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Current Operations

• Transcript: DoD News Briefing - ASD PA Clarke and Maj. Gen. McChrystal 14 Apr 2003 -- "We continue to make progress on the war in Iraq. Coalition forces are rooting out remnants of the Iraqi regime, including in Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown. The regime is at its end, and its leaders are either dead, surrendered, or on the run."
• TRANSCRIPT OF 4/14 CENTCOM BRIEFING CENTCOM 14 Apr 2003 -- "We're in the 25th day since coalition forces entered Iraq to initiate Operation Iraqi Freedom. The coalition is expanding areas of influence throughout the country and concentrating efforts on security and stability. Gradually, the indications of every-day life are returning in Iraq, and the Iraqis are adjusting to the freedom from the tyranny of the regime. Today, the coalition is operating throughout Iraq to remove the final remnants of the regime from any areas of influence. "
• Transcript: Media Briefing Australia's contribution to Global Operations Australian Department of Defence 14 Apr 2003 -- "Operations have continued in all areas over the last 24 hours and I'm happy to report that all our people remain safe and accounted for. First, I'd like to update you on OPERATION BAGHDAD ASSIST. The operation continues, with the two C-130s dispatched from Richmond yesterday making their way to the Middle East to deliver medical supplies."
• Secretary of State for Defence and the Chief of Defence Staff - Lobby briefing at the Foreign Press Association Ministry of Defence 14 Apr 2003 -- "Three and a half weeks into the military operation in Iraq, on Day 25, coalition forces have made extraordinary progress. But I do want to note that it is important that you realise that the situation varies greatly from one place to another in Iraq. UK and US forces are demonstrating impressive adaptability and flexibility in confronting a range of challenges right across the country. "

• IRAQ / WRAP (L-3rd UPDATE) VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- Iraqis from both inside and outside of the country are to meet today (Tuesday) to begin determining their country's political future. Meanwhile, coalition forces in Iraq are starting to shift their focus away from military operations.
• SOLDIERS KILLED IN APPARENT ACCIDENTAL GRENADE DETONATION CENTCOM 14 Apr 2003 -- Two V Corps soldiers were killed and two injured in an apparent accidental detonation of a grenade while they were performing maintenance on a vehicle in a checkpoint south of Baghdad at approximately 4:00 p.m. (9 a.m. EST) Monday. The incident was not a result of hostile fire.
• ONE SOLDIER KILLED, ONE WOUNDED IN ACCIDENTAL WEAPONS DISCHARGE CENTCOM 14 Apr 2003 -- One V Corps soldier was killed and another wounded Monday morning in an apparent accidental weapons discharge incident in the vicinity of Baghdad International Airport, Iraq.
• Pentagon Says U.S. Winding Down Air Campaign Over Iraq Washington File 14 Apr 2003 -- A senior U.S. military officer says the air campaign over Iraq is winding down and two aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf are planning to pull out this week and head home now that "major combat operations are over."
• U.S. Investigating Death of Ukrainian Journalist in Iraq Washington File 14 Apr 2003 -- The United States takes "most seriously" the recent death in Iraq of Ukrainian journalist Taras Protsuk, Ambassador Stephan Minikes, head of the U.S. Mission to the OSCE, said April 10.
• U.S. Forces Take Tikrit With Little Resistance Washington File 14 Apr 2003 -- U.S. Marines took the attack into Tikrit, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's ancestral hometown, isolating it from the west, south and north and controlling a key bridge that crosses the Tigris River in the center of the town, says a U.S. Central Command briefing officer.
• War At 'Transition Point' As U.S. Troops Enter Tikrit RFE/L 14 Apr 2003 -- U.S. troops now have control of the center of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown and the last city held by his regime.
• Shape of Coalition Forces Will Change As War Winds Down AFPS 14 Apr 2003 -- As the war in Iraq winds down, the shape and number of coalition forces in the area will change, DoD officials said during a briefing in the Pentagon.
• EOD teams cleaning up streets of Iraq Army News 14 Apr 2003 -- As the fighting begins to subside across Iraq, Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams are beginning the work of ridding the country of devices such as grenades, rockets, missiles and mortars that remain buried in fields, streets and front yards.
• IRAQ / WRAP (L-2nd UPDATE) VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- The Pentagon says most of the major fighting in Iraq is over, as coalition troops in the country turn their attention to humanitarian issues. Meanwhile, U-S officials turn-up the heat on Syria, which they accuse of harboring senior officials from Saddam Hussein's toppled government and possessing chemical weapons.
• PENTAGON/IRAQ WEAPONS VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- With the major combat operations in Iraq now over, U-S-led coalition forces are focusing on other objectives, including the hunt for Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and Baghdad's fugitive leaders. There are signs the hunt is shifting at least in part to neighboring Syria.
• IRAQ WRAP (L-ONLY UPDATE) VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- U-S troops are clearing out the remaining pockets of resistance in the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown. Meanwhile, the United States and Britain are increasing pressure on Syria to address allegations that it has chemical weapons and is harboring members of the ousted Iraqi leadership.
• PENTAGON: NOT YET VICTORY VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- Pentagon officials still are not ready to declare victory in Iraq, noting there are remaining pockets of resistance. But there are clear signs that the military emphasis in Iraq is starting to shift.
• PENTAGON/WAR UPDATE VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- The major fighting in Iraq appears to be over but senior defense officials are warning there are still likely to be what one general terms small, sharp engagements.
• Marines in Tikrit, Encounter Sporadic Resistance AFPS 14 Apr 2003 -- U.S. Marines encountered sporadic resistance as they moved into Tikrit today, U.S. Central Command officials said this morning during a press conference in Qatar.
• Fireball outfit flies 100th mission USAFENS 14 Apr 2003 -- The 457th Air Expeditionary Group flew its 100th mission April 10, continuing to prosecute airpower on the dying Iraqi regime and writing another page of The Fireball Outfit's 50-year history.
• COBRA DOWN CENTCOM 14 Apr 2003 -- A Marine AH-1 Cobra crashed at approximately 9:00 a.m. today conducting combat operations here. The pilot and the co-pilot were recovered and suffered minor injuries. The incident was not the result of hostile fire.
• IRAQ / U-S BRIEFING VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- The U-S military in the Gulf says the imminent fall of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown, has brought the campaign in Iraq to what one general calls a transition point. But the military says it is too early to say that the war is over.
• IRAQ / U-S BRIEFING / TIKRIT VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- U-S tanks have moved into the center of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown, encountering only sporadic fighting on the way. U-S commanders are saying the first decisive phase of military operations is winding down.
• IRAQ WRAP VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- U-S troops are clearing out pockets of resistance in the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown. Increasingly, though, the focus of Operation Iraqi Freedom is shifting away from military objectives to rebuilding Iraq.
• MEMBER OF 'IRAQI TOP 55' IN COALITION CUSTODY CENTCOM 14 Apr 2003 -- Watban Ibrahim Hasan Al-Tikriti was taken into coalition custody Apr. 13.
• U.S. Troops Reportedly Control Center Of Tikrit RFE/L 14 Apr 2003 -- News reports say U.S. forces now control the center of Tikrit, the last known stronghold of government resistance in Iraq.
• U.S. Troops In Hussein's Last Major Stronghold RFE/L 14 Apr 2003 -- U.S. troops are now in the center of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown and the last major city controlled by his regime.
• Marines rescue seven POW(s) USMC News 14 Apr 2003 -- Twelve Marines rescued seven prisoners of war April 13. The seven soldiers rescued were Chief Warrant Officers David Williams and Ronald Young, Army Sgt. James Riley, Specialists Shoshana Johnson, Joseph Hudson and Edgar Hernandez, and Pfc. Patrick Miller, were among those rescued.
• Echo Co. finds weapons, ammo at checkpoint; detain prisoners USMC News 14 Apr 2003 -- Training counts. During the shipboard stages of their deployment Marines from the 24th MEU spent countless hours sharpening their skills though Marine Corps Martial Arts training. Those hours of training paid off in Iraq.
• Thousands of pounds of Iraqi ammunition discovered USMC News 14 Apr 2003 -- Outside the bustling Iraqi town of Al Kut lies enough ammunition and explosive ordnance to level the city a few times over. Left behind when Iraqi forces retreated north, the ammunition bunkers outside the town were explored for the first time by American forces Apr. 13.
• 4th LAR thunders north to Iraq USMC News 14 Apr 2003 -- The reserve Marines of 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, headquartered at Camp Pendleton, Calif., left here to move north into Iraq today to join the war against the Ba?ath regime.
• IRAQ WRAP VOA 14 Apr 2003-- U-S troops are facing what the military describes as spotty resistance in Tikrit, the hometown of deposed Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein.
• AGE keeps maintainers in business AFPN 14 Apr 2003 -- They are the veins and arteries that carry the lifeblood to hundreds of workers keeping the coalition bombing effort pumping on time.
• Bashur Airfield on roll; future still not set AFPN 14 Apr 2003 -- After two weeks of living on the edge of the noisy flightline, the airmen at Bashur Airfield in northern Iraq, moved their camp to higher ground.

Deployments

• Ships Returning to Pearl Harbor Navy NewStand 14 Apr 2003 -- Following images of liberated Iraqis in Baghdad April 9, news quickly broke that the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) Battle Group was relieved by the USS Nimitz (CVN 68) Battle Group, and the ships of the Lincoln Battle Group were headed home after one of the longest naval deployments since the Vietnam War.
• After 9 Months, Lincoln, CVW-14 Head Home Navy NewStand 14 Apr 2003 -- USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 14 are heading home for their respective home ports. A usually joyous occasion for any deployment, this is Lincoln's second time heading home on this one.

US Policy

• White House Press Briefing White House 14 Apr 2003
• BUSH IRAQ VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- President Bush says U-S troops formed well. In a broadcast message to American troops abroad, the president offered the nation's thanks and praise.
• U.S. Statement on Refugees in Iraq, Balkans, Chechnya Washington File 14 Apr 2003 -- The United States is concerned about the humanitarian plight of people in Iraq, the Balkans, and Chechnya and Ingushetia, said Douglas A. Davidson, deputy chief of the U.S. Mission to the OSCE.
• POWELL-IRAQ-SYRIA VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell Monday raised the possibility of U-S punitive measures against Syria, which the Bush administration believes may be developing chemical weapons and giving safe-haven to former members of the ousted Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq.

United Nations

• UN relief agencies report some progress in their aid efforts in Iraq UN News Centre 14 Apr 2003 -- United Nations relief agencies reported some positive developments in Iraq today, mainly in the north, although lawlessness still continued and hospitals throughout the country remained either totally disrupted or limping on in a precarious state.
• Annan heads to Athens for European Conference, high-level talks on Iraq UN News Centre 14 Apr 2003 -- United Nation Secretary-General Kofi Annan leaves today for Athens where he has been invited to attend the European Conference, and is scheduled to hold high-level talks on a number of issues including developments in Iraq.
• IRAQ: UN international staff to begin returning Monday IRIN 14 Apr 2003 -- International staff members of the United Nations will begin returning to northern and eastern Iraq on Monday, according to the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, Ramiro Lopes da Silva.

Reconstruction Issues

• PM: A strategy for peace in Iraq 10 Downing Street 14 Apr 2003 -- Prime Minister Tony Blair has emphasised there will be tough times ahead in Iraq but the country is a better place without Saddam. Laying out plans for peace in Iraq, the Prime Minister said the UN has a vital role to play. Mr Blair also expressed his pride for the role British Forces have played.

• Annan's special adviser heads to Washington for talks on post-conflict Iraq UN News Centre 14 Apr 2003 -- Secretary-General Kofi Annan's top adviser on developing a framework for United Nations involvement in post-conflict Iraq, is meeting with top United States government officials in Washington, D.C., today.
• UN human rights chief says United Nations role in Iraq in Coalition's interests UN News Centre 14 Apr 2003 -- The top United Nations human rights official said today it was in the interests of Coalition forces to carry out the post-war reconstruction of Iraq under a UN mandate and that in the meantime they had a duty to protect hospitals and humanitarian facilities there.
• Cooperation for the Safeguarding of Iraqi Antiquities and Cultural Property US Dept. of State 04 Apr 2003 -- The people of the United States value the archeological and cultural heritage of Iraq that documents over 10,000 years of the development of civilization. In recent days, the National Museums in Baghdad and Mosul have been looted, as well as other cultural institutions and archeological sites.
• Powell Says Meetings on Iraq's Future Will Be Forum for All Iraqis Washington File 14 Apr 2003 -- The first of a series of meetings to form a new political system for the Iraqi people following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime will be held in Nasiriya April 15, said Secretary of State Colin Powell.
• Powell Warns Against Dealing in Looted Iraqi Antiquities Washington File 14 Apr 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell warned Americans, Iraqis and others not to retain or attempt to buy and sell objects and documents taken from Iraq's national museums.
• Snow Says IMF, World Bank Need to Engage in Iraq Washington File 14 Apr 2003 -- U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow says that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank have "crucial" roles to play in providing humanitarian relief to Iraq and "laying the groundwork" for that country's reconstruction.
• U-S/IRAQ/MUSEUM VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- The United States, under criticism for not preventing last week's looting of the Iraqi National Museum in Baghdad, is promising to take a leading role in protecting remaining artifacts, and prosecuting those who possess, or traffic in, stolen Iraqi antiquities.
• IRAQ / POWER PLANT VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- The American military is focusing on helping to restore electricity and water to Baghdad, 10 days after the power was cut. And Iraqis are also starting to take matters into their own hands.
• IRAQ/POST-WAR VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- U-S officials are convening a meeting of Iraqi opposition groups Tuesday to discuss plans for the country's future. The meeting is to take place in the newly liberated town of Nasiriyah.
• REBUILDING IRAQ VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- As conflict in Iraq winds down, the United States and British forces face the immediate task of helping establish order in the nation, and helping the Iraqis get the basics of life. It is a difficult job, and the American press has a variety of concerns related to the war and its aftermath.
• IRAQ/POST-WAR VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- U-S officials are convening a meeting of Iraqi opposition groups Tuesday to discuss plans for the country's future. The meeting is to take place in the newly liberated town of Nasiriyah.
• U-S/IRAQ/MUSEUM VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- The United States, under criticism for not preventing last week's looting of the Iraqi National Museum in Baghdad, is promising to take a leading role in protecting remaining artifacts, and prosecuting those who possess, or traffic in, stolen Iraqi antiquities.
• IRAQ / ELECTRICITY VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- U-S military engineers in Baghdad have begun work on re-starting the city's main power plants. Iraqi officials shut down the plants nearly three weeks ago, when coalition forces began advancing rapidly toward the capital. American engineers are working closely with Iraqis to restore power.
• WORLD BANK WRAP VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- The International Monetary Fund and World Bank meeting ended in Washington today (Sunday) with agreement to assess the reconstruction needs of Iraq and to expand the amount of cash available to the world's poorest countries.
• AUSTRALIA IRAQ REFUGEES VOA 14 Apr 2003-- Australia is considering paying thousands of Iraqi asylum seekers to return home.

Foreign Reactions

• Anti-war protests continue throughout Europe USAFENS 14 Apr 2003 -- As U.S. and coalition forces continue ahead with Operation Iraqi Freedom, anti-war protests are occurring throughout Europe and the world.
• Kuwait Delivering Aid to Iraqis, Hoping to Find POWs AFPS 14 Apr 2003 -- Kuwait is providing "significant humanitarian assistance" to Iraq while still hoping to recover its prisoners of war from Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion.
• BRITAIN / IRAQ VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair says foreign irregular forces are responsible for most of the attacks that continue against U-S troops in Baghdad.

News Reports

• AMBASSADOR JOSEPH WILSON, A FORMER DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION AT THE U-S EMBASSY IN IRAQ VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- VOA-TV Host David Borgida talks with Ambassador Joseph Wilson, a former deputy chief of mission at the U-S Embassy in Iraq, and a member of the National Security Council during the Clinton administration. Mr. Wilson provides insight into the Syrian situation.
• BASRA/AID VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- The international aid organization, known as the Red Crescent, is playing a major role in delivering humanitarian relief to southern Iraq.
• ARAB SOUL SEARCHING VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- INTERVIEW: PROFESSOR SHAMLAN AL EASA, DEPARTMENT OF POLITICS, KUWAIT UNIVERSITY
• BRITISH POLICE SOUTHERN IRAQ VOA 14 Apr 2003 -- INTERVIEW: Colonel Chris Vernon, Spokesman for British Forces in Iraq
• IRAQ: Food aid positioned, awaiting improved security IRIN 14 Apr 2003 -- Row upon row of sacks filling a vast warehouse in Kuwait City are beginning to symbolise another side of the ongoing war in Iraq. Thousands of 50-kg sacks of wheat flour lie on pallets stacked five metres high and extend more than 50 metres down the length of the dusty building.