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

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 06 Jan 2004 [PDF]

• Transcript: DoD News Briefing - Secretary Rumsfeld and Gen. Myers 06 Jan 2004 -- "First, we're working to rebalance the active and reserve components in all of the services. (...) Second, we will be adjusting our global posture. (...) Third, we're in the process of implementing our new National Security Personnel System as an important step in better managing the civilian and military work forces. (...) Going forward, we will continue to be aggressively pursuing the global war on terrorism, strengthening joint war-fighting capabilities, transforming the Joint Force, strengthening our intelligence capabilities, strengthening our ability to counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; improving force manning through quality of life, infrastructure and other modifications. We'll be refining and improving DOD's role in homeland security. We'll be streamlining our budget contingency planning and other departmental processes."
• CORDON AND SEARCHES LEAD TO CAPTURE OF ARMS DEALERS CENTCOM Release 06 Jan 2004-- The 82nd Airborne Division and its subordinate units continued missions over the last day to bring peace and prosperity to the residents of the Al Anbar province.
• TASK FORCE "ALL AMERICAN" CONFISCATES WEAPONS, EMPLOYS IRAQIS CENTCOM Release 06 Jan 2004-- The 82nd Airborne Division and its subordinate units, also know as Task Force "All American", continued missions over the last day to bring peace and prosperity to the residents of the Al Anbar province.
• Soldiers help set up phone network in Northern Iraq Army News Service 06 Jan 2004-- Members of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) participated in a two-day conference in the Kurdish region of Northern Iraq to set up a telephone network centered on the city of Mosul.
• Transcript: 82nd Airborne Division Commanding General's Briefing from Iraq 06 Jan 2004 -- "Tonight Major General Swannack will be speaking to you about the 82nd Airborne Division Area of Operations during his opening comments"
• Coalition Has 'Turned Corner' in Western Iraq AFPS 06 Jan 2004 -- Coalition forces have "turned the corner" in western Iraq, said Army Maj. Gen. Charles H. Swannack Jr., 82nd Airborne Division commander, during a Baghdad press conference today.

Deployments

US Policy

United Nations

• No plans yet for Security Council to meet on UN role in Iraq, President says UN News Centre 06 Jan 2004 -- Although Secretary-General Kofi Annan will be convening talks in New York later this month on the future role of the United Nations in Iraq with officials from that country, the Security Council currently has no plans to have a public meeting to discuss the situation there, the President of the 15-member body said today.
• U-N / IRAQ MEETING VOA 06 Jan 2004 -- U-N Secretary General Kofi Annan says he expects senior U-S officials to come to New York this month for talks on Iraq. Leaders of the Iraqi Governing Council will be there. But as Peter Heinlein reports from U-N headquarters, the Bush administration has been non-committal about its attendance.

Reconstruction Issues

• Transcript: Background Briefing on Reconstruction Contracting in Iraq 06 Jan 2004 -- Participating were Lawrence Di Rita, acting assistant secretary of defense for public affairs; Retired Navy Rear Adm. David J. Nash; a senior administration official; and a senior U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) official
• USAID Grants Bechtel $1.8 Billion Contract for Iraq Reconstruction Washington File 06 Jan 2004 -- The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has granted a $1.8 billion contract to the engineering and heavy construction company, Bechtel, for continuing work in developing Iraq's infrastructure.
• PENTAGON / HALLIBURTON VOA 06 Jan 2004 -- The U-S Army has apparently cleared a firm once run by Vice President Dick Cheney of wrongdoing in connection with fuel deliveries to Iraq.
• Bechtel Receives Iraqi Reconstruction Contract AFPS 06 Jan 2004 -- Bechtel National Inc. has been selected as contractor for Iraq Infrastructure II, a program to rehabilitate and repair Iraq's infrastructure, an official with the Agency for International Development said here today.
• Iraq: Kurds Press For Substantial Autonomy Within A New Federalist System RFE/RL 06 Jan 2004 -- Tensions are rising as Iraqi Kurds press their demands for substantial autonomy within a new federal Iraqi state. The demands have sparked deadly confrontations in Kirkuk between Kurdish police and Arab and Turkoman demonstrators demanding the city remain under the control of Baghdad. At the same time, the prospect of an autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan is raising objections from Syria and Turkey, which warn it would increase regional instability.
• Iraq: Gas, Electricity Shortages Continue To Hamper Lives Of Citizens RFE/RL 06 Jan 2004 -- Iraq, the country with the world's second-largest oil reserves, is suffering severe fuel shortages. Drivers are spending hours in queues at gasoline stations and are forbidden to buy more than 30 liters of fuel at a time. With little fuel to spare on generators, families are spending long hours in the dark, with power outages continuing on a regular basis. The U.S. administration in Iraq and religious leaders are holding black marketeers responsible for the crisis -- and are vowing to fight back.
• IRAQ: Special report on IDPs IRIN 06 Jan 2004
• IRIN ASIA: Chronology of key humanitarian developments in IRAQ in 2003 IRIN 06 Jan 2004
• IRIN ASIA: Chronology of key humanitarian developments in IRAQ in 2003 - Continued IRIN 06 Jan 2004

Foreign Reactions

• Iran `ready to play positive role` in Iraq, says Greenstock IRNA 06 Jan 2004 -- Britain`s special envoy to Iraq, Sir Jeremy Greenstock says that he feels "reassured" that Iran wants to play a positive role in restoring Iraq after holding talks in Tehran.
• British troops may remain in Iraq until 2007 PLA Daily 06 Jan 2004 -- British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Monday that British troops in Iraq might stay there until 2006 or 2007.

News Reports

• Afghanistan/Iraq: Immigrants Discover That Australia Offers No Warm Welcome RFE/RL 06 Jan 2004 -- For years, Australia has carried on a battle with illegal immigrants who try to enter the country by all possible means. The immigrants, mostly from Afghanistan and Iraq, have been met with warships, barbed wire, and detention in remote and inhospitable camps. International human rights organizations are concerned at the situation, but the Australian federal government of Prime Minister John Howard remains adamant that it will not take in illegal immigrants.