Gen. Mark Kimmitt:
In the northern zone of operations Iraqi security forces executed a series of cordon and searches in zone. The first operation took place northwest of Hammam al Alil, targeting an enemy cell. The ICDC established the outer cordon and the Iraqi police service established the inner cordon and conducted the searches.
In the second operation an ICDC platoon executed two cordon and searches in Qarariyah (ph), targeting two counterfeiters. Both targets were detained and subsequently turned over to coalition custody for interrogation. Several fake ID cards were confiscated and these operations are the first independent operations executed by Iraqi security forces in the northern zone of operation.
....Q General, Gordon Robinson, Fox News. There have been some media reports over the last 48 hours that in Najaf citizens of the city and other militias are turning on the Mahdi Army people, are assaulting them, trying to drive them out of town. Can you confirm those reports, and can you give us any more details on them?
GEN. KIMMITT: We've got some indications as well that there may be some validity to those reports. The name of the army -- I can't pronounce it. I will turn to my Arabic speaking --
INTERPRETER: Thulfiqar -- (inaudible) -- Thulfiqar.
GEN. KIMMITT: The double-edged sword that was used by Imam Ali in the Great Battle, that is the name of the army that is ostensibly under the name of that organization, is going against some of the members of Muqtada's militia inside Najaf. The reports that we have -- anecdotal evidence, phone calls, and such, as well as reported by Mr. Burns from The New York Times in the case that Muqtada's army inside Najaf has been fairly heavy-handed with the citizens in Najaf, demanding goods and services without paying, brandishing weapons, terrorizing people. Could be more than that. John Burns did a very good article on that. That confirmed a lot of some of the indicators we had been getting as well. Don't know the level of it, don't know the detail of it, don't know the scale of it, but we have those same preliminary indications as reported by Mr. Burns.
....GEN. KIMMITT: ...there is certainly no military problem that can't be solved in Fallujah. What has become very apparent to us over the past couple of weeks is many Iraqi leaders have come forward and said, we would like to be part of a nonmilitary solution. What has become very apparent is that Fallujah is more than just a military problem; that there are other aspects of Fallujah and other leaders who have vested interests in Fallujah that are stepping forward on the political side saying, we would like to become involved in the outcome in Fallujah. And that's a very encouraging sign.
It's a very encouraging sign when the leadership within Iraq stands up and says, wait a second, we want to be involved in the discussions, we want to be involved in the final determination on Fallujah. And because of that, when first the Governing Council and then other interlocutors came forward and said we would like to be part of what happens in Fallujah, we've listened, we've stood back, we've kept the cordon in place, and now we are letting the political track attempt to resolve the problem rather than the military track.
The military solution is simple. The military solution will be quick. And the military solution is relatively easy to turn on and off. But any belligerent that somehow has in his or her mind that the reason the coalition forces are stopped inside this cordon and not moving forward is because they either fear the enemy or don't have enough resources to complete the job, would be making a very, very deadly mistake. We are allowing a political track to go forward; we will continue to allow that political track to go forward as long as it shows promise. When it no longer shows promise we will take alternative means.
