Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

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

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 13 Dec 2005 [PDF]
• FOUR TASK FORCE BAGHDAD SOLDIERS KILLED
• DoD Identifies Army Casualties
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty

• U.S., Iraqi forces keep Baghdad streets safe for election MNF-I 13 Dec 2005 -- Task Force Baghdad Soldiers and Iraqi Security Forces detained 13 suspected terrorists and located a weapons cache during pre-election operations in the capitol city Dec. 9-10.
• CENTAF releases its airpower summary AFPN 13 Dec 2005 -- U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials released today's airpower summary.
• Airmen training Iraqi NCOs to lead protection force AFPN 13 Dec 2005 -- Security forces pride themselves on making a good first impression for base visitors. Now they are instilling that same pride and professionalism in Iraqi Airmen.
• Four Soldiers Killed by Roadside Bomb Northwest of Baghdad AFPS 13 Dec 2005 -- Four Task Force Baghdad soldiers were killed today when their patrol vehicle struck a makeshift bomb northwest of Baghdad, officials said.
• Officials in Iraq Report on Recent Mosul-Area Operations AFPS 13 Dec 2005 -- U.S. troops and Iraqi soldiers and police captured dozens of suspected terrorists and seized large caches of weapons during raids and military operations over the past week in and around Mosul, Iraqi's third largest city, military officials reported today.
• Forces tighten security for Iraqi elections Army News 13 Dec 2005 -- Most Iraqis are anticipating the upcoming Dec. 15 national elections with enthusiasm, according to a recent poll, and Coalition forces have been busy conducting pre-election security sweeps to remove terrorists from the streets and ensure a safe election day.
• Iraqi Soldiers seize weapons cache, detain 4 terrorists MNF-I 13 Dec 2005 -- Searching house to house through a neighborhood in west Baghdad, Iraqi Soldiers discovered a bomb-making facility and a weapons cache Dec. 12.

Deployments

• Shadowhawks Overcome Challenges, Establish Land-Based Prowler Presence in Iraq Navy NewsStand 13 Dec 2005 -- During their current deployment with USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), the Shadowhawks of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8’s Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 141 have overcome many challeges in establishing themselves as the first Navy Prowler squadron to set up operations at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq.

US Policy

• Rice Faults Lack of World Support for Saddam Prosecution VOA 13 Dec 2005 -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Tuesday lamented what she said has been an effective boycott by the world community of support for the war crimes prosecution of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
• Bush Tries to Shore Up Domestic Support on Iraq VOA 13 Dec 2005 -- President Bush has a huge political stake in the success of this week's elections in Iraq as he tries to rebuild domestic support for the U.S.-led effort there.
• Iraqi Security Forces Are Greatly Improved, Official Says AFPS 13 Dec 2005 -- Iraqi security forces are proving their effectiveness against the terrorists trying to topple the country's new democratic government, a senior defense official said in Baghdad today.
• Ambassador Khalilzad Calls Iraqi Elections a "Defining Moment" Washington File 13 Dec 2005 -- U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad says the legislative elections December 15 will be a defining moment for the future of Iraq.

United Nations

Reconstruction Issues

• Experts: Saddam's Legacy Shaping Iraqi Elections VOA 13 Dec 2005 -- Former Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein may be behind bars in Baghdad, barely a shadow of the dictator he once was.
• Iraqis Abroad Voting In Parliamentary Elections RFE/RL 13 Dec 2005 -- Iraqis living abroad have an opportunity today to vote in 15 countries for a parliament set to restore full sovereignty to their home country.
• Iraqis Abroad Begin Voting in Parliamentary Elections VOA 13 Dec 2005 -- Iraqis living outside the country can begin voting Tuesday in the country's parliamentary elections.
• Sunni Arab Clerics Call on Iraqis to Vote VOA 13 Dec 2005 -- Sunni Arab clerics in Iraq have issued a religious edict (fatwa) urging Iraqis to vote in Thursday's crucial parliamentary election.
• Four Major Coalitions in Iraq Vie for Power in Elections VOA 13 Dec 2005 -- Iraqis have gone to the polls Thursday for the third time this year to elect a parliament that will govern for four years

• IRAQ: Many displaced in west fear returning home IRIN 13 Dec 2005 -- Hundreds of families remain displaced after US-led offensives earlier this month against insurgent activity in the cities of Ramadi and al-Qaim in the west of the country, according to the Iraqi Red Crescent Society (IRCS).
• Iraqi President Will Not Seek Reelection RFE/RL 13 Dec 2005 -- Iraqi President Jalal Talabani says he will not seek a second presidential mandate after this week's parliamentary election.

• Iraq Plans To Triple Oil Production By 2011 RFE/RL 13 Dec 2005 -- Iraqi Oil Minister Ibrahim Bahr al-Ulum has said his country plans to raise its oil production capacity to as much as 6 million barrels per day by 2011, up from the current output of around 2 million.

Foreign Reactions

News Reports

• Iraqi Opposition Figure Dies In Exile RFE/RL 13 Dec 2005 -- Hussein al-Rikaby, a senior opponent of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, has died in London after 36 years in exile.