 a.m. EST).
• IRAQ WRAP / OVERNIGHTER VOA 08 Apr 2003-- U-S aircraft, artillery and tanks have mounted an intense bombardment of ministries and official buildings in central Baghdad. The attack comes a day after a U-S warplane tried to kill Iraqi President Saddam Hussein with a huge precision bombing strike on a building in Baghdad where he was thought to be meeting with other members of the leadership.

Deployments

• Deployed chaplains: Faith on the front lines AMCNS 08 Apr 2003 -- Since the onset of Operation Iraqi Freedom, AMC chaplains have deployed alongside thousands of Air Force people, offering spiritual and religious services and helping increase the morale of these deployed warfighters, according to Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Gerald McManus, AMC Chaplain Service chief of readiness and evaluations.
• SECAF: Mobility key to war effort AMCNS 08 Apr 2003 -- The Secretary of the Air Force praised Air Mobility Command for quietly building up resources in the Middle East prior to the opening days of the war in Iraq and for the continued "spectacular" air support during the campaign to remove the Iraqi regime from power.

US Policy

• Joint Statement By President George W. Bush And Prime Minister Tony Blair On Iraq Washington File 08 Apr 2003 -- The future of Iraq, say President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, belongs to the Iraqi people.
• Bush, Blair Meet Press on Post-war Iraq, Mideast, Northern Ireland Washington File 08 Apr 2003 -- President Bush says that as the war in Iraq has progressed, the world has witnessed "the brutal desperation, the true character" of Saddam Hussein's regime and is also witnessing "the liberation and humanitarian aid our coalition is bringing to that country as a new day begins in Iraq."
• U.S. Says Iraqis Show Systematic Disregard for Laws of War Washington File 08 Apr 2003 -- The Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein continues to disobey the laws governing military conduct during wartime and treatment of prisoners, say two senior U.S. government experts on the Geneva Conventions and war crimes issues.
• U.S. Investigating Attack on Russian Embassy Convoy in Iraq Washington File 08 Apr 2003 -- The United States is investigating the April 6 incident in which a convoy of Russian diplomats came under fire while leaving Baghdad for Syria, State Department Deputy Spokesman Philip T. Reeker said April 8.
• U.S. Supporting "Back to School" Program for Iraqi Children Washington File 08 Apr 2003 -- The United States is providing $1 million to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) to support a "Back-to-School" campaign for the children of Iraq, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced.
• US Foreign Policy in Wartime VOA 08 Apr 2003 -- Despite continued allied successes against Iraqi forces, military analysts say it's unclear how long Operation Iraqi Freedom might take to rid the country of Saddam Hussein's regime. With that in mind, some observers are wondering whether the Iraq war might be diverting U-S attention from other foreign policy concerns.
• IRAQ/WAR CRIMES VOA 08 Apr 2003 -- As the U-S military intensifies its attack on Baghdad, U-S officials are already talking about how to prosecute Iraqi leaders accused of war crimes.
• Bush: Dead or Alive, Saddam Loosening Grip on Iraqis AFPS 08 Apr 2003 -- President Bush said today he doesn't know whether Saddam Hussein survived an April 7 American bombing. But, dead or alive, the Iraqi dictator is loosening his vise-grip on the people of Iraq.
• EDITORIAL: VICTORY FOR THE IRAQI PEOPLE VOA 08 Apr 2003 -- The U.S.-led coalition is moving closer to its goal of disarming and removing the regime of Saddam Hussein. When it is over, as President George W. Bush said, the people of Iraq will have a chance for a better life

United Nations

• UN panel awards $860 million in compensation for Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait UN News Centre 08 Apr 2003 -- The United Nations panel set up to process claims and pay compensation for losses and damage suffered as a result of Iraq's invasion and occupation of Kuwait in 1990-1991 made available today more than $860 million to governments and international organizations for distribution to 370 successful claimants.
• Security Council would decide UN role in post-war Iraq - spokesman UN News Centre 08 Apr 2003 -- Reacting to statements by the leaders of the United Kingdom and United States today that the United Nations would play a "vital role" in post-war Iraq, a UN spokesman welcomed such suggestions but stressed that any potential involvement of the world body could come only at the direction of the Security Council.
• Already alarmed by civilian casualties in Iraq, UN agencies now concerned by looting UN News Centre 08 Apr 2003 -- Already preoccupied with the flood of civilian casualties from the fighting in Iraq and the other hardships facing the civilian population, United Nations relief agencies today expressed a new concern - looting.
• IAEA / IRAQ VOA 08 Apr 2003 -- The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency says his inspectors should return to Iraq when the fighting stops to fulfill their mandate to ensure that the country is free of nuclear weapons.
• BUSH / BLAIR IRAQ VOA 08 Apr 2003 -- President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair say the United Nations will play a "vital" role in Iraq once the fighting there is finished. The two leaders spoke a day after their coalition forces again tried to kill Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
• BUSH / BLAIR IRAQ VOA 08 Apr 2003-- President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair say the United Nations will play a "vital" role in Iraq once the fighting there is finished
• UN / EU / IRAQ VOA 08 Apr 2003 -- European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana joins other European leaders in calling for a major U-N role in running post-war Iraq.
• IRAQ/W-H-O VOA 08 Apr 2003 -- The World Health Organization says medical resources in Iraq are fast dwindling, particularly in Baghdad.
• IRAQ: WFP faces "largest humanitarian operation in history" IRIN 08 Apr 2003 -- With the arrival in northern Iraq last week of the first major convoy of World Food Programme (WFP) food aid from Turkey, there began what promises to be the largest emergency operation ever undertaken by the UN agency. "A further 55 trucks loaded with wheat flour are on the road to [the northern city of] Dohuk and will travel to [the city of] Erbil under armed escort tomorrow," Heather Hill, a WFP spokesperson, told IRIN on Tuesday.
• IRAQ: IOM continues assisting third-country nationals IRIN 08 Apr 2003 -- While over 1,600 third-country nationals (TCNs) have fled to the neighbouring countries of Jordan, Syria and Iran following the start of hostilities 20 days earlier, no TCNs have crossed into Turkey, which shares 331 km of border with Iraq, IRIN learnt on Tuesday.
• IRAN-IRAN: Protection for Iraqi refugee women high on agenda, says UNHCR IRIN 08 Apr 2003 -- Although no refugees have crossed into Iran from neighbouring Iraq yet, preparations are being made for a possible influx, with women’s needs high on the agenda.

Foreign Reactions

• BACKGROUND REPORT - Future Iraqi Government VOA 08 Apr 2003 -- There are questions and concerns about what kind of government Iraq will have once the fighting ends. One of the main issues is what part the United Nations will play in Iraq after the war. British Prime Minister Tony Blair wants the United Nations to have a major part. President Bush says the U-N should help rebuild the country. But he rejects U-N involvement in forming a new government in Baghdad. The two leaders met in Northern Ireland to discuss their positions.
• Anti-war protest continue throughout Europe USAFE 08 Apr 2003 -- As U.S. and coalition forces continue ahead with Operation Iraqi Freedom, anti-war protests are occurring throughout Europe and the world.
• CHINA IRAQ VOA 08 Apr 2003 -- China says it favors a dominant role for the United Nations in rebuilding post-war Iraq. But the government in Beijing sees no need for United Nations help in ending a global dispute over North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
• French Politician Regrets U.S. Came Under "Diplomatic Friendly Fire Washington File 08 Apr 2003 -- Alain Madelin has labored in the political vineyards of France for 34 years, including service in three French administrations with President Jacques Chirac. But now the conservative politician is trying to re-cultivate a vintage relationship he says Chirac has needlessly jeopardized by not supporting the war in Iraq.

News Reports

• PENTAGON: WAR REPORTING VOA 08 Apr 2003 -- It has been a grim day for journalists covering the war in Iraq with at least three killed and three others wounded --- all the casualties apparently the result of U-S military fire in Baghdad. In the wake of the incidents, the military and the media are taking different perspectives about what happened.
• THE CONDUCT OF THE WAR VOA 08 Apr 2003 -- The U-S-led coalition has been trying to minimize the danger and hardship to Iraqi civilians in the war to liberate Iraq. But forces loyal to the regime of Saddam Hussein have adopted tactics that deliberately put Iraqi civilians in harm's way. Saddam's Fedayeen, as the paramilitaries are called, have disguised themselves as civilians to ambush coalition soldiers. The Fedayeen have used Iraqi women and children as human shields. President George W. Bush said, "Every atrocity has confirmed the justice and urgency of our cause." He promised that Iraqi war criminals will be hunted relentlessly and judged severely.
• REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK: SADDAM'S PALACE VOA 08 Apr 2003 -- Since seizing the airport in Baghdad on Saturday, U-S forces have been moving swiftly to take control of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's palaces in the capital.
• IRAQ: Moves to rebuild education IRIN 08 Apr 2003 -- With Iraqi classrooms having been empty for nearly a month now due to the current conflict, aid agencies and the United Nations are preparing for the massive job of reconstructing the country's education system.