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Operations
Deployments
US Policy
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Reconstruction Issues
Foreign Reactions
News Reports

Current Operations

• V CORPS HELPS TRAIN BAGHDAD AIRPORT AGENCIES FOR MASS CASUALTY INCIDENTS V Corps Release 15 July 2003-- No airport in the world more needs a plan to be prepared for attacks or other incidents resulting in a large number of casualties than Baghdad International, said retired Marine brigadier general Mike Aguilar. V Corps units are helping make that plan happen.
• Tallil's post office delivers AFPN 15 July 2003-- As the Air Expeditionary Force "Blue" rotation gains momentum, so does life at one organization here. The Air Force's local post office helps troops stockpile goodies from home and lighten their load when they leave.
• Iraq: Mounting U.S. Casualties Underscore Security Dilemma REF/L 15 Jul 2003 -- Yesterday's death of the 32nd U.S. soldier in postwar combat in Iraq, and Washington's announcement that it will not rotate most of a key army division home in September as planned, underscore the difficult security situation in Iraq.
• New council, mayor mark new Iraqi government Marine Corps News 15 Jul 2003-- Shortly after Americans celebrated the anniversary of its independence, the military governor of Najaf welcomed a new government council that will help establish democracy in one of the world's holiest Shiite Muslim cities.
• Marines and soldiers stop stolen fuel Marine Corps News 15 Jul 2003-- A fuel pipeline that runs west of Karbala, Iraq is a necessity to the people, who need diesel to power their automobiles and electric generators. However, it's also a big attraction to local thieves hoping to steal the fuel.

Deployments

• 3rd Infantry Division may be home sooner than later Army News Service 15 July 2003-- Talk of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division staying indefinitely in Iraq may be a little exaggerated, said Larry Di Rita, during a media roundtable at the Pentagon July 15.
• STATEMENT FROM U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: PLANNED REDEPLOYMENT OF THE 3RD INFANTRY DIVISION CENTCOM 15 Jul 2003 -- U.S. Central Command remains committed to the complete return of 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) to its home station by September, pending international or U.S. replacement units. As always, the security situation could affect deployments and redeployments.
• Marne Soldiers Will Be Home by September, DoD Official Says AFPS 15 Jul 2003 -- Soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division will be home "by September," DoD officials said.
• Key US Army Division to Remain in Iraq Indefinitely VOA News 15 Jul 2003 -- U.S. military officials say thousands of soldiers from a key U.S. Army division will not return home by September, as had been expected, but will remain in Iraq indefinitely.

US Policy

• White House: No Political Motive Behind Bush Uranium Statement Washington File 15 Jul 2003 -- White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, at his first briefing at the White House July 15, was repeatedly asked the question that had plagued his predecessor, Ari Fleischer -- why did President Bush include a questionable statement about Iraq's nuclear intentions in his January 2003 State of the Union address?
• CONGRESS IRAQ VOA 15 Jul 2003 -- The head of the Central Intelligence Agency is expected to face tough questions before a Senate panel Wednesday concerning faulty intelligence about Iraq's weapons program. That intelligence was cited by President Bush as he made the case for war in Iraq earlier this year.
• CONGRESS - IRAQ VOA 15 Jul 2003 -- Congressional Democrats are stepping up their attacks on the Bush administration for its handling of pre-war intelligence on Iraq's weapons program. It is a unifying issue for Democrats, who have been divided over the war in Iraq.
• U-S / IRAQ TRAVEL VOA 15 Jul 2003 -- The Bush administration has lifted a 12-year-old ban on the use of U-S passports for travel to Iraq in a move officials say is part of an effort to restore normalcy to the country. However, Americans are still being strongly warned against any early travel to Iraq.
• EDITORIAL: IRAQI GOVERNING COUNCIL VOA 15 Jul 2003 -- A national governing council has begun operating in Iraq. The council brings together, for the first time in Iraq's history, a representative group of political leaders from the different regions of the country. They are drawn from among former exiles and those who were able to remain in Iraq despite the Baathist regime. The twenty-five members include Shiite Muslims, Sunni Muslims, Kurds, a Christian, and a Turkmen. Three members are women.
• PENTAGON/AFRICA URANIUM VOA 15 Jul 2003 -- The Pentagon says a senior military official traveled to Niger in February last year to discuss the security of the West African country's uranium deposits. But there is no indication Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was ever informed of the mission.
• Iraq: Bremer Says Up To Iraqis How Long U.S. Stays REF/L 15 Jul 2003 -- Iraq's U.S. administrator, L. Paul Bremer, said today it is up to the Iraqi people how long U.S.-led forces remain in the country.

United Nations

• IRAQ / INTELLIGENCE VOA 15 Jul 2003 -- Key House lawmakers say evidence so far does not point to the existence of large stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The statement by members of the House Select Committee on Intelligence comes amid more heated debate over intelligence used by President Bush and his administration to justify military action.
• UN envoy meets with new Iraqi Governing Council, visits Syria and Iran UN News Centre 15 Jul 2003 -- Visiting more of Iraq's neighbours in his efforts to help create a stable, democratic and sovereign country, top United Nations envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello arrived in Damascus today for talks with Syrian President Bashir al Assad.

Reconstruction Issues

• Bremer Outlines 'The Road Ahead' to a New Iraq AFPS 15 Jul 2003 -- The citizens of Iraq moved closer toward establishing a democratic government of their own choosing with the July 13 assembly of the Iraqi governing council, the senior U.S. administrator in Iraq noted recently.
• Iraq's Interim Government to Try Saddam, Associates, in War Crimes Tribunal VOA News 15 Jul 2003 -- Iraq's new governing council says it will establish a court to try former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and members of his ousted regime for war crimes. Establishing a tribunal is only one of many issues the two-day old governing body is trying to address.
• IRAQ / WAR TRIBUNAL VOA 15 Jul 2003 -- Iraq's new interim governing body has voted to establish a war crimes tribunal to try ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and his top associates.
• IRAQ / WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL VOA 15 Jul 2003 -- Iraq's new governing council says it will establish a court to try former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and members of his ousted regime for war crimes. Establishing a tribunal is only one of many issues the two-day old governing body is trying to address.
• IRAQ: Aid agencies try to sort displaced from squatters IRIN 15 Jul 2003 -- The war that brought an end to Saddam Hussein’s regime has also led to a huge social upheaval throughout Iraq. Thousands of people left their homes and moved to recently emptied public buildings. Some were evicted by the original owners of their houses, others had their residences destroyed in the war, or their rents sharply increased.

Foreign Reactions

• US, Turkey Express Regret Over Detention of Turkish Soldiers VOA News 15 Jul 2003 -- The United States and Turkey have expressed regret over the recent detention of 11 Turkish soldiers by U.S. troops in northern Iraq.
• Iraq: OIC Welcomes Governing Council, Calls For Full Government RFE/L 15 Jul 2003 -- The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) today said the convening on 13 July of the Governing Council in Iraq is a first step towards restoring full independence.

News Reports

• IRAQI GOVERNING COUNCIL FORMED VOA 15 Jul 2003 -- The American press is hailing as a major achievement in the rebuilding of Iraq the formation of an Iraqi governing council, made up of all the nation's various ethnic and religious elements. While Shiite Muslims dominate, there are five Sunni Muslims, three women, as well as one Christian and a Turkman. Both Kurdish autonomous regions in Northern Iraq are also represented. A few papers are mildly skeptical that, with a number of Iraqi exiles on the council, it may be a tough job convincing the populace that these people are really somewhat independent, and not merely the "hand maidens" of the American civil administration.
• U.S.: False Iraq Report, American Casualties Tarnishing Bush's Popularity REF/L 15 Jul 2003 -- The controversy over U.S. President George W. Bush's public mention of now-discredited intelligence about Iraq is deepening. But will it hurt Bush's chances for re-election next year?
• Western Press Review: Justifying War -- Was the Public Misled On The Iraqi Weapons Threat? REF/L 15 Jul 2003 -- Much of the Western press today is dominated by discussion of whether the United States and Britain went to war under false pretenses. The failure to find the alleged weapons of mass destruction in Iraq has fueled speculation that Washington and London made faulty or misleading intelligence claims to justify going to war. We also take a look at the situation on the ground in Iraq and the sectarian struggles going on within the Islamic faith worldwide.