March 2004 - Iraq Special Weapons News

Operations
Deployments
US Policy
United Nations
Reconstruction Issues
Foreign Reactions
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 31 Mar 2004 [PDF]

• Transcript: Coalition Provisional Authority Briefing 331 Mar 2004 -- Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, Deputy Director for Coalition Operations and Dan Senor, Senior Adviser, CPA
• Defense Department Report, March 31: Iraq Operational Update Washington File 31 Mar 2004 -- Five U.S. Marines were killed when a roadside bomb detonated beside their armored vehicle convoy 15 miles from Fallujah, Iraq, and four civilian contractors -- all of whom were U.S. citizens -- were killed in an unrelated attack in Fallujah March 31, coalition officials said.
• Nine Deaths in Iraq Won't Deter Coalition, Officials Say AFPS 31 Mar 2004 -- Five U.S. soldiers and four civilians were killed in separate attacks today in Iraq, coalition officials reported during a Baghdad news briefing.
• IRAQ WRAP-UPDATE VOA 31 Mar 2004 -- Iraq, five U-S soldiers and four American civilians working for the U-S led military coalition have been killed in a day of violent attacks (Wednesday). The bodies of the American civilians were burned and put on display by a crowd in the town of Fallujah, which has been a stronghold of anti-U-S sentiment. It was one of the deadliest days of violence against the U-S-led military coalition in weeks.
• Two Suspected Insurgents Netted in Baghdad Raid AFPS 31 Mar 2004 -- Acting on a tip from an Iraqi informer, coalition forces raided a suspected insurgent safe house in Baghdad and captured two men March 30.
• Logistics Chief Reports on Operation Iraqi Freedom Effort AFPS 31 Mar 2004 -- The Defense Department's logistics organization has procured myriad vital supplies for service members deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom, a senior U.S. military officer noted here March 30.
• Cav troopers hit Baghdad's streets in 'Operation Iron Promise' Army News Service 31 Mar 2004-- In what has become almost a nightly ritual, Soldiers from A Troop, 1st Squadron, 5th Cavalry Regiment, lined up their vehicles on a quiet side street in the sleepy town of Abu Ghuraib just before initiating a cordon and search mission March 17.
• IRAQ WRAP VOA 31 Mar 2004 -- Five U-S soldiers and four American civilians working for the U-S-led military coalition in Iraq, have been killed in two violent attacks. The bodies of at least three Americans were burned and put on display by a crowd in the town of Fallujah. It is one of the deadliest days of violence against the U-S-led military coalition in weeks.
• Iraq: Violence Flaring In Normally Peaceful South RFE/RL 31 Mar 2004 -- Fresh violence in southern Iraq is shattering the relative calm the region had been enjoying.
• IRAQ WRAP VOA 31 Mar 2004 -- In Iraq, at least nine people including five American soldiers, all of them working for the U-S led military coalition, have been killed in separate attacks. In one, the bodies of four foreign contractors were dragged from their vehicles after coming under attack in the restive town of Fallujah.

Deployments

• Troop Rotation to Iraq Continues, Units Assuming Control AFPS 31 Mar 2004 -- The largest rotation of U.S. forces since World War II continues in Iraq, Defense Department officials said today.

US Policy

United Nations

• Security Council Backs Oil-For-Food Probe Washington File 31 Mar 2004 -- The Security Council March 31 gave its approval to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's plan for an extensive independent investigation into allegations of corruption in the U.N.-administered Oil-for-Food Program.
• Iraq: High-Level Probe To Target Suspected Abuse Of Oil-For-Food Program RFE/RL 31 Mar 2004 -- The UN secretary-general plans to form an independent body this week to investigate charges of abuse of the UN-administered oil-for-food program in Iraq, which is believed to have lavishly benefited former ruler Saddam Hussein. But still unclear is the extent to which UN Security Council members will support the probe. The 15 Council members had major influence over the awarding of contracts under the program, many of which benefited companies from council states.

Reconstruction Issues

• Iraq Weekly Update Joint Staff/Coalition Provisional Authority 31 Mar 2004 -- Power / Oil / Education / Health Care / Security / Governance / Economics [PDF 5.4 Mb]
• Iraq: Oil Output Is Up, But Pace Of Future Growth Uncertain RFE/RL 31 Mar 2004 -- Iraqi oil officials say the country's oil sector is now routinely producing close to 2.5 million barrels per day -- about the same amount Iraq produced just before last year's war. That is good news for Washington, which is counting on Iraqi oil revenues to fund much of the country's reconstruction. But it remains uncertain how much further output can grow before the dilapidated state of many oil fields forces engineers to slow down and make further repairs.

Foreign Reactions

News Reports