Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

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

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 13 Apr 2004 [PDF]
• One 1st Infantry Division Soldier Killed, One Wounded; One Contractor Wounded [CJTF-7 News Release] April 13, 2004
• DoD Identifes Marine Casualty
• DoD Identifies Marine Casualties
• DoD Identifies Army Casualties
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty

• Transcript: Coalition Provisional Authority Briefing 13 Apr 2004 -- Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, Deputy Director, Coalition Operations; and Daniel Senor, Senior Adviser, CPA
• BICmd augments provide ongoing support for OIF II Marine Corps News 13 Apr 2004-- Blount Island Command's mission focuses on the planning, equipment attainment, maintenance and sustainment of all Maritime Prepositioning Force and Geographic Prepositioning Force requirements.
• ATTACKS ON HUMANITARIAN AID TO FALLUJAH CENTCOM Release 13 Apr 2004-- Convoys of humanitarian relief to the people of Fallujah were blocked or delayed by attacks over the last few days.
• Marines suspend Fallujah offensive, push humanitarian aid Marine Corps News 13 Apr 2004-- Marines from the 1st Marine Division held their positions in and around Fallujah as the Iraqi Governing Council worked to broker a bilateral cease-fire with leaders in the city.
• Agencies Work Together to Find Hostages in Iraq AFPS 13 Apr 2004 -- Coalition officials said today the whereabouts of as many as 40 hostages in Iraq from 12 countries are unknown.
• Fallujah Stable, 'Robust' Manhunt for Zarqawi Under Way AFPS 13 Apr 2004 -- The security situation in Fallujah, Iraq, remains stable, and coalition forces there are engaged in a "robust hunt" for al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, believed to be in or near the city, coalition officials said today.
• U.S. Forces Release Al-Sadr Aide After Interrogation RFE/RL 13 Apr 2004 -- U.S. forces today released a senior aide of radical Shi'ite leader Moqtada al-Sadr after interrogating him for several hours, international media reported.
• Fighting Breaks Out Again In Al-Fallujah RFE/RL 13 Apr 2004 -- A delicate cease-fire in the Iraqi city of Al-Fallujah broke today.
• IRAQ / KIDNAPPINGS VOA 13 Apr 2004 -- At least 30 civilians of various nationalities have been kidnapped in Iraq in recent days. Military experts in the Middle East see the taking of hostages as a tactic aimed at gaining negotiating leverage with the United States and its coalition allies.
• IRAQ SITREP VOA 13 Apr 2004 -- In Iraq, the F-B-I is involved in trying to secure the release of civilians from 12 countries who have been taken hostage by Iraqi insurgents. Four Italian security guards are the latest foreigners to be reported abducted, while nine Americans still remain unaccounted for. U-S officials in Baghdad say acts of terrorism may increase as the June 30th date for a handover of Iraqi sovereignty draws near.
• Iraq: Kidnapping Of Foreign Civilians Escalates RFE/RL 13 Apr 2004 -- The wave of kidnappings in Iraq by suspected anti-coalition insurgents is escalating with confirmed abductions of Russian and Ukrainian workers and suspected kidnappings of civilians from the United States and the Czech Republic.
• Iraq: U.S. Signals Willingness For Negotiations RFE/RL 13 Apr 2004 -- The U.S. -- through local interlocutors -- is reported to be involved in preliminary talks to end fighting in both the central Sunni and southern Shi'a parts of Iraq. This appears to mark a shift in U.S. policy. Until twin insurgencies flared last week, U.S. officials appeared not to even know whom they were facing in Iraq -- whether they be Hussein loyalists, Ba'athists, international terrorists, or someone else. There was never any talk of holding talks.
• Russians, Ukrainians Released From Captivity In Iraq RFE/RL 13 Apr 2004 -- Russian officials say five Ukrainian and three Russian employees of an energy firm who were kidnapped in Iraq are now free.
• Al-Sadr Aide Arrested As U.S. Troops Mass In Al-Najaf RFE/RL 13 Apr 2004 -- A top aide to radical Shi'ite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr was arrested today in Baghdad, as U.S. troops gathered on the outskirts of the holy city of Al-Najaf, where al-Sadr is believed to be based.
• More Hostages Taken In Iraq As Crisis Deepens RFE/RL 13 Apr 2004 -- The Italian Foreign Ministry today said four Italian civilians have been missing in Iraq since yesterday.
• U-S / IRAQ / SECURITY VOA 13 Apr 2004 -- The top U-S commander in Iraq, General John Abizaid has asked the Pentagon for up to 10-thousand more troops to help deal with insurgents. Many analysts and politicians in Washington say U-S hopes for democracy in Iraq are doomed unless the country's security needs are met. Several foreign affairs experts have said that increasing troop strength is long overdue.
• In face of convoy ambushes, Marines keep on trucking in Fallujah Marine Corps News 13 Apr 2004-- As Marines strive to regain control here, one motor transportation company leads the charge through continuous ambushes hell-bent on cutting logistics lines feeding front-line troops engaged in Operation Vigilant Resolve.

Deployments

US Policy

• President Addresses the Nation in Prime Time Press Conference The White House 13 Apr 2004 -- "Before I take your questions, let me speak with the American people about the situation in Iraq. This has been tough weeks in that country. Coalition forces have encountered serious violence in some areas of Iraq. Our military commanders report that this violence is being instigated by three groups (...) America's commitment to freedom in Iraq is consistent with our ideals, and required by our interests. Iraq will either be a peaceful, democratic country, or it will again be a source of violence, a haven for terror, and a threat to America and to the world"
• Bush: Coalition Must Not Waver From Commitment to Iraq VOA News 13 Apr 2004 -- In the opening statement to his news conference late Tuesday, President Bush said America and its allies must not waver in their commitment to help bring about a political transition in Iraq.
• Effort in Iraq 'Going to Take Time,' Myers Says AFPS 13 Apr 2004 -- People around the world are going to have to realize the coalition effort in Iraq is a long-term project, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here today.
• Myers Explains U.S. Position in Iraq to Arab Audience AFPS 13 Apr 2004 -- Events in Iraq dominated the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff's news conference following meetings with Bahraini leaders here.
• BUSH/IRAQ VOA 13 Apr 2004 -- President Bush is holding a White House news conference to explain his plans for the future of U-S operations in Iraq.

United Nations

• Annan says insecurity prevents return of large UN team to Iraq UN News Centre 13 Apr 2004 -- Despite having its movements restricted as a result of the deteriorating security environment in Iraq, the United Nations mission led by Special Adviser Lakhdar Brahimi continued to consult with a wide range of Iraqi constituencies today, although Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he did not anticipate the return of a large UN team in the "foreseeable future."
• Insecurity Hinders Larger UN Role In Iraq RFE/RL 13 Apr 2004 -- UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today that because of deteriorating security in Iraq he cannot be sure that he will dispatch a large UN team back to the country.
• U-N/ANNAN/IRAQ VOA 13 Apr 2004 -- U-N Secretary General Kofi Annan says he sees little chance the world body can resume a major role in Iraq under current security conditions. At the same time Mr. Annan is preparing to launch an independent probe of the scandal-tainted Iraq Oil-for-Food program.
• JORDAN: UN offers a new way of working IRIN 13 Apr 2004 -- A unique security issue in Iraq - virtually all international UN staff are working from outside the country - requires a unique alternative.

Reconstruction Issues

• Iraq Weekly Update Joint Staff/Coalition Provisional Authority 13 Apr 2004 -- Power / Oil / Education / Health Care / Security / Governance / Economics [PDF 728 Kb b]
• IRAQ: Basra residents express dissatisfaction IRIN 13 Apr 2004 -- A year ago, people in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, a Shi'ite stronghold of 1.4 million, were happy to see the end of Saddam Hussein's regime. Months of unrest is still growing as people become impatient for change since Coalition forces took control on 7 April, 2003.

Foreign Reactions

• ITALY / IRAQ VOA 13 Apr 2004 -- Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said the withdrawal of his country's troops from Iraq is not in question after it was confirmed that four Italian nationals were abducted in Iraq.
• RUSSIA/HOSTAGES VOA 13 Apr 2004 -- Russia is advising its citizens to get out of Iraq after eight workers at a Russian energy company were taken hostage by masked gunmen in Baghdad. All eight have been released unharmed, but Russian officials say they have made preparations to enable a prompt evacuation of all Russian citizens there.
• Situation in Iraq not conducive to sending troops: India IRNA 13 Apr 2004 -- The Indian government on Monday said that the situation in Iraq was not conducive to sending troops to that country.
• Russia promises help to Iraq IRNA 13 Apr 2004 -- Moscow is concerned over the situation in Iraq, the trouble in which peaceful Iraqis living in US-besieged Falluja have found themselves, and the disproportionate use of force by the occupation troops, sources in the Russian Foreign Ministry told RIA Novosti.
• Iraq: U.S. Coming Under Fire For Use Of Force In Al-Fallujah RFE/RL 13 Apr 2004 -- Some members of the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council are strongly criticizing the U.S. military over civilian casualties in Al-Fallujah. They say the U.S. response to the killing last month of four American security personnel in the city has been disproportionate and indiscriminate. U.S. officials insist they are doing everything they can to minimize civilian deaths.
• CHINA-HOSTAGES VOA 13 Apr 2004 -- Seven Chinese nationals who were taken hostage in Iraq this week will soon head home.
• BRITAIN/IRAQ/JORDAN VOA 13 Apr 2004 -- A senior member of the Jordanian royal family has criticized the U-S-led occupation of Iraq. Prince Hassan says more American troops will not be able to pacify Iraq.

News Reports

• Iraq: Private Security Personnel -- Dangerous Or Cost-Effective? RFE/RL 13 Apr 2004 -- The recent killings of four U.S. security contractors in Iraq have drawn attention to their growing presence in the country. In fact, it is not U.S. military personnel but private soldiers who now guard L. Paul Bremer, the head of the U.S. civil administration in Baghdad. But there is growing concern about the number of these private contractors in Iraq, and about their accountability.