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Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)


09 April Iraq Special Weapons News

Operations
Deployments
US Policy
United Nations
Foreign Reactions
News Reports

Current Operations

  • Transcript: DoD News Briefing - Secretary Rumsfeld and Gen. Myers 09 Apr 2003 -- "Tomorrow will mark three weeks since Operation Iraqi Freedom began and the progress of the men and women in uniform who make up the coalition forces has been nothing short of spectacular. They drove through the south up, braving dust storms and death squads to reach Baghdad in record time. They secured Iraq's southern oil fields for the Iraqi people, took out terrorist camps in the north and the south, secured large sections of western Iraq, preventing the regime from attacking its neighbors with Scud missiles. They've liberated cities and towns and are now in the Iraqi capital removing the regime from its seat of power and center of gravity."
  • TRANSCRIPT OF 4/9 CENTCOM BRIEFING CENTCOM 09 Apr 2003 -- "It has now been 20 days since coalition forces entered Iraq with clear objectives. Today the regime is in disarray and much of Iraq is free from years of oppression. "
  • Transcript: Media Briefing Australia's contribution to Operation Falconer Australian Department of Defence 09 Apr 2003 -- "Good morning, and welcome to our regular update on operations in the Middle East. It will be a short brief today as there have been no significant changes to our operations in the Middle East over the past 24 hours. Importantly, all our people remain safe and accounted for."
  • Transcript: Teleconference Briefing From Umm Qasr, Iraq on Enemy Prisoner of War Issues 09 Apr 2003 -- "We have planned this operation to handle EPWs for a significant amount of time. Planning has been occurring or has occurred, I would say, over the last eight or nine months."

  • Battle for Baghdad airport caps drive north Army News 09 Apr 2003 -- A 72-hour assault north last week by 3rd Infantry Division soldiers ended with the seizure of Saddam International Airport.
  • 3ID takes Baghdad palaces, begins civil aid Army News 09 Apr 2003 -- The 3rd Infantry Division (Mech.) captured the Presidential Palace and other government buildings in Baghdad April 7-8, establishing what leaders called "a strong foothold" in the Iraqi capital.
  • Coalition Forces Now Control Iraqi Capital, More Fighting Ahead Washington File 09 Apr 2003 -- The Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein no longer controls Baghdad, but U.S. officials briefing journalists warn that the war is not over and intense fighting remains ahead toward the northern area of the country.
  • Iraqi Regime in 'Disarray,' Officials Concerned About Prisoners AFPS 09 Apr 2003 -- Saddam Hussein's regime is in "disarray, and much of Iraq is free from years of oppression," a U.S. Central Command spokesman said today.
  • U.S. Troops Cheered In Baghdad, Though Resistance Continues RFE/L 09 Apr 2003 -- U.S. forces swept through Baghdad today cheered by joyful Iraqis, three weeks after the start of the war against President Saddam Hussein's regime.
  • IRAQ / WRAP - 3RD UPD VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- U-S forces took control of central Baghdad, as jubilant crowds toppled a statue of Saddam Hussein in a downtown square. U-S officials called it a good day for Iraq, but said they still don't know the fate of the Iraqi President and cautioned more fighting lies ahead.
  • KUWAITI REACTION VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- Iraq is not only rich in oil, but also ancient cultural treasures. This adds a dimension to the war, prompting American and English coalition forces to take unusual measures to protect historic sites.
  • IRAQ / WRAP - 2ND UPD VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- U-S forces took control of central Baghdad, as jubilant crowds toppled a statue of Saddam Hussein in a downtown square. U-S officials called it a good day for Iraq, but cautioned more fighting lies ahead.
  • PENTAGON: BAGHDAD'S COLLAPSE VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- After close to a quarter-century of rule, Saddam Hussein's regime is collapsing --- much like the Iraqi leader's statues are in Baghdad and elsewhere. But Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says there is important unfinished business for U-S led coalition forces involved in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
  • U.S. MARINES SECURE IRAQI 10th ARMORED DIVISION HEADQUARTERS CENTCOM 09 Apr 2003 -- U.S. Marines from Task Force Tarawa secured the headquarters of the Iraqi 10th Armored Division, a nearby airfield and an ammunition supply point here Tuesday.
  • MARINE KILLED BY SNIPER FIRE TUESDAY CENTCOM 09 Apr 2003 -- A Marine from the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force's 1st Marine Division was killed Tuesday in the southeast outskirts of Baghdad when he was hit by sniper fire.
  • IRAQ WRAP (L UPDATE) VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- Key parts of the Iraqi capital have fallen to U-S forces, with jubilant crowds turning out to welcome American troops as they continue to fan out through the city, facing no organized resistance. U-S military commanders say Iraqi authorities are no longer in control of the capital, but warn more fighting lies head in other parts of the country.
  • IRAQ / HILLAH VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- The U-S military says its troops are in full control of three key cities south of Baghdad: Najaf, Karbala, and Hillah, about 100-kilometers from the capital.
  • PENTAGON / IRAQ VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says the world is watching history unfold in Iraq and he compared the jubilant scenes in Baghdad with such momentous events as the fall of the Berlin Wall.
  • IRAQ WRAP VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- Baghdad is a city of wildly contrasting images, dancing in the streets in some neighborhoods, while intense firefights continue in others. U-S military commanders say pockets of resistance remain, but Saddam Hussein no longer controls the capital he once ruled with an iron fist.
  • BAGHDAD / SCENE VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- Iraqis, by the thousands, danced and cheered (Wednesday) in the streets of Baghdad celebrating the fall of Saddam Hussein. Others looted stores and government buildings.
  • PENTAGON/BAGHDAD VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says the Iraqi people are losing their fear of what he calls a vicious regime as U-S led coalition troops make progress in liberating the country.
  • PENTAGON / SADDAM UPDATE VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says it has been a good day for Iraq but he warns much dangerous work remains to be done by coalition forces.
  • PENTAGON / IRAQ VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- The Pentagon says the regime of Saddam Hussein is in disarray but cautions that more fighting is likely, particularly in northern Iraq.
  • SADDAM / STRATEGY VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- With coalition forces surrounding the Iraqi capital and seizing control of the center of the city, some military analysts in the area are beginning to analyze Saddam Hussein's failed strategy to defend Iraq against coalition forces.
  • PENTAGON / P-O-W'S VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- Coalition forces in charge of Iraqi prisoners of war say they will be released to a new government in Baghdad shortly after the conflict ends. Military officials say there are now about seven-thousand-300 Iraqi prisoners of war, fewer than originally expected.
  • Enemy POWs Captured in Iraq Are Getting Good Treatment AFPS 09 Apr 2003 -- Enemy prisoners of war captured in Iraq are being well taken care of.
  • Two American Airmen Missing; Two Special Ops Soldiers Rescued AFPS 09 Apr 2003 -- Two American airmen have been missing since their F-15E Strike Eagle went down in Iraq April 6, U.S. military officials in Saudi Arabia said.
  • COMBAT SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM SAVES TWO SOLDIERS CENTCOM 09 Apr 2003 -- Despite severe weather conditions, two critically wounded U.S. Army special operations soldiers' lives were saved by a Combat Search and Rescue team that evacuated them from about five miles south of Baghdad to be later transferred to a hospital in Kuwait.
  • General speaks about space role in Iraq Army News 09 Apr 2003 -- Army Space Forces are actively engaged in current operations in Iraq and globally.
  • Hussein's Reign Near Its End RFE/L 09 Apr 2003 -- Crowds of jubilant Iraqis welcomed U.S. troops in Baghdad's eastern neighborhoods today, as others plundered government buildings, in the clearest sign yet that Saddam Hussein's regime has all but crumbled in the Iraqi capital.
  • BRITAIN/IRAQ VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- Britain says the Iraqi government is crumbling quickly and it is difficult to know who is left in the leadership who could surrender to coalition forces.
  • IRAQ / U-S BRIEFING / BAGHDAD VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- A U-S military spokesman in the Gulf says Saddam Hussein's government is no longer in control of Baghdad and that ordinary Iraqis have begun to realize that the end of his rule is near.
  • IRAQ / U-S BRIEFING VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- A spokesman for the U-S Central Command says the Iraqi regime is losing its grip on power, but more work remains to be done before all objectives of the coalition have been reached.
  • IRAQ / U-S BRIEFING / TIKRIT VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- The U-S military says it expects any fighting for control of Tikrit, the birthplace and stronghold of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, to be no different from earlier battles in the three-week-old Iraq War.
  • IRAQ/U-S BRIEFING/LOOTING VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- U-S Central Command says it is encouraged by scenes of jubilation on the streets of Baghdad as the last vestiges of Saddam Hussein's control of the city appear to have crumbled. A military spokesman says U-S forces are concerned about looting in the Iraqi capital but they say civil order will soon be re-established.
  • Looting And Celebrations In Baghdad As Regime Crumbles RFE/L 09 Apr 2003 -- After a relatively quiet night in the Iraqi capital, thousands of U.S. Marines this morning are moving block by block through Saddam City, a sprawling, mostly Shiite neighborhood in northeast Baghdad that is home to some 2 million people.
  • IRAQ WRAP OVERNIGHT VOA 09 Apr 2003-- Morning in downtown Baghdad has been marked by celebrations in the streets and looting of government buildings, as police and other remnants of the Saddam Hussein government failed to appear. Meanwhile, after a quiet night, U-S forces swept through the suburbs of the Iraqi capital, facing only sporadic resistance
  • B-1B unit carries on Doolittle Raiders' tradition ACCNS 09 Apr 2003 -- In a flight similar to a page from its own history, a 34th Bomb Squadron B-1B bomber continued its proud heritage set by its Doolittle Raider forefathers when it used precision-guided munitions to strike a suspected meeting of senior Iraqi regime leaders in the al Mansour section of Baghdad Monday.
  • Combat search, rescue team saves two soldiers AFPN 09 Apr 2003 -- A U.S. Air Force combat search and rescue team saved the lives of two critically wounded U.S. Army special operations soldiers despite severe weather conditions April 7 about five miles south of Baghdad.
  • Fleet Hospital 3 Changes Navy Medicine Navy NewStand 09 Apr 2003 -- The responsibility of providing casualty care during Operation Iraqi Freedom has taken on a new look.
  • Gen. Franks visits Marines in central Iraq USMC News 09 Apr 2003 -- The man running Operation Iraqi Freedom briefly visited the leathernecks, their fellow service members and coalition partners of I Marine Expeditionary Force April 7.
  • Marines locate enemy hideout, clear massive compound USMC News 09 Apr 2003 -- -- In the midst of a sprawling complex of warehouses, factories and other various buildings, Marines with F Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, raided the liar of a suspected regime death squad, April 8.

Deployments

US Policy

  • Dean's 7-Point Plan for Multilateral Reconstruction in Iraq Wednesday April 9, 2003 - Governor Dean said. "Our goal should be what the Administration has promised -- an Iraq that is stable, self-sufficient, whole and free. Our strategy to achieve that goal should be based on a partnership with three sides -- U.S., international, and Iraqi -- and a program that begins with seven basic points."
  • White House Press Briefing White House 09 Apr 2003
  • Iraqi Prisoners Being Treated Well, U.S. Military Official Says Washington File 09 Apr 2003 -- The approximately 7,300 Iraqi and other enemy prisoners of war in coalition custody in Iraq are receiving plenty of food and drink, those with wounds are receiving prompt medical treatment, and all are allowed to practice their religion, according to a U.S. Army officer in Umm Qasr, Iraq.
  • Rumsfeld Hails a "Very Good Day" for the Iraqi People Washington File 09 Apr 2003 -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld welcomed a "very good day" for the Iraqi people April 9, but cautioned that there is still much to be done before the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein is completely removed, the nation secured and a democratic, representative government installed.
  • Amid Scenes of Celebration in Baghdad, White House Urges Caution Washington File 09 Apr 2003 -- As many parts of the world watched television images of American tanks entering Baghdad's city center while Iraqis cheered and threw shoes at a statue of Saddam Hussein, the White House cautioned the American people that the war is not yet over.
  • Coalition Efforts to Provide Aid, Restore Services in Iraq Continue Washington File 09 Apr 2003 -- Plans to "win the peace" in Iraq continue to move forward, says State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher.
  • Rice, State's Haass Brief on Iraq, Russia, N. Ireland Washington File 09 Apr 2003 -- Establishing an interim authority in Iraq depends in large part on circumstances on the ground as coalition forces continue to secure areas, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice said April 8, adding she does not think anyone "is making a hasty decision" on when to set it up.
  • CONGRESS IRAQ VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- Members of the U-S Congress are reacting to developments in Iraq, where U-S military officials say the regime of Saddam Hussein is losing control.
  • Regime's Collapse Evident, But Hard Fighting Ahead, Cheney Says AFPS 09 Apr 2003 -- The collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime in Baghdad is evident, yet there may still be hard fighting ahead, Vice President Richard Cheney said this morning.
  • IRAQ / RECONSTRUCTION VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- The head of the U-S Agency for International Development says the United States is in position to begin relief work in Iraq as soon as the security situation in the country is stabilized. U-S-A-I-D administrator Andrew Natsios appeared before a congressional subcommittee on Capitol Hill.
  • 'A Good Day' Rumsfeld Says, But More to Do in Iraq AFPS 09 Apr 2003 -- The television pictures from Baghdad today were unmistakable and compelling: Iraqis and Americans joining to rip down a statue of Saddam Hussein. Other Iraqis burned pictures of the Iraqi dictator. Still others welcomed American soldiers and Marines as liberators.
  • VP Cheney Compares Then and Now AFPS 09 Apr 2003 -- A dozen years ago, Defense Secretary Richard Cheney directed Operation Desert Storm. Today Vice President Cheney has the historical perspective to compare the 1991 Gulf War with today's Operation Iraqi Freedom.
  • BUSH / IRAQ VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- President Bush says he is pleased to see progress in the military campaign in Iraq, and heartened by the celebrations in the streets of Baghdad. But at the same time, he warns the war is not over and dangers remain.
  • U-S-Iraq Postwar VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- The fighting in Iraq has not entirely died down, but officials of the U-S-led coalition are already taking the steps to organize an interim Iraqi authority. An initial conference of Iraqi exiles and local leaders is to be held in southern Iraq in the coming days.
  • EDITORIAL: IRAQIS SUPPORT U.S.-LED COALITION VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- group of Iraqis who fled the repressive regime of Saddam Hussein met recently with President George W. Bush. Participant Nadia Mirza said the group supports the U.S.-led coalition's efforts to liberate Iraq. "The kind of government we want is a government where the people have the free choice to voice their opinion, that has complete religious freedom," she said.
  • Senate shows unanimous troop support USMC News 09 Apr 2003 -- The United States Senate unanimously passed a bill recently, commending the President and armed forces and expressing the gratitude of the senate for not only the efforts and sacrifices of military troops, but their families as well.
  • EDITORIAL: CHEMICAL ALI REPORTED DEAD VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- In addition to Saddam Hussein and his two sons, a number of other Iraqi officials have committed crimes against humanity. One of the most notorious was Ali Hassan al-Majid [HAH-sahn ahl-mah-JEED]. There are unconfirmed reports that he may have been killed by a coalition air strike.

United Nations

Foreign Reactions

  • PENTAGON/SYRIA VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- The Pentagon says it has evidence that Syria might be helping supporters of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein flee to safety.
  • FALLOUT FROM IRAQ WAR VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- With American forces in Baghdad and the city's residents celebrating in the streets, Saddam Hussein's brutal 30-year reign appears to be near an end. However, world public opinion remains decidedly anti-war and anti-Americanism is also on the rise. How will this anti-war, anti-U-S sentiment affect the nations of the world and their relationships with the United States?
  • FRANCE/BRITAIN/IRAQ VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- French and British foreign ministers meeting in Paris have again called for the United Nations to play an important role in the post-war reconstruction of Iraq. But the two offered no specifics on that role, during a meeting aimed at improving cross-Channel ties.
  • IRAQ / JORDAN REACT VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- Jordanians watching television were stunned by scenes of celebration (Wednesday) as a statue of Saddam Hussein was toppled in the main square of Baghdad.

News Reports

  • U-S MARINE / GUATEMALA VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- Weeks after he was slain in battle in Iraq, the remains of 28 year old U-S Marine Corporal Jose Antonio Gutierrez have been laid to rest in his native Guatemala. Lance Corporal Gutierrez was one of the first U-S Marines killed in battle in Iraq. At the request of his sister he was honored Wednesday in a memorial service in Guatemala City.
  • Aid Efforts in Iraq VOA 09 Apr 2003 -- Even as Iraqis celebrated in Baghdad Wednesday, fighting continued in parts of the city and other areas of Iraq. The situation has delayed humanitarian aid efforts. On Wednesday the International Committee of the Red Cross suspended its work in Baghdad for at least a day. Gunfire hit two Red Cross vehicles as American and Iraqi forces battled on Tuesday. A Canadian Red Cross worker was killed.
  • BAGHDAD/SCENE VOA 09 Apr 2003-- Thousand of cheering Iraqis took to the streets of Baghdad Wednesday, denouncing Saddam Hussein, destroying images of the former Iraqi leader and, with security forces nowhere to be seen, some looted government offices in the capital
  • Scholar Says U.S. Had Legal Grounds for Iraq Invasion Washington File 09 Apr 2003 -- A U.N. resolution passed at the end of the first Gulf War in 1991 provides all the legal basis needed for the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, a U.S. legal scholar says.
  • TURKEY: Southeastern residents struggle with the economic effects of war IRIN 09 Apr 2003 -- Enter any teahouse in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir and the topic of discussion is the same: Iraq. While much of the local economy is reeling from the effects of the war 400 km to the southeast, teahouses - a traditional refuge for men with too much time on their hands - have never been fuller.
  • IRAQ: Looting and insecurity may slow NGO entry IRIN 09 Apr 2003 -- With chaotic scenes of civilian violence and looting emanating from southern Iraq, aid organisations suggested on Wednesday that they might have to further delay entering the country to begin work.
  • IRAQ: Lack of clean water remains a concern in Umm Qasr IRIN 09 Apr 2003 -- The first humanitarian assessment missions conducted jointly by UN agencies in the port of Umm Qasr in southern Iraq have identified a lack of clean drinking water as a matter of primary concern - a problem that predates the war, when the town’s needs were met by water tankers, IRIN learnt on Wednesday.




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