- Today Ambassador Bremer joined Iraq’s agriculture minister, Dr. Abdul-Ameer Abboud, to mark the official transfer of sovereignty to the Ministry of Agriculture. This is the sixth ministry to be handed over to the control of the Iraqi people.
- coalition forces conducted a cordon and search in Balaji (ph) yesterday targeting weapons dealers. Two primary targets and an additional suspect were detained and a large cache of ammunition was seized. Coalition forces also conducted a cordon and search in Hammam al Alil, targeting three anti-coalition cell members and they were detained without incident.
- In the north-central zone of operations, a coalition force patrol observed a suspicious male carrying a bag near al Duluiyah. The patrol pursued the man into a house and conducted a hasty raid where three males were seized. The combat patrol seized four AK-47s and the bag, which had a rocket-propelled grenade sight assembly, two blocks of TNT and firing instructions for rocket-propelled grenades.
- Yesterday coalition forces conducted a cordon and search in the vicinity of the Ali Mohammed mosque in northwest Baghdad for five individuals believed to responsible for an IED that killed coalition soldiers on 2 May. Forces detained five individuals, of which all tested positive with a vapor tracer for both TNT and TNB. Coalition forces also reported that anti-coalition propaganda continues to be broadcast at the mosque -- propaganda urging Iraqis to engage coalition forces.
- In the western zone of operations, yesterday was a relatively quiet day in the area of operations in general; in Fallujah in particular, where there were no cease-fire violations. The cooperation with the Iraqi forces in town was encouraging as the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps troops assumed joint responsibility alongside the Marines for the northern cordon. The ICDC has grown to 1,190 soldiers and the 1st Battalion Fallujah Brigade to 1,200 troops, while 750 Iraqi police are on duty. Preparations continue for the upcoming joint patrols into the city that should demonstrate the Fallujah Brigade’s true effectiveness.
- Yesterday in Multinational Division Central South, the coalition patrol on the east side of the Euphrates, near Kufa, observed five individuals unloading weapons from a van on the west side of the river. Tanks engaged and destroyed the van, and killing an estimated five personnel.
- Last night coalition forces conducted a raid into Karbala against Muqtada’s militia storing weapons and operating in three locations: a hotel suspected of being a militia safe house, the former Ba’ath Party building and the former government -- governor’s building. The hotel and Ba’ath Party building were cleared without incident, and upon arrival at the governor’s building, coalition forces found the building on fire and taking small-arms fire from the vicinity of the building. After a prolonged firefight, coalition forces took control of the building, and results from the operation were an estimated 10 enemy killed and 21 suspects detained, of which three were wounded.
- In Diwaniyah last night, coalition forces conducted offensive operations against the Sadr bureau, to reduce the militia influence in the city and establish conditions for the return of Iraqi security forces. As coalition forces approached the objective, a vehicle engaged the unit with small-arms fire, wounding one coalition soldier. Forces returned fire, destroying the vehicle and its occupants.
Coalition forces continued the mission, engaging the building with precision fires. Forces then cleared the building, resulting in one Sadr militia member detained. Coalition forces and Iraqi people will remain in the building and will continue the process of reestablishing police presence in that area of Diwaniyah.
In a follow-on mission, coalition forces conducted a cordon-and- search of a school located across from the Sadr building, suspected of having a weapons cache on its grounds. Coalition forces confiscated one 60-millimeter mortar, 10 rocket-propelled grenades and 20 60- millimeter rounds found hidden within a makeshift wall in the school.
- My Army’s been embarrassed by this. My Army’s been shamed by this. And on behalf of my Army, I apologize for what those soldiers did to your citizens. It was reprehensible and it was unacceptable. And it is more than just words, that we have to take those words into action and ensure that never happens again. And we will make a full- faith effort to ensure that never happens again.
- The -- they will be tried. At present, the expectation is, if taken to a court martial, those trials will be held here in Iraq.
With regards to ultimately if they serve time in a penitentiary, I would not expect that to be here in Iraq.
The 32s are nearly complete. I know at least three are finished, possibly four. And I think all of us certainly would like to see this process move on from the 32 to whatever the final resolution is going to be, whether it is court martial or any other form of disposition. So I’d expect that to be fairly soon.
- But here’s the important thing to understand; that all those forces operating in the vicinity of Fallujah, whether they’re Iraqi Civil Defense Corps, whether they are the 1st Battalion of the Fallujah brigade, whether they’re the Iraqi police, or whether they are the United States Marine Corps supported by the United State Army, all those forces are operating under the command and control of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. All of them have one simple goal and that is to protect the people of Fallujah and achieve the objectives that we set out over a month ago, which is to get rid of the foreign fighters out of Fallujah, to get rid of the heavy weapons out of Fallujah, to get Iraqi forces and Iraqi governmental control back in Fallujah and bring justice inside Fallujah.
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