Posted on 05/02/2005 5:57:13 PM PDT by TexKat
U.S. soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment prepare to enter the home of a suspected insurgent during an early-morning raid in Baghdad, Iraq, April 30, 2005. U.S. Army photo
A group of Afghan kids gather to watch a Soldier from Company A, 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment pull security April 28 near Zamabar , Afghanistan .
thanks for the excellent roundup! Our troops are awesome!
Let me also add --
OPERATION SPRING CLEANING http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/ad983156332a819185256cb600677af3/126205148a841e7e85256ff300380a63?OpenDocument
CAMP RIPPER, AL ASAD, Iraq(April 30, 2005) -- The Regimental Combat Team 2 security team entered an Iraqi cement factory in Kubaysah, April 15, to search for weapons and insurgent activity.
The search was done in conjunction with a larger mission, Operation Spring Cleaning, intended to uncover insurgent hiding spots. The factory was earlier identified by intelligence sources as a possible stronghold for insurgent activity. The Marines were there to root out the enemy and capture weapons caches, while causing minimal or no damage to the facility.
The Marines boarded their Assault Amphibian Vehicles and Humvees in the dark hours of the morning to trek across the desert toward the factory. The ride lasted nearly one and a half hours.
One reason for the search was the possibility of insurgents using those towers for sniper attacks or as observation posts to spy on the camp.
The cordon and knock-type patrol lasted throughout the entire day as the Marines spoke with factory workers and unlocked many of the doors there to search for weapons. A yellow dust obscured their view as the three squads trekked through the windswept factory grounds, searching abandoned buses and trucks for weapons or anything identifying the area as a stronghold.
“Our mission was to seek out insurgents and find their weapons caches,” said 2nd Lt. Nick Wingate, a 25-year-old Madison, Va. native and platoon commander. The squads scouted out several areas where we thought insurgents might be using towers as observation posts, Wingate added.
According to the factory workers, some of the doors were said be locked indefinitely and the keys lost, so the Marines used tools to enter sheds and closets suspected of being caches.
No more than an hour into the search, several AK-47s were found as well as a Russian sniper rifle later on in the day. Magazines with rounds enough to sustain a substantial firefight were also discovered with the weapons.
“The Marines did really well searching the area and I think we were successful in doing what we set out for,” said Cpl. Kevin Weber, 3rd squad leader and a 21-year-old Ridgefield, Conn. native. “This is the kind of thing we look forward to; this is why we joined the Corps,” added the 2001 Ridgefield High School graduate.
Several of the men claimed to be security guards for the factory, which supplies a large amount of the cement used for housing and civil projects across the whole of Iraq.
“Our particular role in the operation demanded a lot from the Marines, said Wingate, a 1999 Madison County High School graduate. “They had to constantly take into consideration whether the Iraqis they questioned were lying about where they got their weapons or not. It’s a thinking man’s game and it adds a whole new realm to what we’re doing out here.”
The Marines temporarily detained an uncooperative man for questioning, who had himself, been hiding with five rifles in an abandoned train station on the north side of the factory complex. What appeared to be a fighting position made from stacked rocks and a plastic bucket for a seat was discovered in the station yard near where the man was hiding.
Several minutes later, the Marines patrolled down the tracks to search abandoned rail cars and another man came out from hiding with his hands up in surrender. He was released after being questioned.
The security of the factory is a concern for the U.S. military and Iraqi officials whose mission is to reshape the country’s infrastructure. Many other industrial facilities across western Iraq are also being searched and pinpointed as possible terrorist hideouts as the new Iraqi government seeks to rebuild its economy and create a safer place to live.
The security team’s role in that process is continuing to grow as more operations are geared toward these types of missions, according to Weber.
“The guys have become really well-rounded and they’re learning every day,” said Weber. “It’s one of the most important things for the Marines to be constantly going out on these missions.”
Yes they are pissant.
Thank you AZHua87.
The F/A-18 Hornet, like the one shown here, can carry either one- or two-person crews.
U.S. searches for pilots of two missing jets - CNN
(CNN) -- A search is under way for the pilots of two Marine Corps F/A-18 jets that were lost Monday while flying in support of the war in Iraq, Navy officials said.
By Debra Erdley
Published in: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review May 2, 2005
The conviction last week of Ali al-Timimi, an American-born Islamic scholar, on terrorism charges thrust the so-called "Virginia Paintball Jihad" case to the forefront as the federal government's greatest court victory against terrorism.
All told, federal prosecutors counted 10 convictions in the case. Al-Timimi's conviction marked the first post-Sept. 11 case in which the government won a terrorism conviction for actions tied to philosophy and words designed to help the enemy, rather than deeds, such as providing money, equipment or actual combat help to that enemy.
"Until now these people have escaped. It is a very powerful position to be in if you're sanctioning this action, let alone encouraging it," said Tamar Teslar, an analyst with the Investigative Project, an organization that studies militant Islamic organizations.
The conviction focused in part on al-Timimi's teachings and statements, which a jury agreed showed his intent to incite a group of young Muslim Americans to join the Taliban. Some of them went so far as to travel to Pakistan for military training at terrorist camps.
Al-Timimi, 41, who holds a doctorate related to cancer research, now faces life in prison.
Although al-Timimi's supporters portrayed him as a moderate Muslim who sought interfaith dialogue, his work and name have been associated with militant causes for many years.
Al-Timimi's name surfaced in Pittsburgh years before he was ever charged in connection with the Virginia Paintball Jihad. A scholar with an international following in Islamic circles that follow the religion's strict salafist branch, he was listed as a member of the advisory board of Assirat al-Mustaqeem, a militant international Arabic language magazine that published in Pittsburgh from 1991 through 2000.
U.S. Attorney Paul McNulty of the Eastern District of Virginia conceded the al-Timimi case was unusual in that it focused on his speech, but said it raised no new issues.
Prosecutors relied on a 1969 Supreme Court standard that says "free speech" crosses the line into "criminal conduct" if three standards are met:
The intent was to incite criminal action.
The action was likely to succeed.
The action would pose imminent risk of harm. Al-Timimi, who had lectured frequently at Dar Al Arqam, a Falls Church, Va. mosque, had attracted a following among a group of young Muslims who watched bloody videos of jihad -- holy war -- and played paintball in 2000 and 2001 to train for global jihad. Al-Timimi was never linked to the paintball training, but the government maintained his rhetoric encouraged it.
And after suicide bombers struck on Sept. 11, 2001, the would-be jihadis, who revered al-Timimi, turned to him for advice.
Al-Timimi trial witnesses, including several members of the Paintball Jihad, said that at a secret meeting on Sept. 16, 2001, he advised the men to leave the country and take up arms for the Taliban in its coming war with the U.S.
"There is definitely a line crossed where someone is not just expressing views about our country, but encouraging, directing and enabling individuals to act on those words," McNulty said.
"Some people still want to debate the issue of whether this constitutes speech. The essence of the case was, did these words have an effect on these individuals? Did they get solicited, induced, encouraged? Did they have an influence over the conduct of other people? The jury came back guilty on all counts," McNulty said.
Legal experts watched the al-Timimi case after the government's failed attempt in Idaho to convict Sami al-Hussayen, a graduate student charged with running a terrorist Web site the prosecutors contended incited Islamists to terrorist action. Both cases skirted First Amendment concerns about protected speech, said Wake Forest University law professor Robert Chesney.
But unlike the al-Hussayen case, which focused on cyberspace, the al-Timimi case involved face-to-face meetings held in the shadow of the Pentagon in a direct reaction to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Most agree the nexus of the prosecution revolved around the Sept. 16 closed-door meeting and the role al-Timimi played.
Throughout the two-week trial in Virginia, defense attorney Edward MacMahon argued that al-Timimi's role in the meeting was that of an unwitting player in a drama penned by the members of the Paintball Jihad. MacMahon conceded al-Timimi's public speeches espoused unpopular sentiments, but insisted they were protected religious speech.
The government argued the speeches supported its contention that al-Timimi intended for the men to act on his advice to join the Taliban. Legal experts say there is a fine line between when such speech should be protected under the First Amendment and when it can be used to support intent. It's an area the courts may want to examine further in the future, said Roger Williams University law professor Peter Margulies.
McNulty insisted his office's approach to al-Timimi was specific to the facts in the case and not indicative of any new strategy.
"I wouldn't want to leave with you the impression that the jury findings are going to validate a strategy that we'll be using repeatedly or frequently in the future. Our strategy will be validated by what kind of information comes to our attention," he said.
But William Banks, a Syracuse University Law School professor who tracks such cases, said there's little evidence the government has ever been reluctant to reach out for whatever evidence it can use in such cases.
"It seems the Department of Justice has been emboldened from the get-go to use material support (to terrorist organizations) very aggressively, and I think there's a momentum there now. The fact that they've lost a few of these and lost a few on appeal hasn't slowed them down a bit," he said.
Defense attorney MacMahon said that attitude has played poorly in American Islamic communities.
"You have to understand Muslims. Actually, the Muslim community in this country no longer believes necessarily that they're going to get fair trials. They seem resigned to what's going on," MacMahon said.
Steven Emerson, executive director of the Investigative Project, said he hopes a different message emerges.
"One hopes the verdict might illuminate those in the Muslim community that they are being disserved by their own leaders. As far as future prosecutions, that should depend on the evidence collected," Emerson said.
03 May 2005 01:27:18 GMT
Source: Reuters
BAGHDAD, May 3 (Reuters) - U.S. forces killed 12 people and wounded two others, including a six year old girl, in a firefight and bombing close to the Syrian border on Monday, the U.S. military said in a statement on Tuesday.
It said six soldiers of the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq were wounded in the fight against suspected members of al Qaeda's wing in Iraq, which is headed by Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
Coalition forces followed a truck which drove to a small camp from a suspected insurgent location at the town of al Qaim, 200 miles (322 km) northwest of Baghdad and 1 mile (1.6 km) from the Syrian border, the U.S. military said.
The truck was loaded with material from a shed and tent at the camp and several adult males also boarded the truck before it headed back towards al Qaim, the statement said.
"Before the occupants in the vehicle could reach their destination the commander of the operation decided to interdict the vehicle; upon stopping the truck, the suspected insurgents opened fire on Coalition forces," it said.
"A firefight ensued with nine enemy adult males killed in action and one enemy wounded."
The U.S. military said a six-year-old girl "sustained a minor injury to her right calf and to her head" and a suspected insurgent was also wounded.
A U.S. military spokesman told Reuters the wounded girl and suspected insurgent were taken to a coalition medical facility and that the girl would be treated by a female doctor.
All of the nine men killed were heavily armed with assault rifles and hand grenades, the U.S. military said.
Three more people were killed by a coalition airstrike on the camp.
Coalition forces found fake identification cards, foreign currency and other things which the U.S. military said linked the people at the camp and on the truck to Zarqawi's network.
AlertNet news
Saudi policemen display weapons and ammunition seized after a three-day gun battle with militants holed up in a building in the desert town of Ar Rass, in which 15 militants, including Karim Mejjati and his teenage son, were killed.
Odyssey of an Al Qaeda Operative
Moroccan's Trail of Terror Illustrates Ongoing Ability to Organize Attacks
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- In the post-Sept. 11 world, Karim Mejjati was the perfect undercover al Qaeda operative. The former medical student from Morocco could speak several languages, had many passports and excelled at building bombs. He was also good at avoiding attention as he crisscrossed four continents to organize a wave of catastrophic attacks.
On May 12, 2003, an al Qaeda network that investigators say was put together by Mejjati in Saudi Arabia blew up three residential compounds for foreign workers in Riyadh, leaving 23 dead. Less than a week later, about 3,000 miles away, suicide bombers trained by Mejjati carried out the deadliest terrorist attacks in Moroccan history, killing 45 people in Casablanca.
For the next two years, authorities in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and North America pressed a secret but intensive global manhunt for the French-schooled suspect, fearing that he had set up other al Qaeda sleeper cells that had yet to be activated. Saudi Arabia put him near the top of its list of most wanted terrorism suspects. In Morocco, he was sentenced in absentia to 20 years for the Casablanca bombings. The FBI named him in a global anti-terrorism alert, warning that he was suspected of planning attacks in the United States.
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/01/AR2005050100947.html
One U.S. soldier killed by roadside bomb in Iraq
03 May 2005 01:29:15 GMT
Source: Reuters
BAGHDAD, May 3 (Reuters) - One soldier from the 1st Corps Support Command was killed and another injured by an improvised explosive device (IED) at the Baghdad International Airport on Monday, the U.S. military said in a statement on Tuesday.
It said the device exploded near their vehicle during a patrol south of the airport and that the names of the soldiers were being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
Lawsuit Blaming FDNY Radios On 9/11 Is Dismissed
May 02, 2005
Relatives of some firefighters killed in the September 11, 2001, attacks lost their appeal Monday against Motorola.
The Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a decision to toss out a lawsuit brought against the company that makes the two-way radios used by the FDNY.
The ruling praises the firefighters for making the ultimate sacrifice, but it agreed with the lower court’s findings that the victims’ families waived their right to sue by accepting compensation from the federal government.
The multimillion-dollar suit claimed that if firefighters had heard the radio command to evacuate the twin towers, they would hot have died. Motorola blames an overloaded communications network, not the radios, for the problems.
11:44 AEST Tue May 3 2005 AAP
AP - Two strong earthquakes have rocked much of New Zealand's South Island, smashing crockery and glasses in several homes, residents said.
A magnitude six quake hit South Island's west coast at 3.35am (1.35am AEST), followed five minutes later by a 5.7-magnitude temblor, geologists reported.
The quakes were centred about 10 kilometres south of the small town of Haast, and about 10-15 kilometres beneath the earth's surface.
There were no immediate reports of injury or serious damage, police duty constable Neil Gillespie said.
"It was definitely strong enough to wake us."
Haast resident Fay Eggeling said the first quake was "quite a savage one."
"We never heard it coming. And it was a real shake, not a rolling one," she added.
Jackson Bay resident Trish Nolan said her kitchen was "trashed" by the temblors.
"What a beauty! I've got crockery and glasses broken ... things fell off shelves in the bathroom and it was really noisy and chaotic," she said.
Other locals she had spoken with had also suffered minor damage, mainly broken kitchenware flung from shelves by the quakes.
New Zealand sits above an area of the earth's crust where two tectonic plates are colliding and records more than 14,000 earthquakes a year - but only about 150 are felt by residents.
Fewer than 10 a year do any damage.
11:44 AEST Tue May 3 2005 AAP
Italy has blamed the killing of a senior Italian intelligence agent in Baghdad on the inexperience of US troops acting under stress and without proper rules of engagement.
Their much-awaited report on the March incident differs markedly from the US account, which exonerated the American troops who opened fire on agent Nicola Calipari near Baghdad airport as he was escorting a freed Italian hostage to safety.
The Italian report says the US road block near the airport wasn't properly signalled and soldiers in the American patrol opened fire out of inexperience and because of the tension.
Italy rejects the US suggestion that Calipari's vehicle was travelling too fast.
The report threatens to deepen the rift between Italy and the United States over the incident.
Saddam Hussein's lawyer says there is plot to kill his client in prison
AMMAN, Jordan Saddam Hussein's lawyer says there are plots to assassinate his client in prison -- and he says the United States is responsible for keeping Saddam safe.
The attorney tells The Associated Press he got a message from an Iraqi leader, who posted something on a pro-Saddam Web site.
The message says "we have received information that certain political parties in Iraq supported by Iran are plotting to assassinate President Saddam Hussein."
Saddam's lawyer says the U-S must protect Saddam and should transfer him "to a safe place under the supervision of the United Nations."
But, an Iraqi national security adviser scoffs at the accusations. He says it's just a ploy to have Saddam moved elsewhere to face an international court.
Luke McIlveen
03may05
THE shadowy militants who abducted Douglas Wood freed a Turkish prisoner last year - but only after he agreed to convert to Islam.
The Shura Council of the Mujahidin has been linked to hardcore insurgents who began the battles of Fallujah, some of the bloodiest fighting in the Iraq war. Mujahidin means "holy warriors" and the group's priority is to convert to the Muslim faith anyone in Iraq perceived to be working for US forces.
Last September, Turkish hostage Aytulla Gezman was unexpectedly freed after he appeared on video promising to spread the word of Islam.
"I bear witness that there's no God but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah's messenger," Mr Gezman said on a video almost identical to the one depicting Douglas Wood with a rifle to his head.
A masked man on the same video made it clear that the group's patience was limited and that perceived traitors would not be spared in future.
"The Shura Council of the Mujahidin decided to release the Turkish hostage after he has converted to Islam and has repented for working with the infidel American occupation forces," the insurgent said.
Like myriad other insurgent groups, the Shura Council periodically wages campaigns of violence, then goes to ground.
The group was formed in the late 1990s by Muslim cleric and father of five Sheik Abdullah al-Janabi, once Emir of Fallujah.
But the firebrand cleric proved too much even for now-deposed dictator Saddam Hussein, who suspended him from delivering his Friday sermons in 1998 because they were too critical of Saddam's regime.
Al-Janabi resurfaced after the fall of Saddam and became a leading force in Fallujah.
There were reported sightings of him spurring on frontline insurgents with his sermons during last year's siege of the city, but it is not known whether he survived a barrage by Coalition forces.
Though the Shura Council has shown compassion in the past, terrorism experts fear they could be preparing to make an example of Mr Wood.
"It could be that it is an Islamist group or it could be that it's a Sunni insurgent group. Normally the Sunni insurgent groups have something which identify them to a particular area," said Clive Williams, a terrorism expert at the Australian National University.
"I would say it is more likely an Islamist group. Their agenda is simply to publicise their cause, then execute the hostage in the way that gets them the best coverage, which is usually beheading on video," he said.
Mr Wood is the fourth Australian to be kidnapped in Iraq.
Journalist John Martinkus was taken last October, and an Australian cleric and an unnamed security contractor were abducted and threatened with execution a month earlier. All were released.
by Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
5/2/2005 - WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- One day on a gray-painted aircraft carrier tossed by turbulent seas, a grizzled Navy commander awaits the arrival of a new pilot.
A teeny knock pings from the outside of the officer's watertight steel door.
"Come in," the commander growls. The door swings open and a squat, cylindrical object negotiates itself over the threshold and then trundles into the officer's quarters.
In a metallic voice the robot cheerfully announces: "R2-D2 reporting for duty, sir!" Already nauseated by the shifting ocean, the commander loses his lunch.
Although the scenario depicted above is imaginary, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency researcher John S. Bay predicts that fully automated unmanned aerial vehicles will be commonplace in the not-so-distant future as human warfighters rely more and more on flying R2-D2s.
Mr. Bay said Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper "have both set high goals for automation in UAVs."
An electrical engineer by training, Mr. Bay has for the past four years worked on a special Defense Department-endorsed project -- the Software Enabled Control program -- that marries cutting-edge computer technology with robotics to produce improved fixed- and rotary-winged unmanned aerial vehicles.
"The goal of the program is to improve the level of automation for air vehicles," including unmanned and manned systems, he said. This involves the implementation of "innovative control systems" that take advantage of recent breakthroughs in computer software.
The technology has already been applied to fly "a UAV from the backseat of an F-15," Mr. Bay said. Lessons learned, he said, likely will be used one day to produce "aerial robots" that, like “Star Wars” fame, would act as "an automated wingman" for human pilots.
Mr. Bay said the new technology underwent a series of experiments in August 2004 at Fort Benning, Ga., using a radio-controlled miniature helicopter, the type flown as a crop duster in Japan.
The Fort Benning trials were fully successful, Mr. Bay said, and the 150-pound helicopter "completed all of the experiments without crashing."
The flying capabilities of the little helicopter were improved by installing updated computing equipment and sensors, Mr. Bay said, as part of efforts to make it "behave more appropriately for military missions."
Those tasks, he said, could include low-altitude reconnaissance work in urban environments, landing in confined or geographically challenged areas, rapid landings and takeoffs and "nap-of-the-earth" concealed flying tactics.
PINON CANYON MANUEVER RANGE, Colo. -- The FalconLaunch rocket lifts off to reach 13,400 feet above the ground in 33 seconds April 30. During the program, cadets design, manage, build and launch a rocket as part of the Air Force Academy's Department of Astronautics course. The program progresses each academic year, with the eventual goal of creating a rocket which can deliver a 5-pound scientific or experimental payload to an altitude of about 60 miles. (U.S. Air Force photo by John Van Winkle)
Rocket-powered final exam launches
by John Van Winkle U.S. Air Force Academy public affairs
5/2/2005 - PINON CANYON MANEUVER RANGE, Colo., (AFPN) -- Two semesters of work boiled down to a 10-second countdown before a cadet-built rocket blasted off here April 30.
The rocket-powered final exam reached a 13,400 feet altitude in 20 seconds.
The launch was part of this year’s academy FalconLaunch program, an astronautical engineering course here. The two-semester program puts astrodynamics and space systems theory to a hands-on test by having cadets design, build, manage and launch a single-stage rocket.
“We also learn a lot about team dynamics and working with other people during this course,” said Cadet 1st Class Matt Miller. “We have to coordinate four different teams and all be on the same page. So communication is key. We’ve had a few mistakes, but have overcome them all. It also makes you appreciate the larger projects in the Air Force.”
The cadets demonstrated their problem-solving skills during both the rocket production and after the flight, officials said.
Information from the rocket stopped 33 seconds after launch, which was when the nose cone’s parachute deployed. The cadet’s post-flight examination of the nose cone and parachute cable showed the cable probably damaged avionics components when it deployed.
Although preliminary, design solutions were discussed by the cadets during recovery operations.
“Now that the rocket has been recovered, as a team, we need to do the post-flight analysis of the rocket,” said Cadet 1st Class John Rudzinski, FalconLaunch program manager. “This data will be used in depicting this year’s experience as FalconLaunch strives closer to a space flight. From now until we graduate, we will be working to organize the massive amount of information into a system which will be easily accessible for future FalconLaunch teams.”
PINON CANYON MANUEVER RANGE, Colo. -- Cadet 1st Class Abraham Leigh tightens a tail fin on to the FalconLaunch rocket April 30. During the program, cadets design, manage, build and launch a rocket as part of the Air Force Academy's Department of Astronautics course. The program progresses each academic year, with the eventual goal of creating a rocket which can deliver a 5-pound scientific or experimental payload to an altitude of about 60 miles. (U.S. Air Force photo by John Van Winkle)
This is the third year of the FalconLaunch program, which has created larger and more complex rockets with each year.
The eventual goal of the FalconLaunch project is to create a single-stage 100-pound rocket which can deliver a 5-pound scientific and experimental payload to an altitude of about 60 miles. This will provide cadets and the Defense Department with a flexible test bed for new structural and propellant technologies, enable military science and engineering development missions and will work with the academy’s existing capabilities to build satellites and design space-based scientific experiments.
FalconLaunch is one of 300 undergraduate research projects in progress at the Air Force Academy.
Submitted by: Blount Island Command Story Identification #: 2005526934 Story by Staff Sgt. Michael Reed
AL TAQADDUM, Iraq (May 1, 2005) -- Imagine being responsible for the lives of U.S. Marines. Now imagine leaving your family, your home, and the luxuries of everyday life. Now imagine being a civilian, and volunteering to deploy to Iraq. For many civilians, this is not a reality, but for contractors from Honeywell Technical Solutions Incorporated from Blount Island Command, it is real, and it’s all in a day’s work.
Currently there are 55 civilian contractors from HTSI, also known as the Marine Armor Installation Team working here at the Marine Armor Installation Site. The Marine Corps has tasked the MAIT with installing the Marine Armor Kits on all in-theater High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicles.
Rick Miller, HTSI field engineer and lead supervisor for the MAIT arrived here March 4, from BICmd. This is not the first deployment for Miller, having volunteered for Operation Iraqi Freedom I in 2003, and again in 2004 for OIF II.
“I always wanted to contribute in some way,” explained Miller. “For some of us who didn’t join the military, or couldn’t for whatever reason – this is our way of serving our country.”
The MAK is a newly designed armor system for the HMMWV. The kit contains a new air conditioner system, new shocks, springs, and approximately 3,500 pounds of composite armor.
The sole purpose of the MAK is to protect Marines.
“What we are doing is helping to save Marines’ lives,” said Miller.
According to Jessie Hardin, HTSI, and MAIT project manager, the teams are now at full strength, and they work around the clock in 12-hour shifts, often seven days a week, to complete this vital mission.
“Every man here with HTSI knows that their efforts each day directly benefits Marines risking their lives at all our expense,” said Hardin. “It is this motivation that keeps us going.”
For the Miller’s, HTSI is a family affair, working side by side with his brother Dan, line supervisor, MAIT, “deploying here to take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity, makes it a unique experience for both the brothers,” said Rick Miller.
Their younger brother Everett is also an HTSI team member, and is one of the civilian Marines currently working at BICmd.
“You never think that one day the work you do could make the difference between life and death for Marines,” said Rick Miller.
“I feel like we are apart of the Marine Corps; we all contribute in one way or another towards saving lives, all working together for peace and democracy,” said Hardin.
According to Hardin, each of the teams are autonomous, we can pull a three-man team with their equipment and gear, put them on a C-130, and send them to Djibouti, Afghanistan, or anywhere to install the MAK, or train Marines to do it. This is an accomplishment we are very proud of, and a capability unmatched by anyone.
Currently it takes the teams on average of 50 man-hours to install a MAK. Now with the facility at full strength, the teams have a goal to install 50 MAKs a week, or 200 a month.
“The service and job these guys are doing here is outstanding,” said Brig. Gen. Eugene G. Payne, Jr., commander, Marine Corps Logistics Command. “Our civilian Marine force truly has a sense of duty, they take enormous pride in what they do, and are motivated.”
“Not everyone gets to see the results of their job. It feels good to know what you do every day has a direct impact on helping Marines return to their families,” said Miller. “It makes what we do all worth it in the end.”
10:24 AEST Tue May 3 2005 AAP
AP - Iraq's incoming prime minister has struggled to find a Sunni Arab to run the key Defence Ministry in time to join Iraq's first democratically elected government when it takes office.
A torrent of bloodshed - at least 140 killed in five days - followed the approval of a Cabinet that mostly shut out members of the disaffected Sunni minority.
Disputes persisted over the Defence Ministry after Prime Minister-designate Ibrahim al-Jaafari filled six of the seven Cabinet seats left undecided last week, said al-Jaafari aide Laith Kuba.
The defence portfolio is destined for a Sunni, part of an attempt to balance the conflicting demands of Iraq's competing religious and ethnic factions.
At least 23 Iraqis were killed, including eight soldiers cut down by a suicide attacker who blew up a truck at a checkpoint south of the capital, and six civilians caught in a car bombing that set fire to a Baghdad apartment building.
A British soldier was also killed by a roadside bomb in the southern city of Amarah.
In New York, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan issued a statement strongly condemning the "cruel and heartless" violence apparently aimed at undermining Iraq's newly formed government.
The skyrocketing attacks are blamed on an insurgency believed largely made up of members of Iraq's Sunni minority, who dominated for decades under Saddam Hussein but were excluded from meaningful positions in a partial new Cabinet announced Thursday.
Al-Jaafari had promised to form a government that would win over Sunni moderates and reduce Sunni support for the insurgency, offering them six ministries and a deputy premiership. But Sunni politicians insisted they be given at least seven ministerial portfolios.
On Monday, Kurdish factions agreed to give up one of their ministries to meet the Sunnis' demand, said Azad Junduiani, spokesman for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, one of two main Kurdish parties.
Salih al-Mutlag, head of the National Dialogue Council, a coalition of 10 Sunni factions, identified the Sunni deputy prime minister as Abid Mutlag al-Juburi, a former major general in Saddam's army.
He said three candidates were being discussed for defence minister: Hamid Obeid and Ahmed Rikan, both former generals under Saddam, and Mohammed Hassan.
Members of al-Jaafari's Shiite-dominated alliance refused to confirm any names before President Jalal Talabani and his two vice presidents sign off on them, and they are presented to the National Assembly for a vote.
On Monday, a suicide bomber exploded a truck at an Iraqi checkpoint near Youssifiyah, 20km south of Baghdad, killing eight soldiers and wounding 20, said Iraqi army Capt Qassem Sharif.
Two car bombs in Baghdad killed at least nine more Iraqis.
One exploded in an upscale shopping district in southern Baghdad and set fire to a six-story apartment building. Six civilians were killed and seven wounded in the explosion, which missed a police patrol.
In eastern Baghdad, a car bomb exploded near a passport office, killing three Iraqis, including two policemen, and wounding six, three of them also policemen.
An American military patrol and a top Iraqi security official narrowly escaped two other bombings, US and Iraqi officials said.
The British soldier from the 12th Mechanised Brigade died of injures inflicted by a roadside bomb in Amarah, 290km southeast of Baghdad.
A total of 87 British troops have been killed in Iraq since the start of the war in 2003.
In northern Iraq, a suicide car bomb and another bomb went off in quick succession near an American patrol in the Mosul area, the US military said.
The co-ordinated attack killed at least two Iraqis and wounded 15, military spokesman Captain Mark Walter said. Hospital officials, however, said four Iraqis were killed and seven injured.
Two other bomb blasts in Mosul, 360km northwest of Baghdad, caused minor injuries to US soldiers, and a third one targeting Iraqi soldiers killed one civilian, Walter said.
Gunfire in another attack killed another civilian, he said.
Coalition forces have hit back in recent weeks, detaining suspected militants and confiscating hidden arms caches.
US and Iraqi forces have detained 84 suspects in the Baghdad area since Monday, the US military said.
An additional 52 suspects were detained in a joint operation in the Diyarah area, south of the capital, the military said.
Meanwhile, Saddam's chief lawyer, Ziad al-Khasawneh, accused unidentified Iranian-backed Iraqi politicians of plotting to assassinate the ousted leader in his prison cell.
Iraqi national security adviser Mouwafak al-Rubaie scoffed at the accusations, describing them as a ploy to have Saddam moved to another country to face an international court.
03/05/2005, 11:44:23
The commander of Australian troops in the southern Iraqi province of Al Muthanna, Lieutenant Colonel Roger Noble, says Australian soldiers are making sure their vehicles are recognised by people in the province.
Australian advance troops of the Al Muthanna Task Group began deploying in the region a week ago, to provide security for Japanese troops and train parts of the Iraqi Army.
The Australian troops have painted large red kangaroos on the sides of their armoured vehicles.
Lieutenant Colonel Roger Noble says the people of Al Muthanna seem to think highly of the Australians, and have begun to distinguish them from other international forces in Iraq.
"When they look at ours they look up and see a big red kangaroo, which is pretty much a universal symbol for Australia, and they know who were are and what we are," he said.
"And I think, my feeling is that we've only been here a week but they're getting to know our vehicles and our uniforms and they're able to distinguish between us and some of our coalition partners.
"We're happy when they know we're Australian."
Lieutenant Colonel Noble says his troops do not face the same kidnap risk as Australians working in Baghdad.
He says all precautions are in place to ensure the 450 members of the Task Group are not captured.
"We have a number of procedures that we follow to try and make sure that we don't put anyone in a position where they're likely to be captured or taken hostage by a terrorist organisation," he said.
The red Kangaroo is the tallest of all the Kangaroo species. It can stand over 2 metres tall in height and is found over the vast plains of the Aussie Outback. 
SAQLAWIYAH, Iraq – Sgt. Matthew E. Dreher, civil affairs Marine with Team 3, Detachment 2, 5th Civil Affairs Group, provides security for fellow civil affairs Marines and local water plant workers here April 28. The 25-year-old Arlington, Va. native’s CAG helps the community here by meeting with local leadership to assess their needs and work with Iraq’s new government to help rebuild the country’s infrastructure. Photo by: Cpl. Mike Escobar
Va. native and friends serve to rebuild Iraq
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division Story Identification #: 20055223506 Story by Cpl. Mike Escobar
SAQLAWIYAH, Iraq (May 3, 2005) -- One reserve Marine’s six-man team conduct patrols in this town outside Fallujah, looking to help the Iraqi people build a better life.
Sgt. Matthew E. Dreher works as a civil affair Marine with Team 3, Detachment 2, 5th Civil Affairs Group, currently in direct support of the Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based infantry unit, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment. Every day brings a new adventure to this 25-year-old Arlington, Va. native who assists the Iraqi people in improving their quality of life.
“You have to be a people person to do this job because a lot of it involves interacting with the community,” said Dreher, whose serves as a firefighter for the Arlington County Fire Department when not on active duty. “I think doing firefighting and civil affairs is a perfect combination. When you are there to help somebody out, you have to be personable.”
The civil affairs Marines are exactly that as they patrol the city streets. The team smiles and waves to the Iraqi children they pass.
Equally important, the CAG Marines are currently working with the new Iraqi government to rebuild the war-torn country’s infrastructure.
To accomplish their part in this mission, the Iraqi Security Forces and Marines focus much of their attention on helping provide the community with clean drinking water and adequate medical supplies.
According to Maj. Chris E. Phelps, Dreher’s team leader, the joint military forces work to provide temporary relief for Saqlawiyah’s citizens while Iraq’s government is getting a foothold.
On April 28, Dreher and fellow CAG Marines patrolled the streets and visited the medical clinic here. Their mission: to conduct an assessment of the hospital and speak with local doctors to determine the medical needs of the population.
“We have a lot of medical supplies, stuff like IV solution, trauma dressing, and syringes,” Dreher said. “We’re going to give it out to the hospital here little by little, over time.”
“This stuff is just the icing on the cake,” Phelps said. “The clinic here could always use extra supplies like these, but their immediate medical need is antibiotics.”
According to Lt. Jared Vogler, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment’s medical officer, unit personnel are also addressing this need by assisting Iraqi Security Forces distribute medical care packages.
“These care packages come with acute care medications, stuff like antibiotics and cough suppressants,” Vogler said. “A lot of it is medication left over from 3/5 and 2/1 (Marine units previously operating in Fallujah) that hadn’t expired and was still in perfect condition. Even though it’s only a temporary solution, it lets the population know that there are some meds here for them for the time being.”
In addition to serving Saqlawiyah’s medical needs, Dreher’s CAG team is working on the Saqlawiyah water treatment facility to provide an adequate supply for the community.
“This facility pumps water from the Euphrates River for 50,000 residents here,” Phelps said. “The workers have been running critically low on chlorine, (chemical used to purify drinking water).
Phelps also said the pipes used to move water from the plant to the town are approximately 60-75 years old and in need of replacement.
“By the time it gets to the people, the quality of the water is severely degraded,” Phelps said. “We’re working with the community on possible plans to restore the facilities. For now, we’re helping provide them with what chlorine we can.”
However, the military and community leadership do not make these decisions on their own. Dreher and his teammates help brainstorm ideas to improve the quality of life for Saqlawiyah’s citizens alongside leaders like Phelps and the city council.
“What’s great about working with Maj. Phelps is that he hears input from everybody,” Dreher said. “We help make a lot of the decisions, and give him extra ideas. They say two heads are better than one; in this case, six are better than one.”
Dreher continued by saying that his close-knit civil affair team enjoys implementing the positive changes they help devise.
“Saqlawiyah is kind of a small community. Everything is pretty much within walking distance. So you feel closer to everyone, and you get to walk around and see all the schools. It makes me feel so good, because I get to see the rebuilding of the people here. I feel the same amount of pride doing this job as I do being a firefighter back home.”
May 2, 2005 10:48:59 AM CDT)
By Mike DuPre' - Gazette Staff
Lance Cpl. Derrick Farris' first mission was his worst.
Farris, a graduate of Janesville Parker High School, drives an M1A1 Abrams tank for the Marine Corps.
His platoon of four tanks and 22 men was stationed in Husaybah, one of four cities grouped on the Euphrates River right next to the Syrian border.
From Sept. 20 to April 3, "we were the only tank platoon in the area we were at. It was huge," Farris said.
He and his comrades, the only tankers in the area, escorted convoys for the first three months of their tour in Iraq.
"On my first mission, I was attacked. We got there one day; the next day we had a mission," Farris said.
His and another tank were leading a convoy of 27 vehicles during the day.
"It was a brand new route. It was open desert mostly."
The convoy skirted two cities and was approaching its destination, a camp in Husaybah.
"They call it the Intersection of Death," he said.
The lead tank crew stopped to reconnoiter and got slammed by an anti-tank rocket.
"It hit the tank commander's hatch and detonated in the hatch. The explosion in the hatch created shrapnel," Farris said
The shrapnel shredded the tank's loader whose hatch is forward and a little left of the tank commander's. Besides killing the loader, the blast shattered the tank commander's arm and badly burned his face and one hand.
"The skin on his hand was gone so they sewed his hand to his stomach in Germany to skin-graft it. … I had to clean out the tank," Farris said. "It was horrible. It seemed like there were gallons of blood. It was terrible."
Over the next six-plus months of convoy escorts, security duty and backing up raids, his platoon suffered only one more casualty-a shrapnel wound to the communications man on the platoon's recovery vehicle.
Meanwhile, the rest of Alpha Company 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division was fighting in Fallujah.
"They were right in the middle of the whole run through the city," Farris said.
But, he added, being in a M1A1 Abrams tank is one of the safest places a Marine can be in combat.
A Harrier jet dropped a 2,000-pound bomb on an insurgent house about 500 yards from Farris' tank.
"I barely heard it. I asked what it was," he said.
Of another harrowing experience, Farris said: "You don't even feel it, don't even hear it when you hit a mine. I saw it, a flash. You see dirt fly 20 feet in the air.
"It knocked a track off. We got towed back."
Mechanical problems kept more tanks out of action than Iraqi insurgents.
"Right when we got there, there were only two tanks working. They were hand-me-down tanks," Farris said. "It was terrible. The platoon sergeant's tank was sitting for three months before we even got there. They told us it was unfixable."
That was until Farris' platoon got there.
"We had some really good mechanics," he said.
Insurgents appeared to respect the tanks. For five straight days, military police were attacked as they drove down a particular street in a convoy of Humvees.
"We go down the street the next day and don't see anybody," Farris said. "We only got to shoot one time."
After being shot at twice by mortars, the Marines spotted men with mortar tubes jumping from a large truck.
'The lieutenant asked for clearance to fire. We sent two rounds. We missed with the first and hit with the second. There were six killed from that one hit," Farris said.
He did not have much extensive contact with Iraqis.
"I feel bad for them because of the life they had," Farris said. "We did everything we could to keep things working, like water."
As for the war, he said: "It would have happened eventually. It's been a long time coming, and it should have been taken care of the first time."
Iraqi Kurdistan Between Development and Corruption
By Kyle Madigan
One might expect the Kurdistan region to be leading the way in the development of Iraq’s civil society and infrastructure after more than a dozen years of self-rule. While Kurdistan has flourished on many levels, it lags behind in many areas that are essential for democratic development. In addition, corruption and government control are pervasive, leaving many Kurds feeling helpless, apathetic, and in disbelief that they are living in a “new” Iraq.
At the root of the problem in the Kurdistan region is the absence of the rule of law. Generally speaking, rule of law means that governments act according to written laws and regulations. Rules are applied consistently, whether to citizens or elected officials. Rights are upheld and protected through a functioning judicial system. Government authority is limited, and private property is protected. In the absence of the rule of law, arbitrary practices by the government discourage personal initiative, breed apathy, cynicism, and distrust.
By UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
Published May 2, 2005
MUSCAT, Oman -- A judge in Oman Monday ordered sentences of 10 to 20 years to 31 suspected Islamists for plotting to overthrow the Persian Gulf State's Sultan Qaboos.
They were found guilty of setting up an illegal organization, raising funds and recruiting members, the BBC reported Monday. Prosecutors said their aim was to bring down Qaboos' government and establish an Islamic state.
The judge said the men could not appeal their sentences but could seek a pardon from the Sultan.
Audio -> Listen
Day to Day, May 2, 2005 · Mike Shuster reports on U.S. opposition to Iran's plans to build a pipeline that would stretch over 1,600 miles and bring natural gas to India and Pakistan.
That conviction is a biggie....where was the ACLU on this one?
Jihad in America: Al-Timimi Verdict a Turning Point in Legal War on Terror
Bump!!
Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ibrahim al-Jaafari gestures during a news briefing at the convention center in Baghdad. Iraq's new government was to be sworn in, after last-minute talks between coalition partners on filling remaining portfolios following parliamentary approval for a partial line-up last week(AFP/Pool/File/Khalid Mohammed)
Iraq's First Democratic Gov't Sworn In
By THOMAS WAGNER, Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Shiite Arab leader Ibrahim al-Jaafari was sworn in as prime minister on Tuesday as Iraq's first democratically elected government took office.
One by one, al-Jaafari and members of his Cabinet walked up to a podium and pledged to defend Iraq and its people. But a number of ministries — including the key defense and oil industries — remained in temporary hands as bickering persisted over how to include members of the Sunni minority.
Al-Jaafari had promised to form a government that would win over disaffected Sunnis, believed to make up the backbone of the country's insurgency. But members of his Shiite-dominated alliance rejected candidates with ties to ousted leader Saddam Hussein's brutal regime.
After months of wrangling, al-Jaafari negotiated a Cabinet that includes 15 Shiite Arab ministers, seven Kurds, four Sunnis and one Christian. Two of four deputy prime ministers also were sworn in, a Shiite and a Kurd.
Al-Jaafari will act as defense minister until consensus can be reached on a new one. Former Pentagon favorite Ahmad Chalabi, the Shiite deputy prime minister, was given temporary responsibility for the key oil ministry.
Iranian Minister of Foriegn Affairs Kamal Kharrazi speaks during a conference to review the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Tuesday, May 3, 2005 at the United Nations. Kharrazi said Tehran is 'determined' to pursue all legal areas of nuclear technology, including uranium enrichment. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Iran Will Pursue Nuclear Technology
By CHARLES J. HANLEY, AP Special Correspondent
UNITED NATIONS - With the world watching its every nuclear step, Iran declared Tuesday that it is determined to pursue all legal areas of nuclear technology, including uranium enrichment.
Addressing a U.N. conference on the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said his government is "eager" to provide guarantees that its nuclear-fuel program will serve only peaceful purposes, as sought in talks with European governments.
Washington contends Iran's uranium enrichment program is aimed at building nuclear weapons, and President Bush has proposed banning such technology to all but those countries that already have it. Enriched uranium also can be used to generate electricity, which Iran says is its only aim.
"It is unacceptable that some intend to limit the access to nuclear technology to an exclusive club of technologically advanced states under the pretext of nonproliferation," Kharrazi said.
He also told delegates from more than 180 nations that the United States and other nuclear-weapons states should make legally binding assurances to non-nuclear states like Iran that they will not be subject to nuclear attack.
In Tehran, meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said Tuesday the government would resume some nuclear activities — but not uranium enrichment — that have been suspended during talks with European governments to resolve the dispute.
On Monday, opening day of a monthlong conference reviewing the workings of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, U.S. delegation chief Stephen G. Rademaker demanded that Iran shut down and dismantle its enrichment equipment.
"The treaty is facing the most serious challenge in its history," the assistant secretary of state told delegates.
Because of the Iran dispute, treaty members still had not agreed on a complete agenda as of Tuesday morning. Conference organizers reported the Iranians were resisting a reference in the document to "relevant developments" — diplomatic code, in this case, for Iran's nuclear program. Organizers hope to have agreement before the nuts-and-bolts work of committees begins next week.
Under the 35-year-old Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, states without nuclear arms pledge not to pursue them in exchange for a commitment by five nuclear powers — the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China — to move toward nuclear disarmament. Three other nuclear states — Israel, India and Pakistan — remain outside the treaty.
The treaty is reviewed every five years at conferences whose consensus positions give valuable political support to nonproliferation initiatives. At the 2000 meeting, the nuclear powers committed to "13 practical steps" toward disarmament, but critics complain the Bush administration — by rejecting the nuclear test-ban treaty, for example — has come up short.
"We are greatly disappointed" by "unsatisfactory progress" toward disarmament by the big powers, said New Zealand's Marian Hobbs, speaking for a coalition of disarmament-minded states.
Rademaker said, however, the Bush administration is "proud to have played a leading role in reducing nuclear arsenals," via the 2002 Moscow Treaty, for example, under which the United States and Russia are to cut back deployed warheads by two-thirds, to between 1,700 and 2,200 each, by 2012.
That agreement has been criticized for not requiring destruction of excess warheads taken off deployment or providing a transparent timetable and open verification of reductions.
Rademaker sought to focus attention instead on Iran, saying, "We dare not look the other way."
The Iran question hinges on the treaty's Article IV, which guarantees nonweapons states the right to peaceful nuclear technology, including uranium enrichment equipment to produce fuel for nuclear power plants.
That same technology, with further enrichment, can produce material for nuclear bombs. Tehran denies that is the purpose of its long-secret uranium-enrichment program, but in his keynote address Annan said states like Iran "must not insist" on possessing such sensitive technology.
Following Annan to the U.N. podium, Mohamed ElBaradei, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, renewed his call for a moratorium on new fuel-cycle facilities while international controls are negotiated.
ElBaradei has proposed putting nuclear fuel production under multilateral control by regional or international bodies. Rademaker reaffirmed President Bush's proposal for an outright ban on nuclear fuel technology, except in the United States and a dozen other countries that have it.
The Tehran government is negotiating on and off with Germany, France and Britain about shutting down its enrichment operations in return for economic incentives.
Meantime, Tehran has proposed establishment of a nuclear weapons-free zone in the Middle East, a move that would require Israel to give up its nuclear arsenal.
North Korea pulled out of the treaty in 2003 and said in February it has already built nuclear weapons. But the review conference is not expected to focus heavily on this first treaty defector, in order not to complicate efforts to draw Pyongyang back into the treaty fold through now stalled six-nation talks.
North Korea's urban poor at bottom of the pile
Secretary of State Rice: 'I don't think there should be any doubt about our ability to deter whatever the North Koreans are up to.'
Rice warns North Korea on nukes
A magazine featuring George W. Bush and Kim Jong Il on its cover sits on a shelf in a library in Seoul. North Korea has lashed out at a US report last month labelling it a sponsor of terrorism, saying it showed how desperate Washington was to overthrow the Pyongyang government(AFP/Jung Yeon Je)
North Korea lashes out at US report labelling it 'sponsor of terror'
U.S. pilot killed in F-18 crash in Iraq
By Michael Georgy BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Search teams have found the body of a U.S. Marine pilot whose F-18 crashed in Iraq, but a second warplane is still missing, the U.S. military said on Tuesday.
The two Hornet jets disappeared late on Monday while flying a night missions from the carrier Carl Vinson in the Gulf.
A military spokesman said there were no indications the planes had come down under hostile fire. It was not clear if they might have collided during a heavy sand and lightning storm that hit central Iraq around the time they went missing.
Washington hopes to cut losses in Iraq by bringing troops home but that is unlikely until Iraqi forces, who have lost hundreds of comrades, are able to handle rebels on their own.
That is one of the highest priorities of Iraq's newly elected government, which was due to be sworn in on Tuesday.
At least 14 people were killed when U.S. forces and Iraqi National Guardsmen battled insurgents in the guerrilla stronghold of Ramadi on Tuesday, a hospital official said.
A U.S. military statement said American soldiers repelled an attack and killed 12 insurgents in the city. Two Iraqi civilians and an Iraqi soldier were killed in the violence, it said.
Though Iraqi troops have been trained by U.S. forces, they are still largely incapable of carrying out major operations against guerrilla forces without the backing of the Americans.
U.S. forces also killed 12 suspected insurgents in a firefight and bombing on Monday in the militant town of Qaim, a trouble spot further west from Ramadi, near the Syrian border.
The military said six American soldiers were wounded in the fight against suspected members of al Qaeda's wing in Iraq, which is headed by Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
U.S. troops killed nine insurgents and three people were killed in an air strike, the U.S. military said. A six-year-old girl and a guerrilla were wounded in the battle.
The millions of Iraqis who braved suicide bombs to vote in the Jan. 30 elections hoped they would be rewarded by new leaders who would build up security forces and tackle violence.
But it took haggling politicians three months to form a partial cabinet, emboldening insurgents who stepped up attacks after the government was formed last week. That government, still not complete, was expected to be sworn in on Tuesday.
Bombs have killed nearly 150 Iraqis and wounded around 200 since the cabinet was announced six days ago, constituting Iraq's first broadly democratic government in half a century.
In the northern guerrilla stronghold of Mosul, a car bomb targeting U.S. forces killed an Iraqi civilian and wounded four others on Tuesday, hospital officials and witnesses said.
INDECISION
Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari has yet to name permanent ministers to five ministries -- including the key defense and oil portfolios -- and two deputy prime ministers.
A list of candidates for those posts was expected to be handed to the three-man Presidential Council for approval before Tuesday's expected swearing in ceremony in parliament.
Choosing ministers is a highly sensitive task in Iraq, where a new Shi'ite Muslim political order has replaced decades of dictatorship under Saddam Hussein, from the Sunni minority. The power shift has contributed to rising sectarian divisions.
Shi'ites and Kurds, the two big gainers from January's election, are trying to bring Sunnis into government and hope this will staunch support for the Sunni-led insurgency, but there is little evidence so far that the tactic is working.
Guerrillas shot dead three policemen in the northern town of Samarra on Tuesday. Car bombs killed 24 people, including three policemen, in two attacks on Monday. Security fears also hit Baghdad's airport, often a target for guerrilla mortar attacks.
Royal Jordanian, the main foreign airline serving Iraq, suspended flights to Baghdad after being told by the U.S. military it could not land on safety grounds, the company said.
Mounting violence has put pressure on U.S. troops to tighten security but such measures can backfire, not only with Iraqis, who complain American soldiers are too quick to fire, but also with some of the United States' staunchest allies.
Italy criticized the U.S. military on Monday for failing to establish better rules for checkpoints in Iraq, saying nervous U.S. troops manning a haphazard roadblock were at fault in killing an Italian agent near Baghdad in March.
In a 52-page report on the "friendly fire" incident, Italy said the shooting of intelligence officer Nicola Calipari was not intentional, but it took issue with U.S. findings released at the weekend that exonerated the American forces.
(Additional reporting by Crispian Balmer in Rome and Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman)
A Somali woman walks through Hamarjajab Street on February 2005. Seven more people died in hospitals in Somalia after a bomb went off in a Mogadishu stadium where transitional Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi was addressing a large crowd, bringing the death toll to 15.(AFP/File/Simon Maina)
Death toll in Somali bomb blast reaches 15, at least 38 others wounded
MOGADISHU (AFP) - Seven more people died in hospitals in Somalia after a bomb went off in a Mogadishu stadium where transitional Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi was addressing a large crowd, bringing the death toll to 15.
"Three more people died here while they were undergoing treatment while four others are in a critical condition," a nurse at the capital's Medina hospital told AFP on Tuesday.
At the nearby Al-Hayat clinic, four other people succumbed to internal injuries and bleeding, a medical official said.
Medical officials in both hospitals said 38 people were injured.
Tue May 3, 7:42 AM ET
WASHINGTON - The Army missed its recruiting goal in April, marking the third consecutive monthly shortfall.
Army spokesman Paul Boyce said officials believe that increases in the number of recruiters, as well as new advertising and publicity efforts, will produce a surge in recruiting this summer so that the Army can meet its full-year goal of 80,000 recruits by Sept. 30.
As of April 30 the Army had achieved only 85 percent of its target for the first five months of the fiscal year, which began Oct. 1.
Boyce said big gains are expected this summer, and the Army is cautiously optimistic it will overcome the current recruiting deficit during a summer period that traditionally is a good period of recruiters.
Opinion surveys have indicated that a growing number of young people and their parents are wary of the Army's recruiting pitch at a time when soldiers in Iraq are killed and wounded virtually every day.
Spring is typically one of the more difficult periods of the year for military recruiters.
Boyce said he did not have specific figures for April but it fell short of the monthly goal of 6,600. In March the Army had hoped to sign up 6,800 recruits but fell 32 percent short. That was slightly worse than in February, when a goal of 7,050 was missed by 27 percent.
Prior to missing the February target the Army had not fallen short of a monthly goal since May 2000.
The Army National Guard and Army Reserve have had even more trouble recruiting. In March the Army Reserve signed up barely half the 1,600 soldiers it sought. It has not met a monthly goal since December 2004, and for the period from October 2004 through March it met only 82 percent of its goal.
A grab frame of kidnapped 63-year-old Australian engineer Douglas Wood pleading for his life at an unknown location in Iraq. The video was delivered to western news agencies in Baghdad. The videotape bears the words Shura Council of the Mujahedeen of Iraq.(AFP/HO)
Rescue team on wing and prayer
Luke McIlveen, Nick Butterly and Ian McPhedran
04may05
THE crack team sent to save Douglas Wood has called in Iraqi spiritual leaders to help them find the Australian hostage in a mission the Defence Minister yesterday admitted had limited chance of success.
The quest to save the 63-year-old engineer began when the plane carrying negotiators from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australian Federal Police and Department of Defence touched down in Iraq last night.
Mr Wood has not been heard from since the release of a chilling video two days ago in which he begged Prime Minister John Howard to save his life by pulling troops out of Iraq.
The terrorist group behind his kidnapping – the Shura Council of the Mujahidin of Iraq – had not demanded a ransom as of last night.
While the team would make every effort to bring Mr Wood out alive, Defence Minister Robert Hill said there was no guarantee of success.
"No, I haven't got confidence of that," Senator Hill said.
"You can't look at the history of hostage-taking over the last few years in Iraq and have confidence in that outcome."
Officials from the Australian embassy in Baghdad are personally lobbying new Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari to help save Mr Wood's life.
The emergency rescue team led by top bureaucrat Nick Warner will liaise closely with US, British and Iraqi authorities.
Mr Wood was snatched while working as acontractor for a US firm, but the Australian Government refused to confirm when or where the abduction took place.
Justice Minister Chris Ellison said the federal police's connections with these other forces plus their experience in hostage situations would suit the requirements of the mission.
Senator Ellison said the key task of the mission would be to establish contact with the hostage-takers.
"You have got to know who you are dealing with," he said.
The federal police's close links with the Muslim community would also be useful.
He said the Government would consider any offer of assistance from the Muslim community.
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer ruled out paying a ransom.
"We'll do everything we can, with two exceptions. We won't be paying a ransom and we won't be changing our polices," Mr Downer said.
More details of the Shura Council of the Mujahidin of Iraq emerged yesterday. The group has claimed responsibility for a string of abductions of foreigners and has become one of Iraq's most feared terrorist factions.
In March the group claimed to have bought a surface-to-surface rocket with a range of 40km.
Today in the Department of Defense, Tuesday, May 3, 2005
Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld hosts an honor cordon to welcome Spanish Minister of Defense Jose Bono to the Pentagon today at 10:30 a.m. EDT. The cordon will be held on the steps of the Pentagon River Entrance. Media must be at the Pentagon North Parking Entrance no later than 10 a.m. for escort to the cordon.
Secretary Rumsfeld speaks to the Council of the America's 35th Washington Conference at 4:45 p.m. in the State Department's Loy Henderson Room. To attend, or for more information, media need to contact Mara Lemos, at 212-277-8363 or Gemma Martin, at 212-277-8384.
Under Secretary of Defense (Policy) Doug Feith and Colombian Minister of Defense Jorge Alberto Uribe conduct a press conference at 3:30 p.m. EDT at the Minister of Defense Press Room, in Bogota, Columbia.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz has no public or media events on his schedule.
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DoD Identifies Army Casualty No. 426-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 3, 2005
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Staff Sgt. Juan De Dios Garcia-Arana, 27, of Los Angeles, Calif., died April 30 in Khaladiyah, Iraq, when his Bradley Fighting Vehicle was attacked by enemy forces using small arms fire. Garcia-Arana was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Hovey, Korea.
DoD Identifies Army Casualties No. 420-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 2, 2005
The Department of Defense announced today the death of four soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died April 28 in Tal Afar, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their Stryker military vehicle.
Killed were:
1st Lt. William A. Edens, 29, of Columbia, Mo. Edens was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.
Sgt. Eric W. Morris, 31, of Sparks, Nev. Morris was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.
Spc. Ricky W. Rockholt Jr., 28, of Winston, Ore. Rockholt was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armor Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo.
Pfc. Robert W. Murray Jr., 21, of Westfield, Ind. Murray was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armor Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo.
DoD Identifies Marine Casualty No. 423-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 2, 2005
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Cpl. Joseph S. Tremblay, 23, of New Windsor, N.Y., died April 27 from injuries received from a mine explosion while conducting combat operations in vicinity of Hit, Iraq. He was assigned to Marine Forces Reserve’s 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Moundsville, W.Va. As part of Operation Iraqi Freedom his unit was attached to 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward).
DoD Identifies Army Casualties No. 422-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 2, 2005
The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were killed supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died April 29 in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their dismounted patrol. Both soldiers were assigned to 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.
The soldiers were:
Pfc. Darren A. Deblanc, 20, of Evansville, Ind.
Pvt. Charles S. Cooper, Jr., 19, of Jamestown, N.Y.
DoD Identifies Army Casualty No. 421-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 2, 2005
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Timothy C. Kiser, 37, of Tehama, Calif., died April 28 in Riyhad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his patrol. Kiser was assigned to the Army National Guard's 340th Forward Support Battalion, 40th Infantry Division, Red Bluff, Calif.
BAGHDAD CAR BOMB — Iraqi Police and firefighters responded to secure the area after a car bomb exploded in Baghdad, Iraq, May 2, 2005. Six Iraqi civilians were killed and 10 were wounded in the bombing. U.S. Navy
Iraqi Police Assist Baghdad Car Bomb Victims
By 4th Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office
BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 3, 2005 — Iraqi Police and firefighters responded quickly to secure the area around an employment office on the Karradah peninsula after a car bomb exploded May 2. The Iraqi police also helped move 10 civilians injured in the attack to a local hospital for treatment. Six Iraqi citizens were killed in the attack.
“This was a needless attack that targeted innocent Iraqi’s and another example of the desperation of the insurgents in choosing softer targets,” said U.S. Army Maj. Shane Baker,
4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment operations officer. “By the time we got on site, the Iraqi Police had the situation under control and did not need coalition assistance.”
Explosive ordnance detachment teams conducted an investigation of the site and estimated 150 pounds of explosives were used in the explosion.
Iraqi firefighters work together and survey the damage after a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated on the Karradah peninsula of Baghdad, Iraq, May 2, 2005. Six Iraqi civilians were killed and 10 were wounded during the explosion. U.S. Navy photo
Vice President Dick Cheney speaks about the President's plan to reform Social Security during a town hall style appearance at Campbell High School in Smyrna, Ga., Monday, May 2, 2005. Some 600 people attended the event including 180 students that were invited from area schools. (AP Photo/Ric Feld)
Cheney: America Is Safer, But 'Not Yet Safe'
By Gerry J. Gilmore American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 3, 2005 – Although the United States has achieved many victories against global terrorists since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the homeland remains in harm's way, Vice President Dick Cheney told federal law enforcement officials May 2. Following Sept. 11, the Department of Homeland Security was created, along with a host of other initiatives designed to thwart another terrorist attack on America, Cheney said to students and staff at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center at Glynco, Ga.
"America is safer" today, thanks to the implementation of legislation and programs -- such as Project BioShield, the Patriot Act and the establishment of a national intelligence director -- that increase homeland security.
"But," the vice president cautioned, "we are not yet safe."
Al Qaeda, the terrorist group that perpetrated the Sept. 11 attacks, "is wounded and off-balance and on the run," Cheney observed.
However, Osama bin Laden's organization remains "very active," as al Qaeda continues to recruit while plotting "to find ways to hit us," Cheney said.
Those seeking to strike the United States again "are hoping that our country will grow complacent" after U.S.-coalition military victories against terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq, Cheney said.
It's therefore paramount, the vice president emphasized, that the United States "never lets down its guard."
Cheney said he's been "immensely impressed" with the work conducted at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. "Vigilance, and professionalism, and adaptability" are key components of national security, he said, and they are "the watchwords" at the center.
The training center was established in Washington, in 1970 as part of the Treasury Department to provide standardized training for government law enforcement officers and agents, according to the organization's Web site. The facility moved to Georgia in 1975, and in 2003 it was placed under the Department of Homeland Security.
The center, Cheney said, has "stepped up to meet the needs of a new and very different era for law enforcement." The top priority for U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies since the Sept. 11 attacks is "countering and investigating terrorist activity," he said.
U.S. homeland-defense organizations have quickly acted "to develop the equipment and procedures to protect against (weapons of mass destruction), radioactive material, and vehicle-borne explosives," as well as providing additional air marshals, airport baggage screeners and visa/passport security officers, Cheney said.
Cheney also told the assembled law enforcement officials that he and President Bush appreciate their efforts, adding that their hard work "is paying off."
The vice president also praised the worldwide efforts of U.S. servicemembers, noting that "a good number of the people who work and train" at the center are military veterans or have loved ones serving overseas in the war against global terrorism.
Iraqis' Borrowing Could Help American Forces' Response
By Bradley Graham and Dana Priest Washington Post Staff Writers Tuesday, May 3, 2005; Page A15
FORT MONMOUTH, N.J. -- In 1965, the U.S. Army published a detailed manual on how to build and hide booby traps, complete with detailed diagrams illustrating various means of wiring detonators to explosives, and advising on the best locations for concealing the deadly bombs along roadways and elsewhere.
Two decades later, the Iraqi military issued its troops an Arabic version of the same manual, copying not only the wording but also many of the drawings. Dated March 1987 and stamped "confidential," the manual includes a message from Saddam Hussein, then Iraq's supreme ruler, underscoring the importance of perpetual learning.
Borrowed Knowledge
Learning From the Enemy: The Iraqi military in 1987 issued its troops a translated copy of a 1965 U.S. Army manual on how to build and hide booby traps.
The existence of the Iraqi copy highlights the degree to which U.S. military techniques and technology found their way into Hussein's military even as relations between the Iraqi leader and Washington eventually deteriorated into all-out war. With members of Hussein's former military and security groups now powering much of the insurgency in Iraq, U.S. forces find themselves confronting an enemy trained, at least in part, in U.S. military methods.
Concern that Iraqi rebels may be drawing on U.S. bombmaking tactics prompted investigators last year to "pull off the shelves" for review all the manuals that the Iraqis may have had access to, according to a colonel in Washington familiar with the effort.
A common connection could be turned into a U.S. advantage, said electronics and weapons specialists at this New Jersey base, where much of the Army's intensified research on countering roadside bombs is located.
"The upside is, if you know what their training manual is, then you know what you're up against," said one senior civilian official here. "Having them use our tactics, techniques and procedures isn't necessarily a bad thing."
The official, who first studied the U.S. bombmaking manual as a young Army recruit in the Vietnam War era, said it has limited application in the current conflict in Iraq