- An unidentified civilian was killed and eight Iraqi Civil Defense Corps personnel were injured this morning by a car bomb at one of the gates to LSA Anaconda. The dead civilian is believed to have been the driver of the car that exploded, and six of the wounded were taken by ground ambulance to the 31st Combat Support Hospital in Balad. Two ICDC members were treated at a local hospital, and coalition quick reaction forces responded to the attack and have cordoned off the area.
- Two days ago, coalition forces observed rockets landing in the coalition sector. They observed a vehicle flee the scene with his lights off and followed it to a nearby house. The unit searched the house and discovered artillery aiming stakes and weapons. The unit captured two Iraqi citizens, who tested positive with a vapor tracer.
- More than 130 Iraqi police service officers are undergoing advanced forensic training. The officers departed over the past two days for the United Arab Emirates for a three-week training course provided by trainers sent by the government of Germany, which also donated forensics kits for each of the Iraqi trainees to use in the investigation of crimes here in Iraq.
- Finally, in the south-eastern zone of operations, on Saturday a position manned by coalition forces at the Shatt al-Arab Hotel was attacked by Iraqi males who fired approximately 50 rounds in their direction. A quick-reaction force was deployed and captured two personnel currently being held for questioning.
- On the first question, we were asked the other day whether we had any Iraqi generals in Jordan for training. We did have eight Iraqi future generals -- candidates for general officers who transited through Jordan on the way back from a course in the United States. Many of you are familiar with the Marshall Center that we have in Germany. At that place it’s an opportunity to bring generals from different countries together for the purpose of discussing how militaries that work in countries with civilian control of the military -- how they operate, how they set up their budgets, how they work the civil-military cooperation between the defense department and the military departments.
We have started a new course -- the vicinity in the area of the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. We had these future generals go back to the United States for some intensive training in the United States for that very same reason. At this location, at the National Defense University, they became exposed to the notion of how does the military operate with civilian control. What are the budgeting processes? What are the civilian- military relations, as I mentioned earlier? At that location, they saw it all happening. They were exposed to officers from other countries that live in that environment. They were able to use that opportunity while in Washington, D.C. to visit some of the different organizations such as the Pentagon, such as Office of the Secretary of Defense, office of the chairman joint staff.
- Q Someone asked about an increase of targeting of Western hotels in Baghdad. And following that, there was a raid on a hotel in the Karrada district last night which houses many Western journalists. Someone, apparently, was arrested. I wondered if you could tell me anything about it and what might have been recovered. GEN. KIMMITT: I think at this point what we’d like to do is let that investigation carry itself out for a few days before we comment on it.
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