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Saturday, May 31, 2003

WMD just a convenient excuse for war, admits Wolfowitz (30 May 03) in Radio Free USA



2 U.S. Soldiers Die in Iraq Road Accident: "Two U.S. soldiers were killed and seven injured Saturday in a traffic accident in northern Iraq, a military statement said. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Envoy: Iraq Mass Graves Must Be Preserved: "U.S.-led occupying forces in Iraq must make immediate arrangements to preserve mass-grave sites and other evidence of abuses by Saddam Hussein's regime, Britain's special representative on human rights said Saturday. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Top Iraqi Shiite group disarms in struggle to end US occupation: "The military wing of the main Shiite movement in Iraq has disarmed, as efforts focus on political struggle to end the US occupation, the leader of the Supreme Assembly of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SAIRI) told AFP in an interview. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



COALITION AND IRAQI POLICE WORK TO MAKE IRAQ SECURE (MAY 31, 2003) in CENTCOM: News Release



A THIRD SOLDIER DIES AS A RESULT OF A VEHICLE ACCIDENT in CENTCOM: News Release



Iraqi oil revenues projected at 4.5 billion dollars until end-2003: MEES: "Revenues from Iraqi oil exports are expected to reach 4.5 billion dollars by year's end, the Middle East Economic Survey (MEES) reports in its Monday edition. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq


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War Blog Updates
Iraqi oil revenues projected at 4.5 billion dollars until end-2003: MEES: "Revenues from Iraqi oil exports are expected to reach 4.5 billion dollars by year's end, the Middle East Economic Survey (MEES) reports in its Monday edition. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Top Shiite group opts for political struggle to end US occupation of Iraq: "The main Shiite movement in Iraq is pursuing a political struggle to end the US occupation, and its military wing has already disarmed, the leader of the Supreme Assembly of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SAIRI) told AFP. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



COALITION EFFORTS AID IRAQ'S RECOVERY (MAY 31, 2003) in CENTCOM: News Release


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War Blog Iraq War Updates
Powell was under pressure to use shaky intelligence on Iraq: report: "US Secretary of State Colin Powell was under persistent pressure from the Pentagon and White House to include questionable intelligence in his report on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction he delivered at the United Nations last February, a US weekly reported. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Bush mission to heal Iraq splits in BBC: War in Iraq



Iraqi village fears nuclear contamination: "Ibtisam Hadi was sure the yellow substance she found in her backyard was dangerous, so she asked her neighbors to cover it with cement and fence off the yard."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



US claims Iranian interference in Iraq; Bush begins European tour: "A series of deadly attacks on US troops in Iraq may delay forces returning home until replacements arrive, a top general said here, as another leader of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party was captured in central Iraq. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Anti-Globalization movement's alternative summit opens ahead of G8 (30 May 03) in Radio Free USA



US lifts ban on air services to Iraq: "The ban on air services between the United States and Iraq has been lifted for the first time in nearly 13 years."

In Ananova: War In Iraq



Attacks in Iraq prompt review of US force requirements: "A series of deadly attacks on US troops has forced US commanders in Iraq to consider not sending troops home until reinforcements arrive, a top general said. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Iraqi Intifada?: "An intifada is brewing in Iraq, and American troops are about to stop being liberators and will be forced to embrace their inner occupiers. And many Americans don't give a damn. Twenty soldiers have died in fighting or accidents since May 1, the day Bush declared the major fighting over. Five have died this week alone.One was killed yesterday in an ambush on a military convoy about 25 miles north of Baghdad, according to CENTCOM "Two US soldiers died and nine others were wounded Tuesday in a second day of guerrilla attacks in the flashpoint town of Fallujah, west of..."

In Back to Iraq 2.0



SOLDIERS KILLED IN VEHICLE ACCIDENT in CENTCOM: News Release



IRAQI CHILD STRUCK BY MILITARY TRAILER in CENTCOM: News Release



Chalabi cited as secret source on Iraqi WMDs (27 May 03) in Radio Free USA


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AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 1:30 a.m. EDT 

From: spliffslips

War Updates

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AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 1:30 a.m. EDT
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By Associated Press

May 31, 2003, 1:32 AM EDT



U.S. Hunt for Iraqi Weapons to Shift Gears Amid Growing Questions About Lack of Progress

British Soldier Held, Investigated Over Allegations of Torturing Prisoners in Iraq

Iraq Weapons Issue Remains a Cloud Over Bush Efforts to Patch Up Relations With Europe

U.S. Troops' Possible Exposure to Destruction of Iraqi Nerve Gas After First Gulf War Probed

Marine Commander Says Pro-Iran Forces in Iraq Appear to Pose No Threat to Stability

President Bush Lauds Poland for Iraq War Support, Is Cooler Toward France and Germany

First Wave of Foreign Entrepreneurs in Iraq Plans for What's to Come

Hundreds of Entrepreneurs Line Up to Do Business in Iraq Now That Sanctions Have Been Lifted

United States Lifts Ban on Air Service to Iraq After Nearly 13 Years

Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press

--------------------

This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-latest-iraq-war-headlines,0,6613873.story

Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com

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Former POW From Fort Bliss Re-Enlists 

From: spliffslips

War Blog Bravery Medal

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Former POW From Fort Bliss Re-Enlists
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By Associated Press

May 30, 2003, 4:45 PM EDT

EL PASO, Texas -- Former prisoner of war Spc. Joseph Hudson has re-enlisted in the Army for another two years and said he hopes to teach other soldiers how to survive captivity.

Fort Bliss commander Maj. Gen. Stanley Green administered the oath Thursday while Hudson's wife, daughter, mother and sister-in-law stood beside him.

"I'd like to thank God for still being here, and my wife who supports me," Hudson said. "I know my previous experience will help me in the future to train other soldiers."

Hudson, 23, was among six soldiers captured March 23, when the 507th Maintenance Company became separated from its convoy and was ambushed by Iraqi forces near Nasiriyah. Nine members of the 507th died in the attack.

Hudson and four other POWs were held captive for three weeks until U.S. Marines rescued them and two helicopter pilots. The sixth POW, Pfc. Jessica Lynch, was rescued earlier.

"It's an additive when we get to re-enlist a veteran, and that much more additive when we're re-enlisting a prisoner of war," Green said. "Our focus is always quality, not quantity -- and this is a quality soldier."

Hudson's mother, Anecita, said she supports his decision to re-enlist.

"I'm just crossing my fingers that he doesn't go far away," she said. "He scared the hell out of me already. I'm hoping he doesn't do it again."

Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press

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This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-pow-re-enlists,0,2018324.story

Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com

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Friday, May 30, 2003

War Blog Updates
Sharon to look at Palestinian state: "Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told his Palestinian counterpart he would negotiate the creation of Palestinian state if the Palestinians fight terrorism, setting a guarded but optimistic tone for next week's three-way summit with the U.S. president."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Making the world a more dangerous place: "The US "war on terror" has made the world a more dangerous place. So says the human rights organization Amnesty International in its annual report for 2003. Electronic Iraq's Ali Abunimah looks at the record around the globe, especially in Afghanistan, where the country suffers despite grand western promises that the world would not "walk away." The catastrophic situation there bodes ill for Iraq."

In Electronic Iraq



U.S., Brits Stick To Their Guns: "President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair insist their claims that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction were accurate, amid growing concerns that governments may have misjudged or overstated the threat."

In CBS News: Iraq Crisis



Iran bus accident kills 22, injures 25: "A bus collided with two trucks in eastern Iran on Friday, killing 22 people and injuring 25, state-run Tehran radio said."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Anti-War Polish mayor banned from Bush visit (29 May 03) in Radio Free USA



Blair fails to get BBC to remove Gulf bodies footage (29 May 03) in Radio Free USA



Pentagon eyes massive covert attack on Iran (29 May 03) in Radio Free USA



'Torture' snaps: man held (30 May 03) in Radio Free USA



Senator Rips Lack of Iraqi Weapons Finds: "If Iraq's weapons of mass destruction posed enough of a threat to justify war, they should have been found by now, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee said Thursday. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Former Attorney General Says Bush Should Be Impeached in IraqWar.ru (English)



N Korea warns US of nuclear retaliation in IraqWar.ru (English)


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War Blog Updates
In Searching Homes, U.S. Troops Crossed the Threshold of Unrest in IraqWar.ru (English)



Soldier quizzed over torture pictures in IraqWar.ru (English)



'Torture pictures' soldier arrested in IraqWar.ru (English)



Britain and US urged to show arms evidence in IraqWar.ru (English)



What they said in IraqWar.ru (English)



Basra troops used cluster bombs in IraqWar.ru (English)



Saddam loyalists prolong conflict in IraqWar.ru (English)



Inquiry on Iraq in IraqWar.ru (English)



MI6 led protest against war dossier in IraqWar.ru (English)



Ministers 'distorted' UN weapons report in IraqWar.ru (English)



Coalition casualties accounted for (updated 29th of May) in IraqWar.ru (English)



Soldier Dies in Attack; 2 Civilians Die in Separate Incident in IraqWar.ru (English)



Iran has 2 hidden nuclear labs, large opposition group says in IraqWar.ru (English)


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AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At Noon EDT 

From: spliffslips

War Updates

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AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At Noon EDT
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By Associated Press

May 30, 2003, 12:02 PM EDT



Wolfowitz Comments Revive Doubts Over Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction

Commander of U.S. Marines in Iraq Cites Surprise at Failure to Find Chemical Weapons

Australian Prime Minister John Howard Indicates He's Not Ready to Step Aside Yet

Tony Blair Thanks Poland for War Support, Says 'No Doubt' Evidence Will Emerge of Iraqi Weapons

USS Nassau's Homecoming Bittersweet for Crew of Ship Missing Two Sailors

Sen. Jay Rockefeller Says Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction Should Have Been Found by Now

Iraq's Interim Oil Chief to Welcome Foreign Investors, Keep OPEC at Arm's Length

In Poland to Thank Nation for War Support, Blair Says He Has 'No Doubt' About Iraq Weapons

British Soldier Arrested Over Allegations of Torture Involving Iraqi Prisoners

U.N. to Hold First Meeting on Iraqi Reconstruction, Wants to Participate 'Very Aggressively'

Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press

--------------------

This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-latest-iraq-war-headlines,0,6613873.story

Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com

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War Blog Updates
U.S.-Led Engineers Strive to Restore Iraq Power: "U.S.-led engineers, bombarded bycomplaints, have restored Iraq's power supply almost to ricketypre-war levels, but Baghdad's five million people get less thanin Saddam Hussein's era. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



British soldier grilled over Iraq 'torture photos': "Military police questioned a British soldier in custody after photographs emerged showing troops allegedly "torturing" Iraqi prisoners of war, the Ministry of Defence said. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Infiltrators entering Iraq, US says, as it struggles to restore calm: "US President George W. Bush acknowledged lawlessness was gripping Iraq but insisted US forces were making progress in the new battle to establish order, as the occupying US-led coalition claimed religious hardliners from abroad were trying to destabilize the country. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



US says suspect in murder of Iraq Shiites released in error: "US military forces last week mistakenly released an Iraqi suspected of being involved in the murder of thousands of Shiite Muslims after the 1991 Gulf War, US Central Command said. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Iraqi mass murderer freed in mix-up: "The US has admitted it accidentally released a former Iraqi official accused of being involved in the murder of thousands of Shiites."

In Ananova: War In Iraq



MoD investigates 'torture' pictures: "The Ministry of Defence is investigating whether British soldiers mistreated Iraqi PoWs after photographs showing scenes of alleged 'torture' were discovered."

In Ananova: War In Iraq


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Iran unsure of al-Qaida members detained
Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq: "Iran is unsure about the identity of the al-Qaida members it has in custody and doesn't know if Saif al-Adil, the terrorist network's security chief, is among them, the foreign ministry spokesman said Thursday."

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Thursday, May 29, 2003

Keep Your Helmet On
IAEA officials prepare to return to Iraq: "The word spread through town, trumpeted on loudspeakers attached to American vehicles: Return the containers taken from Iraq's largest nuclear facility, and we'll pay you $3 a barrel. Refuse, and you might be arrested."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Bush entering shaky Mideast peace process: "The White House is warning that the road to peace between Israel and the Palestinians still is a long and bumpy one, but that's not stopping President Bush from attempting to speed up the process."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq


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War Blog Updates
Iraq to resume food rationing program: "A food-rationing program introduced by Saddam Hussein's government because of international sanctions against Iraq will resume next week - more than two months after it was disrupted by war."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Saddam organising resistance claims opposition: "Saddam Hussein is alive and co-ordinating terror attacks inside Iraq, a leading opposition figure has claimed."

In Ananova: War In Iraq



Comical Ali video on way: "Gulf War icon Comical Ali is to star in his own video featuring his greatest soundbites."

In Ananova: War In Iraq



VEHICLE ATTEMPTS TO RUN CHECKPOINT in CENTCOM: News Release



COALITION EFFORTS AID IRAQ'S RECOVERY in CENTCOM: News Release


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KEEP YOUR HELMET ON!

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War Blogs Updates
Blair in Iraq as row brews in London over 'embellished' weapons dossier: "British Prime Minister Tony Blair arrived in Iraq as a row brewed back in London over claims his government had embellished a dossier on Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction to make a more convincing case for war. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



U.S. Accuses Saddam Loyalists of Attacks: "The commander of coalition ground forces in Iraq said Thursday that recent attacks on U.S. forces were orchestrated by Baath Party groups loyal to ousted dictator Saddam Hussein. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



US commander mulls extra troops to tackle unrest in western Iraq: "The top coalition commander in Iraq said he was mulling sending extra troops to western Iraq to tackle what he described as a continuing "war" against "regime holdouts". (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



US troops seize arms cache, "terrorism" book in raid on Palestinian mission: "US troops seized weapons and a "book on terrorism" in a 24-hour search of the Palestinian mission in Baghdad, the top military commander in Iraq said after three Palestinian diplomats were arrested. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq


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U.S. Discourages Foreign Missions in Iraq 

From: spliffslips



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U.S. Discourages Foreign Missions in Iraq
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By Associated Press

May 29, 2003, 4:31 PM EDT

WASHINGTON -- The State Department said Thursday it is discouraging foreign governments from sending diplomats to Iraq because the absence of an Iraqi government means normal protections are not available.

Under international rules, diplomats are immune from prosecution by the host government.

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the United States, as the controlling authority in Iraq, "reserves the right to exclude people who we don't think belong there."

Boucher spoke hours after Palestinian officials in Baghdad said U.S. troops raided the Palestinian mission in that city and arrested 11 people, including the mission's top representative. The official U.S. figure was eight arrests.

The Palestinian official said the U.S. troops ransacked the building, taking water bottles and food cans.

Boucher said there are diplomats in Iraq who were previously accredited to Saddam Hussein's government and who have remained at their posts.

"We do not regard those as diplomatic missions. They're accredited to a regime that is no longer existent and therefore their accreditation would have lapsed," Boucher said.

He added that the United States does welcome foreign diplomats who are in Iraq to help in reconstruction.

Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press

--------------------

This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-us-iraq-palestinians,0,1955100.story

Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com

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Iraqi Shi'ites Protest at Alleged U.S. Arrests
Yahoo! News: War with Iraq: "More than 500 Shi'ite Muslims marchedin Baghdad Thursday to protest against the alleged arrest ofseveral of their clerics by U.S. forces. (Reuters)"

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U.S. Troops Arrest 11 in Baghdad Raid 

From: spliffslips

War Blog Uodats

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U.S. Troops Arrest 11 in Baghdad Raid
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By SLOBODAN LEKIC
Associated Press Writer

May 29, 2003, 1:42 PM EDT

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- U.S. troops raided the Palestinian Authority's mission in Baghdad and arrested 11 people after ransacking the building, a Palestinian official said Thursday. A top U.S. general said eight people were arrested.

The detained men included charge d'affairs Majah Abdul Rahman, who was running the mission in the ambassador's absence, mission official Mohamed Abdul Wahab said. They were taken to a U.S. base in the center of the city and have not been released, he said.

"They even took all of our water bottles and food cans," Wahab said. "They behaved like common thieves."

Arafat aide Nabil Abu Rdeneh and Cabinet Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo said the Palestinian Authority would not comment on the arrest.

U.S. troops have conducted numerous sweeps against suspected criminals and loyalists of Saddam Hussein's regime. Wednesday's raid was believed to be the first such action against a foreign diplomatic mission.

Wahab said dozens of U.S. troops escorted by several armored vehicles arrived at the building in Baghdad's embassy district Wednesday morning. After the guards opened the gate, soldiers burst into the building and detained officials, drivers and gardeners.

The soldiers seized three AK-47 assault rifles that were used to guard against looting that laid waste to much of the capital after it fell to U.S. troops, Wahab said. The rifles and a handgun, which was also confiscated, were properly licensed by Iraq's former government, he said.

"Every embassy has guns, we used them to ward off looters," Wahab said. "To attack a foreign embassy is a criminal act and a breach of diplomatic immunity."

Gen. David McKiernan, commander of U.S. ground forces in Iraq, confirmed Thursday that troops entered the diplomatic compound.

"That happened in a part of Baghdad where we lost a soldier," he told reporters.

McKiernan said seven Palestinians and a Syrian were detained, adding that he did not know how many had diplomatic status. Troops seized four AK-47s, four hand grenades, and a .38 caliber pistol, he said.

Wahab said the soldiers used shotguns to blast open office doors, though he said all were unlocked or had keys in them.

Many of the doors in the building bore the marks of combat boots and several had their locks shot off. An embassy safe appeared to have been opened after the door hinges had been broken off, and file cabinets were standing open with all of their contents removed.

An official photo of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was smashed on the floor.

Wahab said the soldiers took away two embassy flags. He said the troops had told staff that the mission did not have permission for its automatic weapons.

Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press

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This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-palestinian-raid,0,5989560.story

Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com

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War Blog Updates
The Kirchner surprise and the Fidel impact in IraqWar.ru (English)



The Rape of Iraq - Saddam Hussein forecast in IraqWar.ru (English)



Muslims: Take up weapons and fight as the protests won?t work! in IraqWar.ru (English)



Iran accuses US of "double standards" in war against terror in IraqWar.ru (English)



American Woman Travels Door to Door to Count Iraqi Casualties in IraqWar.ru (English)



US slaps sanctions on Iranian, Moldovan firms for missile tech sales in IraqWar.ru (English)



Despite Thin Intelligence Reports, US Plans To Overthrow Iranian Regime in IraqWar.ru (English)



Morale Lags For Some U.S. Troops In Iraq in IraqWar.ru (English)



Russia and China Unite Against America in IraqWar.ru (English)



U.S. Marines begin major exercise in Kuwait in IraqWar.ru (English)



U.S. threatened sanctions if Israel blocked 'Roadmap' in IraqWar.ru (English)



Moscow won't back out of Iran nuke plans in IraqWar.ru (English)



Influx of Iraqi officials reported in Cuba in IraqWar.ru (English)



Coalition casualties accounted for (updated 27th of May) in IraqWar.ru (English)



Blair faces revolt as US admits doubts (29 May 03) in Radio Free USA



Pentagon was warned over policing Iraq (28 May 03) in Radio Free USA



America's case against Iran is full of holes (29 May 03) in Radio Free USA



Classified: Censoring the report about 9-11? (29 May 03) in Radio Free USA



U.S. soldier killed in Iraq in CNN - War in Iraq


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AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 9:30 a.m. EDT 

From: spliffslips



--------------------
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 9:30 a.m. EDT
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By Associated Press

May 29, 2003, 9:32 AM EDT



Troops Find No Bodies, Bunker at Site Said to Be Visited by Deposed Iraqi Leader Saddam Hussein

Tony Blair's Office Defends Iraq Dossier After British Agents Expressed Skepticism About Weapons

British Prime Minister Tony Blair Visits Postwar Iraq, Praises Troops for 'Remarkable' Invasion

Colorado Springs Man Among Fort Carson Soldiers Killed in Iraq Attack

U.S. Soldier Killed in Iraq While Traveling on Main Supply Route, Military Says

Denied Freedom for Decades Under Saddam Hussein's Rule, Iraq Now Wonders What It Means

Iraqi Hospital Staff Say Forceful U.S. Rescue of American POW Jessica Lynch Was Not Necessary

Defense Sec. Rumsfeld's Comments on Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction Spur U.K. War Critics

Trucks Found With Lab Equipment in Iraq Are Strongest Evidence of Bioweapons Program, CIA Says

In Virginia, Several Hundred People Turn Out to Welcome Home Navy Pilots Who Served in Iraq

Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press

--------------------

This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-latest-iraq-war-headlines,0,6613873.story

Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com

|

Troops Find No Bodies at Saddam Site 

From: spliffslips



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Troops Find No Bodies at Saddam Site
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By DAFNA LINZER
Associated Press Writer

May 29, 2003, 9:15 AM EDT

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- U.S. troops have found no sign of bodies or even a bunker at the site where intelligence had said Saddam Hussein was sleeping on the war's opening night, a senior officer said Thursday.

Acting on an intelligence tip, U.S. forces launched their campaign on March 20 by firing more than 40 Tomahawk missiles on Dora Farms, a neighborhood south of Baghdad where the Iraqi leader was said to be with his sons.

"We looked real hard," Col. Tim Madere, an unconventional weapons specialist with the Army's V Corp, told The Associated Press. "We didn't find any bodies or bunkers," he said a day after visiting the site.

CBS News first reported on his comments on Wednesday.

Madere is part of the U.S.-led search for Saddam-era weapons of mass destruction. Looking for underground bunkers is a large part of the job, and weapons teams are occasionally also sent to gather evidence on the former regime and crimes it may have committed.

The source of the CIA tip that launched the war's opening salvo is a closely guarded secret. Officials will only say the intelligence was regarded as extremely reliable.

Initially, a source told the CIA that Saddam's sons, Qusai and Odai, and possibly their father, would be spending the night at a residential compound in Dora Farms, located along the Tigris and shrouded among rows of trees.

The source's information was deemed so credible that CIA Director George J. Tenet personally took it to the Pentagon, where he described it to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld before the information was taken to the White House.

The mission was not believed to have been successful. A disheveled Saddam appeared a day later on Iraqi TV and made a second appearance a week later. He was last reported seen in Baghdad on April 9.

The United States doesn't know whether Saddam is alive or dead. Several messages released in his name have surfaced since major hostilities came to an end but there was no way to confirm their authenticity.

Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press

--------------------

This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/sns-ap-iraq-targeting-saddam,0,2412677.story

Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com

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War Blogs Iraq War Updates
Blair arrives in Iraq: "The Prime Minister has arrived in Basra to thank the British troops still serving in Iraq."

In Ananova: War In Iraq



U.S. Soldier Killed in Iraq Clash: "A U.S. soldier was killed by hostile fire Thursday while traveling on a main supply route in Iraq, a military statement said. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Iraq Ponders Meaning of Newfound Freedom: "After more than three decades of being denied life's most basic freedoms under Saddam Hussein, Iraqis are trying to learn what it means to be free. And with more than 60 percent of Iraqis born after Saddam's party seized power, it is an alien concept to most. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Blair Becomes First Western Leader in Post-War Iraq: "British Prime Minister Tony Blair,who gambled his political career on the war on Iraq, onThursday became the first Western leader to visit the countrysince the conflict that toppled Saddam Hussein. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Bremer Worried About 'Iranian Activity' in Iraq: "U.S. administrator Paul BremerWednesday reported "troubling" Iranian activity in Iraq andsaid it could result in serious problems if it went too far. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq


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Wednesday, May 28, 2003

Military Crae Packages 25% off
US finds evidence of WMD at last -- in Maryland (28 May 03) in Radio Free USA



Another "Saddam Letter" Surfaces: "[Fox News]
LONDON ? An Arabic newspaper in London claims to have received another letter from Saddam Hussein -- this one saying the former Iraqi dictator is "hunting the cowardly American and British enemy." The Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper has published other letters purported to have come from the ex-Iraqi president. Many people have been skeptical of them because photos of them displayed in the paper contained handwriting different from Saddam's.

Full story...
"

In Command Post: Irak


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War Blog Updates
U.S. sticks to diplomacy with Iran: "In some ways, Iran may seems more of a menace in both terrorism and weapons than Iraq did. Still, administration officials are talking as though a military strike is the last thing on their minds."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Rumsfeld Likens Iraq to Revolutionary America in IraqWar.ru (English)



Man jailed for being Arab, lawyer says in IraqWar.ru (English)


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Iraq Violence Hits Colo. Regiment Hard 

From: Spliffslips



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Iraq Violence Hits Colo. Regiment Hard
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By CATHERINE TSAI
Associated Press Writer

May 28, 2003, 2:38 PM EDT

FORT CARSON, Colo. -- Saribelle Rodriguez gets nervous whenever the telephone rings.

In the past few days, three members of her husband's unit -- the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment -- have been killed in Iraq, and she is terrified he may be next.

"It's hard, the separation," Rodriguez, 30, said Tuesday. "Every time you think someone is calling you to tell you your husband has died."

On Tuesday, two of Sgt. Daniel Rodriguez' regiment comrades were gunned down at a traffic checkpoint in Fallujah, where support for Saddam Hussein runs deep.

Nine other American troops were injured and two Iraqis were killed in the gunfight.

On Monday, another Fort Carson soldier, Maj. Mathew E. Schram, 36, of Brookfield, Wis., was killed when gunmen ambushed a military convoy in northern Iraq. Another soldier from the post was injured.

"He made it his career and loved it. He rose in the ranks and worked hard to get there," Schram's sister Susan Kuske said of the soldier's devotion to the armed forces.

Schram, the fifth of six children of Earl and Sarah Schram, was not married and had no children, Kuske said.

Seven soldiers from Fort Carson have been killed in Iraq since May 1. Five other soldiers and Marines with Colorado ties have been killed.

Rodriguez said she talks to her husband, an aviation mechanic, about five minutes once a week to give him news about their 2-year-old and 2-month-old children. She has no idea when he's coming home.

Staff Sgt. LaVell Dishmon, a Fort Carson reservist for 19 years, said the deaths of fellow soldiers hit home.

"In the Army, I feel like it's a brotherhood and we're close," he said.

The 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment is a highly mobile force that conducts reconnaissance, security, offensive and defensive operations. It has about 5,200 soldiers and 320 armored vehicles.

In news of other deaths, Military Police Sgt. Brett Petriken of Flint, Mich., was killed while leading a convoy in Iraq, his mother said Wednesday.

Deborah Petriken said her son, who was to turn 31 on Tuesday, died after a heavy equipment operator crossed the median and struck the front of Petriken's Humvee, which was leading the convoy.

She said she was told by the Army of the accident, which happened earlier this week.

"He was just a clean-cut, polite, nice young man," said Jeff Blanchard, a former substitute teacher at Flint Southwestern High School, where Petriken graduated in 1990.

Army Pvt. David Evans Jr. of Buffalo, N.Y., killed in a weekend accident in Iraq, lives on in the son he never got to meet. Family and friends say at 3 1/2-months, David Kevonta Evans is the spitting image of his father.

"He looks like his twin," said the baby's mother, Tamara Douglas. "He's even going to be pigeon-toed like David."

The child was born Feb. 8, a month after Evans, 18, made his last visit home on leave. Evans was killed Sunday in an explosion at a munitions site he was guarding in southern Iraq.

"I wish he could be here to see him, to hold him and to tell him how much he loved him," Douglas told The Buffalo News. "He wanted to see his son so bad."

Evans, a member of the 977th Military Police Company in Fort Riley, Kan., enlisted in the Army after graduating from Kensington High School last June.

* __

On the Net:

http://www.carson.army.mil

Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press

--------------------

This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-fort-carson-soldiers,0,6730032.story

Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com

|
War Blog Updates
Is it safe to eat Canadian beef? (27 May 03) in Radio Free USA



Iran denies secret nuclear sites, Al Qaeda links - says US not serious about fighting terror (28 May 03) in Radio Free USA



Report: Saudis nab alleged bomb planner: "The Saudi interior minister announced the arrests of more militants believed to have had a role in the Riyadh bombings, including a man identified by Saudi newspapers on Wednesday as an al-Qaida suspect who allegedly masterminded the attacks."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq


|
War Blog Iraq War Updates
Taliban regroups to harass U.S. forces in IraqWar.ru (English)



Ohio truck driver 'planned al-Qaida attacks' in IraqWar.ru (English)



UK SOLDIERS CLAIM: 'War vaccines poisoned us'... in IraqWar.ru (English)



Saddam Betrayed By His Republican Guard Chief in IraqWar.ru (English)



Russia Tests Yury Dolgoruky Submarine in IraqWar.ru (English)



Pentagon snubs French ahead of G8 summit in IraqWar.ru (English)



Red Cross denied access to PoWs in IraqWar.ru (English)


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War Blog Updates
Britain's Blair Heads for First Postwar Iraq Visit: "British Prime Minister Tony Blair setoff on Wednesday on a whistle-stop diplomatic tour that isexpected to take him briefly into Iraq and make him the firstWestern leader to visit the country since the war. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Morale reportedly flagging in Iraq: "Ask any soldier in Iraq with a 3rd Infantry Division patch on the shoulder how it's going, and the reply will be some version of the following four words: "Ready to go home.""

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Israelis puzzled by 'new' Sharon: "For decades Ariel Sharon was the hero of Israeli nationalists, pushing the construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza and blocking efforts to give the Palestinians land."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



U.S. hopes for peaceful solution on Iran: "In some ways, Iran seems more of a menace in both terrorism and weapons than Iraq did. Still, administration officials are talking as though a military strike is the last thing on their minds."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq


|

Tuesday, May 27, 2003

AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 11 p.m. EDT 

From: spliffslips



--------------------
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 11 p.m. EDT
--------------------

By Associated Press

May 27, 2003, 11:02 PM EDT



Iraqi Firefight That Killed Two Americans, Hurt Nine Highlights Postwar Danger for U.S. Troops

Britain Investigates Case of Two TV Crew Members Who Disappeared in Iraq Over Two Months Ago

U.S. Lifting Most Sanctions Against Iraq, Opening Newly Occupied Country to Foreign Investment

New U.N. Envoy to Iraq Says Top Priority Will Be to Ensure Interests of Iraqis Come First

Bush Calls Leaders of Spain and Canada, on Different Sides of Iraq Policy, Ahead of Summit

Battle in Fallujah, Iraq, Kills Four, Wounds Nine Americans; Town Is Hotbed for Saddam Backers

U.N. Judges Cancel Hearings in War Crimes Trial Against Ex-Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic

Consumer Confidence Rose Moderately to 83.8 in May, the Highest Level Since November

Chinese Leader Hu Jintao, Russian Leader Vladimir Putin Call for U.N. Role in Rebuilding Iraq

Gunmen Open Fire on U.S. Troops at Iraq Checkpoin, Killing Two Soldiers, Wounding Nine Others

Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press

--------------------

This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-latest-iraq-war-headlines,0,6613873.story

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|

Al-Jazeera Replaces General Manager 

From: spliffslips

About Freakin Time

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Al-Jazeera Replaces General Manager
--------------------

By SARAH EL DEEB
Associated Press Writer

May 27, 2003, 4:41 PM EDT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- The Al-Jazeera all-news satellite television station said Tuesday it will replace its general manager.

The Arab broadcaster did not give a reason for the removal of Mohammed Jassim Al-Ali, who has managed the station since its inception seven years ago.

Jihad Ballout, communication and media relations manager, said Al-Ali would remain on Al-Jazeera's seven-member board of directors.

The board of directors, chaired by Sheik Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani, a member of Qatar's royal family, is responsible for editorial policy.

Al-Ali was not available for comment.

He was an assistant for the director of Qatari television before being transferred to Al-Jazeera when it was launched in 1996 with a $150 million loan from the Qatar government.

Since then, the station has claimed full independence from Qatar's government. The station has gained a reputation as an independent voice in a region where many news media are government-controlled.

Al-Jazeera has broadcast messages by Osama bin Laden or other members of the al-Qaida terror network.

Last week, the station aired an audiotape attributed to bin Laden's top lieutenant, Ayman al-Zawahri, and was criticized by Secretary of State Colin Powell. Powell said after speaking with Qatar's foreign minister that he believed the Gulf state was taking "some action" about the airing of the tape.

The station also has angered Arab leaders for being critical of them and their policies.

Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press

--------------------

This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-qatar-al-jazeera,0,5483587.story

Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com

|
Iraq Attacks Shows U.S. Vulnerability: "Two Iraqis stepped from their car and opened fire early Tuesday, killing two Americans and wounding nine in a city whose people have made clear that U.S. troops are not welcome. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Guerrilla violence flares in Iraq, US forces catch Baath party leaders: "Two US soldiers were killed in a second day of guerrilla attacks in Iraq, while US forces announced the capture of two more "most-wanted" members of toppled leader Saddam Hussein's Baath party. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Group: Journalist Deaths in Hotel 'Avoidable': "The killing of two journalists,including a Reuters TV cameraman, by U.S. tank fire in Baghdadin April was not deliberate but was avoidable, a journalist'swatchdog group said on Tuesday. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Harness world's outrage to recover Iraq's stolen past: " (USA TODAY)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq


|

U.S. Soldier Dies in Northern Iraq Ambush 

From: spliffslips



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U.S. Soldier Dies in Northern Iraq Ambush
--------------------

By BASSEM MROUE
Associated Press Writer

May 26, 2003, 12:53 PM EDT

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Gunmen ambushed a U.S. military convoy in northern Iraq on Monday, killing an American soldier and wounding four others. Also, four soldiers were wounded in what appeared to be a land-mine attack in a wealthy Baghdad neighborhood, military officials and witnesses said.

It was one of the most violent days for U.S. troops since the war ended last month.

In the north, unidentified attackers opened fire on an eight-vehicle convoy on a resupply mission to a base near the town of Hadithah, about 120 miles north of Baghdad, the U.S. Central Command said in a statement.

The command said the ambush happened at 6:15 a.m. and that the troops belonged to the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment.

The gunmen used machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades in the attack, the latest of several on coalition forces this month. The statement said helicopters were immediately dispatched to the area to find the assailants.

The names of the two soldiers were withheld pending notification of their families.

In the well-off Baghdad neighborhood of Yarmouk, witnesses said they heard several explosions and a 15-minute burst of gunfire Monday afternoon along the road to the airport, west of the capital.

A U.S. soldier near the scene said it was an ambush and that at least one Humvee was destroyed.

Another soldier, who also refused to give his name, said it appeared the Humvee hit a land mine and four soldiers were wounded. Troops blocked the highway, keeping reporters from the scene and causing a traffic jam.

Three American occupants of the Humvee were injured, said a third soldier, speaking on condition of anonymity. He said one was burned all over his body, a second was burned on the face and hands and a third sustained minor burns to his hands.

A witness who lives near the scene said a fourth soldier was injured shortly afterward when ammunition in the Humvee exploded. The witness gave only his first name, Adel.

An Associated Press reporter saw the Humvee, still burning, more than 90 minutes after the attack. It was unclear whether the mine had been placed there to directly target Americans.

The road that connects Baghdad International Airport with the city is frequently used by U.S. troops, many of whom are based at the airport. At least one other reported attack has taken place on that road in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, in Baqubah, 45 miles northeast of Baghdad, U.S. soldiers shot and killed a woman who tried to approach them carrying two hand grenades. The incident took place immediately after unknown attackers threw handheld explosives at U.S. soldiers guarding a former base of the pro-Iranian Badr Corps in the town, Central Command said.

"Squad members verbally warned her several more times, but she continued to advance towards them. When she refused, the squad shot her several times. She fell to the ground, dropping one grenade, and continued to crawl towards them," the statement said. "The squad fired again, killing her."

Earlier Monday, military officials said a U.S. soldier was killed and another injured in southern Iraq when a munitions dump they were guarding exploded.

The blast, which happened Sunday morning near the town of Diwaniya, 95 miles south of Baghdad, was not thought to be a result of hostile action, U.S. Central Command said in a statement.

The injured soldier was transported to a field hospital, where he underwent surgery, the statement said. Their names were also withheld.

A number of U.S. servicemen have been killed since the end of the fighting last month, mostly in road accidents and ammunition explosions.

Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press

--------------------

This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-american-deaths,0,6949581.story

Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com

|

U.S. Hands Out $1 Million a Day in Iraq 

From: spliffslips

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY

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U.S. Hands Out $1 Million a Day in Iraq
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By PAULINE JELINEK
Associated Press Writer

May 26, 2003, 1:20 PM EDT

WASHINGTON -- U.S. dollars are flown to Iraq by the planeload. An Army clerk pays Baghdad electricians from a footlocker full of cash. Soldiers string barbed wire at the site where Iraqi retirees get their pensions.

"It doesn't instill a lot of confidence," the CATO Institute's Christopher Preble says of reconstruction finances so far in postwar Iraq.

American troops and officials are handing out $1 million a day in Iraq, according to the Pentagon-led Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance.

That spending is in addition to multimillion contracts awarded by the State Department and the roughly $1 billion a week it takes to keep U.S. troops in Iraq.

Officials say they're developing an efficient and well-controlled system for getting money back into the country's economy again. But financing reconstruction in Iraq is a hugely complicated affair, with money coming in from at least a half dozen sources and going out in everything from tiny cash payments to contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

The Defense Department, infamous for its long-standing money management problems, will soon send a dozen auditors to oversee the spending.

Two months into the campaign in Iraq, the Bush administration has declined to say what reconstruction might cost or how long it thinks occupying forces might stay there.

"When is the president going to tell the American people that we're likely to be in ... Iraq for three, four, five, six, eight, 10 years, with thousands of forces and spending billions of dollars?" Sen. Joseph Biden asked Pentagon officials last week in a hearing.

"It is very difficult to predict" how long it will take, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz responded.

It is also unclear exactly how much they'll have to spend. But the finances will be "frightening difficult and legalistic," said one treasury official privately, partly because the pool of money to be spent is a mix of money that belongs to Iraqi and has been frozen by the United Nations, the United States and other countries; money that might be pledged by coalition members; money Congress appropriated in the defense budget, and huge caches of dollars, gold and other assets found hidden around the country by the former regime.

Money taken from each of those pots comes with its own rules on how it can be spent -- and all the rules aren't yet clear, officials said.

Cash used so far comes from $1.7 billion of Iraqi money frozen by the United States under sanctions since 1990, Pentagon and Treasury officials said. Transferred at the war's start into an account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, it's shipped to Iraq as needed.

About $200 million has been drawn down so far.

That's singles, fives, tens and $20 bills, fluttered through an accounting machine, weighed, shrink-wrapped in stacks and flown on pallets to Iraq with two guards who stay awake and in line of sight at all times during the flight.

Some $31 million had been handed out as of Friday to pensioners, police, teachers, electricians and other civil servants. It's a huge and important effort since a large percentage of Iraq's jobs came from the socialist and repressive former central government.

In just two examples, 6,500 port workers were each given $20 -- for a total of $130,000 -- to help reopen the southern port of Umm Qasr; troops of the air assault 101st Airborne Division paid $142,000 to health ministry workers in the northern city of Mosul.

Money has also been spent for clearing away garbage accumulating on streets for two months since the war started; to repair decayed infrastructure and to replace office furniture and equipment in government ministries that were bombed during the war or looted afterward and have to get up and running again, officials said.

For instance, the 7th Marine Regiment recently wrote a contract for improvements at 180 schools in the central city of Najaf. At $500 for each school, that's $90,000.

Besides monitoring the river of cash flowing into Iraq, the new auditors will advise and help officials on contract issues.

So far, the State Department has awarded some $1 billion in contracts and grants, mostly to American companies, to rebuild infrastructure, improve health and education and manage the port and airports.

Several officials stressed the Pentagon is particularly concerned about avoiding criticism later, wanting the spending above board and true to the promise that all frozen and found Iraqi funds will be spent on the Iraqi people.

What accountants envision sitting behind desks in Washington isn't easy to pull off in Iraq, where the banking system is broken, so many transactions are in cash, corruption is ingrained and some of the troops don't think this is a job U.S. soldiers should be doing, defense and congressional officials said.

In the only publicly disclosed incident so far, several soldiers were being investigated for allegedly trying to steal some $900,000 from more than $650 million in bills found stashed in a palace compound.

Auditors are to leave sometime around June 1 and stay three to six months. They include representatives from the Pentagon's inspector general, comptroller and joint chiefs of staff; the congressional investigative General Accounting Office; and the White House Office of Management and Budget. The Treasury already has a team of 22 people working to verify Iraqi government payroll lists, rebuild and reform the banking system.

Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press

--------------------

This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-the-money,0,4578804.story

Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com

|
Deadly Days For Troops In Iraq: "Seven American soldiers have died in attacks and accidents since Sunday. In the latest incident, two U.S. soldiers were killed in a firefight in the troubled town of Fallujah."

In CBS News: Iraq Crisis



UPDATED REPORT ON ATTACK AT AL FALLUJAH in CENTCOM: News Release



TWO ?IRAQI TOP 55? CAPTURED in CENTCOM: News Release



Ethnic tension divides Kirkuk in BBC: War in Iraq



West Bank Violence Ahead of Peace Talks: "Israeli troops shot and killed a 16-year-old Palestinian boy and critically injured two children, ages 7 and 9, during conflicts in the West Bank that erupted Tuesday as Israeli and Palestinian leaders moved toward talks on a new Mideast peace plan."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



U.S. Said to Arrest Saddam Kin in Tikrit: "U.S. forces arrested a man they identified as Saddam Hussein's brother-in-law, a military spokeswoman said Tuesday. A newspaper reported the arrest but identified the same man as Saddam's son-in-law."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Officials Work to ID Plane Crash Remains: "Turkish and Spanish experts worked Tuesday to identify the charred remains of 75 people, mostly Spanish peacekeepers returning from Afghanistan, who were killed when their plane crashed into a remote Turkish mountain."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Iraq Firefight Leaves 4 Dead, 9 Injured: "Two U.S. soldiers and two unidentified attackers were killed and nine other American troops were wounded in a firefight Tuesday in the troubled town of Fallujah, a hotbed of support for Saddam Hussein's fallen Baath Party, the U.S. military said."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq


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Yahoo! News Story - Cheers for Iraq's U.S. Governor Amid Fresh Problems 

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Cheers for Iraq's U.S. Governor Amid Fresh Problems
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Yahoo! News Story - Lawmakers Say Remove Iran's Rulers 

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Lawmakers Say Remove Iran's Rulers
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Yahoo! News Story - Lawmakers Say Remove Iran's Rulers 

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Lawmakers Say Remove Iran's Rulers
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3 Iraqis Killed in Missile Accident 

From: spliffslips



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3 Iraqis Killed in Missile Accident
--------------------

By SCHEHEREZADE FARAMARZI
Associated Press Writer

May 25, 2003, 1:10 PM EDT

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A surface-to-air missile left over from Saddam Hussein's regime fell off a trailer and exploded Sunday, killing three people and injuring at least two others, residents of a poor Baghdad neighborhood said.

They said the accident happened at about 10 a.m. in the al-Thawra slum as Iraqi contractors were removing four unexploded Iraqi missiles left over from the war.

Army Lt. Col. Joel Armstrong identified the rockets as SA2 surface-to-air-missiles. But he said he had no information on the explosion or the number of casualties. No U.S. soldier was involved in the destruction of the missiles, he said.

"We are really sorry for the victims," said Armstrong, 45, of Fort Polk, La.

Several cars, a car wash and two nearby car-repair shops were destroyed. Twisted metal and pieces of the missiles littered the area. U.S. soldiers brought fire engines and extinguished the fire, Armstrong said.

Unexploded ordnance from the war and ammunition caches are scattered throughout Iraq and are proving a major concern. Human rights groups have exhorted U.S. forces to clean up unexploded ordnance, particularly in populated areas. The Iraqi army hid much of its ammunition in schools.

Within minutes of hearing the explosions, an American patrol went to the area to investigate, Armstrong said.

Jasim al-Darraji, owner of a nearby car-repair shop, said workers had removed two missiles from the area and were moving another one. The missile was being placed on a trailer when it turned over, spewing yellow fluid.

Shortly afterward, it exploded. Fragments of it hit another missile that also exploded, causing deaths and destruction on the edge of al-Thawra City, a rough, predominantly Shiite area that was known until last month as Saddam City.

Seyed Abed-Mohammed al-Hamdani, who saw the explosion, said a teenage boy was killed in his car-repair shop as he waited for his father who was having his car fixed. Two of his employees were injured.

A young man riding in a bus was also was killed, as was a 13-year-old bystander, al-Hamdani said.

Armstrong said that, since Baghdad fell on April 9, his unit had destroyed 6,000 tons of ammunition caches in northeast Baghdad, where Thawra City is located.

In addition, it has blown up 203 pieces of unexploded ordnance in the same sector, including some unexploded American artillery.

"There are no more ammunitions in schools in northeast Baghdad," Armstrong said.

Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press

--------------------

This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-missile-explodes,0,6841562.story

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|

Iraq's Oil Terminal Ready for Exports 

From: spliffslips



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Iraq's Oil Terminal Ready for Exports
--------------------

By BRUCE STANLEY
AP Business Writer

May 25, 2003, 6:11 PM EDT

FAW, Iraq -- With Iraq preparing to ship out oil for the first time since the war, this languid fishing port will once again become a vital gathering point for Iraqi crude destined for tankers waiting offshore in the Gulf.

Until the war, more than half the country's oil exports flowed from its southernmost tip at Faw, coming mostly from oil fields and processing plants in southern Iraq. Two underground pipelines carried the crude here, then out to sea to Iraq's only functioning marine terminal.

British troops, appreciating Faw's strategic importance, captured the town, together with its oil storage tanks and the Mina al-Bakr terminal, during the first days of the U.S.-led invasion. The terminal is intact, and final repairs to a war-damaged section of pipeline were under way Sunday.

"Once the signal is given to begin exporting, we can do it any time," said Mohammed Al-Waely, operations manager of the state-run South Oil Co.

Iraq's acting oil minister, Thamer al-Ghadhban, said Saturday in Baghdad that Iraq would begin exporting crude again within three weeks. Oil revenues are essential to help pay for the country's postwar reconstruction, but the war has halted shipments.

Last week's U.N. Security Council decision to lift economic sanctions against Iraq was the first step in putting Iraq's crude back on the market. The oil ministry still must appoint an official seller of Iraqi crude, but repairs to its most important export facilities are nearing completion.

Iraq has the biggest proven crude reserves after Saudi Arabia. In the last years before the war, it exported most of the 3 million barrels it produced each day. Mina al-Bakr is one of Iraq's two main export outlets; the other is a pipeline to the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, Turkey.

Not only is Iraq desperate for money from oil exports, but it has too little storage for the crude it pumps to extract natural gas, which Iraqis use for cooking. Iraqi oil executives worry they won't be able to process adequate volumes of crude to meet this politically important demand for domestic cooking gas.

These logjams are delaying production in at least one Iraqi oil field. Rumeila North, which produced more than 500,000 barrels a day before the war, is ready to come back two months after its wells stopped pumping.

"They could produce now, but where's it going to go?" said U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spokesman Steve Wright.

Iraq has several long-term export options. Besides using Mina al-Bakr and Ceyhan, it could try to refurbish an old pipeline to the Syrian port of Banyas. Iraq evaded sanctions by using this pipeline even during the recent war. It also could seek to reopen a pipeline, closed in 1986, that passes through Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea.

When exports resume, Iraq should be able to ship more than 1.2 million barrels a day from Mina al-Bakr, an offshore platform with berths for four large oil tankers lying 31 miles from Faw.

Mina al-Bakr was built in 1975 and suffered damage during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. The U.S. company KBR helped rebuild it soon afterward. The Iraqis repaired subsequent damage inflicted during the first Gulf War, but analysts say the facility requires further work to reach its full export capacity of 1.6 million barrels a day.

A second Gulf export terminal, Khor al-Amaya, was destroyed during the first Gulf War and has only been partially repaired. South Oil's Al-Waely described it as "a jungle of pipes and burnt buildings in miserable condition."

However, the ocean is often calmer at Khor al-Amaya, making it easier for tankers to load oil there. South Oil wants to refurbish and enlarge the facility to ease demands on Mina al-Bakr.

The two pipelines that eventually will carry first crude to Mina al-Bakr run south along the Faw Peninsula, scene of the climactic battle of the Iran-Iraq War. Tank treads, pillboxes, and gun emplacements still litter the arid flatlands where almost 200,000 men on both sides were killed.

The pipelines emerge above ground at a gathering point near a beach at the town of Faw, about 40 miles south of Basra, southern Iraq's largest city. Iraqi troops laid mines in the sand to try to protect this vulnerable installation, and five British soldiers with heavy machine guns have taken over guarding the site.

"Oil is such an important part of Iraq's exports that we don't want to let looters hamper the effort," explained British Army Capt. Jim Hurst, 29, of Kingsbridge England.

Faw once had a base camp and heliport for oil workers and one of the world's biggest tank farms for storing crude. Iranian bombardments destroyed all 54 storage tanks, and only two have been rebuilt.

The tank farm is now a vast junkyard of mangled steel and pools of leaked oil that has congealed into tar. A stray dog became hopelessly trapped in one of the tar pits on Saturday, and a British soldier shot the animal to stop its suffering.

Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press

--------------------

This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-oil-exports,0,6719631.story

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COALITION EFFORTS AID IRAQ'S RECOVERY in CENTCOM: News Release



Fallujah Firefight Kills 2 U.S. Soldiers: "Two U.S. soldiers and two unidentified attackers were killed and nine other American troops were wounded in a firefight Tuesday in the troubled town of Fallujah, a hotbed of support for Saddam Hussein's fallen Baath Party, the U.S. military said. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Rumsfeld: U.S. Won't Let Iraq Be Made Into New Iran: "The United States will not allow Iraq'sneighbors to create an Iran-style Islamic republic there afterthe toppling of Saddam Hussein by U.S. forces, DefenseSecretary Donald Rumsfeld said in comments published onTuesday. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



US soldier killed, seven wounded in Fallujah attack: Centcom: "One US soldier was killed and seven others injured in an attack in the flashpoint town of Fallujah that also left two attackers dead, US Central Command said. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Attackers Kill U.S. Soldier, Wound Seven in Iraq: "One U.S. soldier was killed and sevenwere wounded when a "hostile force" attacked an American armyunit with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms in the Iraqicity of Falluja on Tuesday, the U.S. military said. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Sharon Appears Serious About Peacemaking: "Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has signaled that he is serious about peacemaking, declaring that Israel's occupation in the West Bank must end, adopting the language of his dovish opponents and shocking his hardline allies."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Three killed in Iraq gun battle: "Two Iraqis and an American soldier have been killed in a firefight in the Iraqi town of Fallujah."

In Ananova: War In Iraq



US soldiers attacked in Iraq as OPEC frets over Baghdad's oil: "Four US soldiers were killed and six others wounded amid a flareup of guerrilla activity and street violence that highlighted the continuing dangers in Iraq as OPEC members fretted over Baghdad's return as a major player on the oil market. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Het International Criminal Court (ICC): kansen en obstakels in RISQ



False Leads Stall Weapons Search in Iraq: "The quarry was intriguing: secret bunkers filled with chemical weapons near a Baghdad runway - a sure bet, according to an airport worker. So an enthusiastic team of U.S. and British arms experts, lugging a shovel and ground-penetrating radar, went to work."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq


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COALITION FORCES AND IRAQI POLICE WORK TO MAKE IRAQ SECURE
In CENTCOM: News Release

|

Monday, May 26, 2003

KEEP YOUR HELMET ON!

|
War Blog Updates
U.S. Forces Arrest Saddam's Brother-In-Law: "U.S. forces have detained abrother-in-law of ousted Iraqi president Saddam Hussein in theIraqi town of Tikrit, a U.S. military spokesman said. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



U.S. Soldier Dies in Iraq Ambush: "Gunmen ambushed a U.S. military convoy in northern Iraq on Monday, killing an American soldier and wounding four others. Also, four soldiers were wounded in what appeared to be a land-mine attack in a wealthy Baghdad neighborhood, military officials and witnesses said. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



U.S. Troops Under Fire In Iraq: "Attacks in Iraq have killed at least one soldier and wounded five in one of the most violent days there since the war ended. Gunmen ambushed U.S. troops in northern Iraq; 4 solders were also wounded in a land-mine attack in Baghdad."

In CBS News: Iraq Crisis



Honoring American Heroes: "President Bush led the memorial services for the military men and women killed in combat, including the 161 who died in the Iraq war. "Americans stand with the families who grieve,'' said Mr. Bush."

In CBS News: Iraq Crisis



'Too few troops' in Iraq in BBC: War in Iraq



UN inspectors set for return in BBC: War in Iraq



Nations See Costly Iraq Peacekeeping Duty: "Waging war is expensive, but so is keeping the peace - and the cost has some coalition countries taking a hard look at plans to deploy troops for mop-up duty in Iraq."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Sharon Defends Endorsement of Peace Deal: "Defending himself against right-wing attack, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Monday he endorsed a peace plan recognizing the Palestinians' right to a state because continuing to rule them is "bad for us and them.""

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Wave of Attacks Claim U.S. Casualties in Iraq: "One U.S. soldier was killed and fourwere wounded in Iraqi ambushes on Monday and, in anotherincident, U.S. forces seized a brother-in-law of SaddamHussein, the U.S. military said. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



U.S. Administrator: Iraq Slowly Improving: "While acknowledging that the situation in Iraq remains far from ideal, the U.S. civilian administrator said Monday that occupying forces have done a great deal to re-establish stability and will be pushing to help the nation rebuild its economy."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Explosion Hurts Three U.S. Soldiers in Baghdad: "Three U.S. soldiers were wounded andtheir Humvee military car destroyed when a blast ripped througha U.S. convoy in Baghdad on Monday, U.S. soldiers and Iraqiwitnesses said. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



U.S. Soldier Killed in Iraq; Saddam In-Law Seized: "One U.S. soldier was killed and onewounded in an Iraqi ambush on Monday and, in a separateincident, U.S. forces seized a brother-in-law of SaddamHussein, the U.S. military said. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Blair Appoints Iraq Human Rights Envoy: "From the Beeb :
Tony Blair has appointed backbench MP Ann Clwyd as a special envoy to Iraq on human rights. Ms Clwyd plans to travel to Iraq on Tuesday and will visit sites where the victims of Saddam Hussein's regime were buried.
She will also have talks with Iraqis who hope to form part of the interim administration to lead the country towards democracy.
"

In Command Post: Irak



Blair and Straw 'not guilty of war crimes': "Downing Street has dismissed as groundless lawyers' claims that Tony Blair and Jack Straw are guilty of war crimes because of their roles in the Iraqi war."

In Ananova: War In Iraq



Iran counters US Allegations on al-Qaida: 'We've been fighting them longer than you have' (25 May 03) in Radio Free USA


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U.S. Hands Out $1 Million a Day in Iraq
Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq: "U.S. dollars are flown to Iraq by the planeload. An Army clerk pays Baghdad electricians from a footlocker full of cash. Soldiers string barbed wire at the site where Iraqi retirees get their pensions."

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