Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

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

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 15 Apr 2004 [PDF]
• No U.S. Soldier Died in Action in Mosul During Last 24 hours [CJTF-7 News Release] April 15, 2004
• Task Force Danger Soldier Killed, Five Wounded [CJTF-7 News Release] April 15, 2004
• Task Force Olympia Soldier Dies [CJTF-7 News Release] April 15, 2004
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty

• Transcript: Defense Department Operational Update Briefing 15 Apr 2004 -- Secretary Of Defense Donald Rumsfeld; and General Peter Pace, Vice Chairman, Joint Chiefs Of Staff
• Transcript: Coalition Provisional Authority Briefing 15 Apr 2004 -- Gen. Richard Myers, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff; Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, Commander, Coalition Ground Forces
• Defense Department Report, April 15: Iraq Operational Update Washington File 15 Apr 2004 -- The Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff says the international community must give the Iraqi people every chance to succeed as a free state and it is inappropriate for neighboring countries to promote "their own self-interest" there.
• IRAQ SITREP VOA 15 Apr 2004 -- The United States is extending the tour of some 20-thousand American troops in Iraq, because of increasing attacks on coalition forces. And the Pentagon is not ruling out sending even more troops to the country if the level of violence directed at coalition forces by Shiite and Sunni fighters does not diminish.
• 1st Cavalry Division Takes on Baghdad Responsibility AFPS 15 Apr 2004 -- Task Force Baghdad, made up mostly of the 1st Cavalry Division, has assumed responsibility for Baghdad and its environs from the 1st Armored Division.
• MARINE RAIDS TARGET ANTI-COALITION MEMBERS MAKING IEDs CENTCOM Release 15 Apr 2004-- Raids conducted by Marines and soldiers assigned to 1st Marine Division netted several suspects throughout cities in eastern Al Anbar Province April 14.
• MWHS-3 transfers power in Iraq Marine Corps News 15 Apr 2004-- The torch of leadership was passed to Lt. Col. David A. DeMorat here, April 15, during the change of command for Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 3, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.
• ANTI-COALITION FORCES USE HUMANITARIAN CONVOYS TO FURTHER ATTACKS CENTCOM Release 15 Apr 2004-- A convoy of humanitarian goods bound for Fallujah residents contained weapons and ammunition for enemy forces. The convoy was near the city of Saqlawiyah, just west of Fallujah.
• 2 Soldiers Dead; Enemy Employing New Tactic in Iraq AFPS 15 Apr 2004 -- Two American soldiers died in Iraq April 14, one of them as a result of enemy action, and five others were wounded. Also in Iraq, coalition officials reported a new tactic used by terrorist forces: using aid convoys to smuggle arms.
• IRAQ/FIGHTING VOA 15 Apr 2004 -- A top U-S military official visiting Iraq says foreign fighters are still infiltrating Iraq through the borders of Syria and Iran and that additional resources may be needed to stabilize the country.
• Unknown assailants gun down Iranian diplomat in Baghdad IRNA 15 Apr 2004 -- Khalil Nai`imi, cultural and press attache of the Iranian embassy here, was shot dead by unknown assailants in the Iraqi capital on Thursday.
• Italian Hostage Executed In Iraq RFE/RL 15 Apr 2004 -- The Italian government has confirmed that militants executed one of four Italian hostages seized recently in Iraq. However, both Italy and Japan have restated their commitments to keep troops in Iraq, despite abductions involving their citizens.
• Iranian Diplomat Shot Dead In Baghdad RFE/RL 15 Apr 2004 -- An Iranian diplomat was shot dead by unknown assailants near the Iranian mission in Baghdad today.
• A Day in the life...I Co. 3/24 Marine Corps News 15 Apr 2004-- The morning light conquered darkness at Camp Fallujah, Iraq, as reserve Marines with India Company, 3rd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment prepare for their mission: protecting the camp's perimeter

Deployments

• Transcript: Special Defense Department Briefing 15 Apr 2004 -- "As the Secretary said, approximately 20,000 Army soldiers have been extended for 90 days past the 12 months boots-on-the-ground date in Iraq. These decisions, as you also heard, are not decisions that are taken lightly. The decisions impact about 40 total units. They are combat, combat support, and combat service support units, and they are both in Iraq and in Kuwait. As you also heard, the majority of these units are active component units, primarily focused on the larger units, the 1st Armored Division from Germany, and the 2nd Light Cavalry Regiment from Fort Polk Louisiana."
• Rumsfeld Extends Iraq Tour for 20,000 Troops Washington File 15 Apr 2004 -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announced April 15 that some 20,000 U.S. troops will stay in Iraq for as long as 90 days beyond the scheduled end of their tours of duty.
• Pentagon Extends Iraq-Kuwait Duty for 20,000 Soldiers AFPS 15 Apr 2004 -- About 20,000 soldiers now in Iraq and Kuwait will serve at least 90 days past their originally scheduled tours of duty, senior DoD leaders said here today.
• Germany-based US troops told to head back to Iraq: daily IRNA 15 Apr 2004 -- Some Germany-based American soldiers who only recently arrived at their home military bases in Germany after completing a one-year-long deployment in Iraq, have been told to head back to the war-stricken country, the website of the European edition of the US military daily Stars and Stripes said Thursday.

US Policy

• Powell Urges Continued Polish Support in Iraq Washington File 15 Apr 2004 -- Poland's contributions to bringing freedom, democracy and stability to Iraq are part of a "noble" effort, and "we should remain steadfast and do what is necessary to give the Iraqi people the kind of country they deserve," Secretary of State Colin Powell said in an interview on Polish Public Television April 15.
• IRAQ / U-S POL VOA 15 Apr 2004 -- President Bush sought to reassure Americans at his news conference this week about the course his administration is pursuing in Iraq in the wake of the deadliest period for the U-S military since the end of major combat in Iraq one year ago.
• CONGRESS / IRAQ VOA 15 Apr 2004 -- In Washington, the Bush administration is coming under fire from congressional Democrats who say the United States lacks a plan for what happens in Iraq once the U-S-led Coalition Provisional Authority hands over power to the Iraqi people in late June.
• Speech of Senator Biden: Getting It Right in Iraq 15 Apr 2004 -- "I come here today out of a deep and abiding frustration hardened by a nagging belief that time is rapidly running out on getting it right in Iraq. Time is running out and there is a glaring need to be brutally frank about the challenge we face and completely honest with the American people about what will be required of them in this war. "

United Nations

• IRAQ: UN envoy lays out plans for future election IRIN 15 Apr 2004 -- Lakhdar Brahimi, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General, on Wednesday laid out a new plan for an interim government in Iraq as the volatile security situation continued to restrict movement around the country.
• IRAQ: Iraqis in Iran still want to return, says UN High Commissioner for Refugees IRIN 15 Apr 2004 -- There is still a demand from Iraqi refugees in Iran to return home, despite the current security situation, Ruud Lubbers, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees told IRIN in an interview in the Iranian capital, Tehran, this week.

Reconstruction Issues

• UN nuclear watchdog concerned by removal of equipment, buildings from Iraq UN News Centre 15 Apr 2004 -- The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency says it is concerned that equipment - even entire buildings - and contaminated scrap have been removed from sites in Iraq, in some cases even out of the country.

• Iraq: UN Emerges At Forefront Of U.S. Handover Plans RFE/RL 15 Apr 2004 -- At a time of deep concern over instability in Iraq, a high-ranking UN official has sounded a note of encouragement about the country's advance toward self-rule. Lakhdar Brahimi, a top aide to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, told a news conference in Baghdad that he is confident a caretaker government can be formed to assume interim power by 1 July. UN Security Council members, in particular the United States, are placing increasing hope in Brahimi's ability to shape consensus among Iraqis on their political future.
• Annan condemns killing of hostages in Iraq, urges end to abductions UN News Centre 15 Apr 2004 -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today strongly condemned the killing of hostages in Iraq, urging an end to the abduction of civilians and calling for the release of those already held in captivity.
• Iraq to top agenda of meeting between Annan and UK's Blair UN News Centre 15 Apr 2004 -- Iraq will top the agenda for tonight's meeting between United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and British Prime Minister Tony Blair as they review the current situation, seek a way forward and discuss the UN's role in that country.
• Voter Education Key For Iraqi Elections, U.N. Official Says AFPS 15 Apr 2004 -- Iraqi citizens who will vote in January's elections will need to be educated about the new system, a senior United Nations official said in Baghdad today.
• Iraq: Governing Council Finds Voice Amid Unrest RFE/RL 15 Apr 2004 -- The U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council appears to have found a voice in trying to defuse tensions between the United States and insurgencies in the central and southern parts of the country. Council representatives are taking part in efforts in both Al-Fallujah and Al-Najaf to restore calm amid the worst unrest since the end of the Iraq war. For the United States, the intervention could not have come at a better time, as support for the occupation appears to be declining. The council itself -- by demonstrating its worth -- may also be trying to guarantee its survival.

Foreign Reactions

• MOFA URGES ROC CITIZENS TO AVOID IRAQ OVER SECURITY CONCERNS CNA 15 Apr 2004 -- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has issued a travel advisory against Iraq because of the mounting insurgency there, a senior MOFA official said Thursday. "Iraq has been listed as a highly dangerous area in which to travel, " MOFA's West Asian Affairs Department Deputy Director Lin Chin-chung said, adding that local people should not travel to Iraq for the time being.
• RUSSIA/IRAQ VOA 15 Apr 2004 -- Russia has begun evacuating its citizens and those of other former Soviet states from Iraq, following the kidnapping of five Ukrainians and three Russians there.
• JAPAN HOSTAGES FREED VOA 15 Apr 2004 -- Three Japanese held hostage in Iraq have been released in Baghdad, but there is still concern about two other Japanese who were reported missing on Thursday.
• Iraq: Iranian Delegation Tries To Help Defuse Tensions RFE/RL 15 Apr 2004 -- A delegation from Iran is in Iraq as part of an effort to help defuse tensions in that country. Analysts say it is in the interests of both countries to work together in Iraq. Meanwhile, an Iranian diplomat was shot dead today by unknown assailants near the Iranian mission in Baghdad. It is unclear, however, if the murder is connected with Tehran's mediation efforts.
• ITALY/HOSTAGES VOA 15 Apr 2004 -- Italy is mourning the execution of one of its nationals held hostage in Iraq. It is the first known execution of any captive held in the country in the recent spate of kidnappings there. But Italian authorities have vowed to keep troops in Iraq and not bow to demands that they be withdrawn.
• JAPAN/IRAQ HOSTAGES VOA 15 Apr 2004 -- Japan's government says it is trying to determine if two more of its citizens have been kidnapped in Iraq.
• MALAYSIA MUSLIM IRAQ VOA 15 Apr 2004 -- Malaysia will host an emergency meeting of the 57-member Organization of Islamic Conference to talk about recent developments in Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
• PHILIPPINES/IRAQ TROOPS VOA 15 Apr 2004 -- The Philippine government has put a halt on sending more humanitarian workers to Iraq and is drawing up a contingency evacuation plan for its citizens in the troubled country.

News Reports

• War on Iraq, terrorism weakened UK influence, says think-tank IRNA 15 Apr 2004 -- The events of 9/11, military action against Afghanistan and Iraq and the war on terror have had a negative impact on Britain`s foreign policy, according to a new report published Thursday.
• IRAQ: Red Crescent Society makes plans for Fallujah camp IRIN 15 Apr 2004 -- The Iraqi Red Crescent Society on Wednesday started setting up a camp for families displaced by fighting in the city of Fallujah, some 50 km northwest of Baghdad, a spokesman for the aid agency said.