Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

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

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 15 Dec 2005 [PDF]
• MARINE KILLED IN IED ATTACK DEC 14
• DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualties
• DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

• CENTAF releases daily airpower summary AFPN 15 Dec 2005 -- U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials released today's airpower summary report.
• Security tight as Iraqis vote in national elections Army News 15 Dec 2005 -- Many Iraqis began lining up at polling stations to vote well before the 7 a.m. opening of the Dec. 15 national elections. Election turnout throughout Iraq is expected to be high as voting continues throughout the day.
• Ramadi Bomb Blast Kills Marine; 14 Suspects Detained AFPS 15 Dec 2005 -- A Marine assigned to the 2nd Marine Logistics Group, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), was killed by an improvised explosive device Dec. 14 while conducting combat operations near Ramadi, Iraq, military officials reported.
• Iraqi, U.S. forces prepare security at polling sites MNF-I 15 Dec 2005 -- Soldiers of 3rd Brigade,1st Armored Division and Iraqi officials northwest of Baghdad spent the last week working toward a common goal: making polling sites as secure as possible.
• Polling stations secure despite sporadic violence MNF-I 15 Dec 2005 -- Iraqi Security Forces throughout the capitol city reported incidents of small-arms fire and discovered an improvised explosive device planted near a polling station on the eve of national elections.
• Iraqi, U.S. Forces keep security tight as polls open MNF-I 15 Dec 2005 -- Iraqi Security Forces and Task Force Baghdad Soldiers continued to maintain security at hundreds of polling sites around the city as residents began lining up well before the 7 a.m. opening for the historic national elections Dec. 15.
• U.S. raids net detainees, weapons caches MNF-I 15 Dec 2005 -- Soldiers assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division detained 14 suspected terrorists and confiscated a large number of weapons, munitions and money as a part of Operation Vanguard Free Speech Dec. 14.
• Task Force Baghdad Soldiers boost election security MNF-I 15 Dec 2005 -- Iraqi Army and Task Force Baghdad Soldiers conducted operations Dec. 14 in western Baghdad geared toward creating a secure environment for free elections in the area.
• Karmah polling center opens in spite of terrorists MNF-I 15 Dec 2005 -- An Iraq National Elections polling center, based at al-Kurmaa Primary School in Karmah, opened on time Dec.15 despite an apparent terrorist attempt yesterday to damage or destroy it.
• Iraqi forces safeguard polling sites against attacks MNF-I 15 Dec 2005 -- As Iraqi citizens continued to stream into polling sites to vote in the historic national elections, Iraqi Security Forces protected voters against attempted terrorist attacks Dec. 15.

Deployments

• Italy To Withdraw 300 Troops From Iraq In January RFE/RL 15 Dec 2005 -- Italian Defense Minister Antonio Martino said today the country will reduce its troop force in Iraq by about 10 percent in January as part of its phased withdrawal from the country.

US Policy

• Coalition Commander Praises Iraqi Forces for Securing Election VOA 15 Dec 2005 -- The U.S. and coalition commander in Iraq says Thursday's elections went well, and he expressed the hope that the election will be a turning point in the insurgency that has plagued the country.
• Bush Congratulates Iraqi Voters VOA 15 Dec 2005 -- President Bush says he is encouraged by what appears to be a large turnout in Iraqi voting for a permanent national assembly.
• U.S: Have Bush's Iraq Speeches Achieved Their Goal? RFE/RL 15 Dec 2005 -- Over the past two weeks, amid rising U.S. opposition to the war in Iraq, U.S. President George W. Bush has gone on the defensive.
• Sunni Turnout Substantial in Iraq Voting, Casey Says AFPS 15 Dec 2005 -- Sunni voter turnout in today's Iraqi election appeared much greater than it was during the Oct. 15 constitutional referendum, the top U.S. military officer in Iraq said today.
• Bush Says Iraqi Election a "Major Milestone" Toward Democracy Washington File 15 Dec 2005 -- President Bush welcomed Iraq's first election for a permanent government since the 2003 removal of Saddam Hussein's regime, saying the December 15 voter turnout was significant, and was not accompanied by a high level of violence.
• Iraqis of All Sects, Groups Voting, Says U.S. Envoy Washington File 15 Dec 2005 -- This article by the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad originally appeared in the December 15 edition of The Washington Post and is in the public domain.
• Rice Urges Ongoing U.S. Support for Iraq's Democratic Aspirations Washington File 15 Dec 2005 -- The United States must continue to provide support to the Iraqi people as they work to build their democratic institutions, according to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

United Nations

Reconstruction Issues

• Iraqi Voters Choose First Permanent Constitutional Government Washington File 15 Dec 2005 -- Iraqi voters go to the polls December 15 to choose representatives who will serve for the next four years in Iraq's new 275-member Council of Representatives.
• Iraqi Voters Flock to Polls Amid Tight Security AFPS 15 Dec 2005 -- Reports from Iraq's national parliamentary elections today indicate voter turnout was higher than the numbers seen for the Oct. 15 constitutional referendum, military officials here said today.
• Election in Sadr City Goes Smoothly AFPS 15 Dec 2005 -- In April 2004, this section of Baghdad exploded. Troopers of the 1st Cavalry Division found themselves in a fight against a Shiia militia.
• Iraqis Hold Peaceful Election Day in East Baghdad AFPS 15 Dec 2005 -- Baghdad took on an air of celebration as the polls closed on this historic election day with little terrorist action.
• Ballot Counting Begins in Iraq Parliament Vote VOA 15 Dec 2005 -- Voting has ended in Iraq, as voters went to the polls to select a full term, four-year National Assembly. Election officials estimate the turnout was high, with little violence reported.
• Voting Begins In Iraqi Parliamentary Elections RFE/RL 15 Dec 2005 -- Iraqis have begun casting ballots in today's elections to choose members of the country's first full-term parliament since Saddam Hussein was removed from power nearly three years ago.
• Iraq's President Urges Strong Voter Turnout VOA 15 Dec 2005 -- Iraqi President Jalal Talabani is urging his country's 15 million eligible voters to head to the polls Thursday, for parliamentary elections that Iraqis hope will be a turning point for security and stability.
• Iraq Releases Figures On Voting Abroad RFE/RL 15 Dec 2005 -- The Iraqi Independent Electoral Commission (IECI) has released figures for the first of three days of out-of-country voting in Iraq's parliamentary election.
• Some Violence, Opposition Mars Iraqi Poll RFE/RL 15 Dec 2005 -- There were reports of sporadic violence in several cities across Iraq as the polls opened on 15 December, international media reported.
• IRAQ: Elections get underway amid tight security IRIN 15 Dec 2005 -- Iraqis descended on polling stations on Thursday to choose the country’s first full-term democratic parliament, despite the threat of violence.
• Polls Close In Iraq Elections RFE/RL 15 Dec 2005 -- Polling stations closed around Iraq today after a full day of voting to elect a new parliament.
• Iraq: Voting For National Assembly Proceeding Smoothly RFE/RL 15 Dec 2005 -- Iraqis are today taking a major step, as they vote to elect 275 parliamentarians to the country's new National Assembly, the first full-term, democratic parliament since Saddam Hussein was toppled by a U.S.-led coalition of forces.

• War and Corruption Inhibit Foreign Investment in Iraq VOA 15 Dec 2005 -- As it seeks to rebuild politically, Iraq remains a war-torn country that lacks any serious foreign investment in its economy, though it has garnered modest interest from a few Middle Eastern investors.

• Iraqi Ambassador Acknowledges Prisoner-Abuse Problem RFE/RL 15 Dec 2005 -- Iraq's ambassador to the United Nations, Samir al-Sumaydai'i, has acknowledged that Iraqi police forces have a "problem" abusing prisoners, and has pledged that authorities will put a stop to the abuse.

Foreign Reactions

News Reports

• IRAQ: Morgue can’t cope with numbers of bodies arriving on a daily basis, doctors say IRIN 15 Dec 2005 -- Lack of space and a shortage of doctors to deal with corpses at Baghdad’s only mortuary is causing a delay in the release of bodies for burial.
• Iraq: Voices Of The Voters RFE/RL 15 Dec 2005 -- Iraqi voters on 15 December generally expressed optimism at the polls, saying the legislative elections promised to bring stability to the country, RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq reported.