- In Baghdad, the 1st Cavalry Division continues offensive operations against Sadr’s militia and other extremist forces. The division conducted two intelligence-based raids to destroy and capture enemy targets within the battlespace, capturing 16 suspects. This morning coalition forces detained an additional 29 individuals and confiscated numerous arms and ammunition.
- Today at 11:05, Hazim al-Araji (ph), a spokesman for Muqtada al- Sadr, was detained for questioning by coalition forces. After questioning, al-Araji (ph) was determined to have no direct involvement in violent acts in Iraq, and is not viewed as an imminent threat to security. He was released at 5:50 p.m. today.
- In the western zone of operations, the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force continued offensive operations throughout the Al Anbar province, except in Fallujah. In Fallujah the current situation remains stable. During the past 24 hours, there heave been a number of provocative attacks on coalition forces. Early this morning a helicopter made an emergency landing due to ground fire. The attack resulted in three wounded and a quick-reaction force secured the crew, and the helicopter was later destroyed to prevent it from falling into enemy hands.
- But before we suggest that all the forces just walked away from the fight, in fact there have been numerous forces that when mustered went to where they needed to be, and have performed brilliantly. In Fallujah, we have two battalions of Iraqi Civil Defense Corps that are fighting alongside coalition forces. In many towns the Iraqi police service has come back to man their stations. But, in truth, there were a number of troops, there were a number of police that didn’t stand up when their country called. We’re going to take a very hard look at those.
- Anecdotally, though, which we have been meeting with leaders from Iraq who are very much in touch with the local scene in Fallujah, and while there are frustrations along the lines you have described, I would also say that there is a sense of frustration we are hearing among the silent majority of Fallujans about the foreign fighters and international terrorists that are hanging their hats in Fallujah right now, and consequently imposing enormous burden, and misery, and death in some cases by virtue of their location. A number of Fallajans have spoken out on this. Our -- the problem here is not with the Fallujans, the problem here is not with the coalition. The problem here is with foreign fighters, international terrorists, people like Zarqawi, who we believe to be in Fallujah or nearby, and those Iraqis who would support the operations of the foreign fighters and the terrorists. That is not something the majority of Fallujans support. The Fallujans we are hearing from would love to rid themselves of this burden, and put this sad past few days behind them.
- We would not consider the lines of communication and the major roads coming out of Baghdad from East to West or from North to South completely secure at this time. We think we’ve made a significant improvement. We would still rate them in the military lexicon as "amber" -- not exactly green. And we would advise anyone traveling on those roads to take reasonable force protection measures, as you have been over the past few days, if needing to travel along those.
- Just a couple of examples of some of the irresponsible and clearly incorrect reporting that has occurred on al Jazeera over the last few days. Saturday, for instance: Baghdad students, according to al Jazeera, gathered at Mustansiriyah University to prepare relief supplies for people in Fallujah. And al Jazeera reported that U.S. troops surrounded the university and demanded via loud speakers that the students leave the university. The report is accompanied by a clip of an armored vehicle driving around Mustansiriyah. And we of course looked right into this when the report as concerning as this one came out, and we learned that approximately 20 students from Mustansiriyah University came to a coalition force compound complaining of an armed militia on their campus. Coalition forces and Iraqi Civil Defense Corps responded to the college, responded to the university and searched 14 buildings, confiscated nine AK-47s, one pistol, pro-al-Sadr banners, and one al-Sadr uniform. The armed militias subsequently departed the area. I’ll give you another example. On Saturday in Kut, al Jazeera reported that large numbers of British soldiers were killed, their vehicles destroyed in an attack on their camp in the governorate of Maysan. And we confirmed this with our officials in Maysan, who confirmed no casualties of any kind, after nine mortar rounds fired at an Iraqi Civil Defense Corps base. Also on Saturday al Jazeera reported that they themselves were being targeted, and that they were being targeted by coalition tanks twice, but they escaped, they reported, but the U.S. wants them out of Fallujah. "But we will stay," the reporter said -- they were reporting that we wanted them out of Fallujah so badly that we sent tanks after them.
- Of particular interest, some of the weapons that we found in Ar Ramadi, which we have not seen in any large numbers that are Dragunov sniper rifles, which isn’t your typical garden variety buy-it-off-the street AK-47. These are fairly accurate long-range, well-telescoped weapons that have a significant range and a significant lethal capability. So I think those are the weapons that probably are a little bit different than what we’ve seen over the past few months, and ones that no doubt gave the Marines some measure of concern.
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