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News Reports

Current Operations

• Transcript: DoD News Briefing - Secretary Rumsfeld and Gen. Myers 15 May 2003 -- DoD News Briefing. Participating were Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld and Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff.
• Transcript: 3rd Infantry Division Commander Live Briefing from Iraq 15 May 2003 -- Briefing from Baghdad, Iraq, on the involvement of the 3rd Infantry Division in the conflict and in post-war stabilization efforts. Participating were Bryan Whitman, deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs (media operations), and Army Maj. Gen. Buford C. Blount III, commanding general, 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized).
• Transcript: Ambassador Bremer Statement from Baghdad, Iraq 15 May 2003 -- Opening statement from Ambassador Bremer's press conference in Baghdad, Iraq.

• IRAQI TOP 55 CENTCOM 15 May 2003 -- This list updated on 15 May 2003

• PENTAGON / IRAQ VOA 15 May 2003 -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says U-S troops are committed to providing security in Iraq and more soldiers will be moving into the streets in a visible show of force.
• Security Still Most Serious Concern for U.S. Forces in Iraq AFPS 15 May 2003 -- Security is currently the most serious concern of U.S. forces in Iraq, and commanders are taking substantial steps to stem lawlessness, several American officials said today.
• SOLDIER KILLED IN VEHICLE ACCIDENT CENTCOM 15 May 2003 -- One soldier was killed and two were injured at 12:04 p.m. May 14 when a five-ton vehicle in a unit attached to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) was involved in a traffic accident on Highway 2 near Irbil, Iraq.
• Rumsfeld Says Security Is the "Number One Priority" for Iraq Washington File 15 May 2003 -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says security is "the number one priority in Iraq," but he dismissed as false media reports that U.S. soldiers have orders to shoot looters on sight.
• Iraq: Troops To Use 'Muscle' As Security Problems Top U.S. Concerns In Baghdad RFE/L 15 May 2003 -- Since U.S. troops took Baghdad more than one month ago, security has been a persistent problem in the capital, particularly at night. Now, U.S. officials are promising to send more troops to secure neighborhoods and to help crack down on criminality. The move comes amid fears that the security problem is slowing U.S. efforts to win the confidence of the Iraqi population for the difficult transition period ahead.
• MEMBERS OF IRAQI TOP 55 IN COALITION CUSTODY CENTCOM 15 May 2003 -- Ibrahim Ahmad Abd Al-Sattar Muhammad Al-Tikriti is now under custody of Coalition Forces. (...) Fadil Mahmud Gharib is also under custody of Coalition Forces.
• COALITION EFFORTS AID IRAQ'S RECOVERY (May 15, 2003) CENTCOM 15 May 2003 -- Coalition forces continue to assist in developing a safer and more secure environment in Iraq.
• COALITION FORCES PROVIDE SECURITY AND STABILITY (May 15, 2003) CENTCOM 15 May 2003 -- Coalition Forces continue to actively patrol Iraq to make it safe to conduct Humanitarian Assistance operations.
• U.S. To Beef Up Presence In Baghdad RFE/L 15 May 2003 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says between 15,000 to 20,000 additional American troops have been ordered to be stationed in Iraq, in part to provide greater security in Baghdad and elsewhere.
• British Hand Over Town To Civilian Rule RFE/L 15 May 2003 -- The British military today formally handed control over the port city of Umm Qasr to an Iraqi town council.
• EOD team clears the way for forward aviation operations base Unexploded ordnance litters the ground after decades of war in Southern Iraq Marine Corps News 15 May 2003-- Working in the scorching sun of Southern Iraq is not an easy assignment for the hundreds of Marines and Sailors tasked with building and maintaining the forward aviation operations base here. Along with the threat of a possible attack from enemy forces and extreme heat, they face the menace of the explosive remnants from decades of war lying hidden underfoot.
• V CORPS' 1st armored division bEGINS MOVE TO BAGHDAD V Corps Release 15 May 2003-- The 1st Armored Division's Assault Command Post has rolled out for Baghdad, Iraq.
• Soldier killed in vehicle accident ARCENT CJTF-7 15 May 2003
• Coalition Forces Provide Security and Stability ARCENT CJTF-7 15 May 2003
• Coalition Efforts Aid Iraq's Recovery ARCENT CJTF-7 15 May 2003
• V Corps Units conduct AT Tuwaitha site assessment ARCENT CJTF-7 15 May 2003
• V Corps Units conduct AT Tuwaitha site assessment ARCENT CJTF-7 15 May 2003

Deployments

• USS Harry S. Truman Strike Group Headed Home Navy Newsstand 15 May 2003-- More than 8,000 Sailors from the ships and squadrons that comprise the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group will return from deployment May 23. Most of the Sailors that deployed were from the Hampton Roads, Va., area.
• Task Force Tarawa Marines Return to Bataan Navy Newsstand 15 May 2003-- Four and-a-half months ago when the order came to deploy to the Arabian Gulf on short notice, USS Bataan (LHD 5) and the embarked Marines of Task Force Tarawa, headed East not knowing exactly what their mission was, nor when they would return.
• 'MAG-11 CO leads Red Devils home from OIF Marine Corps News 15 May 2003-- Approximately 165 Marines of the Marine Corps' oldest and most decorated active fighter attack squadron returned home to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar May 9.

US Policy

• U.S. 'Committed To Winning the Peace' in Iraq, Feith Says AFPS 15 May 2003 -- While there's much to do to assist the Iraqi people in the establishment of a free, democratic government of their choosing, the United States remains committed to achieving that goal, a senior DoD official told U.S. legislators today.
• Powell Says U.S. "Going for Lifting" of Iraq Sanctions by U.N. Washington File 15 May 2003 -- The situation in the Middle East is "difficult" but the region is "at a moment of opportunity," Secretary of State Colin Powell said May 15.
• Snow to Ask For Repatriation of Iraqi Assets at G-8 Meeting Washington File 15 May 2003 -- U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow will ask finance ministers of the world's major industrialized countries meeting May 17-18 in France to aggressively search for illegal assets of the Saddam Hussein regime and repatriate them to the Iraqi people.
• Feith Says U.S. Is Committed to Winning the Peace in Iraq Washington File 15 May 2003 -- While the United States won the war in Iraq, it is also committed to winning the peace, according to a top Defense Department official.
• Larson Previews Economic Road Ahead in Iraq Washington File 15 May 2003 -- A transparent and accountable Iraqi government will help to tap the country's vast human and resource potentials, and bring about political freedom and a market-based economy, said Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs Alan Larson.
• Iraq: Powell Says U.S. Wants Unanimous Security Council Support For Lifting Sanctions RFE/L 15 May 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell has said the United States hopes to win the United Nations Security Council's unanimous support for a resolution lifting the sanctions on Iraq.
• POWELL/EUROPE VOA 15 May 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell is paying a 24-hour visit to Germany that officials hope will begin to repair bilateral ties damaged by Berlin's fierce opposition to the U-S-led war in Iraq. Security is tight in the German capital as it awaits Mr. Powell's visit.

United Nations

• Iraq: UN rights chief calls on US to preserve past abuse evidence at mass graves UN News Centre 15 May 2003 -- The top United Nations human rights official today called on the United States and its coalition partners to ensure the immediate protection and integrity of mass grave sites in Iraq in order to preserve evidence of serious human rights violations committed by the ousted government.
• UN: Security Council Seeks Clarifications On UN Role In Postwar Iraq RFE/L 15 May 2003 -- With differences still apparent, U.S. officials say they expect the United Nations Security Council to vote next week on a resolution effectively placing Iraq under control of a U.S.-led coalition. Council members continue to seek clarification on the role of the UN, especially its weapons inspectors. Washington says it will present a modified draft of the resolution to council members today that attempts to address their concerns.

Reconstruction Issues

• IRAQ / U-S VOA 15 May 2003 -- The newly arrived American administrator in Iraq has vowed he will restore security and purge Iraq of the last remnants of Saddam Hussein's regime.
• CONGRESS/IRAQ VOA 15 May 2003 -- U-S officials, in testimony before the House of Representatives International Relations Committee, have defended coalition reconstruction efforts in Iraq against allegations of poor planning for post-war security and humanitarian challenges. Some lawmakers are demanding intense monitoring of U-S and coalition efforts in Iraq.
• USAID Delivers Humanitarian Relief, Rebuilds Infrastructure in Iraq Washington File 15 May 2003 -- A senior official in the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) says the U.S government is engaged with humanitarian groups and U.S. private companies to deliver humanitarian relief and reconstruction assistance to Iraq while helping the country establish a representative form of self-government.
• Taylor: Creditor Countries Agree Debt Handling Critical to Iraq Future Washington File 15 May 2003 -- Creditor countries agree that Iraq's foreign debt needs to be addressed in a way that ensures the successful reconstruction of Iraq and the recovery of its economy, a senior U.S. Treasury Department official says.
• Congressional Hearing Highlights Progress on Postwar Iraq Reconstruction Washington File 15 May 2003 -- Senior U.S. officials outlined progress and challenges in postwar Iraq, clarifying U.S. policy at a May 15 hearing before the House Committee on International Relations.
• Iraq: Analysts Welcome Reported Tough New U.S. Policy RFE/L 15 May 2003 -- The new U.S. administrator for postwar Iraq is said to have decided to battle crime in the country by authorizing occupation forces to shoot looters and other lawbreakers on sight. Analysts say that the decision is essential if the United States is to help Iraqis establish their own government.
• IRAQ: Struggle to restore basic services IRIN 15 May 2003 -- More than a month after war's end, hundreds of thousands of Baghdad residents are still struggling to survive without basic services. Electricity remains intermittent, clean drinking water is unavailable to large numbers of people, and authorities are barely coping with sewage disposal.

Foreign Reactions

• FRANCE / U-S VOA 15 May 2003 -- A senior U-S diplomat said in Paris Thursday that France has a key opportunity to improve strained relations during the current United Nations Security Council debate on lifting sanctions against Iraq.
• RUSSIA / IRAQ VOA 15 May 2003 -- A senior Russian official says the lifting of U-N sanctions on Iraq hinges on whether Russia could still collect Iraqi debts. His remarks follow a visit by U-S Secretary of State Colin Powell in Moscow.

News Reports

• IRAQ/LANDMINES VOA 15 May 2003 -- The International Campaign to Ban Landmines says unexploded cluster bombs continue to threaten Iraqi civilians long after the fighting has stopped. The group's former coordinator and current ambassador, Jody Williams, who shared the Nobel peace prize with the group for her disarmament efforts, discussed the matter at mine ban talks underway in Geneva.
• Iraq: Rights Group Decries Chaos Surrounding Discovery Of Mass Grave RFE/L 15 May 2003 -- In Iraq, the discovery of a mass grave containing the remains of thousands of victims of Saddam Hussein's regime is stirring emotion and controversy in equal measure. Human rights monitors say the site may provide key evidence of the ruthlessness of the deposed regime. But they worry the chaos surrounding the grave, where Iraqis are frantically searching for the bodies of their loved ones, may destroy crucial forensic evidence before a proper investigation can be conducted.
• IRAQ: WHO confirms cholera outbreak IRIN 15 May 2003 -- The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday confirmed the first outbreak of cholera in Iraq, in the southern city of Basra.