***Operation Iraqi Freedom - Situation Room - Day 19

I can't believe this! BBC is showing the gold faucets in Saddams loo! I wonder how many Marines took a shower... Ha ha!

They were beginning to line up and take a number about 1:00 a.m. Central Time USA. It was great to watch as they were on the lawn of Saddam's palace.

Where do they get these idiots? "What is the indicator that will convince all of the Iraqis? There isn't a single point in time, idiot. Many Iraqis are already convinced, some are yet to be, some never will be.

Such a fixation on "time certain" and "indicator certain," proof certain the questioner is a simpleton.

did we blow up anything else while I was asleep?

Question about Baghdad Bob saying it was surreal, why doesn't someone tap him on the shoulders and bring him in?

A: not so much about individuals...we have a regime involved by deception..broadcasts not seen by Iraqis but int'l

Question (NPR?): hear reports about troops outside Baghdad who aren't wearing chem suits.

A: up to commanders on ground...tactical decision by commanders at scene.

Question about victory, what's the timeline, how can you convince Iraqis when it's over?

A: we have a series of objectives to be achieved...the Iraqi people have realized that life has changed...enjoying freedom of choice...for population victory is already occurring in places, begin starting point for the future....rather than stating time, this will go as long as required... we'll see it all the way through.

Question from Black Press: exiles are in Iraq, can you tell us if they're part of operation.

A: Can't get into specific, they're working closely with coalition...end of presser.

CENTCOM - Mon. Apr. 7:

Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks:

"The plan remains sound and effective."

"The regime retains some capability. The coalition continues attacks from air and ground."

Videos:

S-S missile at Abu Rishas(?) nr. Baghdad on Apr.5 -

S-S missile n. of Baghdad, APr. 5 -

"We remain focused on any assets that could potentially deliver chems....

"Spec. forces (at work) ....coalition spec. ops (securing) Hadiffah dam...raid last night to seize training camp nr. Hadifah..

"Basra...(UK led forces taking out remaining bad guys...distributing food, water..)

"Najaf...religious clerics are contributing to the stability...coalition appreciates their efforts...

We're continuing to dicover ammo stores...

Pics:

Ammo. in school in Karbala

"Main forcus of ops. conitnue in and around Baghdad....2 corp attack...1st Mar ex f. isolating Bagdad from e. 5th corp from the west, nw. and into city itself...(destroyed Iraqi units...infantry, tanks, ...)

"Efforts to secure Baghdad airport continue...from within (tunnels large enough for cars)..and without...helping to turn back on untilities...

"Second attack into the heart of Baghdad to key regime locations...emphasizes (that regime is not in control)..

"Maritime component (done much good..strike ops, humanitarian...see transcript)...

"Broadcasts do continue on radio and televisions...

"Reime continues to disregard (cultural treasures)..video of mosque...pieces of (regime) military equip nearby...the coalition is well aware of this practice and remains committed to protecting sights like this mosque (while getting our targets..)

Humanitiarian progress..."Most pressing short-term...returning power and water....we continue to push water in bulk (pipelines, etc)....efforts ongoing..(saw residents washing car in one restored area..)..

Pic- US Marines AND free Iraqi forces distributing food and med. in Nasiriyah...supplies captured from bad guys...

Only one burning oil well remains in south...we now control 900 of the 940 wells south of Baghdad..

Questions:

"We are continuing combat operations....1st Mar. Exp. force are conducting ops on e. side. We know (one) bridge was destroyed in that area...there are ..pockets of resistance...Karbala is an examp...the regime does have some capability...no overarching control...we continue to find...remove those...

(This is being shown live on Al Jazeera, Shep breaks in to say)

Baath party still there...Mosul region...ops. continue...

"We continue to find info that leads us to different sites (potential WMDs)...with each one of those reports..we do a thorough search...we've organized part of the force to specifically do this...we expect there will be a lot of that...there was a deliberate effort to hide....no specifics...we'll report when available...no reports on condition of the man known as Chem. Ali...

"The great value of the embedded reporters, you can see things through the eyes of the soldiers that are out there...cautious optimism...these are personal friends of mine...the people that conducted this operation...and I am delighted at (their success...but ops. aren't over....)..

"What parts of Baghdad they want to retain contol of.. (etc...up to tactical commanders on the ground)..more important for us..reinforces reality that we will conduct ops at a time and place of our choosing...(bad guys dying for a regime that has no future)..

"We have at no time said that there is a hunt for any particular individual...(re. Saddam) we continue to (focus on objectives set up for us..."If you review the objectives we set up at the very beginning...(you'll see we're doing what we want to do...BG Brooks telling reporter to do his homework, hah)...

Re. Russian convoy..."went through contested area w/ Iraqi forces present. (we weren't there when hit happened)..any number of (stories out there...none of them are factual..) when this group has completely gotten to safety and we've made our own examination, we may have more to say."

"It's always expected that this regime has chems..and will to use it."..."We continue to focus on potential of being used...we have chem. agent detectors, chem. monitors (near the front)...(no spec. on potential chem. exposure yesterday)...

"It should come at know surprise that our gov. has done work w/ Iraqi National congress...there is ongoing work...there are Iraqis outside of Iraq that are interested in liberating their country...and Iraqis inside Iraq (inter. in helping)...

"We focus on places where regime leaders...(they) might want to move and we want to deny freedom of movement...we remain focused on that ..in Baghdad...some areas we maintain a high degree of control...some, surveillance...tactical decisions...

Re. potential for chem. attacks: "We look more at not what the actual decisions are going through (minds of remaining regime leaders)..we (ask ' are there methods to deliver chem//bio weapons left?' ) we believe that our ops. have been effective...we did deliberate things against (delivery missiles) where we saw them, we destroyed them...and moved into areas where they (have been launched in the past)...those ops continue..

"There will be a day of accounting for those who have committed war crimes..in plain view of the whole world.."

"There are parts of Baghdad that we've not been through...regime still has control...Saddam City for example...consider effort (ongoing by regime to make sure the citizens there don't turn)..places where regime can control military ops...those decisions for the most part are low-level decisions...what we don't see is overarching control (by regime)...we encountered some divis. commanders..soem of them did not survive...that takes away from C&C capabilities....(our goal is to) take away all capability of the regime..with assist. of population(s)...

"We've seen some limited movement by Iraqi helicopters that have not yet been attacked...hiding away from airfields...moved near cemetaries....(seen aircraft buried to hide from us)...all assets have not been accounted for...we can not ignore that capability on a daily basis..."

"Our track record to date shows that as we enter into an urban area we do it in a very deliberate way...focus on specific military threats...(NOT civilians)...while there may have been civilian casualties...we KNOW that we (focus on regime elements) we continue to do all we can to protect (Iraqi civilians...we are concerned that regime will continue to use civilians ...) "We're disciplined, we're trained and we're also very accurate."

"The diff. places we go into sometimes have ( intel value)..we've not found a lot of weapons inside palaces..those are more commonly reserved for schools and hospitals...(we have found regime leaders...command and control systems) Our efforts are nota bout individuals...(are efforts are about taking down the regime)...we do have forces flowing in..they've always been part of the plan...it will increase the combat capability of the coalition..we believe that the coalition continues to gain strength with every day that passes.."

"We believe (Chem Ali) may have been in a home...where we have the opportunity we make the direct attack..

"We've conducted ops in places where missiles have been traditionally used (West...desert) SCUD family...I don't recall how many we've encountered...we have seen some...mostly Al Samoud...all of these capable of potentially carrying chem...our efforts continue ...we know that here has been some (missile devel. over last few years...our work continues. AL reimadi between lakes w. of Baghdad.)..

"This is not about individuals...we report facts. we've certainly seen some misrepresentation of facts..some of them glaringly obvious...we have a regime that has engaged in this type of misinfo (for long time...right now, Bag. bob showing to outside world..".what Iraqi people are seeing is something very different"..

Re. removing chem suits. Decision made by tactical commanders...it's a judgement call...delegated to lower level (not from CENTCOM)..

"What we have is a plan. Timeline is not the appropriate term...we have a related series of objectives to be achieved...the IRaqi people are already beginning to see what life if like where regime has been removed...victory (is already occuring in some places)...

Re. Iraqi Nat. Congress helping us inside of Iraq: "I don't want to be specific...we do have ongoing ops...should be no surprise that (Iraqi ex-pats want to help liberate Iraq)...

Shep just said they blew up the statue in the center of Bagdad...I still see one on the webcam I'm watching (MSNBC).

I can't wait to see what shows up on EBAY. ;-)

Ha! I'll bid.

Looting the hotels in Gaghbag.

No, they are looting in Basra

Shep's reporting looting in Bashra. From some reason, I don't feel animosity toward these looters. Considering the deprivation they have been forced to live under, I say, if it is any building related to Saddam and his thugs, let them even take the paint (and paintings) off the walls.

did we blow up anything else while I was asleep?

Probably. I slept from about 10 EDT to 6:30 EDT, and missed all kinds of action. General scene now is coalition took two palaces in Baghdad; fighting ongoing from the east of Baghdad as Marines drive toward the Tigris; fighting in Baghdad right now; Basra seems to be "over the hump."

Hey, darlin'. How are you feeling today? Better I hope. The pine pollen is really thick here that everyone's got sinus infections.

they blew it up last name, I watched, it was totally surreal. They had a split screen of the statue being blown up, and Baghdad Bob saying there were no forces in baghdad..at all.

last name=last night
i'm still asleep

Baghdad Bob is ranting on MSNBC, but I think it's tape. Is this where one of our guys should go over & tap him on the shoulder?

bump

It was fun to watch. FOXNews pulled off another media coup. They were showing live feeds from Greg Kelly at the Palace, while the other networks were playing feeds out of Arabic TV.

[Seems CENTCOM is giving FoxNews the exclusive on this. Maybe some payback involved???]

This taking of the palaces feels like the taking of Hitler's Eagle's Nest, in a way, 'cept Hitler ain't dead yet (maybe?)...

fn website saying we found wmd in baghdad, but no story yey
anyone have details?


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In honor of our Freed and the men and women who risked their lives to rescue her!