Free Republic

The commander of U.S. troops in Baghdad, delivered an upbeat assessment today of the future in and around Iraq's capital city. In a Baghdad press conference, Army Brig. Gen. Martin Dempsey, commander of the 1st Armored Division, said he is optimistic about the future of Iraq. "We have only one New Year's resolution. And that is, as the word suggests, to remain resolute in our work to establish a safe and secure environment for the Iraqi people," Dempsey said. The general briefed reporters on Operation Iron Grip, the ongoing division effort against cells of Saddam Hussein regime loyalists. The primary...

Task Force 1st Armored Division Soldiers captured five men suspected of firing rockets at the Coalition Provisional Authority headquarters Dec. 25, according to Combined Joint Task Force-7 officials. Two rockets hit an unpopulated area near parking in the vicinity of the CPA Head Quarters at about 11:15 p.m. There were no injuries or damage to equipment or property. Aircraft observed the launch point and reported the location.

Four soldiers were killed in operations in Iraq and another was killed in an accident Dec. 24 to 26, coalition officials announced. News reports said that guerrillas also launched a series of mortar and rocket attacks on coalition targets in and around Baghdad. While these attacks targeted U.S. and coalition forces, there were no casualties, said officials in Baghdad. 1st Armored Division soldiers captured five men suspected of firing rockets at the coalition compound. Division soldiers also participated in Operation Iron Grip. Soldiers captured 66 prisoners in the operation, of which 21 are considered significant. These include a major general...

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Soldiers arrested 18 people in a deadly missile barrage last month that Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz narrowly escaped, officials said Sunday. U.S. warplanes bombed near a center of Iraqi resistance, and the military said it was intensifying the fight against insurgents after increasingly bloody attacks. The U.S. command also announced the death of another soldier, killed late Saturday when his vehicle struck a land mine in Baghdad. A senior Iraqi official warned that mounting violence may delay steps toward a new constitution, considered a major condition for returning the country to full Iraqi rule. Lt. Col....