***Operation Iraqi Freedom - Situation Room - Day 26

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This is the Daily Thread of Operation Iraqi Freedom - Situation Room - LIVE THREAD.

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Pentagon briefing - Mon. Apr. 14:

Victoria Clark and Maj. Gen. Stanley McChrystal:

"The regime is at it's end."

Names of our casualities scroll on screen.

Lists 8 original objectives of our war plan and details our success (please se transcript):

1) End the regime of Saddam Hussein

2) Capture or drive out terrorists...

3) Collect intel on terrorist networks

4) Collect intel on WMDs...

5) Destroy WMDs..

6) Secure Iraq's oil fields and nat. resources for Iraqi people..

7) End sanctions...we have asked the sanctions be lifted. We see no overall humanitarian crises. Coalition forces are working w/ locals to police and looting is tapering off. 700 tons of boxed rations, water, ambulances, Japanese have pledged (lots of money), UN is coming back (darn)..(other countries helping...)..working w/ clerics, tribal leaders, many will meet tomorrow...the first of many such meetings.

(8? oh.oh.)

Maj. Gen. McChrystal:

"I'd like to welcome back the (seven POWS)..." Film of smiling POWS rescued...I'd like to express my condolences (to the families of those who died)..."We need to remember that true American heroes lost their lives in this conflict."

"Our air sorties have decreased to ~700 sorties a day, dropped less than 200 precision muni. ..(have air carriers going home)...

"On ground, coalition patrols are continuing...throughout Iraq...working to create an atmosphere where the Iraqi people can govern themselves.:

Questions:

Re. claiming Syria has WMDs, shouldn't we be concerned Bush admin arrogant? TC:"I wouldn't call it rhetoric. I would call it fact.(that Syria's been assisting bad guys..the SOD, Pres...etc). have all spoken about this and I have nothing to add."

GM: "As major combat ops wind down, we'll still conduct minor (ops..including localized fights...wouldn't say that we're moving one phase to a next. The operation is broken into phases. (This is not a transition..)..

TC: "The first and primary consideration is their physical and emotional well-being . I'm not aware of any changes in policy (re. POWS- they take great care (military w/ their own, the POWs)...

GM: "I would anticipate that the major (conflicts) are over...(no coherent organized defense left)...Tikrit was last (possible organized force) "The regime no longer has control. We have not yet proclaimed it secure....

Re. the disappearing RG, TC: "Obviously the leadership is a concern..(we continue to hunt for them)..we have not seen thousands of people pouring out of the country..

GM: "The RG, many may in fact go home and join society...we are more worried about..Fedayeen, SRG...but even they may (decide to go home, join new Iraq)...

GM: "Gen. Franks is free to redeploy the (assets no longer needed now) and he is doing that..(air assets)..We're still early in the ground forces...we devised a very flexible flow...no ground forces have been redeployed at this point....

Re. Hussein's science advisor claims of no WMDs: TC: "Old habits die hard. Seriously. You're talking about a senior player in a regime that took lying and deception to great heights. I wouldn't even try to get inside his head." (heh)

GM: "It will still be a very long process. Each has to be handled very carefully (both for safety, and protecting evidence...WMD sites,)...We've only been to a small percentage. ..

RE. WMDs - TC: "It's not just sites...It's sites, it's paperwork, it's people..it's a very complex system...

GM: "In terms of what we have looked at there are no positive results so far...

TC: "One of our concerns...WMDs could be moving in (and out of country.)."it was a concern (before the war) and it remains a concern"

GM: "We believe it gets easier (to find info on WMDs) as we secure the locations and (people feel free to talk)...

Re. Chalibi -TC:" It's really the relationship with the Iraqi people overall...we're working w/ Kurds, local leaders, tribal leaders...(etc) "At the end of the day...it will be up to the Iraqi people..

GM: "There is a process to review all of the EPWs under our control and determine (who can be released)..

GM: "There's an effort ongoing to augment the security situation in Baghdad and other areas (asking Iraqi locals, police to help with policing...we are only in the beginning phases....to insure they are credible...) it must be done by the Iraqi people...

There will be plenty of people to make sure everything we do is appropriate...what we're focusing on is to (create an environment to give the country back to the Iraqi people.

Re. int'l police GM: "The mix of US forces will continue to be adjucted. There will be (a need) for some time. (The need for civil help) is designed into (our plan)...there is a review going on right now ...to see what forces will be required.. TC: "there are lots of conversations going on right now (with other countries to provide assistance...humanitarian, etc., for Iraq)..

SAID WE NEEDED TO SEND IN THE UN WEAPONS INSPECTORS! He wants them to find them for us. Does anyone know who this man was and do you think we would even consider that "quagmire?"

I caught the end of his talks. He wasn't talking about the U.N. (no authority -- no Gulf War I surrender, no basis for anything like 1441, etc.).

He was talking about pressuring Syria to sign the Chemical Weapons Convention (CPW), which has provisions for both "routine" and "challenge" inspections (and any signatory can "challenge" any other signatory to permit inspections of _any_ site within the country. It would be much more useful than 1441, and we've seen what we did with that!

This is not such a bad idea; they're just building a case. Before the world (and the American people), there isn't a "quality" case for any action against Syria right now, other than targeting Iraqi officials or weapons we find there. If President Bush is serious about "consequences" for Syria's poking our eye, he'll need all the cards he can get in his hand. CPW would be a good one...

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Operation Iraqi Freedom

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