Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

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

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 12 Jul 2007 [PDF]
• Task Force Marne unit attacked
• July 11 airpower summary: Predator strikes insurgents AFPN 12 Jul 2007 -- Coalition airpower supported coalition ground forces in Iraq and International Security Assistance Force troops in Afghanistan during operations July 11, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.
• Top Terrorist Leader Captured in Mosul AFPS 12 Jul 2007 -- Coalition forces in Mosul today captured a man they believe to be the most active terrorist cell leader in that area.
• Insurgent leader captured during Operation Grenada MNF-I 12 Jul 2007 -- The ringleader of a cell responsible for conducting rocket and improvised explosive device attacks on the people and security forces of North Babil was captured by Task Force Steel near Tunis, July 7.
• 2 captured during Operation Geronimo Strike III MNF-I 12 Jul 2007 -- Paratroopers from Strike Force Geronimo detained two suspected Al Qaeda insurgents during an air assault and raid July 10 northwest of Iskandariyah.
• Seabees Drill for Water in Iraqi Desert Navy NewsStand 12 Jul 2007 -- The summer heat in the desert of Iraq can be daunting, but the Seabees of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 28 drilled a well in the desert floor to help support Al Asad Air Base, June 13.

Deployments

US Policy

• Initial Benchmark Assessment Report The White House 12 Jul 2007 -- "Section 1314 of the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007 (Public Law 110-28) states that the President is to submit to Congress two reports assessing the status of each of the 18 benchmarks contained in the Act and declaring whether, in the President's judgment, satisfactory progress is being achieved with respect to those 18 benchmarks."
• Press Conference by the President The White House 12 Jul 2007
• White House Report: Iraq Showing Good Progress in 8 of 18 Benchmark Areas AFPS 12 Jul 2007 -- Iraqis are showing good progress toward meeting eight of 18 benchmarks set by Congress and mixed progress toward two other benchmarks, President Bush said today as he summarized findings of a new White House report.
• Bush Pledges Support for Troops in Iraq, Asks Congress for Time, Resources AFPS 12 Jul 2007 -- President Bush today assured U.S troops in Iraq they have his "unwavering support" and that he wants them to return home as soon as conditions there allow it.
• White House Report Cites Mixed Progress in Iraq VOA 12 Jul 2007 -- President Bush says there has been mixed progress in Iraq, and is calling for patience as an extra 30,000 U.S. troops take up their duties
• Analysis: A Mixed Picture from Iraq cfr.org 12 Jul 2007 -- The purpose of the U.S. military surge in Iraq was to provide breathing room for Iraqi leaders to forge compromises on essential political benchmarks
• Iraq Security Improvements Setting Stage for Reforms, Bush Says Washington File 12 Jul 2007 -- The Iraqi government and coalition forces are making progress toward securing the country, laying the groundwork for future steps forward on political reconciliation and key reforms, President Bush says.
• Bush: US Can Still Win in Iraq VOA 12 Jul 2007 -- President Bush says he believes the United States can still win the war in Iraq, despite a lack of progress in key areas.
• US House of Representatives Votes for April 2008 Iraq Withdrawal Target VOA 12 Jul 2007 -- The House of Representatives has approved a resolution calling for the withdrawal of most U.S. combat forces from Iraq by April of 2008
• Rice, Gates to Visit Middle East to Bolster Iraqi Government VOA 12 Jul 2007 -- President Bush is sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates on a joint mission to the Middle East early next month to shore up support for the Iraqi government
• Congress Continues Iraq Debate, Reacts to Interim Report VOA 12 Jul 2007 -- Congress is continuing debate on the war in Iraq, as lawmakers react to the Bush administration's interim report on political, military and economic benchmarks the United States has set for the Iraqi government
• U.S. Says Al-Qaeda Will 'Lash Out' In Iraq RFE/RL 12 Jul 2007 -- The U.S. military says it expects Al-Qaeda in Iraq to strike back with "spectacular attacks" after major U.S.-led offensives that have disrupted its activities.
• U.S.: Should Congress Judge Iraq Now, Or Wait For General's Report? RFE/RL 12 Jul 2007 -- As early as today, the White House is to issue an interim report on the Iraqi government's progress in meeting goals set by the U.S. Congress.

United Nations

Reconstruction Issues

• Iraq: Al-Maliki Faces His Sternest Test Yet RFE/RL 12 Jul 2007 -- In little over a week, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki faces what is arguably one of strongest challenges to his leadership since he became premier just over two years ago.
• Iraqi Army Makes Progress in Recruiting, Logistics AFPS 12 Jul 2007 -- The Iraqi army is making progress obtaining good leaders and rank-and-file soldiers, as well as developing a more efficient logistics system, a senior U.S. officer serving in Iraq said today.
• IRAQ: Concern for newly arriving IDPs in south IRIN 12 Jul 2007 -- Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in southern Iraq are concerned about the fate of newly arriving internally displaced persons (IDPs), after the authorities in the southern provinces said they could not cope with any more of them.

Foreign Reactions

• Iranian Military, Kurdish Rebels Clash Along Iran-Iraq Border VOA 13 Jul 2007 -- Iraqi Kurdish officials say the Iranian military has shelled an area inside northern Iraq during fighting between Iranian forces and Kurdish rebels.

News Reports

• Bush's Iraq Report Generates More Controversy VOA 13 Jul 2007 -- President Bush's report to Congress Thursday evaluating progress toward 18 benchmarks of success in Iraq generated immediate controversy, with supporters and opponents of the president's policy seizing on various parts of the report to justify their views