WarInformation.com --- Battling On The Iraqi Front Of The War Against Terrorism

The War Against Terrorism's Iraqi Front

This is not Gulf War II.
This is the Iraqi Front, a battle front within the War Against Terrorism

This is war, genuine war. Its objective is to remove a Hitler-type dictator and his despotic, murdering thugish regime --- entrenched for decades --- from control of 23 million Iraqi people. In comparison, the 1991 Gulf War was a policing action whose objective was to extricate Hussein's regime from Kuwait, a recently invaded small nation.

Battle Events & Status
Baghdad area: Coalition forces continue to find pockets of uncoordinated resistance from some disguised Baath party loyalists and leftovers in civilian clothing. There continue to be fierce, deadly firefights & sniping. Regime holdouts are using despicable tactics such as placing armed men in crowds , shooting at US soldiers and forcing self-defensive retaliations that injure and kill innocents.
Weapons caches are being found in schools, hospitals, various ministry & office buildings.
Northern, southern fronts& Baghdad: Hospitals, schools, oil fields & air strips are being secured.
Pockets of thugs & snipers remain & get removed. Local Iraqi people are taking control of public services & taking revenge on Hussein thugs.
Northern front: The Syrian border remains porous in both directions. Non-Iraqi fighters remain in pockets fighting for Hussein's regime. Coalition & Kurdish forces are securing Mosul, Kirkuk & Tikrit. All oil fields are secure. Ethnic & factional fighting continues.
Southern front: Pockets of sporadic resistance remain. Local power struggles are evident and will resolve over time.
Coalition forces are assembling local residents in each city to ensure civil order and provide community services.

In Relative Terms: The war proceeded in a war-like fashion with death and destruction. Pockets of death remain from munitions, disgruntled newly-freed Iraqis and left over regime supporters.
In Absolute Terms: War proceeded according to plan as designed by coalition military leadership.
This is contrary to media pundits, including some retired military officers hired for television who predicted a quickie war.
The liberation is not complete, but is proceeding. It is now up to the Iraqi people to understand their new freedoms and build a productive free nation. Local leadership must assume responsibility for stopping looting and maintaining civil order.

Remaining fanatic fighters are amongst the most fanatical and therefore the most deadly.

Excellent planning by top caliber military leaders, top notch troop training and well designed equipment have resulted in the three week toppling of the dictator Hussein & liberation of the Iraqi people.

Complete & final victory in the war's Iraqi Front is of indeterminable length, but its outcome will be civilization's victory.

Progress: On Schedule Adapting According To The Coalition War Plan

Offensive, defensive, logistical & manpower planning was performed by seasoned, well-trained US & UK military leadership. At this point the campaign is proceeding according to plan and is being effectively executed by coalition forces.
A note to armchair & retired military commentators: This is war --- there will be death, destruction and the unexpected.
A war plan is built to be changed as battle conditions require.

The Coalition Battle Plan Is Scaleable & Flexible

On Plan

Adjustments

WarInformation

The coalition's simultaneous operational war plan is more difficult & deadly for our enemy than a sequential operational plan.

The volume & velocity of raw information being reported can be distracting & distortive.

Liberation is not complete. The Iraqi people must now complete their liberation and prove themselves worthy.

The people of Iraq are behaving much like civilians living in Nazi Germany in the early 1940's. The German people also knew that their neighbors, relatives and various police groups were on the lookout for dissidents. And so it is with Hussein's despotic regime of death and mistrust that was built over several decades. The people know that to come out against Hussein too early will mean torture and death. Iraqi people will wait until they are certain that Hussein and his thugs are permanently gone before openly expressing their views.

Civilian Deaths & Collateral Damage

Coalition forces take care beyond any ever taken by any military in any war. The type of munitions, the size, the angle of incidence, the time of day, and related intelligence are all used with pin-point precision to destroy only legitimate military targets. As coalition forces advance, they bring food, water, candy, and even protection to ensure the safety of the Iraqi people.

Hussein's regime has killed more Muslims than anyone else in recent memory.

Building the Liberated Iraq

Building, not rebuilding, Iraq is the correct term for the work ahead. For decades Hussein controlled the people, oil and all other national resources, educational and cultural institutions, and the military. He directed oil revenue and other monies to be used to build a military machine and provided it with chemical, biological and, almost, nuclear weapons. He inhibited or totally prevented meaningful education of his people. He controlled his people's lives and inhibited cultural development. Iraq was as constricted a nation as is possible. Now, thanks to the application of precisely the appropriate amount of force applied by the world's free and educated civilized people --- the people of the coalition nations --- all power has been taken from Hussein.

Now, with the end of Phase 1, the Liberation of Iraq, the coalition of civilized peoples can begin Phase 2, the Building of Iraq. Soon it will up to the people of Iraq to realize their full potential --- whatever that may be.

Since 1991, Hussein used $2 billion to build 48 palaces for himself.

23 Million People Set Free In Three Weeks

Over the last three weeks coalition forces have released 23 million Iraqis from the fear and containment imposed upon them by Hussein's despotic, cruel, murdering dictatorship. Now most Iraqis are free to move anywhere and start living, working, cooperating and productively producing. After one-third of a century there is some letting-off of steam. And that is why we see some looting and recriminations being taken against the regime's buildings, local officials and symbols. These events were anticipated and planned for in the coalition's Strategic Plan.

The coalition's Strategic Plan is broad, deep and multifaceted -- it accounts for a myriad of possibilities and actualities.

Over the next days, weeks, months and years Iraqis will learn that with freedom come responsibilities including going to work, getting educated and being civil to your neighbors. This should explain -- even to media reporters -- events observed these days in Iraq... and why situations are likely to improve over the months. It will take months and years to build the nation most Iraqis want. Neither Rome nor our Civilization were built in a day... or a year.
To think otherwise, demonstrates a lack of historical perspective.

Battling On The Iraqi Front ---- Data Points

Initial Attack To The End Of Major Combat Operations In Iraq & Beyond

Success in this campaign is not a matter of a timetable. It is a matter of accomplishing the goals set out in the plan.

March 17, 2003: US has allowed Iraqi dictator Hussein 48 hours to exit the country before allied forces initiate liberation of Iraq and removal of the dictator.

March 19, 2003: Opportunity to destroy Hussein's top leadership late today was used to initiate war with a surgical strike.

March 20, 2003: Iraq fired up to ten scud missiles at Kuwait. Iraq has stated numerous times that it has no scud missiles.
Iraq set fire to seven oil wells in Southeast Iraq Basra fields even though Hussein recently promised during CBS News interview: "No sabotage."
March 20-21: US Navy SEALS prevented Iraqi saboteurs from dumping a massive quantity of oil into the Gulf from two off-shore oil platforms.

�Reuters

Iraq's Republican Guard & regular army are in talks to surrender.
Iraqi troops surrender in groups & others melt away from their positions.
An entire regular army division consisting of thousands of soldiers surrendered.
Iraqi mechanized & infantry divisions are surrendering.
Iraq's military is losing all command & control capabilities.

�AP

March 21, 2003: War on the Iraq front is liberation of a nation and its people. The Iraqi front is not a colonization effort.
A beachhead was established at a major Southern Iraqi port soon made safe by coalition forces. The US flag was raised and within hours was taken down.
The US & the UK are not allowing any impression of imperalism, takeover, colonization or blood for oil.

Turkey has moved up to 1,500 commandos into the Kurdish region of Northern Iraq.

March 22, 2003: Serious talks with top echelon Iraqi officials continue... Iraqi expatriates involved.
The coalition has bombed an al qaeda-linked group in Northern Iraq.
The Hussein regime's financial assets continue to be seized for use in re-building Iraq.

Turkish forces have killed and then mutilated a small group of Kurds in northern Iraq.
An official Turkish military statement said, "Such news [that Turkish forces have entered Iraq] is not true and does not reflect reality." The statement also noted that parliament has authorized deployment of Turkish troops into northern Iraq.
The Turkey-Iraq border is a military zone and off-limits to journalists.
Turkish military officials said that up to 5,000 Turkish troops are on their way to the border area.
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul yesterday told reporters, "Turkish soldiers will go in."
Secretary of State Colin Powell said yesterday, "We don't see any need for any Turkish incursions into northern Iraq."
Highest level discussions are ongoing between the US State Department and its Turkish counterparts.

March 23, 2003: Violation of Geneva Convention
Hussein's regime continues to expose its true nature by its handling of captured American soldiers. Whether Hussein is dead or alive, after so many decades his specious, despicable regime has infected the Iraqi culture.

�Reuters

Liberation will save and restore the Iraqi people to civilization.

Russia has provided, and continues to provide, military equipment --- including night vision goggles, GPS jamming devices, and anti-tank guided missiles --- to Hussein's military. As recently as last week, Russian military technicians were in Iraq.

A US soldier killed two US officers & attempted to kill several other US officers.

March 24, 2003: En route to Baghdad -- No coherent, coordinated military operations are reported from the field indicates that top level Iraqi military command is not in control. Sporadic, uncoordinated, isolated attacks upon coalition forces are extremely dangerous, but do not offer any meaningful hindrance to success of the campaign.
Iraqi war methods include perfidy, lying, and deception to entrap coalition soldiers.

March 25, 2003: American and British forces will be confronting three Republican Guard divisions that are dug-in 30 miles to the east, south and west of the center of Baghdad.
The thrust towards Baghdad continues amid ongoing Iraqi resistance in the south. Coalition supply lines are becoming vulnerable to attack from marauding bands of Fedayeen Saddam thugs.
U.S. television networks are reporting that U.S. officials believe Iraqi leadership has drawn "a red line" on the map around Baghdad and once American troops cross it Iraqi Republican Guards are authorized to use chemical weapons.
Iraq is using civilian-style cars, pickup trucks and passenger buses carrying troops dressed in civilian clothes to attack coalition forces.
US is using GPS guided munitions to destroy GPS jamming posts.
Iraq is moving military equipment (tanks, APC's, artillery) near schools and hospitals. A fighter jet is parked in a cemetery.
Hussein's regime continues to expose its true nature in Basra, a Shiite area where anti-Hussein uprisings took place following the 1991 Gulf war. Fedayeen Saddam thugs are dressing in US uniforms, accepting the surrender of Iraqi soldiers, and executing them.
An al Nasiriya hospital, clearly marked with a red crescent where shooting was coming from yesterday, was secured today by coalition forces. Coalition forces found approximately 170 soldiers, over 200 weapons, stock piles of ammunition, a tank on hospital grounds, 3,000 protective chemical suits and masks, and a large supply of atropine, a nerve gas antidote. Doctors and patients are now returning to the hospital to use it as a medical facility.
Iraqi military command has been shifted from the southern region to the Baghdad area indicating Iraqi acknowledgement of its loss of control.
Iraqi soldiers and Fedayeen Saddam are standing behind civilians while shooting at coalition troops.

March 26, 2003: Paramilitary groups, including hard-core Ba'ath Party units, the Special Security Organization (SSO), and the Al Quds Army are operating in Baghdad and southern Iraq. During years of control, Hussein made fighting and killing the national pastime and Iraq's largest employer.
Yesterday a Basra woman waved to British forces passing by the outskirts of her city. She was later found hanged. Iraqi troops have moved D-30 artillery in position to shell rebellious Basra residents.
The Iraqi people fear that Hussein may remain in power after the war and take revenge upon them as he did 12 years ago.

Baghdad bridges are being rigged with explosives. Hussein's use of chemical weapons is more plausible today after yesterday's Basra hospital finds.

The northern front has been opened --- US Army airborne forces parachuted into northern Iraq and seized an airfield. They will work with Kurds, coalition forces and Special Operations already in position.

March 27, 2003: Iranian naval forces interdicted Iraqi gunboats loaded with explosives. These Iraqi gunboats were planning to move down the gulf and ram coalition naval assets using the tactic implemented against the USS Cole.

Hussein's thugs are going door to door taking women and children hostage in order to force their husbands and fathers into combat. Hussein's regime is using suicide gunboat naval tactics. The regime is desperate --- it has limited remaining tactics and resources.

Hussein's thugs executed two British prisoners of war. The depravity of Hussein's regime is evident. It again demonstrates cruelty beyond comprehension.

British military interrogators near Basra claim captured Iraqi soldiers are telling them that al-Qaeda terrorists are fighting against allied troops on the side of Hussein's forces.
Iraqi prisoners of war claim that at least a dozen al Qaeda members are in the town of Az Zubayr and are coordinating grenade and gun attacks on coalition positions.

Coalition forces report that Iraqi fighters drive toward them in pickup trucks and cars. When they get near they pull covers off exposing machine guns and light artillery.

Coalition policy does not, and will not include cease fire negotiations for surrender and a partial cleansing of Iraq.

Hussein's regime must go and Iraq will be disarmed.

March 28, 2003: According to the plan --- Force flow, the planned troop rotation and buildup of fresh troops, continues. Up to 120,000 troops are involved.

Fedayeen Saddam terrorist death squads & Ba'ath party loyalists shot at ambulances and about 1000 Basra civilians as they fled the fighting. British troops intervened to stop the massacre.

Two Republican Guard divisions, one in the northern and one in the southern region, are now under severe air attack.

March 29, 2003: Strategic Battle Plan Remains Coherent --- Tactical elements of the northward thrust are taking more time to secure towns in order to ensure the safety of civilians and integrity of supply lines. Progress of coalition forces has been fast and effective in the first eight days. Air strikes and all offensive actions continue according to plan.

POW's continue to claim that al Qaeda is embedded and aiding Iraqi forces, including regular troops, Fedayeen Saddam and other thug groups.

Afghanistan front: Two US Special Operations soldiers were ensuring the safety of a US paid for and built school when they were ambushed and killed.

Iraqi tactic of desperation validates terrorism roots: A homicide car bomber killed four US servicemen at a Najaf checkpoint. Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan said that, "...homicide bombing tactics will now be "routine military policy." "This is just the beginning. You'll hear more pleasant news later." "Any method that stops or kills the enemy will be used," the vice president told a news conference.

The U.S. Air Force flew the first combat missions of the war from Iraqi soil using a captured airfield in the northwestern section. Refueling capabilities are greatly simplified and coalition planes can spend twice as much time in target areas.

March 30, 2003: Coalition supply lines are secure & logistics are functioning well. UK corps of engineers will turn on a pipeline from Kuwait into southern Iraq that will pump enough water to serve 1,000,000 people per day.

Afghanistan front: A rocket hit a peacekeeper facility near the US embassy in Kabul.

Coalition rules of engagement changed due to yesterday's homicide car bombing: Any driver who approaches coalition forces and refuses to stop and identify himself will be shot on sight.

Hezbollah and Hamas terrorists are infiltrating Iraq via the Syrian border, supplied with C4 explosives and shoulder-held rocket launchers.

US Marines secured buildings in Nasiriyah and found 300 chemical suits, 300 gas masks, atropine injectors, two chemical decontamination vehicles, weapons and ammunition.

�AP

Car battery next to a metal bed frame is evidence of Iraqi torturers' work.

The Pentagon said at least one of the four American soldiers discovered in a shallow grave was "brutalized and mutilated." The corpses were unearthed in the vicinity of the "hospital" at Nasiriyah where U.S. Marines located evidence of Iraqi-operated torture chamber paraphernalia.

March 31, 2003: ID point: After twelve days of intense war, approximately 500 Iraqis have left their homes in Iraq and crossed into Jordan seeking safety. This relatively low number of refugees indicates that the Iraqi people have confidence that coalition forces will liberate them from Hussein's regime.

ID point: A variously reported number of men of various nationalities and allegiances are being bussed into northern Iraq claiming that they want to fight and commit suicide for Hussein's regime. This is a small number in relative and absolute terms. This is not surprising in light of the decades-long, rampant extremism that has indoctrinated millions of young Muslim men. They have been manipulated into a confused belief that there is an authentic need for Jihad.

Peter Arnett's seditious interview on Iraqi TV and Geraldo Rivera's irresponsible live reporting of potentially critical tactical information again demonstrate that the media and its reporters consider themselves to be the Big Story.

Coalition troops crossed the Iraq-designated red line around Baghdad.

An unprecedented armada --- B-1's, B-2's, & B-52's --- struck Republican Guard sites in Baghdad.

�Reuters

A raid on a militant group's Ansar al-Islam compound in Bitare yielded evidence of ties to al Qaeda. The leadership had already escaped to Iran. Coalition soldiers found a list of names of suspected militants living in the US and computer discs and foreign passports belonging to Arab fighters from around the Middle East.

April 1, 2003: Reports continue that Hussein's family members are fleeing Iraq.

The US Air Force placed the latest technology GPS satellite in orbit to support war operations in Iraq.

Several Iraqi generals have been captured and are being questioned about battle tactics and chemical weapons.

The top leader of the Ansar al-Islam militant group that is linked to al Qaeda has been captured.

April 2, 2003: Coalition forces are 18 miles from Baghdad.

The northern front continues to be secured. Bombing of Mosul continues. Kurdish soldiers are fighting with coalition forces.
Evidence is developing that solidly links the Ansar al Islam group to al Qaeda.

Coalition forces have taken the bridge in Kut over the Tigris River --- the last bridge needed to enter Baghdad.

One division of Baghdad's Republican Guard has been operationally destroyed.

All coalition soldiers are wearing full protective chemical equipment since entering the Baghdad red zone.

More schools and hospitals containing weapons caches are being found despite international laws prohibiting such use.

Najaf is in the last stages of liberation. Local civilians told U.S. soldiers that Saddam's army and police have been fleeing the city. After keeping up a solid defense of the city for three days, Iraqi fighters are giving up their positions.

The commander of the US 1st Brigade reports that, "People were bringing their children out, pointing to the tanks and waving."

Najaf is nearly secured by coalition forces: Fedayeen irregulars are holed up in one of the most sacred mosques, the burial place of Mohammed's son-in-law Ali, using it as a military fort and firing at coalition forces. Coalition forces are not returning hostile fire toward the gold-domed mosque --- instead, they are respecting the sanctity of the Muslim mosque.

History: Ali's shrine is in the center of Najaf. It is one of the landmarks of Islamic art. It has ceramic ornamented walls, a silver-covered tomb, and a golden dome and minarets. Iran has a majority Shiite population and tens of thousands of Iranians make pilgrimages to Najaf each year. Najaf and the nearby city of Karbala are major pilgrimage centers for Iraq's Shiites as well as Shiites in Iran.

April 3, 2003: Northern Iraq --- Evidence found at the Ansar al Islam group's camp includes al Qaeda books, chemical laboratory notebooks, chemical equipment and supplies for experimentation including chlorine gas and sarin --- all linking the group to al Qaeda.
Ansar al Islam was defeated and some members escaped to Iran after fighting against Kurdish forces and coalition forces. Local Iraqis who were injured and lost their homes and personal belongings say it was worth it to be rid of the terrorist group. Ansar al Islam had forced its own brand of Islam on the local people --- girls were not allowed to attend school, women had to be covered and everyone had to endure Taliban-like life styles.

Coalition forces have arrived in greater Baghdad.

Iraqi forces are attempting to poison water supplies and destroy bridges as they retreat northward from Baghdad.

Nazeriyah: Special Ops have secured a major dam. They stopped Iraqi troops attempting to set a fire apparently planning to destroy the dam and flood the area south. Marines have secured Nasiriyah.

Najaf: Thousands of civilians came into the streets wildly welcoming coalition troops.

The Iraqi regime has barred two Al Jazeera correspondents in Baghdad. In retaliation al Jazeera stopped all live coverage for two days.

Two of the six divisions of the Republican Guard have been operationally destroyed.
Other Republican Guard are moving south out of Baghdad apparently to block coalition advance and protect the main airport.

One prominent Muslim cleric has issued a fatwah instructing his followers to welcome coalition forces.
Najaf: The local Baath Party headquarters have been destroyed and coalition forces are gathering up crates of captured weapons. US forces have recovered a mosque that is revered by the world's Shiite Muslims and secured the gold-domed Ali mosque in pristine condition after three days of combat. Iraqi fighters had used the mosque as a fort to hide in and attack coalition forces. Coalition forces did not return fire when fired upon from the mosque, thus saving the mosque from damage or even destruction.
Najaf residents appeared to sense that something fundamental had shifted and a serious threat to their religious heritage had been removed by coalition forces. Thousands of ordinary citizens came out into the streets and cheered a coalition convoy. The coalition incursion freed Grand Ayatollah Sistani from more than 15 years of house arrest imposed by Hussein's regime

Hussein's regime has been forced to back-fill Baghdad's Republican Guard with less-well trained & equipped troops.

In darkness U.S. ground forces swept into Baghdad's international airport and secured the facility. Sporadic resistance remains.

�Reuters

Baghdad's Burning Trenches

In a recent interview with CBS' Dan Rather, Hussein said he would not sabotage his own nation. Yet he had trenches dug on the outskirts of Baghdad, filled with oil, and set on fire.

He mistakenly believed the smoke would camouflage the city and protect his forces. The regular spacing of the trench fires verifies their purpose. Apparently Hussein did not understand the operation of US precision guided bombs and missiles. Apparently he did not comprehend the functionality of GPS-guided really smart weaponry.

April 4, 2003: 2,500 of Baghdad's Elite Republican Guard surrendered as coalition forces started to enter the capital.

Vital civilian services and infrastructure in Baghdad and throughout Iraq continue to be protected from Iraqi sabotage and coalition bombings.

A third Baghdad Republican Guard division has been decimated. Of its four brigades, three were destroyed and the fourth was dispersed.

�AP	Baghdad International Airport Securing Baghdad International Airport required cautious coverage of each corridor, passageway, and a network of underground tunnels. The airport is 8 miles outside Baghdad and may be used as a forward staging area and humanitarian supplies for Baghdad residents.

April 5, 2003: Hussein fanatics are attempting to kill coalition soldiers using cars, their bodies and small bombs.

Eight bodies found during the rescue of PFC Jessica Lynch have been identified as American soldiers.

US forces have entered and reached the center of Baghdad. US Army soldiers captured the Republican Guard's Medina division headquarters.

Thousands of Iraqis are fleeing Baghdad fearful of anticipated street fighting.

CENTCOM statement: "We are -- no kidding -- in Baghdad."

Resistance throughout the Baghdad area is light, uncoordinated, and lacks centralized command and control. US forces are in the heart of Baghdad in substantial numbers.
This efficient and effective move into Baghdad was "deliberately planned" and we are now seeing the fruits of CENTCOM's plan. It is the product of the CENTCOM battle plan, Special Operations' preparation of the battle field, and two weeks of shaping by air and ground bombardment. ...And Baghdad's infrastructure remains intact for civilians.

April 6, 2003: Coalition forces are taking prisoners: Syrian, Egyptian and Sudanese fighters.

A massive munitions cache was found consisting of 120 bunkers filled with a wide variety of ammunition and weaponry. This munitions cache is large enough to support a division.

Chemical Ali Believed Dead: Hussein's cousin, the man responsible for gassing and killing 5,000 Iraqi Kurds in 1988 was believed killed in an air strike made possible by Special Operations' intelligence. After committing this mass murder, he was heard to brag about it.

The first coalition C-130 air transport has landed at Baghdad International Airport. This is the first of all loads that will be needed to liberate, feed, care for, and support the rebuilding of Iraq for the Iraqi people.

Baghdad is surrounded by coalition forces who come and go at will.
A cordon has been strung around the city.

April 7, 2003: Ali Hassan al-Majid, Saddam Hussein's cousin, known as "Chemical Ali" since he ordered a poison gas attack that killed tens of thousands of Kurds and Shiites was killed in an air attack in the Basrah area.
Kenneth Roth, head of Human Rights Watch in New York, said, "Al-Majid is Saddam Hussein's hatchet man. He has been involved in some of Iraq's worst crimes, including genocide and crimes against humanity."

Concerns that a desperate Iraqi regime might use chemical weapons increased. Marines testing the Euphrates River near Nasiriyah found "large concentrations" of cyanide and mustard agents. Marine commanders believe it was a deliberate attempt to poison coalition troops.
Developing verification of preliminary testing: Euphrates River near Nasiriyah --- Large concentrations of cyanide and mustard agents have been found.
Karbala area, Hindiyah --- Nerve and blistering agents have been found in weapon quantities in barrels during initial field tests.

�Reuters

Coalition forces have entered Baghdad again and taken possession of Hussein's main palace.
Also taken was the Information Ministry building and another Hussein palace.

US Marines seized one of Hussein's palaces southeast of Baghdad and searched through a Republican Guard headquarters building. Marines also searched a suspected terrorist training camp and found a passenger jet's shell that was apparently used to practice hijackings.

�AP

Karbala remains infested with pockets of Fedayeen Saddam & other thug groups that are being removed.

A large British infantry convoy consisting of tanks and light armored vehicles headed into Basrah to secure the older section of the city which contains the last substantial resistance. They met little resistance with hundreds of residents welcoming them. Residents also went on a looting rampage and punishing paramilitary Hussein loyalists.

Identifying Progress

The Office of Iraqi Reconstruction has been established.

Colonel David Perkins told his troops entering Baghdad that this operation is intended to be "a dramatic show of force..." U.S. troops can enter Baghdad at will.
He continued, "I hope this makes it clear to the Iraqi people that this {regime} is over and that they can now enjoy their new freedom."

General Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated that the Republican Guard's main weapons systems have been eliminated and the remaining force likely cannot assemble more than 1,000 men in any one location.

Brigadier Graham Binns, commander of the British Desert Rats, speaking of paramilitary and other thug holdouts in Basrah stated, "Their days are limited." "Our intelligence tells us that morale is low among the defenders of the city, that the population can't wait to see us, and the opposition such as it is, is uncoordinated."

Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz stated that it is likely to be more than six months before a new Iraqi government can effectively take control of liberated Iraq.

CENTCOM declared that Baghdad has been isolated & is under coalition overall control. Checkpoints have been set up on all of Baghdad's main roads.

April 8, 2003: "Extremely reliable" tip leads officials to send massive bombs into top leadership meeting. Hussein & sons are possibly dead.
Four precision guided bunker buster bombs were used.

Basrah is the first city to operate under control of a local tribal leader.

More foreign nationals, including Hezbollah members, have been captured while fighting for the failing Hussein regime.

April 9, 2003: Appropriate and effective strategic and tactical planning for months coupled with PsyOps, Special Operations, air power, well trained and equipped coordinated ground forces, and the people's will to be free has won the battle of Baghdad without traditional street fighting and the usual high casualties.

	WarInformation	�CNN
Celebration Breaks Out & Symbols Are Pulled Down ...by The People Of Baghdad

Groups are spontaneously coming into the streets of Baghdad demonstrating their excitement and destroying Hussein symbols and statues.

�USAToday

Left: After decades of despotic, iron-fist rule, cultural suppression, unspeakable physical and mental torturing, hunger, and after having reaped no gain from the sale of their nation's millions of barrels of oil over those decades, the people of Basrah and Baghdad are seen looting. Hundreds of people entered Hussein's palaces, military installations and government buildings and walked out with chairs, plastic flowers, tables, computers and other materials representing dictator Hussein's regime. There are no reports of private homes being looted.

Right: An Iraqi tears down a poster of Hussein in Baghdad. Iraqi's cheered US troops as Hussein's regime continues to collapse. Flourishing in their first light of liberty, groups of Baghdad residents openly denounced the regime.

�Reuters

Control over oil fields in and around Mosul and Kirkuk is a strategic objective on the northern front.
Kurdish forces have gained a grip and are within sight of the oil center Kirkuk. Coalition air power continues to shape the battle field.

Tikrit, Hussein's home base and Baath party stronghold, could be the site of a last, desperate stand by the dictator's regime.
According to Lt. Mark Kitchens, a U.S. Central Command spokesman, coalition forces are "actively engaging" Iraqi forces in Mosul and Tikrit. US Special Forces and Kurdish peshmerga fighters gained control of a hilltop near Mosul providing strategic control of a main route to the city.

�ABCNews

Iraq's U.N. ambassador Mohammed Al-Douri said, "The game is over."

Did he mean that the 34 years of despotic murdering, torturing, dictatorship of the Hussein regime that he represented was a game? His misrepresentations at the UN were divisive, destructive and distracted the world from productive efforts. Thousands of Iraqi people died horrible deaths because they dared to resist the Hussein regime. Thousands of Iraqi people were gassed and tortured because they worshipped in a way not approved of by the Hussein regime. Thousands of Iraqi people were forced into exile. Thousands of women were persecuted and worse by Hussein's regime of thugs --- and specifically by his sons. Fanatical terrorists were given training, weapons and money to terrorize civilized people everywhere. Millions of Iraqi people lived for one-third of a century in desperate fear. 90% of the Iraqi people were born after Hussein's Baath party came into power. ...And Mohammed Al-Douri dined at New York's finest restaurants.
What a game.

April 10, 2003: Military and CIA teams working in Iraq and surveillance devices monitoring Hussein's inner circle report nearly the entire Iraqi leadership has vanished.

In Basrah, British forces are gradually turning from offensive fighting to maintaining civil order.

.Tikrit remains under the Hussein regime's control. Coalition & Kurdish forces are gaining control of Mosul & Kirkuk, Iraq's second largest oil region.
The focus is growing for the coalition to gain control of strategic objectives on the northern front.
Coalition air power continues to shape the northern front battle field.
Non-Iraqi Arab soldiers are fighting against coalition forces.
Tikrit, Hussein's home base and Baath party stronghold, could be the site of a last, desperate stand by the dictator's regime.

April 11, 2003: Remaining fanatic fighters are amongst the most fanatical and therefore the most deadly.

Iraq's U.N. ambassador Mohammed Al-Douri departed New York today. He is planning to fly to Paris and then on to Syria. His last words were, "Thank you to the people of New York and United States. They are very decent people." He said he hopes to return when there is peace.

Tikrit remains under regime control.

Coalition forces continue to secure deadly pockets of resistance, provide food and medical supplies, and maintain civil order among millions of people who are free for the first time in 34 years. As expected Iraqis are searching for missing family and friends, records of their whereabouts, fates and remains. Thousands of Iraqis are releasing pent-up hatred for Hussein and his thugs upon government buildings and other symbols of the despotic regime. Understandably, some mobs become wild and the worst of human nature shows in the looting of unrelated businesses.

April 12, 2003: Coalition forces are starting to withdraw from the region now that portions of their work are nearing completion. The US is ordering two aircraft carriers back their US home ports. Vice Admiral Timothy Keating, commander of all naval forces on the Iraqi front, said two or three of the five US aircraft carriers may head home soon, "possibly in a couple of days." Britain announced it will withdraw some of its forces as soon as Basrah becomes stabilized.

General al Saadi, Hussein's chief scientist, surrendered to the coalition. He is one of the 55 most wanted Hussein insiders.

Over 120 schools and hospitals have been converted into weapons and ammunition depots. Schools had classrooms void of desks and books, but filled floor to ceiling with munitions. Schools were found containing homicide vests each vest weighing 20 pounds and made of C4 explosive and ball bearings.
One school contained a cache of hundreds of crates filled with rocket propelled grenade launchers, shoulder launched rockets and ammunition, and surface to air missiles. Iraqis are asking coalition troops to remove munitions and bring in desks and books so that their children can return to schools.

Civil control and order is being restored to the southern city of Basrah. This was one of the first cities liberated and British forces are being successful in establishing civil authority using local Iraqis.
In some cities Iraqis are starting to control and police their own neighborhoods.
Humanitarian aid is waiting in Kuwait for more stability in Basrah and northward.
Reports indicate that looting is diminishing today compared to the first days of freedom.
Restoring order in Iraq is like trying to restore order in any major city after a big sports riot.

Local Baghdad policemen have answered the coalition's call to assist in maintaining order.

The Office of Iraqi Reconstruction will convene a meeting on April 15, of Iraqis and coalition leaders to discuss organization and plans for liberated Iraq.

April 13, 2003: Coalition forces are entering Tikrit to confront the last large Hussein regime holdout city. Negotiations are under way to avoid ethnic infighting among the Kurds and Iraqi factions as Tikrit falls to coalition forces.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said, "There's no question" that some senior Iraqi leaders have fled to Syria. He continued that it appears some have remained in Syria while others have gone to other countries. Rumsfeld said, "We certainly are hopeful Syria will not become a haven for war criminals or terrorists."
He said Syrians have been the largest portion of foreign fighters encountered by U.S. troops in Baghdad over the last 24 hours.

Coalition troops have been welcomed into the city of Kut. The city will be administered by a combination of coalition troops and coalition-trained local police and security forces to restore order.

�London Telegraph

Revealed: Russia Spied On Blair For Saddam
By David Harrison
Filed April 13, 2003
London Telegraph

"Top secret documents obtained by The Telegraph in Baghdad show that Russia provided Saddam Hussein's regime with wide-ranging assistance in the months leading up to the war, including intelligence on private conversations between Tony Blair and other Western leaders.

Moscow also provided Saddam with lists of assassins available for "hits" in the West and details of arms deals to neighbouring countries. The two countries also signed agreements to share intelligence, help each other to "obtain" visas for agents to go to other countries and to exchange information on the activities of Osama bin Laden, the al-Qa'eda leader.

The documents detailing the extent of the links between Russia and Saddam were obtained from the heavily bombed headquarters of the Iraqi intelligence service in Baghdad yesterday."

Read The Entire Telegraph Story

Looting is diminishing in the northern cities just as it has greatly decreased in the southern city of Basrah, the first city liberated. The Iraqi people are getting on with liberated, civilized lives.

Civilian ships are returning to the southern port of Umm Qasr to deliver humanitarian aid and supplies for the first time since liberation began.

Seven more US POW's have been handed over to coalition forces by Iraqi fighters.

Two more of the 55 most wanted top Hussein insiders have been located and will be interrogated. Some insiders are in US custody, others will be available for interrogations.

April 14, 2003: US Marines are entering Tikrit to confront the last large Hussein regime holdouts. They are finding tanks and armored personnel carriers apparently abandoned by hundreds of Republican Guard forces

The US has requested that Syria not harbor Hussein regime insiders and stated that it would be wise for Syria to dismantle its chemical weapons programs.

As anticipated by coalition forces, snipers and small groups of Hussein holdovers are deadly and remain in Baghdad and other cities for coalition forces to destroy.

Across Iraq, coalition leaderships are establishing police forces drawn from the local populations to maintain order. Looting is diminishing.

Two US Navy aircraft carriers with their battle groups are scheduled to leave the Persian Gulf this week and return to their home ports.
Departures of the USS Kitty Hawk and USS Constellation reflect a scaling back of the air campaign. The Pentagon continues to send more ground forces to Kuwait and Iraq.

Liberation is not complete, but proceeding well after three-and-one-half (3-1/2) weeks.
Effective planning over months by top caliber military leaders, top notch troop training and well designed equipment have resulted in the three week toppling of the dictator Hussein.

Major General Stanley McChrystal stated during a Defense Department briefing that Iraqi fighters have not mounted "a coherent defense" and major combat is essentially over. He continued, "I think we will move into a phase where it is smaller, but with sharp fights."

April 15, 2003: Iraqis and Iraqi exiles are meeting today Nasiriyah to discuss the building and governance of liberated Iraq. The meeting is being led by General Jay Garner, head of the Office of Iraqi Reconstruction. This meeting is taking place only 28 days after the start of the war front to liberate Iraq.
An interim government could be in place within three months.
Some factions, uncertain of motivations and outcomes, protested and boycotted the meeting. In the liberated, post-Hussein Iraq, they were heard, remain alive, well and free to continue to speak out and to join in at anytime.
The meeting produced a list of 13 objectives and the idea to meet again within two weeks.

�USAToday

US Soldiers Search For Hussein Regime Records

With Iraq now liberated, soldiers turn to peace keeping and searching Hussein's palaces, government buildings and bunkers across Iraq. They are looking for records of missing Iraqi citizens, weaponry deals and intelligence detailing the regime's multiple UN sanction violations and crimes against humanity.

US Marines encountered little resistance upon entering Tikrit which was thought to be the last Hussein regime holdout. Tikrit is now under coalition control.

Coalition forces control all major Iraq oil fields. Pumping of oil could begin within one month.

US military engineers reported they shut off a pipeline that had been used to ship oil from Iraq to Syria in violation of UN sanctions.

Across Iraq, coalition leaderships are establishing police forces drawn from local populations. Looting contines to diminish.

Abu Abbas, the so-called mastermind of the 1985 Achille Lauro cruise ship hijacking and murder, was captured today by US Special Forces. Apparently given refuge by Hussein, he had been living for some years in Baghdad. Reputedly, he was also involved in the hijacking of Pan Am flight 103.

April 16: US Marines are searching for and neutralizing several large munitions caches in hospitals, schools, hotels, bunkers, tunnels, subways and office buildings in cities across Iraq.

The highest-ranking US military officer, General Richard Myers said large numbers of American forces based in Kuwait or Saudi Arabia may no longer be needed after the fall of Hussein's regime. To a large extent US forces in the Gulf region were there to enforce Iraq-related UN resolutions. General Myers said the Pentagon will "in the fairly near future" have a new "footprint" for postwar American military presence in the Gulf. He continued, "Those forces that were in Turkey for that purpose, they've already returned home. We had forces in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia as well and, clearly, they're not going to be needed in the future for that."

April 17, 2003: Saddam Hussein's half brother is in custody.

Baghdad public service utilities: 95% of telephone service and all electric power will be restored within days.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld warned a group at the Pentagon, "The war is not over."

Factional fighting continues over disputed territories in Northern Iraqi cities including Kirkuk and Mosul. New normalcy is arriving in Basrah. Looting is near over in Baghdad.

Some of the museum and other valuables looted appear to be a planned project, perhaps organized outside of Iraq. Some thieves had keys to museum vaults and were able to take pieces from safes, experts said at a UN assemblage of about 30 art experts meeting in Paris. Although most looting appeared to be random grabbing, experts agreed that some thieves knew what to look for, where to find it, and may have been professionals.

McGuire Gibson, a University of Chicago professor and president of the American Association for Research in Baghdad said, "It looks as if part of the looting was a deliberate planned action.... They were able to take keys for vaults and were able to take out important Mesopotamian materials put in safes. I have a suspicion it was organized outside the country, in fact I'm pretty sure it was."

�USAToday

April 18, 2003: US Tanks Guard Baghdad's Iraqi National Museum
With fighting nearly over, US soldiers continue to guard cultural sites to prevent professionally organized thievery and random looting. US soldiers prevented a bank robbery over protests from Iraqis who wanted to share in the loot.
Marines worked to defuse ethnic fighting in Mosul and Kirkuk.
It was only eight days ago that coalition forces had been wearing poison gas gear for days, there was serious concern that Hussein's Republican Guard would use chemical and/or biological weapons against his own people and the troops as they crossed the red line to enter Baghdad. Coalition forces managed to subdue Hussein's military and liberate Baghdad. It was one week ago that the statues of Hussein were first being toppled by newly-freed Iraqis.

�AP

April 19, 2003: A top Iraqi scientist has surrendered to American authorities. US officials have called Emad Husayn Abdullah al-Ani the father of Iraq's program to make the sophisticated nerve agent VX. This capture could aid in the search for chemical and biological weapons inside Iraq. US officials have linked al-Ani to involvement with an alleged chemical weapons plant in Sudan having links to al-Qaeda.

April 20, 2003: Another top regime official has been turned over to US forces by Iraqi police. He was the Hussein regime chief financial person.

US Army forces have returned to Baghdad replacing US Marines who have been shifted southward out of Baghdad.

Tens of thousands of Shiites are making a pilgrimage to Karbala and Najaf. This pilgrimage was not permitted under Hussein's regime.

Fire and police departments are operating in Nasiriyah. A railroad train is running again in southern Iraq.

Baghdad has a self-proclaimed mayor who said he plans to open the courts and establish order.

April 21, 2003: Two more top regime officials have been captured by US forces. Eight of the 55 most wanted are in custody. A ninth, Chemical Ali, is believed to have been killed during the bombing.

Jay Garner, the man charged with overseeing the building of Iraq, arrived in the country.

The US Army held a job fair in Baghdad expecting about 200 applicants. Over 1,000 people showed up.

April 22, 2003: France said it wants immediate suspension of UN sanctions. This is supportive of the US goal of ending trade embargoes. These sanctions target the Iraqi people now that Hussein's regime is defunct. Russia and Germany want to wait until weapons of mass destruction are found and destroyed before allowing the coalition-liberated Iraq to start functioning again as a sovereign nation.

Coalition soldiers came under attack from snipers in Baghdad. Fire was returned --- no coalition soldier was injured. Iraq remains a dangerous place.

Air power supported a heavy armored ground rush into Mosul by coalition forces. The assault is an attempt to remove tribal chieftains and paramilitary holdouts.

Iraq's Shiite Muslims are now free for the first time in decades to make their pilgrimage to the sacred cities of Karbala and Najaf. Hundreds of thousands -- and up to a million people -- did everything possible, including walking barefoot to make this pilgrimage.

�Reuters

On his second day in Iraq, Jay Garner visited northern areas meeting with Kurdish leaders and people who stated their expectations regarding assistance from the US.

April 23, 2003: Iraq's Shiite Muslims continue their pilgrimage to the sacred cities of Karbala and Najaf. Forbidden under Hussein's rule, nearly one million people are today free to worship as they choose.

The US has repaired Iraq's southern oil fields and oil began flowing again. The US has repaired equipment and electric power has been restored to parts of Baghdad. Thousands of Shiites demonstrated against the US in Karbala.

April 24, 2003: Iraq's Shiite Muslims are being organized by Iranian factions to protest the US' presence in their country.

Sniping and shooting continues sporadically in Kut. Pockets of deadly holdouts remain hiding and actively attempting to kill coalition forces across Iraq.

�AP	In Custody The world knows this one as Hussein's primary spokesman who defended and promoted the lying, cover-ups, and denials and refuted claims of the regime's despicable acts, actions and plans.

April 25, 2003: Sniping and shooting continues sporadically. Pockets of deadly holdouts remain hiding and actively attempting to kill coalition forces across Iraq.

April 26, 2003: An Iraqi munitions depot outside Baghdad was intentionally ignited and exploded by a group working to disrupt the liberation and destroy the Iraqi people's progress toward peace. Six civilians were killed and over 50 were injured.

April 27, 2003: The self-proclaimed mayor of Baghdad has been arrested. He had been vociferous and disruptive in his poorly couched attempt to assume power.

Evidence is being found in Hussein's government buildings of definite links -- meetings and contacts -- between Hussein's regime and al Qaeda, including bin Laden, going back several years.

Evidence is being found in Hussein's government buildings of intelligence sharing between the French and Hussein's regime. There is direct evidence that the French provided Iraq with information regarding talks between President Bush and Chirac's government after 9/11/2001. This is reminiscent of similar information that the Germans provided Iraq.

April 28, 2003: Potential Iraqi leadership assembled today in Baghdad for a conference led by retired U.S. General Jay Garner. In a show of hands, 250 prominent Iraqis agreed to assemble a national conference within one month to begin building a transitional government. There are still divisions regarding the role of Iraq's liberator, the US.

Continued testing of a pile of 55-gallon drums showed positive for nerve agents. The drums were found in central Iraq near a small industrial town. Laboratory tests will reveal conclusively whether or not the chemicals were of the type used to make lethal chemical weapons.

Apri 29, 2003: Armed men mixed into a crowd of anti-American Iraqis and fired at US soldiers during a demonstration outside a school in Fallujah, a Sunni Muslim city and Baath party center 30 miles from Baghdad. Apparently the crowd was celebrating Hussein's birthday. US forces returned fire, killing 13 and wounding 75 Iraqis. Iraqis and Americans described the events differently. US forces stated several armed gunmen started shooting at them from within the crowd, but some Iraqi witnesses said the American soldiers started shooting first. Ebtesam Shamsudein, a 37-year-old mother of seven said, "Americans are criminals," as her leg was being bandaged. A tense and dangerous environment exists throughout Iraq while Americans try to maintain peace until an Iraqi government can be established.
This was the third deadly confrontation between crowds and US soldiers in the three weeks since Iraqi liberation.

April 30, 2003: Fallujah was the scene of another attack by Hussein loyalist holdouts who imbed themselves in crowds, shoot at US soldiers and force self-defensive retaliation that injured and killed innocent Iraqis.

May 1, 2003: President Bush announced that defeat of Hussein's regime, "is one victory in a war on terror...." He went on to explain that the war will continue.

May 2, 2003: Hussein loyalists tossed grenades into a US army compound in Fallujah. Seven soldiers were injured.

May 3, 2003: The US will establish an international peacekeeping force consisting of elements from at least six nations. Iraq will be divided into three zones to be patrolled by Poland, Britain and the US.

May 4, 2003: In an effort to get Iraqi people working, the US offered emergency payments for a month's work to public sector workers and took measures to bring order to the oil sector. Over 400,000 people received payments. Yesterday some schools reopened and non-political services were starting to be staffed by Iraqi police. The US-led Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA), has advised Iraqis that it will take more time to get policemen on more local streets.

May 8, 2003: Two US soldiers were killed in Baghdad today. One was approached during daylight while on a bridge and shot point blank by a man using a pistol. The killer disappeared. The second soldier was killed by a sniper. Yesterday two Iraqis using small arms and rocket-propelled grenades opened fire upon a reconnaissance unit moving north of Baghdad. Also yesterday Iraqis using machine guns and rifles opened fire upon a convoy near the northern town of Baiji.

US forces exchange fire with armed Iraqis on a daily basis throughout the country.

Ongoing Tasks & Projects Are Each Massive Efforts & Include The Following

Ongoing Tasks: Stopping looting and other criminal activities of the Iraqi people, keeping the peace, locating regime criminals, identifying WMD sites, building critical infrastructure components such as electric power, constructing fresh water and water filtration plants, providing healthcare and food institutions, restarting schools, and ensuring safe living conditions for the 23 million people victimized by Hussein's regime for 34 years. As important as anything else, the US and its coalition partners are assisting the Iraqi people in their organization of productive working businesses supporting employees who earn wages, assembling initial leadership positions for a free and coherent governmental structure that may someday stand and serve the Iraqi people.

Also, the US and its coalition partners must ensure regional stability and continue fighting in the global War Against Terrorism.

Locating the dictator? Dead or alive he is definitely out of commission.

Tactical situations of war are --- as usual and expected by military leaders --- confusing and upsetting to civilians who are used to watching sports events of finite duration from their sofas. The media's non-stop reporting intermingles new events with old, speculation with fact and, in its usual too-rapid staccato, adds to the public's confusion. All the coalition need do is to reaffirm the coherent, flexible, and scaleable nature of its strategic battle plan and continue to stoically wage war toward the victory it sees.

Victory is now redefined after the sweeping military successes and deposing of Hussein's regime in only 3 weeks. Further victory is now a matter of helping the Iraqi people understand and accept their liberation and use their new freedoms to build a successful and productive nation.

Most Amazing: Starting After Only Five Days Of War, on March 24, media reporters and other self-proclaimed pundits with no meaningful military experience started to repeatedly quiz experienced, seasoned military experts who developed the Iraq Battle Plan. How can inexperienced people who had nothing to do with development of the Iraq Battle Plan --- and have never seen it --- repeatedly quiz its developers and surmise that it is not working well?
It is nonsense that retired military people who had nothing to do with development of the Iraq Battle Plan --- and have never seen it --- surmise that it is not working well.

After less than three weeks of open war, Iraq's liberation was tangible and visible. The Hussein regime's palaces, government buildings, images and statues fell. The dictator's regime was defunct. Many difficult and dangerous days remain, but Iraq's people have been given the opportunity to realize their potential.

23 Million People Set Free In Three Weeks

In only the the first three weeks of fighting coalition forces released 23 million Iraqis from the fear and containment imposed upon them by Hussein's despotic, cruel, murdering dictatorship. Now most Iraqis are free to move anywhere and start living, working, cooperating and productively producing. After one-third of a century there is some letting-off of steam. And that is why we see some looting and recriminations being taken against the regime's buildings, local officials and symbols. These events were anticipated and planned for in the coalition's Strategic Plan.

The coalition's Strategic Plan is broad, deep and multifaceted -- it accounts for a myriad of possibilities and actualities.

Now liberated, over the next days, weeks, months and years Iraqis will learn that with freedom come responsibilities including going to work, getting educated and being civil to your neighbors. This should explain -- even to media reporters -- events observed these days in Iraq... and why situations are likely to improve over the months. It will take months and years to build a productive nation even assuming that is what most Iraqis want. Neither Rome nor our Civilization were built in a day... or a year.
To think otherwise, demonstrates a lack of historical perspective.

The Age of Asymmetric Policy Arrived March 17, 2003

The Foundation Of Asymmetric Policy Is Self-Defense.
Yesterday's friend may not be today's ally. We must judge our friends based upon past performances, today's actions and tomorrow's expectations.

Chemical & Biological & Nuclear Weaponry

Uncovered 25 miles southwest of Baghdad: The deadly nerve agent sarin and the Nazi Germany-developed tabun used by Hussein against his own people, nerve agent antidotes, and Arab language manuals describing chemical warfare.
Confirmed In Laboratory Tests: Botulinum and ricin toxin were found at the Ansar al Islam camp in northern Iraq.
US forces testing the Euphrates River near Nasiriyah found "large concentrations" of cyanide and mustard agents.
Hundreds of chemical-capable war heads were found at a site south of Baghdad.
More munitions recently uncovered in bunker storage sites are being tested.
A building complex south of Baghdad was recently uncovered. Some buildings are too radioactive for human inhabitation.
A bomb making factory complex was uncovered and is being examined in southern Baghdad.
Several more mobile chem-bio labs have been uncovered and are being analyzed.
15 large drums were uncovered -- preliminary tests indicate they contain serin nerve gas.