Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=04/17/03

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=IRAQ/WRAP (L-O)

NUMBER=2-302314

BYLINE=JIM MALONE

DATELINE=WASHINGTON

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: U-S Special Forces have captured a half-brother of Saddam Hussein as part of the effort to round up former regime leaders. Meanwhile, there are further reminders that, while the major military action is over, pockets of resistance remain a nagging concern for coalition forces. Correspondent Jim Malone has the latest developments on the situation in Iraq.

TEXT: U-S troops captured another one of the 55 most wanted Iraqis associated with the Saddam Hussein regime.

U-S Brigadier General Vincent Brooks announced the capture of Barzan Ibrahim Hasan al-Tikriti at Central Command headquarters in Qatar:

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Barzan is the half-brother of Saddam Hussein and an adviser to the former regime leader, with extensive knowledge of the regime's inner workings. There were no friendly or enemy casualties. The capture demonstrates the coalition's commitment to relentlessly pursuing the scattered members of a fractured regime.

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There are also further reminders that, while the fighting in Iraq has largely abated, pockets of determined resistance remain.

Newly arrived members of the U-S Army's 4th Infantry Division engaged in a brief firefight with Saddam loyalists near the Taji airfield, north of Baghdad. Several Iraqi fighters were killed or wounded, a number of tanks were destroyed, and more than 100 Iraqis were taken prisoner.

General Brooks says this engagement and ongoing tension in the northern city of Mosul in recent days indicate the challenges coalition troops face in bringing security and stability to Iraq:

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There are still pockets that would seek to have instability as a better solution than stability. Our efforts have to be directed against (toward) locating such individuals, taking away their capability and simply applying a system of justice that puts an end to it.

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General Brooks also says coalition commanders are trying to reach a cease-fire agreement with fighters from an Iranian opposition group, based in eastern Iraq. U-S planes have bombed Mujahedin-e Khalq (People's Mujahedin) bases near the Iran-Iraq border in recent days.

/// OPT /// Coalition military commanders are reorganizing their ground forces to assist in the stabilizing and reconstruction efforts. U-S Army troops will be responsible for Baghdad and northern Iraq, while U-S Marines are shifted to the south. British forces will continue their responsibilities in the southern city of Basra. /// END OPT ///

The challenge of restoring power and water continues to be a major effort, especially in Iraq's large cities.

V-O-A Correspondent Laurie Kassman reports from Baghdad that local authorities are having some success in restoring water, but are having a difficult time repairing the city's damaged power system.

Despite these problems, she says, Iraqis are attempting to resume their normal lives:

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But Iraqis now are feeling more comfortable coming out onto the street. Hundreds, thousands are pouring back to their offices to see, first of all, if the buildings are still standing. But also to try to come back and clean up, and get things up and running again.

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On the diplomatic front, Secretary of State Colin Powell says he will travel to Syria at some point as part of what he calls "a vigorous diplomatic exchange" with the government in Damascus. Syria has denied U-S allegations that it has chemical weapons and is providing safe haven to members of the ousted Saddam regime.

Finally, European leaders are again urging that the United Nations be given a central role in rebuilding Iraq. They made the appeal at a European Union summit in Athens. (SIGNED)

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