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

Current Operations

• Another Soldier Dies From Fallujah Shootdown AFPS 03 Nov 2003 -- A soldier succumbed to his wounds today, raising the total of those killed in the Chinook shootdown to 16, Pentagon officials said.
• IRAQ / EXPLOSIONS VOA 03 Nov 2003 -- series of explosions rocked Baghdad Monday night, but apparently caused no casualties, according to the U-S military in Baghdad.
• Iraq: Specter Of More 'Terrible Days' Forcing U.S. To Reassess Security Situation RFE/RL 03 Nov 2003 -- The continuing death toll for U.S. soldiers in Iraq, including 19 killed yesterday, is changing the way the media and many U.S. officials speak about the military situation in the country. Early talk about attacks on U.S. troops as isolated incidents is now increasingly giving way to assessments that Washington is facing a determined armed resistance bent on challenging the U.S. in a protracted guerrilla conflict.
• IRAQ / WEAPONS VOA 03 Nov 2003 -- U-S military personnel have begun hauling away the wreckage of the helicopter shot down Sunday in Iraq. Sixteen American servicemen were killed and 20 injured in the crash. It is believed the helicopter was hit by a surface-to-air missile. Such missiles remain a significant threat to coalition aircraft.
• IRAQ: Security measures stepped up after downing of helicopter IRIN 03 Nov 2003 -- Following Sunday's attack in which 15 coalition soldiers were killed and 21 wounded when a helicopter was shot down near Al-Fallujah, west of the Iraqi capital, security has been visibly strengthened in Baghdad. Many of the troops aboard the huge transport helicopter had been on their way out of the country for rest and recreation, according to an AP report.

Deployments

• Chinook Tragedy Won't Deter Troops' R&R Program AFPS 03 Nov 2003 -- The Nov. 2 downing of a U.S. military helicopter that was flying troops en route to stateside leave won't affect a recently expanded rest and recuperation leave program, according to U.S. Central Command.
• Berlin confirms deployment of elite anti-terror commando in Iraq IRNA 03 Nov 2003 -- A German Interior Ministry spokesman Monday confirmed that "specially equipped forces of the Federal Border Guard" have been deployed in Iraq to protect German aid workers.

US Policy

• Bush: Terrorists in Iraq Will Not "Shake the Will" of U.S. Washington File 03 Nov 2003 -- Continuing acts of terrorism in Iraq against coalition forces, aid workers and innocent Iraqi citizens will not "shake the will" of the United States, President Bush asserted November 3.
• CONGRESS / IRAQ VOA 03 Nov 2003 -- The U-S Senate Monday gave final approval (by voice vote) to President Bush's 87-billion-dollar spending request for Iraq and Afghanistan. The legislation now goes to the president for his signature.
• CONGRESS/IRAQ VOA 03 Nov 2003 -- The Senate is expected to follow the lead of the House of Representatives and give final approval to President Bush's 87-billion dollar spending request for Iraq and Afghanistan.
• IRAQ-U-S-POL VOA 03 Nov 2003 -- President Bush is vowing that the United States will stay the course in Iraq, following Sunday's downing of a U-S helicopter that killed 16 soldiers and injured 20 others. Meanwhile, some opposition Democrats are urging a change in policy on Iraq amid new indications of public unease with how events are proceeding there.
• BUSH/IRAQ VOA 03 Nov 2003 -- President Bush says the United States remains determined to carry out its mission in Iraq, despite continuing attacks on coalition forces.

United Nations

Reconstruction Issues

• Iraq Humanitarian and Reconstruction Assistance Updates USAID 03 Nov 2003 [PDF]
• IRAQ / DEMOCRACY VOA 03 Nov 2003 -- For the past five months, coalition officials in Iraq have been tackling one of the biggest challenges in their efforts to rebuild the country, introducing democracy to a nation that historically has been ruled by kings and brutal dictators. In bringing democracy to grass roots levels, the U-S military is starting with the basics, such as how to write resolutions or make decisions.
• Iraq: Sunni, Shi'a Parties Have Conflicting Visions Of Future RFE/RL 03 Nov 2003 -- Iraqi Sunni and Shi'a political organizations have different perceptions about what is going on in the country. They don't share a common vision of Iraq's past or its future and don't even agree on the numbers of Shi'a and Sunni communities in the country.

Foreign Reactions

• Kharrazi condemns terrorist groups` activities in Iraq IRNA 03 Nov 2003 -- Iran`s Foreign minister Kamal Kharrazi condemned Monday activities of terrorist groups in Iraq.
• Grim week for casualties in Iraq, says Blair`s spokesman IRNA 03 Nov 2003 -- Prime Minister Tony Blair believes the past week has been a "particularly grim seven days" for casualties in Iraq, his official spokesman said Monday.
• EU citizens believe that military intervention in Iraq was not justified IRNA 03 Nov 2003 -- Some 68% of European citizens are of the opinion that the military intervention of the United States and their allies was not justified, according to an opinion poll published by the European Commission.
• EU says Iraq survey will not influence its foreign policy IRNA 03 Nov 2003 -- In an apparent attempt to appease Israel and the US, EU officials Monday tried to downplay the significance of an EU opinion poll which said that Israel posed the biggest threat, followed by US, to peace in the world.

News Reports

• Iraq/Afghanistan: U.S. Report Raises Questions About American Contracting RFE/RL 03 Nov 2003 -- Antiwar activists accused the Bush administration of waging war in Iraq in part to profit from that country's vast petroleum riches. But a new study on American government contracts awarded in Iraq and Afghanistan shows that the real riches -- some $8 billion worth -- have gone to 70 U.S. companies for contracts to rebuild the country. Those same firms also have close ties to U.S. officials and contribute heavily to Republican and Democratic election campaigns.

• Iraq: Rumors Of Attacks Keep Many In Baghdad At Home RFE/RL 03 Nov 2003 -- On 1 November, the streets of Baghdad were emptier than usual and a nervous atmosphere hung over the city. Many schools and universities stayed closed, and security was tighter. This was all because of rumors of terrorist attacks during the weekend, which have kept many people home.
• IRAQ: Families of detainees want greater access IRIN 03 Nov 2003 -- After months of waiting, spouses and friends of Iraqis detained by coalition forces after being suspected of being involved with weapons of mass destruction are getting impatient. "No one has told me when my husband, a biological scientist, may be let go," Banu Mahmud al-Awbasani, a Baghdad resident told IRIN.