***Operation Iraqi Freedom - Situation Room - Day 22

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

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Why aren't our all-knowing presstitutes going to the Iraqis themselves and asking these questions?

Believe it or not, PRETTY CHICKEN, who speaks Arabic, did just this today. It was great. Here are the notes I took: PRETTY CHICKEN did some Man-on-the-street cam interviews with Iraqis; Pretty Chicken speaks Arabic: First Iraqi guy: There is Looting. If there could be order AND peace, that would be great. Wish for a US-sponsored Government to restore order and peace. Not just for now, but for the future too. Second Iraqi guy: (Asked how he feels today vs. yesterday) It's a fundamental change. Before, I couldn't speak to you. Now, I can speak to you, or anyone I want. But what about the Government? What is going to happen to the Gov't? Wants to know where all these Gov't leaders have been all this time (not sure who he is referring to here... Bush/Blair or INC)... We don't want them, where have they been? We have qualified people here. We want our people who have been here, not people who have been sitting at desks for 40 years. Also mentioned water, electricity, etc. needing to be restored. Third Iraqi guy: First thing I would ask of Bush is to restore the order and water/electricity, etc. As far as Gov't, we want people from INSIDE Iraq, not people from outside the Gov't. We want help from the US first, maybe even a military police, to keep the order, while we get things going ourselves. We need to stop the burning of the Iraqi Gov't buildings... these buildings belong to the Iraqi people and we need these buildings. Fourth Iraqi guy: Thanks God, we are very happy we are tasting freedom for the first time. But there are people who are taking advantage of the situation by stealing. They are not stealing from Saddam Hussein, they are stealing from us, the Iraqi people. He's seen some of the buildings being protected (from looting) and some are not. Asking if the US troops can go on patrol because some of the Regime loyalists have been firing on them, but it is not being seen, so asking if the US troops can protect all the neighborhoods. He saw this with his own eyes, and he helped them, he held the injured. These mortars were coming down and falling near our own homes and our own children were injured. Asks Bush and Blair to improve the Hospital situation, first aid facilities, get the water turned back on. It seems that the American soldiers are afraid of the Iraqis, but they should know that we have nothing to hurt them with, we are not part of the Regime, so they shouldn't be so nervous about us. Asking for Coalition troops to go around and round up weapons, that there are too many weapons in too many people's hands, and they could be picked up by people who don't know how to use them and accidents could happen, so they should be collected. They need to have electricity so they can know what is going on. He walked 20 Kilometers today just to get here so he could find out what was going on... they need electricity so people can listen to the radio so they are not in the dark, so they know what is going on. He felt like a blind person w/no information. I'm 35 years old and I've never seen freedom, I've never had a chance to see democracy and freedom. I've read about it, but I've never seen it with my own eyes. I am ready to work, but there is no work for me. I'm not married, and there is no fufuture for me. Iraq could be the richest country, we have many wonderful things, we have oil, we have history... We need security, we'd love for the Coalition to protect every neighborhood like they've protected the Palestine hotel, we need water, and we need to fix the hospital situation because there are many children who are in hospitals. Fifth Iraqi guy: He is from Doha, and he has seen much fighting and there are still many Fedayeen. He is afraid to put up a white flag because the Fedayeen might shoot me. Right now, we have no protection, we have no sponsorship. We are stuck in the middle. You are afraid to go to the coalition because you will be shot in the back by the Fedayeen; you can't stay with the Fedayeen because you will be shot by the Coalition. We have many family and friends in other countries and we can't talk to them, they are worried about us, but I have to come here and talk to you to hope they see this to know we are OK. (there was something else, but I missed it)

Pentagon briefing - Thurs. Apr. 10:

Victoria Clarke and Maj. Gen. Stanley McChrystal:

"Hopes continue to arise for the people of Iraq."

"Troops had a fierce fight in the center of Baghdad...one Marine died

"In the last few days 7 Army, 7 Marines and 1 Air man have lost their lives....so (others) could live in freedom."

Torie listing details of humanitarian aid...two ships from Galveston on the way w/ food, Australia sending wheat, oil for food program restarting.

In Umm Qasr water supply is above pre-war level, med. facilities operating, food available...hospital for EPWs being set up.

In Basrah..food supplies sufficient, electricity is being restored...etc...(read transcript...lots of details on humanitarian efforts all over Iraq...food, medical, water...enough..to shut up all but the most deceitful press)..

In Baghdad the food is adequate, hospitals operating at reduced (capacity) water...N. Iraq... food, electicity all remain at pre-war levels...

Stanley McChrystal:

The conflict is not over. Since the Saddam statue was toppled, two servicemen were killed...we continue to find weapons caches, death squads are a threat....we are (removing bad guys up north)...173rd Airborne entered Kirkut meetin little resistance...

Pics: strikes on:

SRG military barracks, w/ obstacle course-

VIP retreat house, C&C for Regime -

Radio broadcast jammer center -

SM: "Kurds w/ US Spec. forces and 173rd .Airborne..entered Kirkut...opportunity (arose) when regular Iraqi army forces pulled back..the situation is fluid. We have US forces in Kirkut...we're talking to Turkish forces as well.."

TC: "We tend to stay away from terms like "control" because they do (remain fluid) "The Iraqi Regime no longer CONTROLS the town." (Kirkut)

SM: "Force protection is a complex task...this (suicide bomber) reenforces the threat of the dangers that remain...

Re. nuclear find TC: "I'm only aware of the report from the embedded reporter." "It takes time...it's a long process. We remain focused on the primary task of winning the war."

SM: "If you remember some weeks ago there were also 2 RG divis. up north as well, they have been viewed on the low end of the spectrum of the Iraqi army...we have been targetting them aggressively for the last days.(w/air, and on ground)...we judge their capability to have dropped (signifantly)... they are the last significant forces on the battlefield that we are aware of.."

Re. sabotage on oil fields up north SM: "We're certainly concerned about that (no details)..

Re. providing security for people of Baghad, POWs SM: "We are very concerned about the POWs. We do not have intel that I can share...we are working hard to get that...we believe that as the regime can no longer threaten (we hope people come forward w/ info)...we ahve to defeat the remaining (pockets of regime)...that is a direct war fighting task...the end result is a secure environment (for Iraqi people)..that will take some time. First, get rid of death squads, get dupporting assets on line (water, etc.)...

POWER VACUUM - TC: "We're always concerned with things like that (sucide bombers)..There are towns in ths o. where locals have come forward to (help)...

Re. looting...TC: "They have not come under a lot of criticism from the humanitarian community ...throughout the country we're working with human. organizations...SM: "You can't do everything at once, though you try to do as many...clearly, the (no. one job is to get rid of death squads) Looting is a problem, but it's NOT a major threat. People are not going to get killed doing it...

Re. Tikrit SM: "They moved the RG down around Baghdad...remnants of Baathists, irreg.? "Fortress Baghdad" or "Fortress Tikrit? I don't thinbk anyone's prepared to say that. We (are prepared for a fight)...

Re. forces in the north - SM: "I leave it up to Gen. Franks to make the decisions.. the 4th ID is largely in Kuwait..(will soon be helping)...

TC: "We're broadcasting a lot now...the primary focus is finishing the fighting...transitioning it to the Iraqi people....part of the strategy is to try to end the regime and do as little destruction to the infrastructure as possible (so the Iraqi people can use it soon..)

SM: "We've been flying more than 1000 sorties a day...there's been no shortage of being able to generate sorties..."

Re. Kofi and weapons inspectors: TC: "It was less skepticism over the inspectors ..more a reality that the regime was not going to let them do their jobs...best (settled by the State Dept)..

SM: "Our Spec. Ops have been w/ the Kurdish forces throughout...working with them (we are not commanding and controlling all of the forces in the north.)..

TC: "Just begun to work their way through some of those (extensive underground bunkers)...

SM: "What strength do they have. (regime) ...it's hard to tell..they have been significantly degraded...how they surrender is...we dropped a number of leaflets providing instructions for how they (tell coalition they want out of the fight)...we have not seen major surrenders like that in the north...

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Operation Iraqi Freedom

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