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Baghdad -- Om Hussein, wrapped in her black abaya, lists the contents of the family's walk-in storage closet: three 175-pound cases of rice, two 33-pound cases of cooking fat, six cases of canned tomatoes, three crates of assorted legumes, a one-month supply of drinking water, frozen chicken livers in the freezer. And in the garage, jerry cans filled with fuel are piled floor to ceiling. Om Hussein, who was reluctant to give her full name, and her Shiite family are preparing for war. They've stocked up on food. They bought a Kalashnikov rifle and a second car -- so that...

President Bush vowed for the first time yesterday to turn over most of Iraq to newly trained Iraqi troops by the end of this year, setting a specific benchmark as he kicked off a fresh drive to reassure Americans alarmed by the recent burst of sectarian violence. Bush, who until now has resisted concrete timelines as the Iraq war dragged on longer than he expected, outlined the target in the first of a series of speeches intended to lay out his strategy for victory. While acknowledging grim developments on the ground, Bush declared "real progress" in standing up Iraqi forces...

NEWS RELEASEHEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND7115 South Boundary BoulevardMacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 October 28, 2004Release Number: 04-10-70 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE IRAQI SWAT TEAM ROLLS UP 18 INSURGENTS IN NORTHERN BABIL FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – The Iraqi SWAT team, backed by elements of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, captured 18 insurgents during a sweep through the south-central Iraqi town of Haswah Oct. 27. The operation raised to nearly 500 the number of insurgents caught by Iraqi Security Forces and their Marine allies since the MEU arrived in northern Babil province three...

  Iraqi Security Forces Conduct Joint Operations Near Tuz Tuz, Iraq- Soldiers from the 209th Battalion of the Iraqi National Guard and police from the Tuz Iraqi Police department with multi-national forces from the 30th Brigade Combat Team’s Task Force 120 conducted several cordon and searches in Tuz and Amerlie on Oct. 21. They detained five suspects in the murder of the Sulyman Bak Iraqi Police Chief Lt. Col. Rasheed on Oct. 7. This joint mission was conducted with ING soldiers conducting the main search operations in Amerlie and multi-national forces providing the outer security, resulting in the detention...

Sunday, October 3, 2004 Iraqis agreed to help drive out terrorists By Ward Sanderson, Stars and StripesEuropean edition, Sunday, October 3, 2004 BAGHDAD — Tribal leaders in the city of Samarra met with government officials prior to this week’s U.S. and Iraqi assault on insurgents there, agreeing to help drive the terrorists out, according to the new government’s top security official.About 125 of those insurgents — including foreign fighters, Saddam Hussein supporters and common criminals — were killed in strikes Friday and another were 88 injured, Qasim Dawoud, Iraq’s minister of state for national security, during a Friday evening news...

NEWS RELEASEHEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND7115 South Boundary BoulevardMacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 September 27, 2004Release Number: 04-09-83 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE IRAQI NATIONAL GUARD SOLDIERS THWART HIJACKING ATTEMPT TIKRIT, Iraq – Soldiers from the 203rd Iraqi National Guard Battalion thwarted a hijacking attempt by anti-Iraqi forces near Ad Dujayl at about 3:45 p.m. Sept. 27. The 203rd was conducting a patrol along a main supply route when the soldiers saw anti-Iraqi forces attempting to hijack a vehicle in which six Turkish nationals were riding. The Turkish nationals are employees of a Kellogg Brown...

Allawi Thanks America, Details Plan for Iraq's Future By Jim GaramoneAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Sept. 23, 2004 -- "Thank you, America," Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi told a joint session of Congress today. Allawi thanked the United States for its role in the liberation of Iraq. He said that despite what people may read in the news or see on television, "Iraq is succeeding." The prime minister did not sugarcoat the challenges lying ahead for his country. But, he said, Iraq, the region and the world are "better off without Saddam Hussein." Allawi, who had been driven into...

Iraqi Police Training U.S. Army Spc. David Boshears, assigned to the 66th Military Police Company, Fort Lewis, Wash., trains Iraqi police on the proper technique to apprehend a criminal at the Al Mahawil police station in Al Hillah, Iraq, Sept. 21, 2004. Soldiers from the 66th Military Police Company visited the Iraqi police stations in their area of responsibility to ensure that the police have proper equipment and that the police are running their stations properly. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Adam Sanders llllllllllllll  U.S. soldiers from the 66th Military Police Company, Fort Lewis, Wash., talk with Iraqi policeman...

Most of Iraq Under Local Control by Year's End, Officials Say By Jim GaramoneAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2004 – If the training and equipping of Iraqi security forces continues apace, then most of the country will be under local control by the end of the year, Pentagon officials said today. Army Lt. Gen. Walter Sharp, director of strategic plans on the Joint Staff, said that is the conclusion reached by Multinational Force Iraq commander Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr. He said the northern part of the country – including the areas around Mosul and Kirkuk...

Two More Generators Come Online in IraqBy Mitch Frazier, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region DivisionBAGHDAD – Two electricity generators that had fallen into disrepair under the former regime in suburban Baghdad returned to service today, producing enough electricity to fuel 72,000 Iraqi homes. Iraqi and U.S. engineers brought the 7 Megawatt generator in southern Baghdad and the 17 Megawatt generator in north Baghdad online this morning. “This is a very important step in overcoming the power shortage across the country,” said Raad Shalal, a senior Iraq Ministry of Electricity official. “This will help us reach our goal...

Iraqi National Guard soldiers from Samarra graduate basic training Members of the 202nd ING Battalion salute while the Iraqi national anthem is played during their graduation ceremony in Tikrit on Aug 16. Iraqi National Guard soldiers completed the ING basic course and the six day advanced training phase. (Photo by Roland G. Walters, 196th MPAD) FORWARD OPERATING BASE DANGER, TIKRIT, Iraq – Most were once farmers with little education from rival tribes.But on Aug. 16, the more than 300 Iraqi National Guard Soldiers who graduated from basic training were literally on one accord both militarily and rhythmically.“We are ready...

Occupation Ends; Iraqis Take Charge of Country's Fate By John D. BanusiewiczAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, June 28, 2004 – Sovereignty in Iraq passed from the Coalition Provisional Authority to the interim Iraqi government this morning, two days ahead of schedule. In a 10-minute ceremony inside the heavily fortified "Green Zone" where coalition headquarters is located in Baghdad, CPA administrator Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III read a letter he had signed which dissolved the CPA. "As recognized in U.N. Security Council Resolution 1546, the Coalition Provisional Authority will cease to exist on June 28, at which point the occupation...

  Iraqi Security Forces and first responders perform well during attacksMOSUL, IRAQ - A series of attacks in Mosul on June 24, that included four or five car bomb explosions and a rocket-propelled grenade attack, resulted in a "hardening of wills" by many senior Iraqi government and security force leaders, according to Brig. Gen. Carter Ham, commander of Task Force Olympia. "The response to these attacks was almost entirely Iraqi - Iraqi police, Iraqi National Guard, explosive ordnance disposal, ambulances, fire stations and medical teams," Ham said. "The first responders did a great job. I am very happy with...

Iraqi Security Forces Open the First JCC in Northern IraqStory by Task Force OlympiaMOSUL, IRAQ – The Iraqi Security Forces in the Ninevah Province increased their ability to protect Iraqi citizens and to react to emergencies, when they opened the first Joint Coordination Center in northern Iraq June 23. All security operations will operate from the Mosul JCC where a representative from every security force element will be stationed to facilitate coordination. Representatives from the Iraqi National Guard, Iraqi Police, Facility Protection Services and Iraqi Armed Forces will be stationed at the JCC to efficiently fight crime and terrorism....

  Iraqi Security Forces repel anti-Iraqi attacks CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq -- Anti-Iraqi forces attacked three police stations and the government center in Ramadi the morning of June 24. The attacks appear to be a coordinated attempt to disrupt key municipal services within the city. Specifically, at the Qatana Police Station, 14 anti-Iraqi fighters entered the station, forced the Iraqi police to leave, set explosives and vacated the scene. The ensuing blast destroyed the station. Iraqi security forces responded and successfully repelled the various attacks. I Marine Expeditionary Force Marines deployed quick reaction forces to assist and supplement the Iraqi...

Iraq Success Depends Upon Iraqi-Provided Security, Wolfowitz Says By Gerry J. GilmoreAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, June 22, 2004 – Success in Iraq is predicated on Iraqis eventually assuming responsibility for their own security, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz told a House panel today. And the security situation in Iraq today "is incredibly serious," Wolfowitz acknowledged in testimony before the House Armed Services Committee. Wolfowitz, who just returned from a visit to Iraq June 16-19, provided his insights just eight days before the June 30 handover of sovereignty. Die-hard Saddamists and Islamic fundamentalists sowing terror and instability across...

Iraqi Government Reshapes Forces for National Security By John D. BanusiewiczAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, June 21, 2004 – The prime minister of Iraq's interim government announced organizational changes for the country's security forces, along with a plan for taking on Iraq's enemies, at a June 20 Baghdad news conference. Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said his government is committed to confronting the threats it faces when sovereignty transfers to the Iraqi people June 30. He pointed out the continued presence of sabotage elements in Iraq, including those from Saddam's former regime and foreign elements. These "oppose the aspirations of...

Iraqis to Manage All Ministries Before June 30 By Gerry J. GilmoreAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, June 21, 2004 – Iraqis will assume management of all national government ministries before the June 30 transfer of sovereignty, the Coalition Provisional Authority's chief spokesman said today. "Nearly 60 percent of the Iraqi government is already transitioned to sovereignty," Dan Senor told reporters at a Baghdad news conference. And, he noted, Iraqi officials are slated to assume control of the remaining ministries by the end of the week. With nine days remaining before the transfer of power, Iraqis now run 15 of...

Iraqi Instructors to Conduct Most Military Training By Gerry J. GilmoreAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, June 21, 2004 – From now on Iraqis will be conducting most of the training for Iraq's new armed forces, a senior U.S. military officer said today. Army Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, deputy director of operations for Multinational Force Iraq, told reporters at a Baghdad news briefing that 843 Iraqi army officers, including 11 women officers, graduated this week from a military course conducted in Jordan. That course is the second and final of its kind, Kimmitt explained, and is part of the U.S.-coalition...

Iraqi Official to American Press: Report More Good By Kathleen T. RhemAmerican Forces Press Service BAGHDAD, Iraq, June 20, 2004 – Iraq's deputy prime minister implored the American press to provide more balanced coverage of operations in Iraq. Barham Salih, a prominent leader from Kurdish northern Iraq, made his plea June 19 to American reporters traveling in Iraq with Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz. "I hope you from the American press will be able to tell people back home … that (through) this mission you are giving an entire nation an opportunity to be rid of their challenges," he...