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The agreement on constitutional amendment procedures between leading Sunni politicians and their counterparts in Iraq's Shiite and Kurdish communities is the most hopeful news from that distressed country in a long time. This is true no matter whether voters approve the constitution in today's balloting, as expected, or reject it. The deal to convene a committee to propose amendments next year, assuming that the constitution is ratified, gives the Sunnis nothing concrete, only a chance to propose changes in a document many of them instinctively rejected when it was proposed. Why did they reject it? Mostly because Sunnis by and...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 13, 2005 – A new Defense Department report sent to Congress today cites strong forward momentum in developing Iraq's security forces, noting a 50 percent increase in the number of troops capable of taking the lead in combat operations. The Report to Congress Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq, the second quarterly "report card" on the security, political and economic environment in Iraq, addresses specific baseline metrics, measurements and indicators of Iraq's security, political and economic environment. Peter Rodman, assistant secretary of defense of international security affairs, told Pentagon reporters today not all aspects of progress or lack...

Yes, the Iraqi jihadists have close ties to Osama bin Laden. Yes, the jihadists are losing popular support. Yes, the lure of democracy for Muslims is strong. And yes, "more than half of this battle is taking place in the battlefield of the media." All of these realities, and more, are evident in a letter, intercepted by U.S. intelligence forces, that Osama bin Laden's top deputy wrote on July 9 to the leader of terrorist forces in Iraq. The letter confirms many of the claims that President George W. Bush has made about the nature of the misnamed "insurgency," and...

Peace Like a River has a good graphic of forward operating bases that have been turned over to the Iraqi security forces."You'll see relatively few have been turned over in the troubled Sunni areas west of Baghdad. The bulk of the bases are in Kurdish areas in the north, or Shi'ite areas in the south.It is a good sign that a number of areas of Baghdad are being given over to Iraqi control".

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — President Bush got a taste of some of New Orleans' finest Monday, dining in the French Quarter and staying at a luxury hotel to showcase progress in the hurricane-battered city even as much of it remains in ruins. The historic French Quarter was mostly spared by the storm and is showing increasing signs of normalcy with lights back on and establishments re-opened. Still, many of New Orleans' stores and businesses remain closed, relatively few people are on the streets and many areas remain uninhabitable, even if mostly dry. The president, accompanied by wife Laura, saw little...

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Military offensives by coalition and Iraqi forces have made significant progress against insurgents in western Iraq, and the mostly Sunni Arab region will be safer for voters in next week's constitutional referendum than it was during January's national election, the U.S. military spokesman said Thursday. Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch joined President Bush in warning that a spike in insurgent attacks is likely between now and the next step in Iraq's democratic transition: the Oct. 15 referendum on the new draft constitution. In fact, Lynch said that cities such as Baghdad must brace for attacks that could...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 5, 2005 – The Iraqi security forces have made enormous progress over the past 16 months, the U.S. Army general who oversaw their training for more than a year said during a Pentagon news conference today. Lt. Gen. David Petraeus headed Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq for 15 months before turning the command over to Army Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey last month. Petraeus said that while much more work needs to be done, no one should belittle the progress that has been made, especially since the progress has taken place in spite of a brutal insurgency. Iraqi security...

Special to World Tribune.com GEOSTRATEGY-DIRECT.COM Wednesday, October 5, 2005 BAGHDAD — The U.S. military has encountered a new type of Sunni insurgent — a largely untrained teenage foreigner. Many such insurgents come from Saudi Arabia and Yemen as well as from such North African states as Algeria and Libya. An Iraqi soldier leads suspected insurgents captured following clashes in Baghdad, to a van on Sept. 28. AP Photo/Samir Mizban -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The new insurgents still capable of deadly suicide attacks but are much less effective against coalition and Iraqi forces, U.S. commanders said. In many areas of the Sunni Triangle, they...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 5, 2005 – President Bush said today he's pleased with the progress Iraqis are making in developing a military capable of handling the security challenges of the future. Bush spoke to the press following a meeting with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld; Marine Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Army Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, former commander of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq. Rumsfeld and the generals briefed the president on the status of Iraqi forces and coalition operations in Iraq. Bush said the United States continues on the offensive against terrorists worldwide,...

BAGHDAD, Oct. 1, 2005 – In the dead of night Sept. 24, Iraqi police with the 2nd Public Order Brigade conducted their first raid without oversight by coalition forces. The mission was directed against members of terrorist groups and criminal gangs in Medain, a district south of Baghdad. In all, the Iraqi police unit detained 20 suspects and confiscated several AK-47 assault rifles. "Medain is a very important area for us to secure - many people suspected of terrorism live in that region," said Brig. Gen. Hamed Aabdullah Abrahim, 2nd POB commander. "Our brigade is conducting qualitative operations, not quantitative,...

WASHINGTON -- Three in four Iraqi business leaders are optimistic about the future though nearly half say they enjoyed better basic services under Saddam Hussein, according to a recent poll released by Zogby International and the Center for International Private Enterprise. "The respondents believe that their own firms will grow and succeed and that Iraq's economy and political system will continue to grow and develop," said the poll, which was released Wednesday. Seventy-seven percent of business leaders polled said they expected the economy as a whole to grow at least somewhat, with more than half of those predicting the growth...

Bush paints positive picture of Iraq war President says 'all Americans can have confidence' in U.S. forces Saturday, October 1, 2005; Posted: 2:12 p.m. EDT (18:12 GMT) WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush said Saturday he is encouraged by the increasing size and capability of the Iraqi security forces, touting progress on a key measure for when U.S. troops can come home. The upbeat remarks in Bush's weekly radio address came two days after the top commander in Iraq said only one Iraqi battalion is ready to fight without U.S. support. "All Americans can have confidence in the military commanders who...

BAGHDAD [MENL] -- The U.S. military has determined that 80 percent of the Al Qaida network has been captured or killed. Officials said the breakthrough against Al Qaida took place over the last four months. They said a series of strikes in northern and western Iraq have eliminated senior Al Qaida commanders as well as disrupted the flow of insurgents and weapons from neighboring Syria. Brig. Gen. Kevin Bergner, deputy commanding general of Multinational Force-Northwest in Iraq, told a Defense Department teleconference on Sept. 23 that U.S. and Iraqi troops have disrupted about 80 percent of Al Qaida's network. Bergner,...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28, 2005 – Iraqi security forces are increasing in size and capability, and American forces are constantly adapting their tactics to fight the ever-changing tactics of terrorists in Iraq, President Bush said here today. After being briefed by Army Gen. John Abizaid, commander of U.S. Central Command, and Army Gen. George Casey, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, Bush spoke about the war on terror and emphasized the importance of a congressional briefing Abizaid and Casey are scheduled to give today. "The support of Congress for our troops and our mission is important, and Americans need to know about...

US President George W. Bush today went on the offensive over Iraq, insisting he had a clear strategy for victory, despite raging violence and slumping support for the war among Americans. Mr Bush, whose personal-approval ratings have been dragged down by a combination of Iraq and the fallout from the Hurricane Katrina debacle, warned, however, that violence could surge before Iraqis vote on a new constitution next month. He said US troops were ready and would not let "terrorists" obstruct the "march of freedom", apparently trying to convince Americans of progress in Iraq, despite the deaths of more than 1900...

SADR CITY, Iraq, Sept. 27, 2005 — Sadr City residents say they’re definitely seeing a difference as nearly $86.5 million in infrastructure improvements have been completed with an additional $246 million ongoing. Local citizens report their sewers are working (unlike last year when all the lift stations were inoperable with broken pumps), water pressure is better, and they’re seeing electric lines going up. U.S. Army Lieutenant Col. Jamie Gayton, Commander, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Brigade Troops Battalion Commander, is overseeing the work and says he couldn’t accomplish the mission without the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). “The lash-up...

BAGHDAD AND CAIRO – In a succession of intelligence breaks, the US says it has killed two key members of Al Qaeda in Iraq in recent days, including the organization's No. 2 man who is suspected of orchestrating a series of suicide bombings in Baghdad since April. According to American military officials, the US has either made key arrests or developed informants who have led to a cascade of actionable intelligence over the past month. Since the middle of August, the US has reported killing or capturing at least 16 members of Al Qaeda in Iraq, led by the Jordanian...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2005 – The successful parliamentary elections in Afghanistan Sept. 18 have proven wrong all critics of U.S. efforts in that country, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in a Pentagon news briefing today. Critics of the war in Afghanistan were not just wrong, they were harmful because they made the cause seem hopeless, Rumsfeld said. The millions of Afghan citizens who turned out to vote proved them wrong, and terrorists weren't able to affect the elections, he said. "Terrorists have done everything in their power to try to intimidate the millions of Afghan voters and the literally thousands...

Things are getting better in Iraq BY COL. ED CARDON Families and friends of the Vanguard Brigade: We had much lower temperatures this week and one day the temperature almost dropped below 100 degrees — a cold snap. We are still averaging between 105-110 degrees every day, but it is much cooler, especially in the morning. We have had a very good week and we are very proud of the actions of our soldiers. They are doing an absolutely wonderful job and they are really making a difference on the streets. There are still both insurgents and hard-core terrorists on...

Mississippi Debris Pick and Blue Roof in High Gear The Army Corps of Engineers’ Task Force Hope Mississippi has 703 personnel from around the nation focused on recovery operations in the Mississippi Recovery Field Office (RFO), with weekly for the next several weeks. This number could eventually reach 1000 at peak recovery as the Vicksburg District sets up a district-size team to execute assigned FEMA missions. Debris Removal: Current Mission Pick Up Level, 21% Complete FEMA estimates that there are currently about 18 to 20 million cubic yards of debris in the hurricane impacted area of Mississippi. This equates to...