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Operations
Deployments
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News Reports

Current Operations

• Defense Department Briefing Transcript Washington File 09 May 2003 -- Franks/Iraq plan, Operation/Iraqi Freedom, Iraq/democracy, Iraq/security, Iraq/essential services, Iraq/transition, stability/Red Sea, Persian Gulf/stability, Iraq/French role, Iraqi occupation/duration, U.S. force/global adjustments, East bloc/Russian talks, Army secretary/replacement, Franks/Army Chief, Iraqi oilfields/looting, Iraqi oil/infrastructure neglect, Iraqi/WMD hunt, Iraq/UN inspectors, Iraq/American killed, Iraqi sectors/no division, Iraqi antiquities/safekeeping, CENTCOM/Iraq plan

• U.S. Warns Iranian Militant Group To Disarm RFE/L 09 May 2003 -- The U.S. military today issued an ultimatum to an Iranian militant group based in Iraq, warning them to disarm or face attack.
• MARINE KILLED IN VEHICLE ACCIDENT CENTCOM 09 May 2003 -- A Marine assigned to the I Marine Expeditionary Force was killed in a vehicle accident in Kuwait May 9 at approximately 8 p.m.
• THREE SOLDIERS KILLED, ONE INJURED IN UH-60 CRASH CENTCOM 09 May 2003 -- Three 4th Infantry Division soldiers died and one was injured May 9 when a UH-60 helicopter crashed into the Tigris River the vicinity of Samarrah, Iraq.
• COALITION FORCES PROVIDE SECURITY, STABILITY CENTCOM 09 May 2003 -- Coalition forces continue to actively patrol Iraq to make it safe for humanitarian assistance operations.
• MEMBER OF 'IRAQI TOP 55' IN COALITION CONTROL CENTCOM 09 May 2003 -- Huda Salih Mahdi Ammash is now in the custody of Coalition forces.
• CENTCOM's Gen. Franks: 'Iraq's Best Days Are Yet to Come' AFPS 09 May 2003 -- Fifty-two days after President Bush gave the go-ahead for military action in Iraq, the Army general who led the campaign stood in the Pentagon today and spoke of the mission's successes.
• Lynch has trauma-related memory loss Army News Service 09 May 2003-- Rescued prisoner of war Pfc. Jessica Lynch is suffering from trauma-induced memory loss, according to her physician, but said her recovery remains on schedule
• PENTAGON/IRAQ VOA 09 May 2003-- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and the commander of U-S forces in the Middle East have rejected criticism that reconstruction efforts in Iraq are moving too slowly
• V CORPS ENGINEERS HELP CLEAN UP BAGHDAD NEIGHBORHOODS V Corps Release 09 May 2003-- Ignoring the flies that cloud around them in the hot, dusty air, children play happily among torn flip-flops, soiled rags and empty grenade casings in an abandoned lot here, the only playground they've ever known.
• Coalition Efforts Aid Iraq's Recovery ARCENT CJTF-7 09 May 2003
• Coalition Efforts Aid Iraq's Recovery ARCENT CJTF-7 09 May 2003
• Coalition Forces Provide Security, Stability ARCENT CJTF-7 09 May 2003
• MARINE KILLED IN VEHICLE ACCIDENT ARCENT CJTF-7 09 May 2003
• Three Soldiers Killed, One Injured in UH-60 Crash ARCENT V CORPS 09 May 2003

Deployments

• Hospital Ship Comfort Bound For Home Navy Newsstand 09 May 2003-- In the northern Arabian Gulf, the last of Comfort's patients were transferred to medical facilities ashore this week, as the ship prepares to go home. After four months away and 56 days on station in the Arabian Gulf participating in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) is ordered to return to its homeport in Baltimore, Md.
• USS Nassau Amphibious Readiness Group Returns to Homeport Navy Newsstand 09 May 2003-- The USS Nassau (LHA 4) Amphibious Readiness Group is expected to arrive at Morehead City, N.C., May 26 to offload embarked Marines and equipment, and return to Norfolk May 29 after deploying for more than nine months in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
• Amphibious Task Force East Return to Homeport Navy Newsstand 09 May 2003-- The ships of Amphibious Task Force East are expected to return to homeport before the end of June, after having deployed for about five months in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Additional information on the return date of these ships will be provided when their schedules are determined and approved.
• USS Theodore Roosevelt to Return Home Navy Newsstand 09 May 2003-- USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) is expected to return to homeport May 29, completing nearly a five-month deployment.

US Policy

• Bush Thanks Amir of Qatar for Support AFPS 09 May 2003 -- President Bush May 8 thanked the leader of the tiny Gulf country of Qatar for his nation's steadfast support.
• Powell Expresses Appreciation to Qatar For Help During Iraq Conflict Washington File 09 May 2003 -- Following bilateral discussions with Qatari Amir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani on May 9, Secretary of State Colin Powell expressed his deep appreciation for the support Qatar provided the United States and the people of Iraq during "difficult times."

United Nations

• U.S. To Present Iraq Resolution To UN Security Council RFE/L 09 May 2003 -- The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Negroponte, says he is "hopeful" the Security Council will pass a resolution that would end UN control over Iraq's oil revenue and let the United States and Britain run the country for at least one year.
• IRAQ RESOLUTION VOA 09 May 2003 -- The draft U-N resolution on Iraq introduced in the Security Council Friday calls for the lifting of more than a decade of sanctions and gives the United States and Britain primary responsibility for running the country until an Iraqi government is formed. France and Russia, opponents of the U-S-led war have huge financial interests in Iraq and are concerned they could loose billions of dollars in post war reconstruction contracts, some of which have already been awarded to American firms. But avoiding a repeat of the diplomatic battles and damaged relations that led up to the war may be an incentive for both countries not to block this resolution.
• Resolution Spells Out U.S. Control Of Iraqi Oil Revenues, With Supporting UN Role RFE/L 09 May 2003 -- The United Nations Security Council today will consider a draft resolution calling for Iraqi sanctions to be lifted and the country's oil revenues to be placed under the control of the U.S.-led coalition. The proposal does not give the UN the leading role in postwar Iraq sought by some council members. Instead, it calls for the UN to help facilitate reconstruction and political reforms and coordinate humanitarian aid.
• U.S. Presents Draft Resolution on Iraq RFE/L 09 May 2003 -- The United States today presented a draft resolution to the United Nations Security Council, seeking UN authorization for the United States and Britain to control Iraq for at least one year.
• UN Security Council Members Question U.S. Resolution RFE/L 09 May 2003 -- The United States faced numerous questions but no outright opposition from UN Security Council members after introducing a draft resolution seeking authority for U.S. control of Iraq for the next year.
• Security Council receives resolution on Iraq, to hold more discussions next week UN News Centre 09 May 2003 -- The United States, United Kingdom and Spain presented the United Nations Security Council today with a draft resolution for interim arrangements in Iraq and the UN role there, and the Council President said experts would consider technical aspects on Monday before a full-fledged ambassadorial session on Wednesday.
• UN agencies concerned at potential cholera epidemic, Palestinian evictions UN News Centre 09 May 2003 -- United Nations relief agencies expressed concern today over a potential cholera epidemic in Iraq's second largest city, Basra, and a growing eviction of Palestinian refugees that could eventually leave up to 90,000 people homeless.
• U-N / SANCTIONS VOA 09 May 2003 -- Security Council members raised many legal and technical questions today (Friday) after the United States presented a resolution aimed at ending more than a dozen years of U-N imposed sanctions against Iraq. The proposal, endorsed by Britain and Spain, asks the council to authorize British and U-S control of Iraq's economic and political development for at least a year.
• U.N. Security Council Receives Draft Resolution to Lift Iraqi Sanctions Washington File 09 May 2003 -- The United States has submitted a draft resolution to the United Nations Security Council that would lift economic sanctions imposed on Iraq after its 1990 invasion of Kuwait, and give the United States and the United Kingdom control over the country's oil revenues through the already established "Iraqi Assistance Fund."
• SECURITY / COUNCIL / IRAQ VOA 09 May 2003 -- In March, the U-S attempt to get United Nations Security Council backing for military action against Iraq ended in bitterness between the United States and some council member states. Now the United States has introduced a new draft resolution at the council on Iraq's reconstruction. The new resolution could help heal the wounds from that acrimonious debate.

Reconstruction Issues

• Schools Struggling With Security, Curriculum, And Salary Challenges RFE/L 09 May 2003 -- Several months remain until the end of the academic year in Iraq, but schools, many of which reopened last weekend, are far from being fully functional. In addition to the cost and effort of rebuilding schools damaged in the U.S.-led war, Iraqi teachers and students are now facing security concerns and major changes in their curriculum
• IRAQ / GASOLINE VOA 09 May 2003-- Iraq has the second largest oil reserves in the world. But the country is suffering a severe gasoline shortage in the aftermath of the U-S invasion
• Rumsfeld Says Hard Work Ahead in Iraq's Transition to Freedom Washington File 09 May 2003 -- On the 51st day of "Operation Iraqi Freedom" Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and the U.S. Central Command Commander Tommy Franks noted that much work remains to successfully implement Iraq's transition from dictatorship to free government.
• IRAQ AND THE MIDDLE EAST VOA 09 May 2003 -- President George W. Bush has said that he hopes the liberation of Iraq will usher in a new era in the Middle East of growing freedom and democratization. With help from the U-S-led coalition, Iraqis are taking steps toward creating a government that respects their rights. A new plan known as the road map has been introduced to end the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. It looks forward to the creation of a democratic Palestine. The U-S has also warned Iran and Syria not to meddle in Iraq and to stop their support for terrorism. And now that the threat from Iraq has been eliminated, U-S troops will be leaving Saudi Arabia. What effects will the liberation of Iraq have on the politics of the region?

Foreign Reactions

• KUWAIT CONDUCTS FORENSICS TO IDENTIFY REMAINS CENTCOM 09 May 2003 -- The Kuwaiti Prisoner of War Task Force and Coalition forces are exploiting a mass gravesite recently found near As Samawah.

News Reports

• U-N RIGHTS / IRAQ VOA 09 May 2003-- The first of seven United Nations human rights officials has arrived in Iraq on long-term assignment
• BUSH/DEMS/IRAQ VOA 09 May 2003-- President Bush's handling of the war in Iraq has drawn praise from many Democrats in recent weeks. But some members of the opposition are now belatedly questioning Mr. Bush's recent speech aboard the U-S aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, contending it was a costly political gimmick aimed at helping the president win re-election next year
• RABIL-IRAQ VOA 09 May 2003 -- Now joining us here in our studio, Robert Rabil of the Iraq Research and Documentation Project. It's a project affiliated with the Free Iraq Foundation and Harvard University.
• IRAQ: Many suspected cholera cases in Basra IRIN 09 May 2003 -- Poor sanitation, economic difficulties and uncertainties over security are fuelling a possible cholera outbreak in the southern Iraqi city of Basra.