CENTCOM - Thurs. Apr. 10:
Maj. Gen. Gene Renuart and Brig. Gen. Vincebt Brooks:
Maj. Gen. Renuart:
Our message has been consistant. We are on plan. We conitnue to reduce pockets of resistance.
We've seen a lot of activity in Bagdhad, those ops. continue.
Despite what you see..local euphoria..this operation is a long way from complete...a no. of areas that are not yet stabilized (throughout country)..
The men and women of our coalition are bearing a heavy cost..we remember our fallen...and civilians (and reporters)..
1st Mar. Exp Force and 3rd ...completed outer cordone around Baghdad.
So - 1st UK armored div. conducting no. ops. in Basrah...secured all so. oil wells....800 wells have been inspected, secured.
Population seems supportive and continues to welcome our coaliton forces.
Senior clerics are asking for help...to help stop looting and enforce a curfew, and for local citizens to turn in weapons...
101st Airborn returned stability to El Hillil (sp)..found 4 warehouses of food...are distributing...
Baghdad - ops. are ongoing...localized pockets of resistance...assessing electrical, water, medical needs...
West - Ar Ruppa (sp) Spec. Ops talking w/ leaders, that town is open to coalition forces...new mayor asking help w/ water, we are helping w/ this and elect., etc...
We're working to get media broadcasting running...we hope free Iraqis will broadcast own radio and TV...they conitnue to tune inot OUR radio and TV, tell them not to come out onto streets of Baghdad, that it is not safe..
We have been planning for the peace that follows....to bring infrastructure back up...railroads, bridges, power, water...
Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks:
Spec. Ops- have succeeded in maintaining lethal pressure in the north...in west- Al Qa im...working to secure, Spec. ops joined w/ citizens of El Ruppa working together...Hadiffah dam, NW of Baghdad, we've been able to keep secure...video: of new tanks arriving by C-17 aircraft to the dam area, tanks rolling across dam..a greater set of option now exist to defet
Spec. ops now control 5 different airfields...
Karbala, El Hillah an Baghdad:
Karbala..increasing security
Al Hillah..coalition forces of 5th corp attacked during niight...RPG ambushes, found artillery...successful in (defeating some bad guys)...found warehouse, large distri. center..we think is assoc. w/ oil for food
Baghdad: 1st Exp force increased presence...pockets of resistance in center and nr. mosque where fighting happened this morn...5th corp nr. Tigris River...stopped boats attempt. to cross...
Baghdad Airp/ and Rasheed airport...ops continue, we have larger presence...
Reports of ambushes w/ surface mines (by bad guys)...
We cont. efforts to reach Iraqi population..distr. more than a million leaflets yesterday, broadcast messages changes (to fit circumstances)....
Humanit. assist...we find that our initial needs...areas of food, water and medical...not a crisis in foor avail..our forces are able to distribute supplemental... pics of rations, we're distributing by hand....new type is salmon colored - Spanish ship Galicia brought human. supplies and a field hospital..video of offloading the field hospital...this is a very important coalition effort...this is for Iraqi population....not military med. support...immed. medical needs are assessed every day....we provide treatment where needed...
Coalition taking several steps to meet water needs...trucked in, water purification equipm., video of water taken from the river, purified 2000 liters per hour able to purifiy..north of Samalah...testing water conditions....throughout Iraq, there are efforts like these continuing...
Maj. Gen. Gene. Renuart:
What do leaflets do? Where wired oil fields had valves turned off, the people had read the leaflets, (local people helped) knew how important the oil was for their future... and helped secure the oil wells by insuring true damage would not occur.
Questions:
"As we have seen in many of these cities, there is a governance that has been based on tradition for many many years...based on clerics, etc., as we have taken away regime...clearly the Iraqi people will (decide how communities will be governed...meetings have occured...Iraqi people beginning to voice their preference..)
Re. Kirkut: "Our Spec. forces are in a number of positions to carefully monitor flow of traffic on (major road)...SRG, irreg. army, etc., we have continued to conduct unconv. warfare against those forces..we believe those forces have been significantly reduced...we believe we're making good progress....we've had spec. forces in area for some time...est. relationship w/ local Kurds...Kurds will be under command element of spec. ops, no reports of fighting in city...irreg. army falling back from green line in many cases...we are monitoring their movements...
"If you look back during Gulf War the greater Al Qa'im area was site of largest # of S-S missiles.. (we are protecting the neighbors by securing this area)..it's preventive medicine...by our presence, air power...etc, if there is that capability there that (we'd prvent the bad guys from using it)...
"Not all of our leads are current or accurate but we have to try to run them to ground...we got message that there was senior leadership meeting (in vicinity of the Mosque)...our troops were fired on...heavy firefight for number of hours...we jhave resolved...(killed the top bad guy, I think)...
Re. Tikrit and looting in Basrah and Baghdad...Iraqi gov. let out thousands of criminals months ago: "Very good point... for a city, maybe even a coutnry that has been held prisoner...there is a great deal of bad feeling against the regime...not surprising..people expressing anger...in Basrah, some (local seniors have asked UK forces to provide presence...that's occuring...E. Baghdad...where we had not yet put military forces in. (looting)..was reaction of that neighborhood to (bad guys)...today.. we've moved some poeple in...it starts to settle...(we want locals to hande this.)..we'll work with them through our Civil Affairs teams...that's the best way...will calm down...(they will build their own) police force...curfew? ..locals will decide...our intent is not to be heavy-handed, but to bring stability..
Re. Tikrit..."We do not have any substantial US forces (there) it is an area we are interested in..
"Each day we have uncovered either numbers of destroyed pieces of equip. that go to local scrap yards...or functional equip...there will be some military forces (eventually) built back for Iraq (we're not destroying all military equip...saving for Iraqi future.)..
'I think you've seen in some case in incidences of jubilation..we've taken out the US flag...this is the country of Iraq...when the Iraqi people reclaim area, the Iraqi flag will be flown...we'll continue to be enthusiatic where we've succeeded and understanding (of the local Iraqis)
"Baghdad's still an ugly place...unsecured areas...remaining small pockets of RG, SRG...our objective is to go to those areas (secure them)...
Re. Saddam, Tariq??? MOAB? "The so-called MOAB, the blue 82, the 15,000 lb. weapon is surely available to us...we wouldn't want to (take away any options)...re. the Huseein bunch..."don't know where they are...but we'll continue our pursuit of any intel.. "I don't know if they're alive...don't know if they're dead...
Re. Mosque: "We did suffer some wounded....in terms of enemy forces...a numb. killed and captured were dressed in similar black garb we've seen other paramilitary forces dressed in...
Re. bad guy foreign fighters, Mosul: "Mosul...we have had, continue to have 173rd Brigade ont eh ground, addutional military forces flow in to that area...as the US forces see and seize the opportunity to further expoand to push (bad guys out we will seize those opportunities)...foreign fighters? We ahe a number of reports about a week ago...since had fewer reports...have not seen addit. influx...our elements in west are doing (good job of keeping bad guys out.)..
Re. POWs "We had evidence of US that may have been held there because we saw US uniforms.. (will not further speculate)..
"Some of those circumstance on the battlefield...are civil-military ops...part of training of our Marines is to train...both in urban..and civil...will be natural..to provide (civil presence into these neighborhoods) It is important for us to create an environment that is secure...(allows for everyday life...school, etc...doesn't mean just policing..but to work with and get to know locals)..
Re. Tikrit: "The way we used our Spec. forces in Afghan. was (spec. to that area...) no, it's not the Afghan model (we're doing unique things..)...We have put a great deal of emphasis on Tikrit...some conventional, some unconventional..we continue to increase presence...continue along the timeline of the plan we've laid out...
"As far as we know there are ~125 hospitals (in greater Bagdhad area...we're trying to assess). We are attempting to identify the areas we can restore power and water...into hardest hit area...that will expand just as our military ops have expanded in city...
"The coalition forces are in direct contact with ALL of the parties in regions (Turks, Kurds, etc)..it is clear to all of them what our position is..we'll continue to commun. to make sure they understand our itnentions...
"Intially designed to provide encirclement and then to move through center (of Bagdhad...) worked pretty much on plan.."
"I would not argue with what Russian satellites are able to see..our estimates may differ a little bit...we have destroyed (or ) own a substantial number of armor that made up the Iraqi military", Re. Saddam going to Iran? "I don't think he'd be welcome there"...
Re. WMDs: "We believe that many of the sources of info would be in and around Baghdad...we hope to gain access to more and more facilities...many of the places that WMDs might be hidden will not be (visible...will require intel, much investigation)...