Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

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

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 17 Aug 2007 [PDF]
• MNC-I Soldier dies of non-battle related cause
• Task Force Lightning Soldiers attacked
• Roadside bomb targets MND-B troops
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• Transcript: DoD Press Briefing with Lt. Gen. Odierno on Ongoing Security Operations in Iraq from the Pentagon Briefing Room, Arlington Va. 17 Aug 2007 -- Presenter: Army Lieutenant General Ray Odierno, Commander, Multinational Corps-Iraq
• Aug. 16 airpower summary: Air transports vital to moving supplies AFPN 17 Aug 2007 -- Coalition airpower supported coalition ground forces in Iraq and International Security Assistance Force troops in Afghanistan during operations Aug. 16, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.
• Coalition Forces Kill 13 Terrorists While Targeting Cell Leader AFPS 17 Aug 2007 -- Coalition forces killed 13 terrorists and detained 12 suspected terrorists east of Tarmiyah, Iraq, during an operation today targeting an al Qaeda cell leader who provides guidance to senior terrorist leaders in Iraq.
• Coalition Forces Exert Pressure on al Qaeda, Other Extremists in Iraq AFPS 17 Aug 2007 -- Multinational Division Baghdad troops are doing their part to contribute to Multinational Corps Iraq's Operation Phantom Strike by continuing to apply pressure on al Qaeda and Shiia extremists throughout the Iraqi capital.
• Odierno Highlights Operations Phantom Strike, Phantom Thunder AFPS 17 Aug 2007 -- Iraqi and coalition forces are pursuing extremist leaders in Iraq's remote areas in coordinated "quick strikes" that launched this week, the commander of Multinational Corps Iraq told Pentagon reporters today.
• Gunmen in Iraqi Mosque Kill One US Soldier, Injure Another VOA 17 Aug 2007 -- The U.S. military says a U.S. soldier in Iraq was killed and another wounded when they were shot by insurgents who were inside a Sunni mosque north of Baghdad.

Deployments

• US Iraq Commanders Plan Troop Drawdown Next April VOA 17 Aug 2007 -- A senior U.S. commander in Iraq says he believes there will be a drawdown of U.S. troops starting next April, as long as the security situation continues to improve

US Policy

• U.S. Military Continues Efforts to Improve Iraqi Forces AFPS 17 Aug 2007 -- Iraqi forces are contributing to stabilizing their country even as they continue to train and improve, a senior U.S. officer involved in training and equipping Iraqi forces said today.
• Petraeus: Iraqis Need to Demonstrate Progress, Hope AFPS 17 Aug 2007 -- The clock is ticking for American troop presence in Iraq, and if more time is needed, it will require more progress in the region, the commander of coalition troops there said today.
• US Says It Is Countering Iranian Influence in Iraq VOA 17 Aug 2007 -- The second-ranking U.S. commander in Iraq says he is trying to convince Iraqi Shi'ite extremists that working with Iran will have long-term negative consequences for Iraq

United Nations

• UN staff around the world gather in remembrance of 2003 Baghdad attack UN News Centre 17 Aug 2007 -- United Nations staff members across the globe today solemnly commemorated the fourth anniversary of the bombing at Baghdad's Canal Hotel, where nearly two dozen people were killed and scores more injured in the deadliest attack against the world body's civilian personnel in history.
• UN Observes Fourth Anniversary of Baghdad Headquarters Bombing VOA 17 Aug 2007 -- The United Nations held a ceremony Friday to mark the fourth anniversary of the deadly bombing of U.N. headquarters in Baghdad

Reconstruction Issues

• Iraq: Killings In Shi'ite Holy City Expose Growing Splits RFE/RL 17 Aug 2007 -- Four aides to Iraqi Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani have been killed in Al-Najaf over the past two months, raising many questions as to the safety of Iraq's supreme Shi'ite leader and the motives of the perpetrators of the attacks.
• Iraq: Ordinary Iraqis Find Little Happiness In Daily Life RFE/RL 17 Aug 2007 -- Violence and chaos in Iraq have forced more than 4 million Iraqis to leave their homes -- and more than 2 million of those have fled the country since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003

Foreign Reactions

• Yazidi, Muslim Leaders in Kurdistan Condemn Recent Bombing VOA 17 Aug 2007 -- The death toll from a series of suicide attacks on Iraq's Yazidi sect on Tuesday continues to rise

News Reports