Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

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

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 28 Apr 2004 [PDF]
• One Ukrainian Soldier was Killed [CJTF-7 News Release] April 28, 2004
• Task Force Olympia Soldier Dies from Injuries Following Grenade Attack [CJTF-7 News Release] April 28, 2004
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

• Transcript: Central Command Operations Briefing 28 Apr 2004 -- Maj. Gen. John Sattler, USMC, Director of Central Command Operations
• Transcript: Coalition Provisional Authority Briefing 28 Apr 2004 -- Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, Deputy Director For Coalition Operations, Gareth Bayley, CPA Spokesperson
• PENTAGON/FALLUJAH VOA 28 Apr 2004 -- A top U-S military official says insurgent forces holed up in the Iraqi city of Fallujah should surrender but he predicts they will take what he calls a "severe beating" if they refuse.
• IRAQ SITREP VOA 28 Apr 2004 -- There has been another day of intense fighting in the Iraqi town of Fallujah, with American Marines using aircraft and heavy weapons to strike at Sunni insurgents, who the U-S military command says continue to attack instead of turning in weapons.
• Coalition Provisional Authority Report, April 28: Iraq Update Washington File 28 Apr 2004 -- Coalition forces in Iraq are prepared to give "a little more time" to talks inside Fallujah, in spite of continuing cease-fire violations there, a U.S. Army general says.
• Resolution in Fallujah 'Will Resonate Throughout Iraq' AFPS 28 AFPS 2004 -- The way the stalemate in Fallujah, Iraq, is ultimately resolved - either through a negotiated agreement or through military force - "will resonate throughout Iraq" and "deal a blow to all the insurgents across the country," the operations chief for U.S. Central Command told Pentagon reporters today.
• Fallujah Cease-Fire Honored, But Coalition Responds to Attacks AFPS 28 AFPS 2004 -- Coalition forces continue to "rigidly adhere" to the cease-fire that took effect in Fallujah, Iraq, April 9, despite graphic televised images that coalition officials called "a series of defensive responses" to attacks by insurgents within the city.
• IRAQ SITREP VOA 28 Apr 2004 -- There has been another day of intense fighting in the Iraqi town of Fallujah, with American Marines using aircraft and heavy weapons to strike at Sunni insurgents, who the U-S military command says continue to attack instead of turning in weapons.
• U.S. Forces Renew Assault On Al-Fallujah RFE/RL 28 Apr 2004 -- U.S. Marines have launched more air and ground attacks against suspected Sunni insurgent positions in the besieged Iraqi city of Al-Fallujah.
• Talks Continue in Al-Fallujah RFE/RL 28 Apr 2004 -- A U.S. general today described the situation in Al-Fallujah as "fiercely tense," but said negotiations are continuing between U.S. forces and local leaders in the Iraqi Sunni stronghold.
• Truck Company keeps 1st Marine Division rolling Marine Corps News 28 Apr 2004-- They've got diesel running through their veins. Their language is as raw as the throaty rumble of the huge engines on which they turn wrenches. Skinned knuckles and faces smeared with grease are testament to the work that keeps the 1st Marine Division rolling.
• Abu Ghurayb prisoners killed by fellow insurgents in Iraq Marine Corps News 28 Apr 2004-- Insurgents fired 18 mortar rounds into the Abu Ghurayb prison April 20, killing 14 detainees and wounding nearly 100.
• MARINE DEFENSES ATTACKED DURING THE NIGHT IN FALLUJAH CENTCOM Release 28 Apr 2004-- Anti-Coalition forces attacked Marines in defensive positions in Fallujah shortly after 10 p.m. yesterday (April 27), again violating the current cease-fire. After receiving rocket-propelled grenades and direct fire in their defensive positions, Marines called in close air support.
• ICDC CATCHES COUNTERFEITERS CENTCOM Release 28 Apr 2004-- Iraqi Civil Defense Corps soldiers conducted three cordon and search missions in the Qayyarah area April 27, resulting in the detention of two known counterfeiters and the confiscation of counterfeiting material supporting anti-Coalition activities.
• CFLCC moving from Doha to Arifjan Army News Service 28 Apr 2004-- Coalition Forces Land Component Command is wrapping up its stay at Camp Doha and nearly one thousand servicemembers are scheduled to complete the move to Camp Arifjan by the end of April.

Deployments

US Policy

• POWELL / IRAQ / BERLIN VOA 28 Apr 2004 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell Wednesday defended the level of force being used by U-S troops in Iraq to dislodge rebel fighters from positions in Fallujah and other major towns. Mr. Powell discussed Iraq with fellow foreign ministers on the sidelines of the O-S-C-E conference on anti-Semitism.
• BUSH / IRAQ VOA 28 Apr 2004 -- President Bush says U-S forces in Iraq will do what is necessary to secure the besieged city of Fallujah.
• Iraq: Bush's Choice For Ambassador Cites Baghdad's Limited Sovereignty RFE/RL 28 Apr 2004 -- In just over two months, the United States plans to turn over sovereignty to a new interim Iraqi government that has yet to be named. At the same time, the current civil administration will be dissolved and a U.S. ambassador will be installed. But many questions remain about whether Iraq will be truly sovereign after 30 June.

United Nations

• IRAQ/OIL-FOR-FOOD VOA 28 Apr 2004 -- Members of Congress have heard more testimony about alleged abuses of the "Oil-for-Food" program administered by the United Nations during the regime of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Witnesses appearing (Wednesday) before the House International Relations Committee offered more details about billions of dollars diverted from the program, and implications for the United Nations.
• ANNAN / OIL-FOR-FOOD VOA 28 Apr 2004 -- U-N Secretary General Kofi Annan has lashed out at critics of the world body's role in the Iraq oil-for-food program, describing some of the charges as outrageous and exaggerated. Mr. Annan categorically rejected allegations that his son may have been involved in any illegal activities.
• Annan appeals to parties in Iraq to refrain from violence UN News Centre 28 Apr 2004 -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today appealed to all the parties in Iraq to refrain from violence, respect international humanitarian law and give the political transition a chance, saying it was time now for those who prefer "restraint and dialogue" to make their voices heard.
• Annan Cautions U.S. Against Escalation In Al-Fallujah RFE/RL 28 Apr 2004 -- As the U.S. military used aircraft and helicopter gunships to attack insurgent targets in Al-Fallujah for a second straight day and night, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan appealed for U.S. restraint, warning that greater use of force could swell the number of insurgents.
• ANNAN/IRAQ VOA 28 Apr 2004 -- U-N Secretary General Kofi Annan has warned the U-S-led coalition in Iraq that using military force could play into the hands of resistance forces.
• Iraq: Brahimi Outlines Fast-Track Plan For Interim Government RFE/RL 28 Apr 2004 -- UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has recommended the quick formation of an interim Iraqi government to allow time to handle the sensitive issues involved in the transfer of power from the U.S.-led coalition.
• Brahimi Outlines Plans For Iraqi Government RFE/RL 28 Apr 2004 -- United Nations envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said yesterday that despite major obstacles it is possible to form an interim Iraqi government by the end of next month.

Reconstruction Issues

Foreign Reactions

• UK finally starts to count Iraqi casualties IRNA 28 Apr 2004 -- The British government has revealed that it is finally going to start to count the number of Iraqi casualties morethan 13 months after the invasion by UK and US forces.
• Strategy in Iraq `essentially right`, insists Blair IRNA 28 Apr 2004 -- Prime Minister Tony Blair Wednesday responded to a barrage of criticism about his policy in occupied Iraq by accusing the opposition Conservative leader Michael Howard of being disloyal and denying he had no effective plan.

News Reports