Operation Phantom Fury--Day 133 - Now Operation River Blitz--Day 28

U.S. Army 42nd Infantry Division, Task Force Liberty CPL John Lastella of Staten Island, New York practices for an Easter concert with his unit's band at Forward Operating Base Danger in Tikrit, Iraq, Saturday, March 19, 2005. This weekend marks the second anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. (AP Photo/Sasa Kralj)

Missing in Action Serviceman Identified

No. 270-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 18, 2005

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. Navy pilot, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Navy Commander Thomas E. Dunlop of Neptune Beach, Fla., will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery on March 21.

On April 6, 1972, Dunlop took off in his A-7E Corsair II from the USS Coral Sea on a bombing mission of enemy targets in Quang Binh Province, North Vietnam. While over the target area, his aircraft was struck by an enemy surface-to-air missile and as his wingman watched, Dunlop’s aircraft exploded in a fireball and crashed. No emergency beeper signals were received from the area of his crash.

In April 1993, joint U.S. and Vietnamese teams interviewed five residents of Quang Binh Province about the crash, but the information did not further the investigation. In 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1998, U.S. and Vietnamese investigators interviewed at least 13 other people in the province without results. Meanwhile, U.S. survey teams visited potential crash sites in 1995, 1998 and twice in 2002. Again, no useful information was obtained.

Then in 2003 and again in 2004, specialists from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) excavated a crash site where they found aircraft debris, personal effects and human remains later identified by JPAC scientists as those of Dunlop.

Of the 88,000 Americans missing in action from all conflicts, 1,836 are from the Vietnam War with 1,399 of those within the country of Vietnam. Another 747 Americans have been accounted for since the end of the Vietnam War.

For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans from all conflicts, visit the DPMO Web site at www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call 703-699-1169.

Bush Notes Operation Iraqi Freedom's Accomplishments

By Terri Lukach

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 19, 2005 – Two years ago today, U.S. and coalition forces disarmed a brutal regime, freed the Iraqi people and defended the world from a grave danger, President Bush said today in his weekly radio address. “Before coalition forces arrived, Iraq was ruled by a dictatorship that murdered its own citizens, threatened its neighbors, and defied the world,” the president said. “We knew of Saddam Hussein’s record of aggression and support for terror. We knew of his long history of pursuing, even using, weapons of mass destruction. … Because we acted, Iraq’s government is no longer a threat to the world or its own people.”

Bush praised the courage and determination of the Iraqi people in taking charge of their own destiny. “In January,” he said, “over 8 million Iraqis defied the car bombers and assassins to vote in free elections.” This week, he noted, Iraq’s Transitional National Assembly convened for the first time, and will draft “a new constitution for a free and democratic Iraq.”

The new constitution will be presented to the Iraqi people in a national referendum in October. A permanent constitutional government will be chosen in elections now planned for December.

Bush said Iraqis are proud that they are building a government that both answers to its people and honors its unique heritage.

Millions of Americans saw that pride, the president said, in Safia Taleb al-Suhail, who was present during the president’s State of the Union address in January and embraced the mother of Marine Corps Sgt. Byron Norwood, who was killed in the assault on Fallujah.

Addressing all of the members of America’s armed forces who participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom and their families, the president expressed “the heartfelt thanks of the American people.”

“I know that nothing can end the pain of the families who have lost loved ones in this struggle,” he said, “but they can know that their sacrifice has added to America’s security and the freedom of the world.”

The president said Iraq’s progress toward political freedom has opened a new phase in coalition efforts in Iraq. As Iraqi forces become more self-reliant, Bush said, Americans will increasingly assume a more supporting role. “Then our troops will return home with the honor they have earned,” he said.

Bush said the victory in Iraq also is producing hopeful signs across the broader Middle East. “Today, women can vote in Afghanistan, Palestinians are breaking the old patterns of violence, and hundreds of thousands of Lebanese are rising up to demand their sovereignty and democratic rights,” the president said. “These are landmark events in the history of freedom. Only the fire of liberty can purge the ideologies of murder by offering hope to those who yearn to live free.”

Wolfowitz Cites Iraqi Freedom Accomplishments, Challenges

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 19, 2005 – Operation Iraqi Freedom, which began two years ago today, has allowed 25 million people the chance to build lives of freedom, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said during a recent interview. The coalition removed Saddam Hussein from the seat of power and “we’ve created an opportunity to build a new free country, that will someday, hopefully, be a strong ally of ours.”

All this will lead to a more peaceful world, he said.

The deputy, whom President Bush has nominated to lead the World Bank, said this would mirror what happened to the World War II foes. “President Bush says he is always amazed that 60 years ago, the United States and Japan were involved in a bloody war,” Wolfowitz said. “He now he sits down with (Japanese) Prime Minister (Junichiro) Koizumi and discusses ways to make the world a more peaceful place. Someday we’ll be looking to Afghanistan and Iraq to help us in other places in the world.”

Wolfowitz said Iraq is a hopeful sign in a troubled region, and that many other people in the region are paying attention. There were incredibly successful elections in Afghanistan. The Palestinian Authority held elections. Lebanese massed in the streets, calling for Syria to pull its troops from the country.

Democracy is even making inroads in Arab lands far from the turmoil, the deputy secretary noted. Qatar held elections, as did Bahrain. Saudi Arabia had elections for municipal offices. And Egypt will have multiparty presidential elections.

Wolfowitz said there is a real thirst for democracy in the Arab world. He told how early on, he attended a seminar in Washington. “An American said it was arrogant of us to impose our (democratic) values on other people,” he said. “An Arab got up and said, ‘What’s arrogant is for you to say that these are your values. Democracy is a universal value, and many people want it.’”

The insurgency in Iraq came about because the major combat portion of the war was incomplete, Wolfowitz said. He said that in a certain sense, the regime was kicked out of Baghdad, but not really defeated. “The regime left Baghdad, but they hadn’t left the field,” he said. “Saddam didn’t stop fighting us until he was captured in December 2003.”

Wolfowitz said that when Saddam appeared in court last year, he still claimed to be the president of Iraq, and that his sympathizers label themselves “The Party of the Return.”

“Those hard-core evil people who ruled that country for 35 years didn’t give up just because we took Baghdad,” he said. “So we found ourselves … still in a kind of war – a counterinsurgency war.”

He said some people list this as a “low-intensity war,” but the secretary doesn’t agree with that. “There’s nothing low intensity about it, if you’re in the middle of it,” he said. “Obviously, it’s been a much more difficult war than major combat.”

Wolfowitz said the U.S. military had adapted impressively to the changed conditions and requirements. “I’m always amazed to see how good they are in the civil affairs function, even if they haven’t been trained in it,” he said.

The deputy talked about one captain who formed a butchers union in Mosul. “I asked him if he was trained at West Point to form a butchers union and he laughed,” Wolfowitz said.

In Karbala, he spoke to an Army lieutenant colonel who was setting up a local town council. “I asked him where he got the experience, and he said in 6th grade civics,” the deputy said. “There is a lot that comes from just knowing to your fingertips how civic, democratic institutions function.”

And Iraqis are stepping forward. The Jan. 30 election was “a huge milestone,” Wolfowitz said. Insurgents did their worst, launching 298 attacks including eight suicide bombings, but never actually reached a polling place. Iraqi security forces had responsibility for the two inner security rings around more than 5,000 polling places.

“One important thing Americans should understand is that it’s not just that eight and a half million Iraqis voted,” he said, “but by voting said they were for a new Iraq, a free Iraq.”

The simple act of voting marked them. “When people put that purple ink on their finger, they were afraid that this would mark them for death,” he said. “One of the results is that they feel – correctly – that they don’t owe their freedom entirely to American courage and sacrifice, that they as a country have now demonstrated their own courage.”

The future holds more promise. The Transitional National Assembly met March 16 and soon will elect a president and deputy presidents. The president will appoint a prime minister, and then the group of men and women will write the new Iraqi constitution. The referendum will be held Oct. 15 and, if approved, elections will be held by Dec. 15.

“A lot has been accomplished,” Wolfowitz said. “Could some of it have been done faster? It’s easy to go back and find these things. On a historical scale, it’s been faster than most situations.”

The core problem in Iraq is the insurgency – the forces of reaction. “The old regime is trying to come back, and they are not coming back,” Wolfowitz said.

Two Years in Iraq: What Do The Iraqis Think?

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

BAGHDAD, Iraq, March 19, 2005 – Two years after the launch of Operation Iraqi Freedom, most Iraqi people are relieved to be free of Saddam Hussein, hopeful for their country’s future, but frustrated that progress isn’t coming as quickly as they’d like. That was the assessment of several Iraqi journalists here, who spoke with the American Forces Press Service on the condition that their names not be used, for fear of retaliation by extremists.

The journalists described an Iraq buoyed by Saddam’s removal from power and the possibilities ahead under a new democratic government.

“Under Saddam and his army, people were always afraid. Talk to just about anyone and they know someone killed under Saddam,” said a journalist for an Iraqi daily newspaper. “Anyone, even the devil, would be better,” agreed a reporter who covers Iraq for a U.S. newspaper.

Across the board, the journalists agreed that nothing short of Operation Iraqi Freedom could successfully have freed Iraq from Saddam’s iron grip.

The population is split regarding the length of the coalition mission here, but generally understands that it’s too soon for the coalition to leave Iraq. They don’t like what they perceive as aggressive convoys running through their streets, but they recognize that they’re necessary for Iraq’s long-term security, the reporters said.

“People understand that it is necessary for the coalition to stay through this transient, difficult stage for our country,” one reporter said. “The soldiers need to stay until we’re able to secure ourselves from the dangerous enemies, both in and out of Iraq.”

But at the same time, many Iraqis are frustrated by the difficulties they’re experiencing during their country’s transition period — from concerns about security and unemployment to uncertainty about their future government to inconveniences caused by dilapidated water and electrical systems.

Regular insurgent attacks on Iraqi civilians have left the population frazzled, and many are growing increasingly angry at those behind the attacks. More than 2,000 people marched through Baghdad March 18 to protest a bombing that left 125 people dead.

The attackers include Iraqis who refuse to let go of the Saddam regime. While stressing that he disagrees with their viewpoints and tactics, one reporter said he understands their desperation. “Under Saddam, they had money, they had big houses and cars, they had high-level jobs. Now they have nothing,” he said. These loyalists aren’t necessarily committed to Saddam the man, the reporter explained. What many are clinging to are the lives of privilege they once had, but have lost.

Ridding Iraq of extremists has to be a top priority in Iraq’s progress, a reporter said. “The first demand has to be to kill the terrorists,” he said. “We can’t move forward with the terrorists operating freely and killing our people.”

In terms of their future government, the people are mixed, with some wanting a clear separation between church and state and others preferring an Islamic government. The latter alternative, one Iraqi journalist who reports for a U.S. newspaper fears, likely would be strongly influenced by Iran. “People don’t want to see an Iranian style of government for Iraq,” he said.

As they ponder their country’s political future, some Iraqis have difficulty looking beyond the day-to-day inconveniences caused by Iraq’s long-neglected infrastructure, the journalists agreed. The Iraqi people have heard about the $18 billion the United States has committed in reconstruction funds, but aren’t seeing signs of the efforts or believe they’re taking too long.

“Many Iraqis thought that the Americans could come in and wave a magic wand and everything would be fixed,” said one reporter who covers Baghdad for a local daily newspaper. “They don’t understand that it’s going to take time to clean up after 35 years.”

Similarly, as they watch their country transition from a dictatorship to a democracy, many Iraqis, particularly those with less education, are grappling with their newfound liberties. “People are trying to understand: What is democracy? What is freedom?” a reporter said. “To some, it means that now they can do anything they want, but that’s not true. There are a lot of misconceptions, and the Iraqi leaders and Iraqi media need to help educate them.” Despite the difficulties and frustrations of Iraq’s transition period, most Iraqi people are now looking to the future with hopes and aspirations unimaginable just two years ago, the reporters said.

“Most Iraqis believe that the future will be better,” a reporter summarized. “They want a good, stable life and a chance to live their dreams.”

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Pete Peters teaches an Iraqi National Guardsman the proper posture during reflexive live fire training, March 12, 2005. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Dan Balda

Determined Iraqi Guardsmen Continue Training

Despite lurking threats by terrorists, Iraqi National Guard troops continue with training taught by U.S. forces.

By U.S. Army Pfc. Dan Balda

Task Force Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Iraq, March 19, 2005 — Even as Iraqi soldiers train with U.S. soldiers to secure a new future for their country, they cannot forget the dangers which lurk in the background.

“There is a list for people who are in the (Iraqi National Guard) that the terrorists want to kill,” said an interpreter with the 40th Iraqi Army Brigade. “My name is second on that list. If somebody kills me they will get $1,000.”

"[The Iraqi National Guard] understand that they are here to take their country back from the insurgents and terrorists, and to make Iraq a better place. I believe that some of them join up because of the money, just like in the U.S. Army, but most do it because they want to help their fellow Iraqis." U.S. Army Capt. Mark McClellan

The interpreter, speaking on condition of anonymity, discussed differences between Iraqi armies of the past and today as he participated in reflexive live-fire training given by U.S. soldiers assigned to Task Force Baghdad March 12 at Camp Independence.

His U.S. trainers had nothing but praise for the Iraqi forces. “We are teaching the [Iraqi National Guard] how to do reflexive fire,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Pete Peters, Headquarters, Headquarters Company, 4th Battalion, 64th Armored Regiment. “It’s the same training all the soldiers in the 3rd Infantry Division receive before they come over here to Iraq. We do this training so that they can go out on the Iraqi streets and do patrols on their own.”

Even though 4th Battalion, 64th Armored Regiment has been working with this group for a short while, they have been able to focus on more advanced training because the previous U.S. unit, the 1st Cavalry Division, did such a great job with the Iraqi National Guard, said Peters, a native of South Portland, Maine. “It’s been real easy for us to just jump in and continue their training. 1/9 Cav. did a great job of bringing this group up to where we didn’t have to change anything when we took over for them.”

Instead of taking an entire battalion of Iraqi National Guard soldiers and training them all at the same time, the U.S. soldiers use the “train the trainer” method. After learning how to properly apply the training, the assorted Iraqi platoon leaders, platoon sergeants and section sergeants go back to their squads and platoons to share what they have learned with their troops, Peters said.

“They have been getting real good since we’ve got here,” Peters said. “They are real quick learners. They want to succeed and to achieve something special. They have a huge desire to learn.”

Capt. Mark McClellan, scout platoon leader for Headquarters, Headquarters Company, 4th Battalion, 64th Armored Regiment, compares their motivation to the reason men and women join the U.S. Army, but the Iraqis have an extra incentive.

“They understand that they are here to take their country back from the insurgents and terrorists, and to make Iraq a better place,” he said. “I believe that some of them join up because of the money, just like in the U.S. Army, but most do it because they want to help their fellow Iraqis.”

The Iraqi National Guard interpreter said he’s enjoyed working with the U.S. Army thus far regardless of potential danger. “I have been working with the Americans for two years,” he said. “It’s been very nice. I get to help people and kill terrorists. I like my job. Before, in Saddam’s army, nobody really liked their job. In one month, we made two dollars; now I make $400 a month. It’s very different, now I can eat or go out and have fun with people. I love my job a lot.”

McClellan has already seen the fruits of his and the Iraqi National Guard’s labors.

“I’ve already seen it on Haifa Street,” he said. “People are cleaning up their own streets, putting in their own sewer systems. This [Iraqi National Guard] group is the one that cleaned up Haifa Street. They are the ones taking grenades and getting shot at, and they have a lot of pride behind what they are doing right now.”

McClellan has seen an improvement in their military skills, he said. But the real success is out on the streets.

“You can see how proud they are when they drive around in their trucks with the Iraqi flag flying in the wind, and people in the streets are waving to them,” he said. “One time we came back from a patrol and there were all these children cheering for their troops. You could see the smiles on the Iraqi soldiers faces. That’s why they do this.”

Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Daniel O'Brien, 38, the assistant leading petty officer for Headquarters and Service Co., Battalion Landing Team 1/1, examines the ear canal of Sgt. William Fidderman, 25, a radio operator with MEU Service Support Group 15. The 15th MEU is currently conducting security and stability operations here in the greater Baghdad area. Photo by: Gunnery Sgt. Robert Knoll

Corpsman, Army medics work side-by-side at local clinic

Submitted by:    15th MEU 
Story by:   Computed Name: Gunnery Sgt. Robert Knoll 
Story Identification #:   200531963453

Baghdad, Iraq(Mar. 19, 2005) -- While the fight against insurgency rages outside of this Forward Operating Base's walls, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable)'s corpsman have expanded their medical capabilities while helping out their Army neighbors here.

Corpsman and doctors have set up the MEU's aid station at the 703rd Fleet Support Brigade Troop Medical Clinic to utilize its equipment and facilities to provide a better level of care, said Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman Jodie Bates (FMF/SW/AW), 36, chief medical planner for the 15th MEU and native of Bastrop, La. "[The clinic] gives us the best care for our Marines."

He said that as a Level 2 treatment facility with an X-ray and laboratory, the Army clinic allows them to offer more comprehensive evaluations resulting in fewer patients needing to be evacuated to larger clinics. A normal field BAS is often limited to stabilizing seriously injured patients for evacuation to larger hospitals and treatment facilities.

Working out of an already-established clinic also requires less manpower, which frees up more corpsman to prepare for combat missions, he added.

The medical staff is also offering a hand with trauma cases handled by the clinic, according to Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Daniel O'Brien, 38, assistant leading petty officer and native of Orting, Wash. He is one of the Battalion Landing Team 1/1's Independent Duty Corpsman or IDC, and supervises and mentors many of the junior corpsman.

Besides being a big help to the Army medics, the ability to have junior corpsman work with traumatic injuries is critical to their develpment, Bates said. Exposure to those injuries reduces the initial shock so corpsman will, "already have a touch of what they'll be dealing with [in the field]."

As experienced medical providers, O'Brien and Bates both agree it's important to expose junior corpsman to trauma situations. O'Brien has spent much of his career working in emergency rooms and says, "I love these situations."

Since many of the young corpsman came directly from field corpsman school to the unit, O'Brien has been trying to increase their exposure to different medical situations. "The biggest thing were trying to accomplish is practical hands-on," he said.

More than 30 corpsman from BLT 1/1 and MEU Service Support Group 15 have been providing services since arriving in early March. O'Brien said the clinic has also had medic staffing issues due to the recent turnover of various units so their assistance was very welcome.

So far, the two services have been really able to compliment one another, according to O'Brien. He said that although there are certain procedural differences in the way they do things, most of their training crosses over without a problem. "We're trying to get as much integration as possible."

Helping integrate Army medics and Navy corpsman has been Sgt. Sonya Cockrell, 28, an army medic with C. Co., 703rd Forward Support Battalion and native of Charleston, S.C. She and her staff have opened their clinic to the Navy corpsman and welcome the experience. "I think it's a good relationship," she said.

With very little time to get settled in to the clinic's routine, the corpsman assisted with a patient who had suffered a gunshot wound to the leg. Cockrell said the young corpsman, who were new to the chaos of an emergency room, did a good job helping other experienced medics as they stabilized the patient. "Sometimes you need the extra help. It worked out well," she said.

Outside of an occasional serious emergency, the workload has been fairly low. Cockrell said that they have been averaging about 15 patients per sick-call period, and to maintain consistency, the Corpsman have been treating MEU personnel and the medics have been treating Army soldiers. Most of the injuries have been very basic cuts and bruises, however, with a recent period of heavy rains, the medical personnel are expecting to see some foot injuries.

This experience has been a very welcome one for the corpsman, O'Brien said. While underway on the ship, the corpsman split their time between running sick call and conducting medical classes for Marines to increase their lifesaving skills on the battlefield.

The corpsman also spend a great deal of time perfecting the "green side" of their jobs so they are effective in combat situations. "Because it's a Marine unit, they spend a lot of time doing Marine stuff," he added. This work at the clinic has allowed the corpsman to get back to the basics and focus on treating injuries.

Gators Deploy into History

Story by Cpl. C. Alex Herron

AL ASAD, Iraq -- The deployment of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 142 earlier this month in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom marks the first time in 50 years that a Marine Reserve fixed wing tactical fighter squadron has deployed to combat operations.

The Gators, based at Naval Air Station Atlanta, Marietta, Ga., were told about this deployment in early December and have been running full force since their activation.

Before deploying to the combat zones the Gators were given upgrades to their F/A-18A+ Hornets.

“Our upgrades were ready within a week and a half of receiving word of this deployment,” said Lt. Col. Dwight Schmidt, aviation maintenance officer, VMFA-142. “By January we were activated and were quickly sent to Yuma, Ariz., for a two-week air to ground exercise to become more proficient with the new gear and upgrades to our aircraft.”

Most of the pilots in VMFA-142 are very experienced and have more than 2,000 flight hours. Most active duty squadrons might have two or three pilots who are close to 2,000 flight hours in the Hornet, according Schmidt, the Atlanta, Ga., native.

“We have a very experienced squadron,” Schmidt said. “Most of us have been together for about five to seven years.”

He said, along with the pilots, the maintenance Marines are also very skilled and experienced.

“These guys are by far the best maintenance crew in the Marine Corps,” Schmidt said. “To pull off what they did, in time to deploy, they have to be.”

During work-ups the Gators were required to test new gear and acclimate their Marines with new procedures, especially when it came to the ordnance.

“Our Ordnance crew had 17,000 ordnance tests in the two months prior to deployment,” Schmidt said. “Just for the simple reason when we are back home there isn’t much ordnance that can be used. We had a fairly inexperienced ordnance section, but they quickly picked up the slack and have been phenomenal.”

The Gators used the expertise of a fleet response team, which is a team of professionals who work with a unit on the intricacies of the fighter aircraft and help educate the Marines, according to Schmidt.

“In three weeks we were able to take care of every gripe about our aircraft and fix it,” Schmidt said. “Everything from avionics, ordnance to radar was up to par. After that, the fleet response team said we had some of the best maintenance staff anywhere.”

“The amount of talent in this squadron is remarkable,” Schmidt said. “The maintainers and the service and support shops, got us here,” he added. “To pick up from nothing and in two months be in country performing

combat operations 20 hours after landing, is phenomenal. These Marines worked 18 to 20 hour days to get us where we are. Now that we are here, they’re working 12-hour days.”

Working long hours and deploying to Iraq also came with many personal dilemmas for some of the Gators.

“I have four Marines whose spouses had babies within a week of our departure. Also I have a Marine who was offered good jobs to make really good money, but chose to deploy with us,” Schmidt said. “While a lot of Marines are making personal sacrifices to be here, they still wanted to come and be a part of this.”

This deployment also gives a lot of the Marines the opportunity to step up and take a leadership role within the squadron.

“This is giving all of our Reserve Marines, who usually drill a couple of times a month, the opportunity to show what they know,” said Gunnery Sgt. Gregory Gossett, maintenance control, VMFA-142 and Savannah, Ga., native. “We need to make sure everything is ready on these aircraft, without having to look over their shoulder, and help accomplish our mission.”

Through the long days and nights, the Gators will lean on each other to meet their goals during this deployment.

“The camaraderie between our fellow Marines is all we have,” said Sgt. Allan Martinez, maintenance control NCO, VMFA-142 and Corvallis, Ore., native. “We need to rely on each other to accomplish our mission, keep everyone safe and return to our families.”

A U.S. Army Bradley armoured vehicle patrols near the racing field where the traditional Original Arabian Horses Festival is being held in the area of al-Ghazaliya in western Baghdad March 19, 2005. Despite the unsettled security situation in their country, more than a dozen of amateur Iraqi riders participated in the first horse racing to be held after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq just two years ago. Picture taken on March 19, 2005. REUTERS/Ceerwan Aziz

An Iraqi policeman with his gun drawn removes a damaged bicycle from the scene of roadside bombing in the southern city of Basra March 20, 2005. A civilian riding the bicycle was killed and another civilian was injured when a bomb exploded as an Iraqi police patrol drove past, witnesses said. REUTERS/Atef Hassan

Iraqi policemen are seen through the shattered windscreen of a police vehicle after a roadside bombing attack in the southern city of Basra March 20, 2005. A civilian riding a bicycle was killed and another civilian was injured when a bomb exploded as an Iraqi police patrol drove past, witnesses said. REUTERS/Atef Hassan

A woman who lives nearby, walks through the rubble of a local government building that was destroyed by a bomb which was detonated overnight in the Saydiya section of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, March 20, 2005. Local residents said insurgents had threatened several times to destroy the building, which was still under construction at the time of the blast. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Minas Ibrahim al-Yussufi, seen here in 2004, secretary general of Iraq's Christian Democratic Party, said his 'kidnappers demanded the departure of US troops from Iraq. And we, with the Committee of Muslim Scholars, have one simple demand: a timetable for the withdrawal of American forces.'(AFP/File/Karim Sahib)

Diverging Sunni positions in Iraq as Europe protests US-led war

Sat Mar 19, 8:56 PM

BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraq's embattled Sunnis were of two minds about joining the political process as thousands of protestors in Europe and North America demanded an end to foreign troop presence in Iraq two years after the US-led invasion.

And an Iraqi-Swedish Christian politician freed from captivity on Friday said he sympathised with those demands.

Minas Ibrahim al-Yussufi, secretary general of Iraq's Christian Democratic Party, said his "kidnappers demanded the departure of US troops from Iraq. And we, with the Committee of Muslim Scholars, have one simple demand: a timetable for the withdrawal of American forces."

Speaking at a press conference at the headquarters of the Sunni committee at Baghdad's Umm al-Qura mosque, he said: "I urge President George W. Bush to rethink his plans and leave Iraq to the Iraqis."

Yussufi's party, like most Sunnis, boycotted the landmark January 30 elections in which the long oppressed Shiites and Kurds came out on top.

The influential committee has been putting out feelers over its role in the drafting of a permanent constitution and has said that it would not oppose the participation of Sunnis in the next government. But it has not climbed down from its strong opposition to US troop presence.

The committee decided to skip a gathering of about 300 Sunni leaders called by the heir to Iraq's former Hashemite monarchy, Sherif Ali bin Hussein, to urge members of the community that dominated Iraq under ousted leader Saddam Hussein to join the current political process.

"Sunnis have hurt themselves by staying out of the process," said Sherif Ali. "We are being invited to join the political process, we think it is wise to respond to this call."

The Iraqi royal ran in the January election without winning seats in the national assembly, which was inaugurated Wednesday.

Shiites and Kurds have been eager to carve a role for Sunnis in the next government, aware that the tenacious insurgency is centred in Sunni-dominated areas like Mosul, Samarra and Al-Anbar province.

Leaders of the Kurdish Alliance confirmed Saturday that they have reached an agreement with the Shiites over the principles of the next government and the thorny issue of the fate of the disputed northern oil city of Kirkuk and the Kurdish peshmerga militia.

Both sides have agreed that the issues will be dealt with in accordance with the interim laws passed under the previous US-led occupation.

"We, the two main lists, have agreed on the principles and the door is open now for the other lists," said outgoing vice president and senior member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Ruj Shawis.

"We have now entered into the details of forming the government but we need a few more sessions to reach a definitive agreement."

KDP leader Massoud Barzani met with the other Kurdish chieftain Jalal Talabani in a resort outside the northern Kurdish town of Arbil.

Tens of thousands of people, meanwhile, gathered in European and North American cities, brandishing posters denouncing the "war on terror" and the US-led invasion of Iraq. Protestors placed a coffin in front of the US embassy with "100,000 dead" written on it.

Bush defended the decision to invade Iraq saying elections in the violence-torn country have inspired democracy in the region.

"Only the fire of liberty can purge the ideologies of murder by offering hope to those who yearn to live free," he said.

But in a reminder of the daily bloodshed plaguing Iraq two years on, three policemen were killed and seven others badly wounded when a bomb exploded in Kirkuk as the funeral cortege of a comrade passed by, police chief General Turhan Yussef said.

In London, pictures of US President George W. Bush under the title "World's Number One Terrorist" and banners saying "No War in Iran" mingled with others warning British Prime Minister Tony Blair that people would not vote for him in a general election expected in May due to his support for the invasion.

Some 25,000 people turned out in the British capital in protest at the Iraq invasion and other elements of the US-led war on terror, according to final police estimates, while the organisers put the figure at up to 150,000.

In New York, police made dozens of arrests as thousands of anti-war demonstrators, some carrying flag-draped coffins, marched in New York on Saturday to mark the second anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq.

In Chicago, the protests were relatively muted. Hundreds of people rammed into the Federal Plaza straining to hear antiwar speeches. A handful of counter protesters hurled insults from behind the thick black line of police decked out in riot gear.

The demonstrations, which included protests in other US cities such as Miami and San Francisco, were part of a global day of action denouncing the "war on terror." Several thousand also marched in the Canadian city of Montreal.

Technicians align vessel-head nozzles inside Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant. The Sunday Telegraph -- citing western intelligence sources -- said Iran has approved a secret nuclear research centre to train scientists in atomic technology.(AFP/IAEO/File)

Iran gives nod for secret nuclear research centre

LONDON (AFP) - Iran has approved a secret nuclear research centre to train scientists in atomic technology.

"Intelligence officials believe that the creation of the facility is yet further evidence that Iran is involved in a clandestine programme to build nuclear weapons," The Sunday Telegraph warned.

Scientists would be able to take post-graduate courses in nuclear engineering and the production of nuclear materials at the new faculty, which would be attached to the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, the newspaper said citing western intelligence sources.

The allegation comes despite growing pressure on Iran from the United States and Europe to guarantee that it will not use its atomic energy programme to acquire nuclear weapons.

"If the Iranians were really serious about only developing nuclear technology for peaceful means, there would be no need for a facility like this," a senior western security official told the broadsheet.

"It suggests that they do not want to share their nuclear expertise with the outside world," the official said.

Tehran claims that its nuclear activities are entirely peaceful, but nuclear experts working for the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog, have found evidence that Iran has been involved in the production of weapons-grade uranium, according to the newspaper.

"The establishment of Iran's first post-graduate nuclear research faculty is seen as evidence that the Iranians are pressing ahead with their secret programme to become self-sufficient in the production of nuclear weapons," it said.

All students taking part in the Iranian nuclear research courses, which will operate as a branch of Tehran University, would be vetted by Iran's security service.

The main purpose of the complex was to make Iran's nuclear industry completely self-sufficient, it claimed.

At present most Iranian students are required to travel abroad for advanced studies in nuclear technology, where they are kept under strict supervision.

"By making the new facility part of Teheran University, Iranian officials hope that it will not be liable to inspection by IAEA officials," the newspaper said.

A drill instructor, left, watches as a new recruit for the Palestinian Authority security forces leaps through a ring of fire, during training exercises, in the West Bank town of Tulkarem, Saturday, March 19, 2005. Israel has welcomed a truce declared by Palestinian militant groups including Hamas and Jihad, but demanded that the Palestinian Authority eventually dismantle the armed groups. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Violence Mars Israeli-Palestinian Truce

By PETER ENAV, Associated Press Writer

JERUSALEM - Three Israeli soldiers and a Palestinian were seriously injured in two separate shooting incidents in the West Bank Sunday in the first major challenge to an expanded cease-fire between the sides.

Also Sunday, an Israeli newspaper reported that an Israel Defense Ministry aerial photography operation has revealed extensive new building in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, an apparent violation of Israeli obligations under a U.S.-backed Middle East peace plan.

The developments reflected the fragile state of Israeli-Palestinian relations as the sides attempt to put more than four years of violence behind them. Last week, Palestinian militants declared a cease-fire, extending an informal truce reached by the Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Feb. 8.

Israel has said the cease-fire will be tenuous without Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas moving quickly to disarm the militants — a step he has rejected — while Palestinians demand an immediate end to Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank.

In the first of Sunday's violent incidents, three Israeli soldiers were wounded, one critically, in the al-Omri refugee camp near Ramallah, when Palestinian gunmen opened fire while the troops were escorting Israeli police searching for stolen cars, an Israeli military spokeswoman said. One policeman was lightly wounded, she said.

The spokeswoman said the timing of the attack indicated it had been carried out by militants. She said the force was fired on at the outset of the operation, rather than after it got underway, reducing the possibility that it was criminals responding to the police search, she said.

However, there was no claim of responsibility on the Palestinian side, indicating that criminals might be behind the shooting.

Several hours later, a Palestinian man was shot and critically wounded by an Israeli border policeman in the West Bank town of Bethlehem. Border Police spokesman Oren Goanias said the Palestinian had attempted to steal a weapon from a border policeman conducting a routine patrol near a checkpoint leading to Jerusalem.

The report on new building in Israel's West Bank settlements said aerial photographs carried out for the Defense Ministry showed that between the summer of 2004 and early 2005 there had been major settlement construction, including in the large settlements of Maale Adumim, Ariel and the Gush Etzion bloc.

The internationally backed "road map" peace plan calls for a freeze on settlement construction, including that resulting from natural population growth. Israel and the Palestinians accepted the plan in 2003 but its implementation has stalled amid violations by the sides.

The report, which appeared in the Haaretz daily, said Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz had ordered the photography operation following a complaint by former chief state prosecutor Talia Sasson that without detailed aerial photographs she would have difficulty completing a report on unauthorized Jewish settlement outposts in the West Bank.

Sasson's report was published earlier this month. It said Israeli governments have helped build and expand 105 illegal West Bank settlement outposts in a flagrant violation of official policy and promises to the United States — confirming long-standing complaints by the Palestinians.

A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv said the United States expected Israel to abide by its road map commitments.

A senior Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the photos revealed "no secrets," adding that any disagreements over settlement construction are being discussed with the Americans.

Palestinian Cabinet Minister Saeb Erekat said the construction threatens efforts to revive peace talks.

"Everywhere we go in the West Bank we see settlement construction that undermines all the efforts being exerted to revive the hope in the minds of Palestinians that the peace is durable," he said.

Faces smudged with charcoal, new recruits for the Palestinian Authority (news - web sites) security forces march in formation, during a training exercise, in the West Bank town of Tulkarem, Saturday, March 19, 2005. Israel welcomed a truce declared by Palestinian militant groups including Hamas and Jihad, but demanded that the Palestinian Authority eventually dismantle the armed groups. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Palestinian students carry on their shoulders Zakaria Zubaidi, the Al-Aqsa Martyres Brigades leader, during a celebration for prisoners recently released by Israel, in the West Bank town of Jenin, Saturday, March 19, 2005. Israel has welcomed the recent truce declared by Palestinian militant groups, including Al Aqsa Brigades, but demanded that the Palestinian Authority eventually dismantle the armed groups. (AP Photo/MOHAMMED BALLAS)

A Palestinian militant looks at a poster of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, as Zakaria Zubaidi, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades leader, speaks during a celebration for prisoners recently released by Israel, in the West Bank town of Jenin, Saturday, March 19, 2005. Israel has welcomed the recent truce declared by Palestinian militant groups, including the Al Aqsa Brigades, but demanded that the Palestinian Authority eventually dismantle the armed groups. (AP Photo/Mohammed Ballas)

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