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Operations
Deployments
US Policy
United Nations
Reconstruction Issues
Foreign Reactions
News Reports

Current Operations

• TRANSCRIPT OF TOWN HALL WITH TROOPS CENTCOM 28 Apr 2003 -- "Well, about six weeks ago, the Secretary of Defense outlined military objectives, as a matter of fact, he outlined eight of them for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Today the coalition has achieved a great many of these objectives, and the people in Iraq have begun a transition to independence."

• AMIR RASHID MUHAMMAD AL-UBAYDI IN COALITION CUSTODY CENTCOM 28 Apr 2003 -- Amir Rashid Muhammad al-Ubaydi surrendered Monday and is currently in Coalition custody.
• PENTAGON/IRAQ VOA 28 Apr 2003 -- U-S Special Forces worked secretly with Iraqi townspeople on the outskirts of Baghdad for months before the war with Iraq got under way.
• LOOTED IRAQI ANTIQUITIES RECOVERED CENTCOM 28 Apr 2003 -- More than 100 items looted from Iraqi museums, including priceless manuscripts, a 7000-year-old vase and one of the oldest recorded bronze bas-relief bulls, have been returned to coalition forces and the Iraqi people.
• IRAQ/WRAP VOA 28 Apr 2003 -- Various Iraqi political groups agreed Monday to hold a national conference within four weeks to choose an interim government to replace the deposed regime of Saddam Hussein. Meanwhile, President Bush is pledging U-S support to build what he says will be a "prosperous and peaceful" Iraq.
• 1-3 AIR DEFENSE ARTILLERY, SOF, ASSIST TOWN WITH FIRST ELECTION CENTCOM 28 Apr 2003 -- The recently elected city council of Abu Gharyib, a town of over a million that lies on the outskirts of Baghdad, met with officials from the town's municipal service and leaders from 1st Battalion, 3rd Air Defense Artillery Regiment Wednesday to discuss restoring services and order to the town.
• CORRECTED RELEASE: 1-3 AIR DEFENSE ARTILLERY, SOF, ASSIST TOWN WITH FIRST ELECTION CENTCOM 28 Apr 2003 -- Note: This release has been revised to reflect correct dates for Special Operations presence in Abu Gharyib and to conform to Army Special Forces Public Affairs guidance with regard to identification of personnel.
• FIRE AT 3RD INFANTRY DIVISION MAIN CENTCOM 28 Apr 2003 -- A fire early this morning at the 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized) Main at the Baghdad International Airport caused extensive damage to one section of the building, and is still smoldering.
• Fuels Division Keeps 'Lifeblood' Flowing Navy NewStand 28 Apr 2003 -- Like blood flowing through veins and arteries to keep a body functioning, JP-5 aviation fuel flows through pipes and pumps to keep USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 mission ready.
• Ammo flight puts 'force' in Air Force AFPN 28 Apr 2003 -- Without munitions, the Air Force would be just the world's largest, fastest airline.
• Civil Affairs opens doors to Al Kut schools USMC News 28 Apr 2003 -- The schools in Al Kut opened today with mixed results.
• Soldiers turn water on in Nasiriyah Army News 28 Apr 2003 -- Villagers around An Nasiriyah, Iraq, will have access to fresh drinking water this week due to the efforts of military and local engineers.

Deployments

• USS Kitty Hawk Battle Group to return from war Seventh Fleet 28 Apr 2003 -- USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) will return to Yokosuka, Japan, from her deployment to the Persian Gulf on May 6. Returning with the carrier will be USS Cowpens (CG 63) and USS John S. McCain (DDG 56). Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 aircraft will return to Naval Air Facility Atsugi on May 1.
• Navy's First Tomahawk Shooter of Operation Iraqi Freedom Returns to Pearl Harbor Navy NewStand 28 Apr 2003 -- Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Cheyenne (SSN 773), one of the Navy's first ships to launch a Tomahawk cruise missile in Operation Iraqi Freedom, returned from nearly nine months at sea April 24.
• 24th MEU (SOC) prepares to go home; conducts wash down in Kuwait USMC News 28 Apr 2003 -- After more than eight months deployed, the Marines and Sailors of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) are finally making preparations to head home.

US Policy

• U.S. Using Its Power Responsibly, Powell Says Washington File 28 Apr 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell, in an April 21 interview with U.S. News and World Report, said that the Bush administration knows its use of power generates both respect and resentment among other nations but that it would not be true to American values if it did not attempt to use its power for good.

• Rumsfeld Greets Allies, Troops on Persian Gulf Tour Washington File 28 Apr 2003 -- Defense Secretary Rumsfeld has been meeting with key friends and allies during a trip to the Persian Gulf to thank coalition members and U.S. troops for their contributions to "Operation Iraqi Freedom."
• Boucher: Choice of New Government in Iraq "Belongs to the Iraqi People" Washington File 28 Apr 2003 -- State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher told the news media on April 28 that the choice of a new government in Iraq "belongs to the Iraqi people." He was speaking at the State Department daily briefing.
• Bush Says Democracy Can Flourish in Iraq Washington File 28 Apr 2003 -- President Bush says he is confident democracy can flourish in Iraq, and he pledged U.S. support to build a prosperous Iraqi nation with a government in which all have a voice and the rights of all are protected.
• Bush Tells Iraqi-Americans They Are Proof Iraq Can Be Free AFPS 28 Apr 2003 -- The days of repression of the Iraqi people are over, President Bush told a crowd of Iraqi expatriates in Dearborn, Mich., today. "Iraq will be democratic," he added.
• POWELL-JORDAN-MIDEAST VOA 28 Apr 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell met Jordan's Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher Monday as the Bush administration prepared to formally launch the "road map" to an Israeli-Palestinian peace accord. The plan, drafted by the four-party international "quartet" on the Middle East, is due for release as soon as the new Palestinian cabinet of prime minister designate Mahmoud Abbas gets legislative approval, perhaps as soon as Tuesday.
• Powell, Jordanian Minister Discuss Iraq, Middle East Peace Process AFPS 28 Apr 2003 -- The way forward in Iraq and in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict were the two main topics of discussion today in a meeting between Secretary of State Colin Powell and his Jordanian counterpart.
• Number of U.S. Forces in Gulf Will Decline, Rumsfeld Says AFPS 28 Apr 2003 -- The number of U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf region will drop as a result of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here today.
• BUSH-IRAQ VOA 28 Apr 2003 -- President Bush has assured Iraqi-Americans that America will stand by their homeland and will help build a peaceful prosperous nation. He spoke in the Detroit, Michigan area - - home to one of the largest Arab-American communities in the United States.
• Rumsfeld Thanks CENTCOM Forward for Its Service AFPS 28 Apr 2003 -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld thanked the service members and civilians of U.S. Central Command here for the jobs they did as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

United Nations

• UN agency warns irrigation problems could affect Iraq's grain crop in south UN News Centre 28 Apr 2003 -- Although at least one-third of Iraq's critical spring grain crop appears to have emerged unscathed from the recent conflict, the fate of the bulk of the winter crop of cereals, some 1.2 million tons of sorely needed wheat and barley, remains in doubt, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned today.
• UN food ships converge on Iraq as health teams fan out across country UN News Centre 28 Apr 2003 -- United Nations relief agencies reported today that a fleet of food ships was converging on the Middle East in the race to ensure rations for Iraq's 27 million people next month while local health teams were fanning out inside the country to deliver essential medical supplies.

Reconstruction Issues

• BAGHDAD MEETING POOL 1 CENTCOM 28 Apr 2003
• BAGHDAD MEETING POOL 2 CENTCOM 28 Apr 2003
• BAGHDAD MEETING POOL 3 & 4 CENTCOM 28 Apr 2003
• BAGHDAD POOL REPORT 5 CENTCOM 28 Apr 2003
• BAGHDAD MEETING POOL 6 CENTCOM 28 Apr 2003
• BAGHDAD MEETING POOL 7 CENTCOM 28 Apr 2003
• BAGHDAD MEETING POOL 8 CENTCOM 28 Apr 2003
• BAGHDAD MEETING POOL 9 CENTCOM 28 Apr 2003
• BAGHDAD MEETING POOL 10 CENTCOM 28 Apr 2003
• BAGHDAD MEETING POOL 11 CENTCOM 28 Apr 2003
• BAGHDAD MEETING POOL REPORT (CONSOLIDATED) CENTCOM 28 Apr 2003

• Dozens Of Political Parties Emerging In Baghdad RFE/L 28 Apr 2003 -- Dozens of political parties and groups are vying for power in Iraq, as the country moves from three decades of one-party rule to a multiparty democracy. Former opposition parties are shifting their headquarters from places like London, Tehran, and the U.S., while new groups are emerging in Baghdad.
• After Hussein, How Will Iraqis Assert Control Over Their Oil? RFE/L 28 Apr 2003 -- Iraq has the world's second-largest oil reserves in the world, but its people are largely impoverished. Now that Saddam Hussein has been deposed, Iraqis have an opportunity to benefit from their country's oil wealth. But the Iraqis must invite foreign investors who will help them cash in on this resource without cheating them.
• The Pitfalls Of Building Democracy On Ethnic, Religious Lines RFE/L 28 Apr 2003 -- The U.S.-led coalition in Iraq has outlined plans to transform the country from a dictatorship to a democracy. But the creation of democratic institutions in a country that has been governed for decades by military rule is a complicated process. One natural strategy is to organize constituencies along ethnic and religious lines. But this might be counterproductive in the end.
• IRAQ / POLITICS VOA 28 Apr 2003 -- More than 300 representatives of Iraqi groups met in Baghdad Monday to discuss the political future of the country. They disagreed about what role the United States should play in rebuilding Iraq. The delegates have agreed to meet again within one month to try to form an interim government.
• Factional Leaders Gather For Meeting With U.S. Administrator RFE/L 28 Apr 2003 -- An assortment of potential Iraqi leaders gathered in Baghdad today for talks with the administrator appointed by the United States, Jay Garner.
• Delegates Meet On Post-Hussein Government RFE/L 28 Apr 2003 -- Around 200 Iraqi delegates today met in Baghdad to discuss how Iraq should be governed after the fall of Saddam Hussein.
• IRAQ: New police hit the beat in Zubayr IRIN 28 Apr 2003 -- The first group of police recruits trained in the southern Iraq city of Zubayr hit the streets on Friday. The 35 police recruits underwent a week's basic training by British military police and will remain under their supervision for several weeks or months.

Foreign Reactions

• BRITAIN / RUSSIA VOA 28 Apr 2003 -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair goes to Moscow Tuesday for talks on Iraq with President Vladimir Putin. They will discuss how to find a role for the United Nations in Iraq, after the split over the war.
• BRITAIN / IRAQ VOA 28 Apr 2003 -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair says he has no doubt weapons of mass destruction will be found in Iraq, but coalition forces have higher priorities at the moment.

News Reports

• Iraq/Environment Depleted Uranium VOA 28 Apr 2003 -- During the war in Iraq, thousands of rounds of munitions made with depleted uranium have been fired from Abrams battle tanks, Bradley fighting vehicles and A-10 attack aircraft. The highly effective weapon can easily bore through an armored tank. Critics are concerned with its radioactive properties, which they say can cause problems for public health and the environment.
• IRAQ: Bread shortage hits Baghdad IRIN 28 Apr 2003 -- Angry scenes are erupting daily at Baghdad's largest bakery as city residents fight to obtain one of the staples of their diet. On Sunday, a crowd of several hundred people pushed against the door of the formerly government-run Baghdad Bakery to try and get their ration of 40 plain white rolls known as samon.