Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

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

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 24 Feb 2006 [PDF]
• DoD Identifies Army Casualties
• CENTAF releases daily airpower summary AFPN 24 Feb 2006 -- U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials released today's airpower summary.
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Col. Snow 24 Feb 2006 -- Presenter: Col. Jeffrey Snow
• Reagan Carrier Strike Group Launches First Air Missions in Support of OIF Navy NewsStand 24 Feb 2006 -- F/A-18E Super Hornets assigned to the “Eagles” of Strike Fighter Attack Squadron (VFA) 115 became the first aircraft launched from the flight deck of USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) to drop ordnance on enemy targets in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom Feb. 22.
• Medical group helping keep 'boots on the ground' AFPN 24 Feb 2006 -- Airmen are maintaining the health of troops and helping the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing meets its mission -- put "boots on the ground" and support the aeromedical evacuation of sick and injured servicemembers.
• Al Qaeda Leader Killed in Raid; Weapons Cache Discovered AFPS 24 Feb 2006 -- An al Qaeda military leader was killed today during a raid in Baghdad, and U.S. soldiers discovered a weapons cache Feb. 22, Multinational Force Iraq officials said.
• Reagan Carrier Strike Group Launches First Air Missions AFPS 24 Feb 2006 -- F/A-18E Hornets assigned to the "Eagles" of Strike Fighter Attack Squadron 115 on Feb. 22 became the first aircraft launched from the flight deck of USS Ronald Reagan to drop ordnance on enemy targets in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
• Iraqi Army assumes battle space responsibility in central Baghdad Army News 24 Feb 2006 -- The 5th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, assumed responsibility for areas in central and southern Baghdad during a battle space transfer of authority ceremony from 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, at Forward Operating Base Honor Feb. 20.

Deployments

US Policy

• Report Charts Iraqi Political, Economic, Security Progress AFPS 24 Feb 2006 -- The Iraqi government and military are making progress politically, economically and in security, according to a DoD report to Congress.
• Bush Optimistic Iraq Will Form National Unity Government VOA 24 Feb 2006 -- President Bush says he is optimistic that Iraq will succeed in forming a government of national unity, despite sectarian violence following this week's bombing of one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam.
• Iraqis Take Security Lead in Wake of Mosque Bombing AFPS 24 Feb 2006 -- Iraqi security forces are leaning forward to provide security in areas of sectarian strife prompted by this week's terrorist bombing of a prominent Shiite religious shrine, a U.S. military official said here today.
• Bush: Iraqis Will Overcome Divisions to Achieve Democracy AFPS 24 Feb 2006 -- President Bush expressed optimism today that the Iraqi people will move beyond sectarian divisions fueled by the Feb. 22 bombing of a sacred Sunni Muslim mosque to continue their path toward democracy.
• Iraqi Forces 'Stepped Up' Following Sectarian Violence, Official Says AFPS 24 Feb 2006 -- Today was "very quiet" in Baghdad, and for the most part people are complying with a new curfew, a military official in Iraq said today.
• Iraqi Forces Have Risen to Crisis Security Challenge AFPS 24 Feb 2006 -- This week's terrorist attack on the Golden Mosque in Samarra, Iraq, is the "toughest test" for Iraq, a senior DoD official said today. But the government and security forces are rising to the challenge.

United Nations

Reconstruction Issues

• More than $5 Billion in U.S. Development Aid Provided to Iraq Washington File 24 Feb 2006 -- Thanks to more than $5 billion in U.S. development assistance, the Iraqi people are enjoying healthier communities, better infrastructure and schools, stronger local governments and a more robust economy, says Dawn Liberi, mission director for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Iraq.
• Sectarian Violence in Iraq Declines with Curfew in Place VOA 24 Feb 2006 -- Sectarian violence in Iraq that has killed more than 200 people in recent days subsided Friday, after the government imposed a tough daytime curfew.
• Daytime Curfew Ordered for 2nd Day in Iraq VOA 24 Feb 2006 -- A daytime curfew was imposed in Baghdad and nearby provinces Friday, in a bid to stifle further sectarian violence in Iraq. State television said the government has also ordered people to be off the streets in Baghdad and the nearby provinces of Diyala, Babil and Salaheddin Saturday.
• Curfew Declared In Baghdad In Bid To Stem Violence RFE/RL 24 Feb 2006 -- Iraq's government declared a curfew in Baghdad in an effort to prevent possible sectarian violence between Shi'ites and Sunnis on the Muslim day of prayer.
• Shi'ite Leader Calls For Restraint In Wake Of Samarra Bombing RFE/RL 24 Feb 2006 -- A senior Iraqi Shi'ite leader, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, has called for Sunni-Shi'ite unity and urged restraint in the wake of the bombing of one of the holiest Shi'ites shrines on 22 February.
• Iraq: Fears Of Sectarian Violence Bring Friday Curfew In Baghdad RFE/RL 24 Feb 2006 -- The Iraqi government is enforcing a daytime curfew in Baghdad to curb possible confrontations between Shi'ite and Sunni worshippers in the wake of the 22 February bombing of a key Shi'ite mosque
• More Than 130 Iraqis Killed in Sectarian Violence VOA 24 Feb 2006 -- More than 130 Iraqis, most of them Sunni Muslims, have been killed in two days of sectarian violence following the bombing Wednesday of a Shi'ite Muslim shrine.
• Iraq Imposes Daytime Curfew to Stem Sectarian Violence VOA 24 Feb 2006 -- Iraq's government has ordered a tough daytime curfew to stem sectarian violence that has killed more than 130 people since the bombing of a Shi'ite shrine.
• Development Projects Continue in Iraq Despite Violence VOA 24 Feb 2006 -- The head of the U.S. government's development program for Iraq, says projects are going ahead, and progress is being made, despite the insurgency and violence.

Foreign Reactions

News Reports

• RFE/RL Iraq Report, Volume 9, Number 8 24 Feb 2006
• Shi'ite Leader Calls For Restraint In Wake Of Samarra Bombing RFE/RL 24 Feb 2006 -- A senior Iraqi Shi'ite leader, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, has called for Sunni-Shi'ite unity and urged restraint in the wake of the bombing of one of the holiest Shi'ites shrines on 22 February.
• Third Suspected Human Bird Flu Case in Iraq VOA 24 Feb 2006 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) reports a possible third human case of bird flu in Iraq following the deaths of two people from the disease in the northern part of the country last month