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Adding comments from our military leaders in Baghdad re. security (and reminding the PRESS that 24 million newly freed Iraqis with mountains of weapons provided by bad guys to use against us - and fewer than 12 Coalition casualties a week is NOT 'chaos' or being 'unwanted'):

DoD Central Command Briefing - June 4, 2003

Presenter: GENERAL McKiernan, Commander, Combined Joint Task Force Seven (CJTF-7); Bernard Kerik, Director of the Interior, Coalition Povisional Authority (CPA)

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GENERAL McKiernan: Finally, as many of you know, we're receiving periodic attacks against coalition military forces west of Baghdad, principally, in the Al-Ramadi, Al-Fallujah quarter, and north of Baghdad, the Ba'qubah to Tikrit area.

These attacks are combat actions, not criminal in nature, and are executed by what appears to be regime-connected or Ba'ath Party remnants struggling to organize and trying to broaden their influence. We will permit neither of those to happen.

To address this threat, we're applying additional military resources and forces to help us identify and decisively defeat these anti-coalition and, I might add, anti-Iraqi regime elements. I'm happy to add that we're getting great help from Iraqis themselves in reporting on these anti-coalition activities. We will prosecute these actions even as we continue neighborhood health programs, deliver key supplies, and provide assistance to the office of the coalition provisional authority -- to name but a few of the many tasks that we'll continue as we eliminate those that would impede or disrupt what is clearly a bright future for the people of Iraq.

MR. KERIK: First, I'd like to just say that I agree with the general's comments on the overall progress in the field. I think that Baghdad and the rest of the country, but primarily Baghdad, that I've seen over the last several weeks, is changing substantially. The number of incidents are dropping. The number of patrols have increased substantially over the last two weeks. On the 16th of May, we had 412 patrols throughout the streets of Baghdad. Last night we had 807. There are a number of people still being arrested for weapons possession, criminal violations. That will continue. But I think the numbers are dropping, and I think that's a benefit to the people of Baghdad and Iraq.

CENTCOM:

*COALITION EFFORTS AID IRAQ'S RECOVERY (June 10, 2003)

*COALITION AND IRAQI POLICE WORK TO MAKE IRAQ SECURE (June 10, 2003)

***Operation Infinite Freedom - Sit Room - 10 JUN 03/Day 83***

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