Posted on 06/11/2003 9:32:56 PM PDT by null and void
Good Morning.
Welcome to the daily thread of Operation Infinite Freedom - Situation Room.
It is designed for general conversation about the ongoing war on terror, and the related events of the day. In addition to the ongoing conversations related to terrorism and our place in it's ultimate defeat, this thread is a clearinghouse of links to War On Terrorism threads. This allows us to stay abreast of the situation in general, while also providing a means of obtaining specific information and mutual support.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq (news - web sites)'s state oil marketing company SOMO on Thursday awarded its first post-war tender to sell 10 million barrels of crude held in storage but only one U.S. company was among the six winners.
The tender was won by Spanish refiners Repsol and Cepsa, Turkish Tupras, Italian ENI and French Total while ChevronTexaco was the only U.S. company.
Of the 10 million barrels sold from storage in Turkey, 5.5 million will go to the European market and four million to the U.S., the remainder left for "tolerance," SOMO Director-General Mohammed al-Jibouri told reporters.
Total and Chevron together were awarded the four million barrels for the United States, with Chevron taking the entire Basrah light volume of two million barrels.
Jibouri refused to reveal prices or details of what volumes had been awarded to the other winners but market sources in Europe said ENI, Cepsa and Repsol had received one million barrels of Kirkuk each, with Tupras winning the rest.
The sources also declined to comment on prices.
Of the 10 million barrels tendered by SOMO, Basrah Light comprised two million barrels and Kirkuk eight million barrels. The Basrah Light will be lifted from the Turkish port of Mina al-Bakr and Kirkuk from Ceyhan.
A total of 52 companies had bid for the tender, and out of that total, three companies did not qualify, Jibouri said.
An announcement over a Hamas-operated loudspeaker at the scene identified the militant as Yasser Taha, who was wanted by Israel. Hamas official Mahmoud Zahar told al-Jazeera satellite television that Taha, his wife and two children were in the car.
The missile strike was launched a day after a Palestinian suicide bombing killed 16 people on a Jerusalem bus and Israeli helicopter attacks killed 11 people in the Gaza Strip.
Witnesses said three helicopter gunships fired six missiles into the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood on Thursday, completely destroying a Subaru car.
Security sources and witnesses said the last missile launched exploded among bystanders who had rushed to help the vehicle's passengers. They said dozens of people were hurt.
U.S. Gets War Crimes Tribunal Exemption
UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. Security Council on Thursday approved another one-year exemption for American peacekeepers from prosecution by the new international war crimes tribunal, but it faced opposition from France, Germany and Syria.
France, Germany and Syria abstained, despite a U.S. appeal not to further strain the bitter trans-Atlantic division over the war against Iraq. The three argued that a special U.S. exemption was not necessary and only weakens the International Criminal Court.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan spoke out strongly against any attempt to try to make the exemption permanent - which the United States initially sought. He warned that this would not only undermine the court but the authority of the U.N. Security Council "and the legitimacy of United Nations peacekeeping."
The resolution adopted by a vote of 12-0 with the three abstentions, authorizes a yearlong exemption from arrest or trial for peacekeepers from the United States and other countries that have not ratified the Rome treaty establishing the court.
France and Germany, both members of the European Union, were in the forefront of opposition to the U.S.-led war against Iraq. Last week, the United States warned the EU that its criticism over the exemption request was putting more strains on trans-Atlantic relations.
France's deputy U.N. ambassador Michel Duclos said agreeing to the renewal "risks in effect giving credence to the perception of permanent exceptions which can only weaken the court and impair its authority."
During an open Security Council debate before the vote, Greece's U.N. ambassador Adamantios Vassilakis, speaking on behalf of the 15-nation bloc, put the United States on notice that "automatic renewal would be undermining to the letter and the spirit of the Rome Treaty and its fundamental purpose."
All 15 EU nations are among the 90 countries that are party to the court, which will prosecute cases of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed after July 1, 2002. The court will step in only when countries are unwilling or unable to dispense justice themselves.
The court got a boost Wednesday when China's U.N. Ambassador Wang Yingfan said his country was "positively considering" ratifying the Rome Treaty. Beijing was one of seven countries that voted against the Rome statute but in the last four years has taken a more positive attitude.
"China's change reflects a growing support worldwide for the ICC and international justice," said William Pace, who heads the Coalition for the International Criminal Court, which represents more than 1,000 organizations supporting the tribunal.
Then President Bill Clinton's administration signed the 1988 Rome treaty setting up the court, but the Bush administration has rescinded the U.S. signature.
President Bush contends that Americans could be subject to the court's jurisdiction even if it is not a party to the pact. Washington argues that the court could be used for frivolous or politically motivated prosecutions of American troops. In addition to the exemption, it also has signed bilateral agreements with 37 countries not to prosecute American officials - and is seeking more.
During Thursday's debate, Canada's U.N. Ambassador Paul Heinbecker appealed to the council to keep the exemption from becoming permanent and emphasized that "the ICC is not a court for frivolous prosecutions." He noted safeguards put in the treaty at U.S. request to ensure that such prosecutions will be screened out.
Last July, the council unanimously approved a one-year exemption after a diplomatic battle in which the United States threatened to end far-flung peacekeeping operations from Afghanistan to Sierra Leone.
Washington had asked for a quick vote on its resolution. But non-council nations asked for - and got - an open council meeting before the vote.
The final deal dented the court's underlying principle that no one should be exempt from punishment for war crimes, and it angered court supporters and human rights groups.
U.S. deputy ambassador James Cunningham called the Rome Treaty "fatally flawed" and said the resolution represented a compromise that should be respected by all nations. He denied that it violated the treaty.
It's long past due to get us out of this overweening organization.
Thu June 12, 2003 12:47 PM ET WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Middle East envoy John Wolf will leave for the Middle East this weekend, probably on Saturday, to try to save Washington's peace plan, a State Department official said on Thursday.
"Saturday's pretty firm, definitely the weekend," said the official, who asked not to be named.
"We will go straight to Jerusalem and have a full range of meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders," he added.
It will be Wolf's first trip to the Middle East since President Bush asked him to take on the assignment.
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraqi forces shot down a U.S. helicopter gunship in western Iraq on Thursday, just hours after U.S. fighter jets bombed what they said was "a terrorist training camp" in central Iraq.
The incidents came as U.S. ground troops wound up a massive sweep in a Sunni Muslim enclave north of Baghdad, aimed at routing out the organizers of attacks on occupation forces. Thursday's events marked a sharp escalation of U.S. military operations in central and western Iraq, where guerrillas have intensified attacks on U.S. troops in recent weeks.
"It's one of the largest operations since the war," U.S. Central Command spokesman Lt. Ryan Fitzgerald said.
The downed AH-64 Apache helicopter belonged to the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division, a Central Command statement said. A pair of Apaches fired on "irregular forces" at the crash scene, while U.S. ground troops secured the site and rescued the uninjured two-man crew.
Saddam 'knew about decapitation strike'
Saddam Hussein was warned about the first US decapitation strike, Iraqi National Congress leader Ahmed Chalabi has claimed.
Mr Chalabi says the Iraqi leader was warned by the same man who told American forces of Saddam's whereabouts.
He said an Iraqi double agent helped engineer the March 19 attack on a Baghdad bunker that started the war, at the request of the dictator.
"We believe that Saddam was aware of the decapitation strike against him," he told the Washington Times.
"And we also believe that he took measures to make it appear he was somewhere. In other words, there was evidence he was in control of the operation."
He said the INC had learnt details about the attack from contacts in Iraq and Jordan, adding: "We quickly determined that Saddam also was aware of this."
Saddam is believed to have survived the March 19 strike, and a second attempt to kill him in a bombing raid on a Baghdad restaurant on April 8.
Mr Chalabi claims the deposed dictator is still alive and has offered a bounty for every American soldier killed. The INC leader had expected to take charge of Iraq following the collapse of Saddam's regime.
But the former exile's unpopularity in the country has led the US to sideline him from the political process to find a new leader.
Story filed: 18:45 Thursday 12th June 2003
HAVANA (AP) - President Fidel Castro led hundreds of thousands of Cubans Thursday in a march outside the Spanish Embassy to protest what he sees as Europe's alignment with U.S. policies toward the communist island.
Surrounded by security men and his closest aides, the 76-year-old Castro led a river of people past the white, colonial Spanish mission. The demonstration lasted about two hours but Castro stayed for only about 10 minutes.
``Down with fascism,'' an announcer chanted over a public address system along the coastal highway in Old Havana. ``Long live the revolution!''
Marchers carried small red, white and blue Cuban flags and signs accusing Spain's Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar of being a U.S. puppet.
European officials have joined U.S. officials in protesting Cuba's imprisonment of 75 political dissidents for terms of up to 28 years and its execution of three men who hijacked a ferry.
WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Colin Powell plans to meet in Jordan with leaders of Russia, the European Union and the United Nations in an effort to repair the tattered road map for peacemaking between Israel and the Palestinians.
The meeting will be held at the end of a trip Powell will take next week to Cambodia for an Asia conference and to Bangladesh, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said. Amman, the capital, is the likely site in Jordan, he said.
In the meantime, Powell telephoned Foreign Ministers Silvan Shalom of Israel, Ahmed Maher of Egypt, Saud al-Faisal of Saudi Arabia and Marwan Muasher of Jordan to appeal for help in stemming the violence in the region, Boucher said.
NEW BRITAIN, Connecticut (AFP) - Days after warning Israel against efforts to kill Palestinian militants, the White House blamed resurgent Middle East violence squarely on the extremist group Hamas.
"The issue is Hamas. The terrorists are Hamas," spokesman Ari Fleischer said as US President George W. Bush traveled here to give a speech on health care. "They are the enemies to peace, in the president's judgment."
Asked whether Bush stood by remarks on Tuesday in which he scolded Israel for airstrikes targeting Hamas members, Fleischer replied: "I leave it at just where I put it this morning."
Israel's helicopter attacks were followed by a suicide bombing, claimed by Hamas, that killed 16 people, and by later Israeli missile strikes in a tit-for-tat cycle of carnage that has thrown the peace process into disarray.
Fleischer downplayed the likelihood that Bush would ramp up active US telephone diplomacy and reach out personally to prime ministers Ariel Sharon of Israel or Mahmud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority.
"It's not as if a phone call will get Hamas to stop being terrorists," he told reporters aboard Bush's presidential Air Force One airplane.
Hamas warns foreigners to get out of Israel
GAZA CITY (AFP) - The military wing of the radical Palestinian Islamic group Hamas warned foreigners to leave Israel for their own safety while threatening new attacks against the Jewish state.
In a statement received here by AFP, the Ezzedin al-Qassam Brigades advised foreigners to "leave the Zionist entity to ensure their security since we will strike everywhere."
It added that the suicide bombing of a commuter bus in Jerusalem on Wednesday by one of its members that left 16 other people dead was "only the beginning of a new series of reprisals against the Zionists who occupy our country."
"The Al-Qassam cells are called upon to act rapidly to transform the Zionist entity into blood and ruins," it said Thursday.
It said the attempted assassination of top Hamas political leader, Abdul Aziz al-Rantissi, the most senior figure in the group to have been targeted since the September 2000 start of the uprising, was a "cowardly operation conducted by the enemy government which believed the summits in Sharm El-Sheikh and Aqaba assured it a cover."
US President George W. Bush convened a summit with Palestinian prime minister Mahmud Abbas and moderate Arab leaders at the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on June 3.
Another was held a day later between Bush, Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at Aqaba, Jordan, to reaffirm their commitments to a peace roadmap to end the 32 months of fighting.
But amid the tit-for-tat attacks this week which have killed almost 50 people on both sides, the Israeli army has been ordered to "completely wipe out" the Hamas movement, according to Israeli public radio.
In the latest bloodshed, at least six Palestinians died, including a three-year-old girl, when several Israeli helicopter gunship rained missiles on a target in northern Gaza City, Palestinian medical sources said.
Sharon presses on with crackdown on Hamas
JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon appeared convinced he could step up his attacks on the radical Palestinian group Hamas without compromsing ties to his main ally, the United States.
"As long as Israel is seen as defending itself against terrorism, I don't think a risk of tensions with the United States really exists," government spokesman Avi Pazner told AFP on Thursday.
Driving home the point hours later, several Israeli helicopters fired missiles at a car in northern Gaza City, killing at least six Palestinians, including a senior Hamas leader and a baby girl, Palestinian sources said.
Sharon, the former general, made his position clear Wednesday evening after a suicide bomber from the radical Palestinian group Hamas blew himself up and killed 16 other people on a crowded bus in central Jerusalem.
With a series of attacks and counterattacks heralding a new dangerous phase in the 32-month-old conflict, Sharon said in a speech carried live on Israeli television that "Israel will continue to fight relentlessly against terrorism."
But he stressed he would "continue the political process to ensure peace and security."
In a perilous balancing act, the Israeli premier was trying to silence domestic criticism that he was not tough enough with Palestinian militants whilst assuring Washington of his commitment to the peace efforts initiated by US President George W. Bush in Aqaba, Jordan on June 4.
In a rare rebuke to his ally, Bush said Tuesday he was "troubled" by the timing of Israel's attempt to assassinate a Hamas leader, adding it undermined Palestinian prime minister Mahmud Abbas's ability to "fight terrorism".
Abbas, who wants to avoid any risk of a civil war, saw in the strike on Abdul Aziz Rantissi an attempt by Sharon to destabilize him and wreck his efforts for a ceasefire.
But unfazed by US criticism, the Israeli army pounded Hamas targets afresh on Tuesday, struck again twice on Wednesday, and launched another raid on Thursday, killing at least 22 Palestinians in total.
On Thursday, Sharon appeared determined to take his crackdown a step further.
The Israeli army was ordered to "completely wipe out" the Islamist movement, using "whatever means necessary," according to public radio.
Israel, which has apparently stopped discriminating between military and political targets, also made it clear that not even the movement's spiritual guide Sheikh Ahmad Yassin was safe.
Sharon jusitifies his tough line by arguing that Abbas is not taking the initiative and leaves no other choice than to take Israel's security into his own hands.
On Thursday, Dan Kurtzer, the US ambassador in Tel Aviv, voiced no criticism whatsoever of Sharon's policies. He hailed the fact that "Israel started taking the steps we called for in Aqaba," referring to the dismantling of some Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
Pazner rebuffed suggestions Sharon was out to sabotage the US-sponsored "road map" for peace and argued he wanted to "save the peace process" because Abbas was unable to do deal with the Hamas attacks.
The suicide attack in Jerusalem Wednesday probably silenced most critics in the international community, giving Sharon more room to maneuver.
"Just imagine another two or three buses explode in the next two days," analyst Joseph Alpher said. "Sharon wouldn't ask anybody's opinion and would simply assume he has the United States' understanding."
Alpher predicted Sharon would send his tanks into the Gaza Strip, reoccupy it and capture or kill all the Islamist movement's leaders.
"It's a realistic scenario," he insisted, adding that it would hammer the final nail in the roadmap's coffin.
DHS | Department of Homeland Security | Secretary Ridge Announces New Initiatives For Port Security
For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary June 12, 2003
NEWARK, NJ - U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, during an event at Port Elizabeth, New Jersey highlighting the Department's efforts to secure our nation's ports, announced new port security initiatives and investments to provide increased international cooperation, greater use of technology, and additional funds for port security facility enhancements.
"The port security measures we are putting in place - both here at home and abroad - are about building on our capabilities and strengthening each layer of defense. Through information sharing with our international partners; several different levels of inspection; review of intelligence information on the crew, cargo and vessel long before they reach our shores; state-of-the-art technology; and, of course, vigilance at every turn, we are able to screen and board 100 percent of high-risk vessels coming into our ports," said Secretary Ridge.
The measures announced today further build on a comprehensive port security strategy and range of enhancements directed by the President following September 11, 2001. Today's announcements, outlined below, include the second phase of the Container Security Initiative (CSI), $170 million in port security grants, and $58 million in funding for Operation Safe Commerce.
Enhancing Container Security - Phase 2
The Container Security Initiative, an existing Department of Homeland Security program incorporating side by side teamwork with foreign port authorities to identify, target, and search high-risk cargo, will now be expanded to strategic locations beyond the initial 20 major ports to include areas of the Middle East such as Dubai as well as Turkey and Malaysia.
"The Container Security Initiative has emerged as a formidable tool for protecting us from the threat of terrorism," said Secretary Ridge. "Now that we have almost achieved our goal for CSI at nearly all of the top 20 ports, we will be expanding CSI to other ports that ship substantial amounts of cargo to the United States and that have the infrastructure and technology in place to participate in the program."
The top 20 ports account for 68 percent of all cargo containers arriving at U.S. seaports. Governments representing 19 of these ports have agreed to implement CSI during the first phase including an agreement with the government of Thailand for the Port of Laem Chabang that was signed by Secretary Ridge and Thailand's Foreign Minister on June 11. Phase 2 of CSI will enable the Department to extend port security protection from 68 percent of container traffic to more than 80 percent -- casting the safety net of CSI far and wide.
Helping Secure Our Port Facilities - Port Security Grants Programs
Secretary Ridge announced the Department's commitment to enhancing security at our nation's key ports and facilities though $170 million dollars in port security grants.
The Port Security Grant Program funds security planning and projects to improve dockside and perimeter security. The latest round of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) grants have been awarded to 199 state and local governments, and private companies for $170 million (Attachment A). These new awards will contribute to important security upgrades like new patrol boats in the harbor, surveillance equipment at roads and bridges, and the construction of new command and control facilities. TSA, the United States Coast Guard and the Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration evaluated the Port Security Grant applications and selected grant award recipients. In 2002, $92 million was awarded in the first round of Port Security grants.
In addition to the $170 million, the Department of Homeland Security also provided $75 million in port security grants for specific projects from the FY '03 supplemental budget. The funds will be distributed by the Office for Domestic Preparedness to cover recent infrastructure security protective measures, security enhancements, training, exercises, equipment, planning, and information sharing (Attachment B).
Using Technology and Teamwork - Operation Safe Commerce
As part of the Department's effort to secure cargo as it moves though the port, Secretary Ridge announced $58 million in funding for Operation Safe Commerce, a pilot program in coordination with the Department of Transportation that brings together private business, ports, local, state, and federal representatives to analyze current security procedures for cargo entering the country. The program's objective is to prompt research and development for emerging technology to monitor the movement and ensure the security and integrity of containers through the supply chain. The ports of Seattle and Tacoma, Los Angeles and Long Beach, and the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey are participating in the pilot program.
TAKING CHARGE — U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, 1st Armored Division commander, addresses his staff as a group for the last time on June 9, at Baghdad International Airport, before taking over the top U.S military position in Iraq as the V Corps Commander. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Shama Parker.
NATO Ministers Okay Sweeping Command Changes
By Jim Garamone - American Forces Press Service
BRUSSELS, Belgium, June 12, 2003 – NATO defense ministers approved the most extensive command structure revision in the history of the alliance today.
Under the plan, the number of NATO headquarters will drop from 20 to 11 and will place the alliance firmly on the road to counter the threats of the 21st century, NATO officials said.
U.S. officials are pleased with the changes. A senior defense official speaking on background said this will leave NATO forces better organized to conduct joint combined operations. There will be two new strategic commands: Allied Command-Europe will become Allied Command- Operations; Allied Command-Atlantic changes to Allied Command-Transformation.
U.S. Navy Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani Jr. has been nominated as the Supreme Allied Commander-Transformation, which will be headquartered in Norfolk, Va. U.S. Marine Corps Gen. James Jones will remain Supreme Allied Commander-Europe; his headquarters will remain the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, but his NATO command will be Allied Command-Operations. Jones' geographic area of operations will also expand.
Below the supreme allied command level will be three joint force commands: Naples, Italy; Brunssum, the Netherlands; and Lisbon, Portugal.
Under the Brunssum headquarters will be three component commanders: the Component Commander-Air will be at Ramstein; CC-Maritime at Northwood, England; and CC-Land at Heidelberg, Germany.
Under the Naples command, the CC-Air will be in Izmir, Turkey; CC-Maritime in Naples; and CC-Land in Madrid, Spain. The Lisbon command will be primarily maritime and will add other components if needed.
Giambastiani also heads U.S. Joint Forces Command, also headquartered in Norfolk. That command leads the U.S. military's push toward transformation and officials expect a lot of synergy from the grouping of the NATO and U.S. commands.
Officials said Allied Command-Transformation will have a significant European footprint. NATO will establish a Joint Warfare Center in Stavanger, Norway. The alliance will also build a Joint Force Training Center in Bydgoscz, Poland. An element of the command will be located here as liaison to the Allied Command-Operations.
Officials said there are also prospects for countries to develop centers of excellence in areas such as maritime capabilities and chemical and biological warfare defense capabilities.
NATO officials said the change mirrors developments in the U.S. military.
U.S. officials said the changes finally configure NATO to fight the war on terror and not on its old nemesis, the Soviet Union.
The NATO command structure was originally set up to provide defense for Western Europe in the event of an attack by the Soviet Union. Heavy infantry and armor units were the formations of choice to counter a Soviet land attack. These formations were based near the area they were to defend.
The United States, for example, had 300,000 service members permanently based in Europe at the height of the Cold War. Yearly, the U.S. military practiced deploying heavy divisions from the United States to Europe.
This command structure was fine as long as there was one known enemy poised on the border of Western Europe, officials said.
But times changed. The Soviet Union imploded and the Warsaw Pact broke up. "The NATO command arrangement survived longer than the Soviet Union," quipped one NATO official.
The emphasis is now on creating lethal and highly deployable forces that can be sustained in remote areas. During the Warsaw NATO meeting in 2001, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld proposed creating a NATO Reaction Force. NATO leaders officially adopted the idea at the Prague Summit in November 2002.
Deployability will challenge the NATO members. Allies must invest in strategic and tactical airlift capabilities, said U.S. officials. Fast-sealift capabilities must also be developed and acquired. American officials said they have seen encouraging signs that the NATO allies are investing in these capabilities.
Allies will not need the mass armies of the past, and personnel are expensive. U.S. officials said the allies can finance many needed capabilities enhancements by shifting funds from personnel costs.
By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service
BRUSSELS, Belgium, June 12, 2003 – Spain today pledged 1,100 troops to the Polish-led division that will become part of the coalition force in Iraq.
At the NATO defense ministerial, Spanish Defense Minister Federico Trillo-Figueroa y Martínez-Conde confirmed his country would provide the military aid.
NATO has already agreed to help Poland with the force. The alliance will not have any permanent presence in Iraq, but will aid Poland in supporting roles. These include help with force generation, communications, logistics and movements, said NATO officials.
Poland volunteered to form the division. A Polish brigade will be the nucleus for the division, which could ultimately number between 7,000 and 9,000 soldiers, according to Polish officials.
Ukraine has also volunteered to contribute 1,700 troops, and Hungary will provide 500, along with 800 from Honduras and El Salvador. Several other countries have also volunteered smaller numbers.
Force-generation conferences will occur over the next few weeks to figure out in what particular areas that NATO will be able to support the Poles, officials said.
U.S. officials are pleased both with Poland's decision to form the division and with NATO's offer of support.
"We are enthusiastic about NATO's decision to help the Poles," said a senior DoD official speaking on background. "It's a big step for NATO. It's a strong commitment to a new ally who is stepping up to very important responsibilities and it will be viewed as very helpful to the coalition. It's a winner all around as far as we're concerned."
Poland joined NATO in 1999. Its troops have supported operations in the Balkans and in Afghanistan, providing important support in the war against global terrorism.
NATO officials said they will study the Polish deployment experience in Iraq carefully with an eye toward what lessons it would have for the NATO Reaction Force.
The reaction force will ultimately consist of 20,000 service members from NATO countries. It will be able to deploy out of the European area in days rather than months, it will be light and lethal, and NATO will be able to sustain the force in place for up to a year.
NATO defense ministers approved a concept of operations for the NATO Response Force during the defense planning committee meeting today. A senior defense official said there is strong enthusiasm for the force, which has translated into its accelerated development. He said plans now call for an early capability by this fall and initial operational capability in fall 2004.
The NATO Reaction Force will also be a focal point for another important NATO initiative to develop new capabilities for the alliance. The official said the capabilities needed to create the reaction force represent the high-priority capabilities that nations need to invest in. He pointed specifically to strategic airlift and sealift as particularly important aspects.
NATO also must invest in secure communications technologies and precision-guided weapons.
By Gerry J. Gilmore - American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, June 12, 2003 – Operation Peninsula Strike, a U.S. military effort to eliminate Saddam-regime loyalists remaining in Iraq, has "bagged" nearly 400 suspects, according to U.S. Central Command press releases.
The operation began June 9, according to Central Command, when Task Force Ironhorse soldiers conducted a series of raids to eliminate Baath Party regime loyalists, paramilitary groups – such as Fedayeen Saddam – and other pro-Saddam groups.
By the second day, Operation Peninsula Strike had rounded up 397 suspects, according to Central Command, and had collected "numerous" weapons and ammunition.
By June 12, 59 of the 397 detainees had been released, having been deemed as too young or old or having little value for obtaining intelligence, according to the command.
The raids were mounted against subversive elements located on a peninsula along the Tigris River, northeast of Balad, Iraq.
The U.S. Army's 4th Infantry Division is leading the strike force, which is comprised of Army infantry, armor, artillery, aviation and engineer elements, and U.S. Air Force aircraft and personnel, according to CENTCOM.
In related news, two more Saddam supporters on Central Command's "Iraqi Top 55" officials' list are in coalition custody, according to Central Command. They are:
Latif Nusayyif al-Jasim al Dulaymi, No. 18 on the Top 55 list. He's a former member of the deposed regime's Revolutionary Command Council, a Central Baath Party member and Deputy Secretary of the Baath Military Bureau.
Brig. Gen. Husayn al-Awadi, the former Baath Party Regional Chair, Ninawa Governorate, and Chemical Corps officer. He is No. 53 on the "Top 55" list. U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has noted in recent days that pro- Saddam paramilitary units such as Fedayeen Saddam, Baathists and other subversive groups remaining in Iraq are responsible for a recent spate of sometimes fatal attacks on U.S. troops serving in Iraq.
Those groups, Rumsfeld pointed out June 10 at Fort Sao Juliao, Portugal, while on a four-day European trip, "are the ones that are periodically attacking coalition forces, sometimes successfully."
However, "the United States is adding forces in Iraq," Rumsfeld said in Portugal, while "altering the mix of our forces so that their increased presence will be seen and felt in the country."
The defense secretary also noted that discussions are now ongoing with 41 countries for more Iraq peacekeeping assistance. And "additional countries are already putting forces into Iraq," he said.
Attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq won't cease within the next two or three months, Rumsfeld pointed out, noting "it will take time to root out the remnants of the Saddam Hussein regime."
However, "we intend to do it," Rumsfeld told reporters.
CAMP DOHA, Kuwait -- Coalition Forces continue to aggressively patrol Iraq to eliminate crimes against people and property, rid populated areas of weapons, ammunition and explosives, and stop the black market trade in fuel and other commodities. Coalition Forces also continue to conduct joint security patrols with Iraqi police to increase the professionalism of the police force and prepare them for their role in a self-governed Iraq.
Coalition Continues to Seek and Destroy Subversive Elements
A Coalition raid was conducted 150 kilometers Northwest of Baghdad Wednesday as part of the continued effort to eradicate Ba' ath Party loyalists, paramilitary groups and other subversive elements.
The assault on the terrorist training camp began at approximately 1:45 a.m. (Baghdad time) with a coordinated air strike. A direct firefight ensued with ground forces early this morning. Ground forces included members of the 101st Airborne Division.
One Coalition soldier received minor wounds.
Any information or intelligence gathered at the site of the raid by specially trained soldiers would assist coalition forces in providing a safe and secure environment for the Iraqi people.
Task Force "Ironhorse" Continues Operation Peninsula Strike
A joint, combined arms task force led by the 4th Infantry Division began Operation Peninsula Strike Monday by conducting a series of raids to eradicate Ba'ath Party loyalists, paramilitary groups and other subversive elements located on a peninsula along the Tigris River, Northeast of Balad, Iraq.
Fifty-nine of the 397 detainees have been released because of age (young or elderly) or were of no intelligence value.
Any information or intelligence gathered at the site of the raid by specially trained soldiers would assist coalition forces in providing a safe and secure environment for the Iraqi people.
Weapons Turn-In Program:
Iraqi citizens voluntarily turned in a variety of weapons under the Weapons Turn-In Program, which began June 1. As of today, Iraqi citizens have delivered to weapons collection points a total of 113 pistols, 75 semi-automatic rifles or shotguns, 386 automatic rifles, 40 machine guns, 130 anti-tank weapons (i.e., rocket-propelled grenade launchers), 10 anti-air weapons, and 249 grenades and other explosive devices.
The amnesty period for the Weapons Turn-In Program will run through June 14.
Public Notice Regarding Public Incitement to Violence and Disorder:
Office of the Administrator of the Coalition Provision Authority advises all citizens, residents of, and visitors to Iraq of the following security measure(s). Any person making a prohibited pronouncement in a public place, distributing or attempting to distribute any prohibited material in whatever form, will be subject to immediate detention by Coalition security forces and held as a security internee under the fourth Geneva convention of 1949.
Examples of prohibited pronouncements and material are provided as follows:
- Material that incites violence against any individual or group, including racial, ethnic or religious groups and women.
- Incites civil disorder, rioting or damage to property. - Incites violence against Coalition forces.
- Advocates alterations to Iraq's borders through violent means.
- Advocates the return to power of the Iraqi Ba'ath Party or make statements that purport to be on behalf of the Iraqi Ba'ath Party.
The notice clarifies that it is not designed to exclude or inhibit legitimate debate and criticism, or to stifle political expression. Prohibited pronouncements and materials are limited to those that incite violence or destabilization of the sensitive environment that currently exists in Iraq.
Coalition Activity:
Marines in An Najaf detained 10 individuals from Fallujah at a vehicle checkpoint after receiving information about their plans for possible attacks against Coalition Forces. The suspects were detained for questioning, as they matched the description provided by informants. Locals confirmed their identities.
Coalition efforts to improve local policing remain effective. Al Kut police detained 4 individuals for possession of a stolen bus and truck. After a search of their home, the police confiscated 100 rockets and propellant mechanisms, a cache of RPGs, an AK-47, a 60 mm mortar, 4 new desktop computers, and a stolen air conditioning unit.
The An Najaf police academy held a graduation ceremony in which 88 candidates graduated to assist in law enforcement operations.
In Al Basrah, British forces conducted a raid to disrupt possible criminal elements in a village. They detained five individuals, and seized eight RPG’s and 29 warheads, six assault rifles, one machine gun and 20,000 rounds of mixed ammunition, two computers, and a possible stolen bed vehicle with dodgy paper work.
1st Armored Cavalry Regiment conducted a raid on a suspected Ba’ath Party meeting and detained three personnel.
101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) arrested and turned over to local authorities three Iraqi men after they shot and killed a fellow Iraqi in Mosul. Five AK47 assault rifles and 23 magazines, three long rifles, a 30 cal machine gun, assorted ammunition and 77,050 Dinar were confiscated.
Local citizens in Mosul led an Army patrol to an ammunition cache that contained 160 mortar rounds and 500 anti-aircraft artillery rounds.
Conducted a raid on a house in Mosul to locate possible bomb-making material. After a cordon of the area, a laptop computer containing bomb-making instructions was confiscated, along with other documentation.
Conducted a raid on a suspected arms market in Baghdad, but found a stolen car market instead. Twelve personnel were also detained for questioning, and the raid netted nine stolen cars, $3,300 dollars, 26 million Dinar, 30 license plates, and a pistol.
3rd MP Company came across looters during a routine patrol in Al Fallujah. Five looters were detained and two stolen vehicles were recovered.
3rd MP delivered two vehicles to the Habbiniyah and Khalidyah mayors for transfer to their police forces. The first IPF uniform was completed for the police chief yesterday and the first roll call formation was conducted with 292 police officers present.
Police Activity in the Last 24 Hours:
Coalition Forces conducted eight raids and a total of 2,176 patrols throughout Iraq. Of those patrols, they conducted 264 joint Iraqi and Coalition patrols. They also detained or arrested 273 individuals for a variety of criminal activities including looting, curfew violations, weapons violations, theft, larceny and dealing drugs.
Recent Police Activity:
The Al Kut police detained four individuals for possession of a stolen bus and truck. After a search of their home, the police confiscated 100 rockets and propellant mechanisms, a cache of RPGs, an AK-47, a 60 mm mortar, four new desktop computers, and a stolen air conditioner. Clearly our police force is increasingly effective.
Unknown assailants in Northwest Baghdad shot at two Iraqi police officers, killing one. One of the officers returned fire as the suspects fled. The officer did not die at the scene of the crime, but at a hospital as a result of his wounds.
A joint patrol in West Baghdad served an arrest warrant to a suspect for a stabbing and robbery incident. The suspect was taken under custody without incident to the New Baghdad Police Station.
CAMP DOHA, Kuwait -- One AH-64 Apache was apparently shot down by hostile fire today in Western Iraq. Coalition ground forces were able to recover the uninjured two-member crew almost immediately and secure the crash site.
Two additional Apache helicopters assisted in engaging irregular forces in the vicinity of the downed aircraft.
All helicopters involved belong to the 101st Airborne Division.
DEPLOYED AIR BASE NEAR IRAQ — A U.S. Air Force F-16CG fighter aircraft crashed at approximately 6:30 a.m. local time today southwest of Baghdad. The aircraft was flying from a forward-deployed air base in Southwest Asia supporting operations in Iraq.
The pilot ejected safely from the single-seat aircraft and was rescued at approximately 7:30 a.m. He was transported to the nearest facility for medical care.
The cause of the incident is unknown at this time and will be investigated.
CAMP DOHA, Kuwait – Coalition Forces continue to assist in developing a safer and more secure environment in Iraq through the following activities.
NORTHERN AND CENTRAL IRAQ
Coalition Forces recently:
• Delivered 20 tons of propane (3d Infantry Division) Wednesday in Baghdad.
• Reported the court system is functioning in Baghdad.
• Reported a World Food Program convoy of 222 trucks arrived from Jordan with food for delivery to Baghdad, Babil, and Wasit.
• Made final arrangements for the shipment of 4,000 soccer balls from Karachi, Pakistan. The shipment will fly to Kuwait (via Kuwait Air) but will require military ground transport from Kuwait to Baghdad. Nike has donated 4 x 40’ mil vans as part of the international effort to support youth sports within Iraq. The OCPA Youth Ministry has developed a distribution plan for the soccer balls.
• Met with the Mosul City Council Executive Steering Committee (UN, OCPA, Mosul Vice Mayor) to synchronize the Mosul rebuilding effort, and coordinated discussions among attendees and the “big eight” city service providers of public works, health, education, safety, transportation, fuel, food and agriculture and municipality). • Assessed water lift stations in Al Fallujah in order to monitor progress in water distribution.
• Conducted school assessments, and trash pick-up missions in Al Fallujah as part of a "Task Force Neighborhood" mission.
• Coordinated with the Ar Ramadi hospital administrator to re-establish regular medical supply channel shipments to the local warehouse, and completed an assessment of on-hand supplies. Delivered medical supplies to the Fallujah Hospital, and continued to work through medical channels to provide supplies as needed.
• Received 159 benzene and 58 propane trucks from Turkey this morning. Reported 51 of 97 trucks entering Iraq from Syria as carrying humanitarian assistance supplies.
• Received $20 million to support payments for wheat harvest in Northern Iraq. Additionally, received $200,000 for the silos in four Northern Governates.
• Turned over a Habitat for Humanity model house to contractors in Mosul, and reported "Task Force Graffiti" removed more than 60 Ba’ath Party symbols from various buildings.
• World Food Program Director is prepared to support the Coalition plan to support food distribution efforts.
• Attended the Mosul City Council meeting today and discussed a variety of issues with the city’s leaders. Met with the Preventive Medicine Department of Mosul to create a vaccination plan for the city.
SOUTHERN IRAQ
• Army military police performed CPR on an injured Iraqi driver in Al Hillah until an ambulance arrived to take the driver to a hospital in Baghdad.
• Identified an interim city council in As Samawah that consists of 12 highly respected citizens, a widely popular city manager, and an interim governor. The courts continue to function and more than 300 workers opened the As Samawah Cement Factory for business.
• Pro-Coalition sentiment is high as essential services such as electricity and water improve beyond pre-war conditions in As Samawah.
• GOAL (non-governmental aid organization) completed the extension of a 106 mm water-pipe to an apartment complex in As Samawah. Water-pipe is an extension from a municipal water facility.
• Reported the retirement office in An Najaf paid $40 stipend payments to 2,100 pensioners.
• Reported a convoy of 19 benzene gasoline trucks downloaded a 5-day supply of fuel for the city of Karbala.
• Assisted the Karbala electricity manager to develop a plan to distribute electricity to industrial sites, while maintaining a reasonable level of service to residential customers.
• Met with the International Development and Relief Board to discuss the possibility of providing training to Iraqi doctors in modern medical and surgical techniques and providing medical equipment.
• Reported that temporary blackouts are expected for several hours as final repairs to the 400- Kilovolt power line between Al Kut and An Nasiriyah are completed. Otherwise, power in An Nasiriyah remains consistent with 23 hours of service each day.
The past few days:
Castro marching around Cuba calling the Europeans 'fascists' - lol! He's been calling everyone else "fascists" and "racists" for years. Must read DNC talking points.
Palestinians flee from a car that was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Thursday, June 12, 2003 after spotting Israeli gunship helicopters. In the third air strike against Hamas targets in 24 hours, Israeli helicopters on Thursday fired missiles at a car in Gaza City, killing seven people, including a young child, and wounding 25, doctors said.
Israeli Missiles Kill 7 in Gaza City
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Israel killed seven Palestinians, including a Hamas fugitive, his wife and their toddler daughter in its third rocket attack in 24 hours Thursday, as Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and the Islamic militant group threatened a fight to the finish.
The increasingly deadly confrontation — with 39 killed and more than 130 wounded on both sides in two days — left little hope President Bush's Mideast peace initiative, launched just a week ago, will survive.
The U.S.-backed peace plan calls on the Palestinians to dismantle militant groups and on Israel to refrain from actions that undermine trust.
However, Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas insists he cannot use force against the militants who have rebuffed his truce offers. Sharon says he will not wait for Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, to negotiate a deal with them.
"If I need to choose between the war on terror and supporting Abu Mazen, I will chose the first option," Sharon told his Cabinet. He ridiculed Palestinian leaders as "crybabies" for saying they can't crack down on Hamas.
Palestinians, in turn, accused Sharon of doing everything he can to sabotage the "road map" peace plan. "(Sharon's) aim is to discredit the Palestinian government and to assassinate his real enemy, which is the road map," said Palestinian Cabinet Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo.
In Thursday's strike, Israeli helicopter gunships fired missiles at a car carrying Yasser Taha and Ibrahim Abu Srour, two Hamas fugitives. Both wanted men were killed, along with five other people, including Taha's wife, Fatima, 25, and their 2-year-old daughter, Asnan, doctors said. A baby bottle and baby shoes were pulled from the burning car. Twenty-nine people were wounded.
Israel army spokeswoman Maj. Sharon Feingold expressed regret at the civilian casualties. "A result of a mistake, family members were also killed," she said. "They were not targets."
The car was attacked in the Sheik Radwan neighborhood, just as mourners were leaving a nearby cemetery where 11 dead from two previous airstrikes were buried. Witnesses said one missile hit as Palestinians surrounded Taha's car.
Thursday's funeral procession was attended by about 35,000 mourners, who chanted: "Abu Mazen, listen closely. There is nothing except jihad (holy war)."
Later Thursday, an Israeli motorist was killed in a Palestinian shooting attack in the West Bank.
The chain of events began last week with a summit at which Sharon and Abbas promised Bush to get started on the peace plan.
Two days later, Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi announced the group was breaking off truce talks; over the weekend, Islamic militants killed five Israeli soldiers.
On Tuesday, Israel launched a missile strike on Rantisi's car; he was wounded. Hamas vowed revenge and on Wednesday, a Hamas suicide bomber killed 17 people in Jerusalem. That attack was followed by three rocket strikes against Hamas fugitives that killed 18 Palestinians in Gaza City, half of them civilians.
In the wake of the bloodshed, Israel and Hamas exchanged new threats that suggested a new stage in 32 months of fighting.
In perhaps its harshest warning since it first set off suicide bombings in the mid-1990s, Hamas said it was ordering "all military cells to act immediately and act like an earthquake to blow up the Zionist entity and tear it to pieces." The group said foreigners should leave for their safety. Hamas has generally acted on its threats.
Sharon, in turn, said he would fight militants "to the bitter end," regardless of the road map to peace.
Defending himself against a U.S. rebuke over the botched attempt on Rantisi's life, Sharon said he never promised Washington to halt the campaign against militants. However, targeting Rantisi, who considers himself a political leader without ties to the military wing, was seen as an escalation in Israel's battle against Hamas.
Mohammed Saleh, 19, a Hamas supporter carrying an M-16 assault rifle in Gaza on Thursday, declared: "Sharon will feel the revenge in his house. Nothing can protect him from my bullets. If not me, my brother, or the coming generation will fulfill our mission of liberation."
After nightfall Thursday, Israeli forces killed two Islamic Jihad activists who drew guns on soldiers who came to arrest them in the West Bank town of Jenin, the military said. Witnesses said special forces entered the town and opened fire on the two.
The Israeli airstrikes have further weakened Abbas at a time when expectations are fading that he will be able to rein in the militants. Abbas has said he does not want to unleash civil war and that the Palestinian security forces — in tatters after being targeted in repeated Israeli strikes — are unable to do the job.
Secretary of State Colin Powell plans to meet in Jordan next week with leaders of Russia, the European Union and the United Nations to try to repair the tattered peace process, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Thursday.
Assistant Secretary of State John Wolf also will arrive in the region in coming days to head a team of U.S. monitors who will supervise implementation of the road map. However, it appears unlikely either side will move forward on the plan in the current tense climate.
Difficulties in meeting the requirements of the plan had been expected, but many were taken by surprise by such a rapid return to bloodshed. There have been deadlier days in the past 32 months, but despair was perhaps more keenly felt because there had been hope of a new beginning.
"Bush, too, cannot compel Hamas to stop terror," Israeli commentator Sever Plotzker wrote in the Yediot Ahronot daily. "And the all-powerful Bush cannot compel Sharon to stop the assassinations (of Palestinian militants). The cause and effect, the effect and cause, it's all jumbled. Who remembers who started?"
"We lived under dictatorship for 35 years. I'm not prepared to go through that again, and I don't think anybody is," said lead singer Nadeem Hamed, a 20-year-old biology student. "If people attack us for being in a band, that's terrorism."
Great story. For those who don't think the Iraqi people can 'rule' themselves (most of the international left)...history says to them "bunk"! (you arrogant wankers (my addition))
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