Posted on 05/26/2003 9:03:36 PM PDT by null and void
Good Morning.
This is the Daily Thread of Operation Infinite Freedom, formerly Operation Iraqi Freedom - Situation Room - LIVE THREAD.
It is designed for general conversation about the ongoing war on terror, and the related events of the day. In depth discussion of events should be left to individual threads - but links to the threads or other articles is highly encouraged. This allows us to stay abreast of the situation in general, while also providing a means of obtaining specific information.
A US soldier escorts a handcuffed Iraqi looter in Baghdad. US patrols continue to face danger with the deaths of two soldiers in separate attacks and the wounding of six others
US soldiers attacked in Iraq as OPEC frets over Baghdad's oil
BAGHDAD (AFP) - 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.
The deaths came as US administrator Paul Bremer marked the Memorial Day holiday by honoring the more than 190 war dead from the US-British-Iraqi resistance coalition.
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - DHL, the global express delivery firm, said on Monday it had set up offices in Baghdad and was transporting medicine and humanitarian aid to Iraqis struggling with the aftermath of the recent war.
The company, which is owned by Germany's Deutsche Post, said it was working with aid agencies around the world to transport medicine, food, construction materials and other goods.
Most of Iraq's problems are obvious, as immediately became apparent to me on an Amnesty International mission to southern Iraq in late April and early May.
War and looting have taken a visible toll. Shortages are evident in the long lines for gasoline. Frequent electrical outages and lack of clean water are constant reminders of the damaged infrastructure. The power vacuum and lack of basic security are also painfully clear.
BAGHDAD, May 26 -- Sitting in a battered Toyota Corona, Fadhil Murah wiped his sweaty forehead with a soiled red rag. Behind him snaked a line of cars a half-mile up Jadriya Bridge, waiting to fill up with gas. Ahead of him was another hour he would spend waiting his turn. On a day of withering heat, his words punctuated by a cacophony of car horns, he spoke glumly of his life and his city.
Japes of wrath (Humor - Baghdad Bob with Garafalo, Penn, Vichy Chix, Jerry Lewis . . .)
Funny you should ask. See my link at post #9 for a good chuckle.
BAGHDAD, May 26 -- The head of the U.S. occupation authority in Iraq said today it is "nearing the end of the first phase of our task here," the restoration of civil order, and will now turn serious attention to developing a market economy in a country where state control was the rule for decades.
At a news conference today, L. Paul Bremer III hailed the agency's progress in restoring electric power in much of the country, putting Iraqi police on the streets and reviving some of the many looted government ministries.
Of this, the family and friends of Marine Sgt. Kirk Allen Straseskie are sure: He is wearing his dress blues and standing guard at the gates of heaven. Because that's where he said he would be if he were killed, and he was always a man of his word.
A week ago, Straseskie, 23, was standing on the bank of an Iraqi canal when a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter crashed into the water shortly after takeoff. According to the Pentagon, he immediately plunged in to try to save the crew of four fellow Marines.
SULAYMANIYAH, Iraq -- This dusty town near the Iranian border does not yet have a McDonald's. But it does have a MaDonal, as well as a Matbax, both of which sell cheeseburgers and french fries using an unmistakably familiar pair of golden arches. It is the only city in Iraq with mobile telephone service and has dozens of shops selling electronics. It has liquor stores with shelves full of Tennessee whiskey and Dutch beer, plus Internet cafes offering espresso.
BAGHDAD -- Putting Iraqi television back on the air has proved to be no simple matter, from the electrical outages to the makeshift staff assembled in the postwar chaos. Telephones do not work, and news is hard to confirm. And then there is the dispute over the editorial influence of U.S. occupation authorities.
BAGHDAD, 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.
But after two hours in 105-degree heat, it became clear that despite a few pieces of broken concrete and scattered scrap metal, there was nothing suspicious hidden beneath the earth.
Iraq Police Reform to Be Tough
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A former New York City police chief hired by the Pentagon to advise Iraq's Interior Ministry predicted Monday that rebuilding the capital's police force would be a formidable task but said security in Baghdad was not as bad as he expected.
Nonetheless, Bernard Kerik — who saw New York through the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks — carried a holstered pistol to his news conference. He also donned a black bulletproof vest before he got into his all-terrain vehicle with armed bodyguards.
TEHRAN (Reuters) - During the U.S.-led war in Iraq, some in "axis of evil" member Iran joked: "When the Americans beat Saddam, Iran goes through to the final."
Analysts say that joke has turned to fear among some members of Iran's clerical establishment in recent days as Washington piles mounting pressure on the Islamic Republic over its alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons and sheltering of al Qaeda members.
Laden's Al Qaeda but was unsure of their rank in the network.
US officials say they have intelligence suggesting senior Al Qaeda members hiding in Iran had prior knowledge of the May 12 bombings in Saudi Arabia in which 34 people, including eight Americans, were killed.
The rule threatens by the potable waters poisoning and Sarin gas use against
The rule threatens by the potable waters poisoning and Sarin gas use against The American =
Dubai is 23 may / may ( ? ? ?) - he confirmed a member in al Qaeda network that
He leads him Osama ben Ladin cooperation existence with the Iraqi to their liberation from The occupation .
And said called Abu Mohammad al Qaeda network member shining in a letter
The magazine of the Saudi magazine published her today friday " the rule elements
They fight beside the Iraqi " he claimed that " the western media hides
On the operations that the Iraqi resistance executes " .
And the shining did not consider faraway the use of the rule Sarin gas and poisoning waters
The drinking in American and western cities as repeated the threat " by hits direction
Destructive to Israel in the abroad " .
etc... ("the rule" = al Qaeda)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.