BRIEFING BY MAJOR GENERAL RICK LYNCH, DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF, MULTINATIONAL FORCE IRAQ

GEN. LYNCH: Good afternoon, folks. Thanks for spending this time with me today. As always, I look forward to the opportunity to -- (off mike) -- with you our operations here in Iraq .

Yesterday we witnessed a truly remarkable event as coalition forces rescued American Roy Hallums from an isolated farmhouse located 15 miles south of Baghdad . Mr. Hallums had spent 10 months in captivity. An Iraqi citizen was also rescued during he operation, and his identity will be released by the Iraqi government after notification of his family.

Mr. Hallums was kidnapped at gunpoint from the offices of his employer in the Mansour district of Baghdad on November 1st, 2004, 10 months ago. Since Mr. Hallums's capture, multiple U.S. and coalition agencies have worked relentlessly to make this rescue possible. Allow me to describe to you how this operation unfolded. Upon his capture yesterday morning, an Iraqi detainee provided detailed information of Mr. Hallums's location. Once the information had been deemed credible, coalition forces immediately planned and executed a raid on the farmhouse where he was being held. The mission was a complete success. In less than three hours after receiving the information from the detainee, Mr. Hallums was in the safe hands of coalition forces.

Despite the long period of time in captivity, Mr. Hallums is in good condition and is receiving medical care. His personal well-being is obviously everyone's first priority. As such, he is not going to grant media interviews, but he did provide this statement following his rescue:

"I want to thank all of those who were involved in my rescue. To those who continuously tracked my captors and location, and to those who physically brought me to freedom today, to all of you, I will be forever grateful.

Both of us are in good health and look forward to returning to our respective families. Thank you to all who kept me and my family in their thoughts and prayers," a great story and a great rescue effort by our coalition forces.

Before I get into our operations, I want to take a moment to talk about the continued advancement of democracy here in Iraq . It is important that all Iraqis participate in the political process, understand the provisions of the draft constitution and exercise their right to vote in the upcoming referendum and subsequent elections. We have every indication that the people of Iraq will continue to be engaged in the democratic process. Allow me to give you a couple of examples.

The Iraqi people have shown their willingness to participate in the political process through their involvement in the nationwide voter registration update. The registration period officially ended yesterday with the completion of the Al Anbar province's one-week extension. While we are still waiting on the final results, we already know that nearly half a million new voters registered during the process.

In Samarra , more new voters registered over the past month than actually voted in the January elections.

In Mosul , in addition to tens of thousands of new registered voters, more than 500,000 people double checked their status to ensure they were registered to vote. They want to be engaged in the political process.

Of note, an overwhelming 85 percent of Iraqis polled say they plan on voting in the October referendum and in the December elections, a clear sign that Iraqis have every intention of making their voices heard and for democracy to take hold here in Iraq .

Obviously, Iraqis are awaiting the referendum. Meanwhile, debate and discussion of the draft constitution continues around the country. In an unprecedented attempt to educate the citizens of Iraq on the constitution and on the upcoming referendum, ministers and National Assembly members are traveling to various cities for discussions with local political leaders and to participate in town hall meetings. These leaders have already traveled to Mosul , Basra , Erbil and Hillah in their effort to further the democratic process. Leaders of the Iraqi government will visit all 18 provinces before the referendum on October 15th as part of this outreach program. Their efforts complement the work being done by the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq and various non-governmental organizations who are working to encourage people to vote and to educate them on the constitution. Plans have been made to print and disseminate millions of copies of the constitution. This will give the Iraqis a chance to personally read and consider the draft constitution in order to make an informed decision on the day of the referendum.

And while the political process continues, the combined efforts of coalition and Iraqi security forces provide the necessary shield for democracy to continue to take shape, evolve and mature in Iraq . That shield is now being employed in the Al Anbar province in our continuous efforts to stop the flow of foreign fighters and logistical support from Syria and to deny terrorists any possible safe haven anywhere in Iraq . Less than a year ago, insurgents owned Fallujah, but Fallujah, Baghdad , Ramadi and Hit have all been denied to them. They are now hiding out in the furthest reaches of western Al Anbar only able to conduct sporadic hit and run attacks.

It is clear that we have the insurgents on the run. We will not allow the terrorists to establish safe havens anywhere in Iraq .

Current operations in Tall Afar are perfect examples of our focus. We are working with the Iraqi government and the Iraqi security forces to establish Iraqi control of the border and deny terrorists and foreign fighters operating bases in Iraq .

In Tall Afar, coalition forces and an equal number of Iraqi security forces are preparing for possible military operations to rid that city of insurgents. These actions are being conducted at the request of the local government in extremely close cooperation and coordination with the Iraqi leadership. As we speak, operations are ongoing to evacuate civilians from the neighborhoods targeted by the insurgents. To assist the evacuees, several non-governmental organizations and other aid agencies, including the International Red Crescent, are prepared to provide humanitarian assistance.

In the city itself, Iraqi security forces and coalition forces continue to apply pressure through security patrols. Rest assured, through the combined efforts of the Iraqi security forces and coalition forces, Tall Afar and the region around it will also be denied to the insurgents and the terrorists.

Throughout the country over this past week we conducted 14 brigade-level operations, all combined with Iraqi security forces. Overall, attack trends were down. In Baghdad , attacks were down almost 20 percent from previous weeks.

In further signs of the growing capability of the Iraqi security forces, on Saturday the 3rd Battalion, 1st Brigade, VII Iraqi Army Division came under the tactical control of Multinational Corps Iraq. The unit moved from Fallujah to Ramadi and will soon begin conducting counterinsurgency operations in conjunction with coalition forces.

On Tuesday another milestone occurred in Najaf, as the 155th Brigade Combat Team turned over the keys of Forward Operating Base Hotel to the Iraqi army. Elements of the brigade moved from FOB Hotel to Forward Operating Base Duke 35 kilometers outside of Najaf and will continue to work with the Iraqi security forces to ensure Najaf and the surrounding areas remain safe and secure.

Q Sebastian Alison from Reuters. Just picking up on what you said about Tall Afar, if I may --

Q If I understood you right, you said you are considering possible military operations to rid the city of insurgents. Does that mean that the events of the last several days in Tall Afar do not count as military operations, and are you saying that the purpose of the evacuation is to allow you to safely carry out such an operation?

GEN. LYNCH: Yeah, thank you for that question. We continue to conduct security operations throughout Iraq . These are intelligence- led operations. We're focused on the insurgency that I have defined before, that consists of terrorists and foreign fighters, Iraqi rejectionists and Saddamists.

We have indications that there are, indeed, insurgents resident in Tall Afar -- actionable intelligence. So as a result of our current security operations, we are, indeed, focused not just on Tall Afar, but in the surrounding area.

And there have been operations conducted continuously, candidly, since last May to rid Tall Afar of insurgents. If indeed decisive military operations are required, we want to ensure that the attacks take place to kill the insurgents without collateral damage and killing of innocent civilians. So in preparation for potential operations, we are working with the local leaders, the tribal leaders, local government, to evacuate civilians, noncombatants, from the town of Tall Afar in case we do indeed have to conduct decisive military operations.

Q Sahaladin (ph) from NBC. To what extent do you think the -- or what percentage would you say the insurgents up in Tall Afar are foreign fighters?

GEN. LYNCH: That's a good question. We look very closely at the makeup of the insurgency, and intelligence tells us that probably about 20 percent of the insurgents that are resident in Tall Afar are indeed foreign fighters.

Q General, Ellen Knickmeyer with The Washington Post. In Anbar Province , there was a tribe that stood up to Zarqawi's group, or said it was going to try, and it apparently got beaten back. It had tribal leaders killed, and now it's in Anbar asking for help from the U.S. military. And my understanding is in Qaim there's no Iraqi presence in town. What's the response going to be from at least the U.S. military when you've got the situation of allies who are asking for help and when you've got a town where Zarqawi's fighters are operating openly?

GEN. LYNCH: Ellen, thank you for that. As I've said repeated times, we're not going to allow the insurgents any safe havens anywhere in Iraq. And we are working to engage the local population to facilitate our operations and to drive a wedge between the insurgents and the population. And we are seeing repeated instances where the locals are saying, we've had enough of the insurgents.

The insurgents are here to kill innocent civilians, and we see that. Remember the insurgents' plan is to derail the democratic process and to discredit the Iraqi government, and they're more than willing to kill innocent civilians. In fact, in the casualties we had last week, the numbers of attacks were down but the number of civilian casualties were 50 percent of the casualties.

So what we're seeing in Al Anbar is an aggressive population who says, we want to get rid of the insurgents, we want them out. And those are local leaders and indeed tribal leaders. And as we work closely with the Sunni population and the Iraqis in Al Anbar, if indeed they're there to assist in our fight against the insurgency either by providing actionable intelligence or taking aggressive actions, then we indeed want to support them. So we work very closely with the Sunni population and Iraqi population in Al Anbar to facilitate -- (allow them to ?) facilitate our operations and at the same time give us actionable intelligence.

Q Seb Walker from AFP. How would you assess the strength of the insurgents at the moment in Tall Afar? And can you give us an idea of the scale of the evacuations which have taken place; for example, how many families have been asked to leave?

And just regarding the hostage release, were special units involved in that, like Special Forces from the U.S. Army? And, also, was there a firefight? Were there any casualties? Were any insurgents killed?

Coalition forces together -- and we have multiple capabilities inside the coalition. Okay? We have conventional forces and Special Forces, and most operations are a combination of all of the above, and that's what happened in this particular case.

In this particular case, there was no exchange of gunfire, and there were no casualties. Mr. Hallums was found in a farmhouse -- remember, that information was provided by an individual who was detained that morning. Mr. Hallums was found in the farmhouse where the detainee told us where he was. We were able to go in, conduct the operation, and move him and the Iraqi citizen who'd also been detained out at the same time.

Q The first question was how would you assess the strength of the insurgents at the moment in Tall Afar. And also, if you can give us an idea of the scale of evacuations taking place -- maybe, for example, how many families have already been asked to move?

We are actively working with the tribal leaders in Tall Afar to evacuate civilians, and get them out of harm's way. I don't know exactly the numbers that we've evacuated at this time, but we have worked with the tribal leadership to identify those people and move them out to a safe place. So just know that active operation is ongoing, and I can't give you now a number of people that have been evacuate.

We believe that the insurgency inside of Tall Afar is comprised of terrorists and foreign fighters and local insurgents. And the magnitude of the insurgency is something that we are working through now, and I'm not at liberty to discuss.

Q Sorry, just further to that. The Iraqi army has announced today that 150 foreign fighters have been captured in Tall Afar. Can you confirm that? GEN. LYNCH: Yeah, we're working continuous operations, and have since last May, in Tall Afar, and we have indeed detained some foreign fighters and killed some foreign fighters, but I can't confirm the number that was quoted in the press.

Q Deborah Amos, National Public Radio. As you said, you've working in Tall Afar since last May, and every time you leave, the insurgents, the terrorists, the foreign fighters come back. Will you do something different this time in Tall Afar? Will you leave behind an Iraqi battalion or multinational forces in Tall Afar so the cycle doesn't repeat itself?

Look at the goodness of what's happened in the past year, and that goodness can be described in the capability improvement -- both quantity and quality -- of the Iraqi security forces. We now have over 190,000 trained and equipped Iraqi security forces that can participate in security operations around Iraq, to include operations in Nineveh Province and Al Anbar. Right now actively involved in operations in Tall Afar is the Third Iraqi Army Division.

We have now sufficient assets available between the coalition forces and the Iraqi security forces, is after we conduct operations to leave behind a robust security presence so that the insurgents cannot return, and that is indeed part of the plan.

Q Is it the first time that you've done that, that you will be leaving behind the Third Division in Tall Afar?

GEN. LYNCH: No. I mean, if you look at operations we've conducted in the last year -- cite Fallujah, for example -- we made it a point, once we've secured the area, to leave behind adequate security forces.

So we've done this in the past; we will continue to do this -- take away the safe haven from the insurgents and not allow him the opportunity to return.

GEN. LYNCH: They will leave elements of their division -- and there'll be elements of coalition forces that remain behind in Tall Afar, to maintain a safe and secure environment.

Q Peter Alexander, NBC News. There are two critical dates that are about just over a month from now -- October 15th, of course, with the referendum; and the 19th, when Saddam's trial is expected to begin -- dates that many Americans view as critical in anticipation of some renewed insurgency, perhaps, in and around Baghdad. What if anything will be done differently as those two dates approach?

GEN. LYNCH: Thank you for that question. I mean, we -- we study the insurgency. And it is predictable that around the referendum and around the elections there'll be a spike in violence. Remember, what the insurgents want to do is derail the democratic process and discredit the Iraqi government. So it is predictable. So as -- if you -- as you watched over the course of the last several weeks, we have, indeed, asked for and received additional coalition forces in Iraq to be prepared for that spike in violence around those dates.

So it is -- we have a great -- we have an idea that there'll be a spike; there has been and there will be. And we believe we have sufficient forces now poised and ready to fight any particular violent activity.

Ellen. Q General, is Mr. Hellums able to provide any information about any other kidnap victims, including ones who may have already been killed? And do you have any idea of the nature of the kidnappers who held him? Were -- was -- were they -- was it a -- for ransom, or was it for --

GEN. LYNCH: Yeah. that -- I don't know the answer to either one of those questions.

Q Can you give us any indication as to when the detailed report into the death of our sound man Walid is going to come out, and can you tell us also how long our cameraman, Ali Mashadani, is likely to remain in jail without charge? Thank you.

GEN. LYNCH: Thank you. I'll answer the second question first, then you'll have to remind me what the first question was.

As I talked about last time, as we, in accordance with the United Nations Security Council resolution, have the authority to detain people we believe are security risks for the people of Iraq, we have that authority to detain them. In that particular case, that individual was detained. And in accordance with our procedures, his case has been reviewed. And his case will be reviewed again on the 19th of September. When we believe that he is no longer a security threat, we can work, in accordance with our procedures, to release him -- if, indeed, that's the appropriate thing to do.

Q Of -- of the death of our sound man here in Baghdad. When is it going to be made public?

GEN. LYNCH: Okay. We -- we always mourn the life -- the loss of life of innocent civilians. And we investigate every incident.

And we've done a detailed investigation of that particular thing, and that investigation's complete. We have then a detailed review process that that investigation goes through, and that's where the investigation is. And we expect over the next several weeks that that review process will be completed and that investigation can be made available.

Q One of the commando units in Baghdad, the Volcano Brigade, has been charged by members of the Sunni community in a particular neighborhood of the deaths of more than 36 people. The Volcano Brigade commander says that they carry out no raids like that without multinational forces present. The United Nations has also cited that particular event in a human rights report. Have you looked into those charges, done any investigation of them? Have they been brought to your attention?

GEN. LYNCH: Yeah, the charges of human rights violations are indeed brought to our attention, and we work those allegations with the appropriate Iraqi authorities. And we have recommended and see progress, and investigations will be conducted on each of those allegations of human rights abuses. We work closely with our Iraqi counterparts in terms of training and focused on human rights, human rights procedures. And if there are indeed allegations of human rights abuses, then we'll work with Iraqi authorities to make sure investigations are completed.

GEN. LYNCH: No. I mean, not to my personal attention. We can find out if someone else knew about that.

Q Sir, Seb Walker from AFP again. Just to try and get an idea of exactly what kind of military operation is planned for Tall Afar, can you give us any idea of the scale; I mean, numbers of troops involved, for example? I mean, what kind of thing could we see over the next few days up there?

GEN. LYNCH: You will see over the next several weeks -- we're not specifying any timeline for the Tall Afar operation -- specific military operations that target the insurgencies in Tall Afar. In terms of the numbers of troops that are involved, the specific sequence of events, clearly that wouldn't be prudent for me to talk about at this point in the operation.

Q Is there going to be a Fallujah-style assault on the city, or is it going to be very different from that?

GEN. LYNCH: Every situation is different. Every situation is analyzed by military professionals, and determinations are made on how to proceed. So don't try to equate Tall Afar with any previous operation.

Note that reporter named Sebastian was trying to "MIlk" some detail concerning future Operations in TALL-AFAR.

Case-In-point: Just like the MSM to attempt to pry out vital stats that can be publicly-announced to listening Terrorist ears.

Thanks for post. I don't see how a "little Fallujah" will not be spawned. The city has to many Saddam symphaziser, connections to the foreign groups they offer safe havens to etc.. As we all recognize, this is not some hamlet on the river but a full blown city, with appropriate type buildings.
Lots of air power, Bradely Fighting Vehicles and main Abram tanks are going to be needed to bust up a lot of buildings holding goons, just like we saw required in Fallujah. It is show down time once again.

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