11 April 2003
U.S. Officials Say the Northern Cities of Mosul, Kirkuk Have Fallen
(Central Command Report, April 11: Iraq Operational Update) (620) By Merle D. Kellerhals, Jr. Washington File Staff Writer Washington -- The entire Iraqi 5th Corps, with a combined force in excess of 20,000 combat soldiers and mechanized equipment, surrendered without a fight in a negotiated agreement near the northern city of Mosul, third largest in Iraq, CENTCOM's Army General Vincent Brooks told reporters at the daily media briefing in Qatar April 11. In addition, U.S.-led forces captured Kirkuk, ending fighting there, Brooks said. Brooks advised that the Iraqi forces in Mosul agreed to surrender after a series of discussions that had been under way for some time. "This follows a period of bombing and close air support missions, and also efforts to make contact. At this point, since the cease-fire has been signed by this commander, we anticipate that the 5th Corps forces will leave the battlefield -- some of them already have -- leaving their equipment, and either returning to their garrison or simply proceeding with life, as civilians out of uniform," Brooks said from Camp As Sayliyah. Brooks also said coalition Special Operations Forces, supported by the Kurdish Peshmerga and elements of the U.S. 173rd Airborne Brigade, entered Kirkuk in northern Iraq and defeated organized Iraqi military resistance. "The 173rd Airborne Brigade continued operations to secure key portions of the Kirkuk oil field and also Kirkuk military airport," Brooks said. "At this point, four of the very important gas-oil separation plants and several wells have been secured, and none have been damaged at this point. This oil field, like the oil fields in the south, is a key part of the Iraqi economy. It also has been preserved for the future of the Iraqi people." CENTCOM also announced, in a separate statement, that U.S. Marines from the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) secured two critical centers operated by the International Committee of the Red Cross on April 9, preventing looters and paramilitary forces from disrupting assistance and patient care in Baghdad. "It was essential to secure those buildings for the Iraqi people's benefit," said Major Krista McKinley, at the 1 MEF Combat Operations Center. Brooks also announced that coalition governments have identified 55 key Iraqi regime leaders who must be pursued and brought to justice. "The key list has 55 individuals who may be pursued, killed or captured, and the list does not exclude leaders who may have already been killed or captured," Brooks said. "This list has been provided to coalition forces on the ground in several forms to ease identification when contact does occur." Brooks showed reporters a deck of cards depicting the identifying features of the key individuals as one of several examples of how the information is being distributed to forces throughout Iraq. "The list is also being distributed throughout the country in other forms, including posters and handbills, and those will become more and more visible over the coming days," he said. Brooks said coalition forces are aggressively attending to the medical needs of the Iraqi people encountered on the battlefield and in the liberated areas. "We do this by rendering assistance whenever we can as far forward as possible in the battle area, and when it's necessary and feasible, we also evacuate Iraqis who need medical assistance to field hospitals that we've established farther away from combat operations," he said. Brooks also noted that the first [Persian] Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) vessel arriving in the port city of Umm Qasr is bringing in 700 metric tons of food, water and medical kits. He said this shipment was coordinated between the United Arab Emirates government and the Red Crescent Society. (The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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