Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

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

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 30 Apr 2004 [PDF]
• Soldier Dies in Non-hostile Incident [CJTF-7 News Release] April 30, 2004
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty 30 Apr 2004
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty

• Transcript: Coalition Provisional Authority Briefing 30 Apr 2004 -- Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, Deputy Director, Coalition Operations, Gareth Bayley, CPA Spokesman
• Transcript: Gen. Abizaid Central Command Operations Update Briefing 30 Apr 2004 -- "I'd like to take about 10 minutes worth of your time and go over where we have been conducting operations for the past month."
• Transcript: Special Defense Department Briefing 30 Apr 2004 -- Major General John Sattler, Director of Operations for CENTCOM; Lawrence Di Rita, Principle Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs
• Abizaid Warns Fallujah Brigade Results Won't Be Instant AFPS 30 Apr 2004 -- The new Iraqi brigade being formed to restore peace to Fallujah won't instantly solve the problems in the city, the commander of U.S. Central Command said today from his forward headquarters in Qatar.
• 1ST BATTALION OF THE FALLUJAH BRIGADE TO HAVE A ROLE IN FALLUJAH'S SECURITY CENTCOM Release 30 Apr 2004-- As part of the overall effort to restore security and stability in Fallujah, the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force is overseeing the formation of the 1st Battalion of the Fallujah Brigade.
• 'Yellow Stone' ousts insurgents from Iraqi island Army News Service 30 Apr 2004-- Elements of the 1st Cavalry Division moved into the former presidential island retreat of Al-Rashida on the morning of April 23, for Operation Yellow Stone, to secure the area and remove the enemy from the island.
• 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Creating 'Fallujah Brigade' AFPS 30 Apr 2004 -- The 1st Marine Expeditionary Force is putting together the first battalion of a new Iraqi brigade being formed to restore and maintain order in the western city of Fallujah, a coalition military spokesman announced at a Baghdad news conference today.
• Iraq Commanders Getting All Armor Needed to Do the Job AFPS 30 Apr 2004 -- Commanders on the ground in Iraq are getting all the armored protection they determine necessary to do the job, the operations chief for U.S. Central Command told Pentagon reporters today.
• Coalition Provisional Authority Report, April 30: Iraq Update Washington File 30 Apr 2004 -- At least six U.S. soldiers have been charged with abusing Iraqi prisoners at the Abu Ghraib military prison outside Baghdad, an Army spokesman says.
• Iraq: Al-Fallujah Deal Reported As U.S. Forces Mark Deadliest Month Yet RFE/RL 30 Apr 2004 -- There are mixed reports from Al-Fallujah today, with U.S. troops pulling back from some areas amid signs a new security deal may have been struck with local leaders. The latest developments come as U.S. forces in Iraq have suffered their costliest month ever, with more soldiers killed in April than during the invasion a year ago.
• PENTAGON / IRAQ CASUALTIES VOA 30 Apr 2004 -- A top U-S military commander is predicting a continued volatile security situation in Iraq but says coalition forces are prepared to deal with it.
• IRAQ WRAP VOA 30 Apr 2004 -- U-S forces in Iraq have begun to withdraw from some of their positions around the town of Fallujah and hand those positions over to a new Iraqi security force. However, U-S officials caution that the move is not a retreat but an attempt to give Iraqis more security responsibilities.
• Marines Begin Al-Fallujah Pullback RFE/RL 30 Apr 2004 -- U.S. Marines reportedly have begun pulling back from the southern part of the Iraqi city of Al-Fallujah, where they have been holding positions for the last three weeks.
• Lonestar Dustoff MEDEVAC supports Marines in Iraq Marine Corps News 30 Apr 2004-- The Marine lay in the Army medical evacuation helicopter while an Army flight medic went to work stabilizing his broken leg. He thought about the rocket-propelled grenade that had hit his leg, and about why it hadn't exploded when it hit him.

Deployments

US Policy

• This Moment in Iraq is a Moment of Truth: Remarks of Senator John Kerry John Kerry for President 30 Apr 2004

• BUSH / IRAQ / PRISONERS VOA 30 Apr 2004 -- President Bush has denounced the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U-S soldiers, saying he is disgusted by the way they were treated.
• Bush Shows 'Deep Disgust' for Apparent Treatment of Iraqi Prisoners AFPS 30 Apr 2004 -- American officials are "appalled" by photos of U.S. soldiers allegedly mistreating Iraqi prisoners, and are urging the Iraqi people to not let the images taint their view of coalition forces.
• BUSH / IRAQ / PRISONERS VOA 30 Apr 2004 -- President Bush has denounced the alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U-S soldiers, saying he is disgusted by the way they were treated.
• Iraq: U.S. Probes Alleged Abuse Of Prisoners RFE/RL 30 Apr 2004 -- The U.S. Army is investigating reports that American military police abused Iraqi captives at a prison near Baghdad. General Mark Kimmitt, the U.S. deputy operations chief in Iraq, says he and his colleagues condemn any such activity, and stresses that the allegations are not representative of the actions of U.S. and other coalition forces in the country.

• PENTAGON / MUSLIMS VOA 30 Apr 2004 -- A senior U-S military commander is appealing to Muslim countries to send troops to Iraq to ease the image of an American occupation.
• Powell Explains Elements of New U.N. Iraq Resolution Washington File 30 Apr 2004 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell says he hopes a new U.N. Security Council resolution on Iraq will include recognition of an interim sovereign government, the need for additional contributions of forces and economic support, and a mandate for U.N. Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi's plan for the political future of Iraq.
• Officials Seeking New, 'Reliable' Leaders for Iraqi Units AFPS 30 Apr 2004 -- Stronger leaders are being sought for Iraqi law enforcement and military units that haven't performed up to expectations, the top U.S. general in the Middle East said today.
• Powell, Denmark's Moeller Reaffirm Steadfastness in Iraq Washington File 30 Apr 2004 -- Secretary Of State Colin Powell and Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller reaffirmed the determination of the United States and Denmark to give the Iraqi people a better life than they had under Saddam Hussein.
• KERRY/ BUSH / IRAQ VOA 30 Apr 2004 -- Democratic presidential contender John Kerry said Friday that it is time for the United States to take a new direction in Iraq including greater involvement by the United Nations and NATO. At the same time, President Bush defended his Iraq policy as the best way to bring democracy to the Middle East as a whole.
• FRIST / IRAQ VOA 30 Apr 2004 -- The top Republican in the U-S Senate is predicting what he calls "a long war" to establish stability and security in Iraq.
• Iraq: Mission Accomplished? U.S. Signals Readiness for New Multilateral Approaches (Part 2) RFE/RL 30 Apr 2004 -- A year after U.S. President George W. Bush declared major combat over in Iraq, it is clear that ousting Saddam was easier than administering the occupied country. The second part of a two-part series looks at how U.S. policy is evolving as it searches for new approaches to establishing a democratic Iraq.

United Nations

• PRESS CONFERENCE BY JALAL TALABANI, MEMBER OF IRAQI GOVERNING COUNCIL United Nations 30 Apr 2004

Reconstruction Issues

• Bremer Releases Details on Iraq Security Programs Washington File 30 Apr 2004 -- Under new de-Ba'athification procedures, thousands of teachers who were Ba'ath Party members in name only will be able to return to work and thousands more will begin to receive pensions this week, according to Ambassador Paul Bremer.
• TURKEY: Seminar on subcontracting opportunities in Iraq held IRIN 30 Apr 2004 -- A seminar called "Subcontracting opportunities in Iraq" was organised in the Turkish commercial capital, Istanbul, on Thursday, bringing together US prime contractors and Turkish companies to provide them with information on how to participate in the reconstruction work in Iraq.

Foreign Reactions

• Iraq: Protesters Walk Fine Line In Marching For Release Of Italian Hostages RFE/RL 30 Apr 2004 -- A week ago, three Italian hostages in Iraq appeared set to be freed. Now, their fate hangs in the balance. After their captors vowed to kill the hostages unless Italians protested Rome's military effort in Iraq, thousands of people marched through Rome last night in an appeal joined by Pope John Paul II for the release of the hostages. Protesters even sent a video to Arab television Al-Jazeera, urging clemency for their countrymen.
• Blair's envoy condemns US torture of Iraqi prisoners IRNA 30 Apr 2004 -- Prime Minister Tony Blair`s human rights envoy to Iraq Friday condemned the US torture and abuse of Iraqi prisoners lavishly depicted in American television, and said that officials at the White House had previously denied that detainees were mistreated.

News Reports

• Iraq: Mission Accomplished? One Year After 'Major Combat' Ends, Iraq Plagued by Insurgencies (Part 1) RFE/RL 30 Apr 2004 -- One year ago, U.S. President George W. Bush declared major combat over in Iraq. But today, multiple insurgencies in Iraq underscore the problems Washington has had in moving from its defeat of Saddam to ensuring Iraq's orderly transformation into a democratic state. The first part of a two-part series looks at some of the major challenges of the past 12 months.