May 14, 2003
Release Number: 03-05-46

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COALITION FORCES PROVIDE SECURITY AND STABILITY

CAMP DOHA, Kuwait – Coalition Forces continue to actively patrol Iraq to make it safe to conduct Humanitarian Assistance operations. Recent incidents highlight the dangerous nature of their work:

Unknown assailants in a vehicle shot at 2d Armored Cavalry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division personnel by a power sub-station in Baghdad with AK-47s early this morning. No injuries were reported.

Unknown assailants fired two rocket-propelled grenades at a building used by the 2d Armored Cavalry Regiment near Fallujah early this morning. Two soldiers received minor injuries.

A Free Iraqi Fighting Force (FIFF) convoy was ambushed in Baghdad by Iraqi paramilitary soldiers in two vehicles yesterday evening. First Brigade Combat Team soldiers from the U.S. Third Infantry Division killed three, wounded three and captured two of the wounded paramilitary soldiers. One FIFF soldier was killed. There were no U.S. casualties.

Fourth Infantry Division soldiers raided a Fedayheen safe house in the vicinity of Baqubah yesterday afternoon, capturing five people and numerous small arms.

Fourth Infantry Division soldiers arrested two groups of individuals yesterday evening in Tikrit. The groups had large amounts of explosives and detonators in their possession.

Despite the danger, Coalition forces remain dedicated to providing a secure and stable environment throughout Iraq so that infrastructure repair and humanitarian aid can continue.

I usually post the CENTCOM and DoD updates on the OIF thread - assuming Freepers would have this info up daily. The press ignores most of what we're doing in favor of the few whiners and mischief-makers.

There are roughly 5 million Iraqis in Baghdad and 24 million Iraqi citizens. We have fewer than a dozen coalition casualties daily - most are accidental, unexploded ordnance, land mines. We are getting the "dead-enders" when they pop up more often than they escape. Mosul held the first democratic election ever a few days ago and we were there. All in all, to quote our allies - we're doing bloody marvelous in Iraq.

CENTCOM:

*COALITION EFFORTS AID IRAQ’S RECOVERY
*COALITION FORCES PROVIDE SECURITY AND STABILITY
*MARINE KILLED IN BUNKER EXPLOSION
*SOLDIERS EXPOSED TO UNKNOWN CHEMICAL
*STATUS REPORT ON COALITION ACTIONS AGAINST THE MAJOHEDEEN-E-KHALQ
*TWO MARINES KILLED IN ACCIDENTAL EXPLOSION

DoD News:

*Photographers Capture 'A Day in the Life of the United States Armed Forces'

*Cheney Assails Terrorism at Rumsfeld Award Presentation

Who are our accusers? The NGO's and press inside Iraq may have been on Saddam's payroll. Who's covering THIS major scandal and how can we trust these sources?

Why no outrage over this Reuters propaganda piece? Think free Iraqis and the Coalition enjoyed reading in newspapers around the world last week that the Iraqi people wanted the UN in charge in Iraq?

From James Taranto, OpinionJournal:

Reuters Conducts Another Iraqi 'Election'
Remember last year when Saddam Hussein "won" "re-election" with 100% of the "vote"? Reuters, which insists Osama bin Laden isn't necessarily a terrorist, reported that story as if it were a real election. Now the "news" service has taken its own survey of Iraqi "public opinion," and it sums up its "findings" in this headline: "Iraqis Want U.N. to Control Oil Cash, Not U.S."

Once again, the "results" are "unanimous," but Reuters' "turnout," unlike Saddam's, is less than 100%--in fact, it's closer to 0.000017%. That's right, Reuters is able to figure out what "Iraqis Want" just by talking to four out of 24 million of them. One of Reuters' subjects, Ragheb Naaman, used to work developing weapons for Saddam's regime. The other three are identified only by name, and one of them doesn't even give his first name. At Reuters, this is called "journalism."

THE REAL SCANDAL OF IRAQI RELIEF (NGO mischief-makers in Iraq)
New York Post ^ | 5/11/03 | JONATHAN FOREMAN

Saddam's Cash (NGOs, Press and Pols silenced by Saddam for '30 pieces of silver')
The Weekly Standard ^ | May 5, 2003 | Stephen F. Hayes

Bush vs Leahy: Senator Leahy next to a Guard F-16

Operation Infinite Freedom

Day 55
OI(Iraqi)F

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