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22 Cards in this Set
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Bush Says Work Remains After End Of Iraq Combat
President Flies In On Navy Jet, Declares End Of Major Combat POSTED: 11:45 am EDT May 1, 2003 UPDATED: 12:22 am EDT May 2, 2003 Theomahachannel.com |
ABOARD THE USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN -- President George W. Bush, addressing the nation live from a homeward-bound aircraft carrier, says the defeat of Saddam Hussein "is one victory in a war on terror" that still goes on.
President George W. Bush Announces End Of Major Combat In Iraq "Major combat operations in Iraq have ended," Bush declared while speaking from the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln. "The United States and our allies have prevailed." "Because of you, the tyrant has fallen and Iraq is free," Bush said to his audience. He said the coalition is now engaged in "securing and reconstructing" Iraq. "Tonight, I have a special word for Secretary Rumsfeld, for General Franks, and for all the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States: America is grateful for a job well-done," Bush said. Bush stopped short of declaring victory or an end to the war. Such declarations could trigger international laws requiring the speedy release of prisoners of war, limiting efforts to go after deposed Iraqi leaders and designating the United States as an occupying power. "We are helping to rebuild Iraq, where the dictator built palaces for himself instead of hospitals and schools for the people. The transition from dictatorship to democracy will take time, but it is worth every effort." "Our coalition will stay until our work is done," he said. |
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Lincoln Soldiers Deployed
POSTED: 9:23 am CST November 8, 2004 UPDATED: 9:30 am CST November 8, 2004 Theomahachannel.com |
LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nineteen Lincoln-based soldiers are on their way to the Middle East.
The Nebraska National Guard held a farewell ceremony Sunday for members of the 238th Aviation Regiment. They'll serve in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. It is the second time the unit will report to active duty in the war on terror. "It's not easy leaving your family," said Guardsman Tyler Kronhofman. "It's what needs to be done and that's what I signed my name to the paper and there's a very big possibility of that. I feel that I'm honored to be a part of it." The unit provides aviation maintenance support. They work on aircraft like the Chinook and Blackhawk helicopters. |
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Tenet, Franks, Bremer Get Medal Of Freedom
Medal Of Freedom Is Nation's Highest Civilian Honor POSTED: 1:07 pm EST December 14, 2004 UPDATED: 1:39 pm EST December 14, 2004 Theomahachannel.com |
WASHINGTON -- President George W. Bush has awarded the Medal of Freedom to three men central to his Iraq policy, saying they played "pivotal roles in great events."
At an East Room ceremony Tuesday, the president gave the nation's highest civilian honor to former CIA chief George Tenet, former Iraq administrator Paul Bremer and retired General Tommy Franks, who commanded the Iraq invasion. Bush said Franks -- who also oversaw the toppling of the Taliban in Afghanistan -- has earned the title of "liberator." He said Tenet recognized the danger from terrorism early on. And he said Bremer's "superb" work in Baghdad laid the foundation for democracy there. Bush made no mention of criticisms against the three -- that Tenet supplied flawed pre-war intelligence, that Franks' war plan had too few troops or that Bremer's disbanding of the Iraqi army left a security void. |
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Iraqi Leader Warns 'Iraqi Hitler' May Emerge
POSTED: 7:35 am EST December 14, 2004 Theomahachannel.com |
LONDON -- Iraq's interim President Ghazi al-Yawer warned in an interview published Monday that long-term instability and violence in his country could create the conditions for an "Iraqi Hitler" to emerge.
"If the situation in Iraq will continue like this, it will create within the Iraqi people feelings of bitterness, rage and humiliation which will provide, in the long run, an appropriate environment for an Iraqi Hitler to appear similar to the German Hitler who emerged after Germany's defeat and the humiliation of the German people in World War I," al-Yawer was quoted as saying in the London-based Asharq al-Awsat newspaper. In a separate interview in London, where al-Yawer made a brief stop after visiting the United States, the interim president said the U.S.-led coalition was wrong to dismantle the Iraqi security forces after last year's invasion. "Definitely dissolving the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Interior was a big mistake at that time," al-Yawer told British Broadcasting Corp. radio. "We could have screened people out instead of screening them in, and this could have saved us a lot of hassle and problems," he said. Critics of the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion say the decision to disband the 350,000-strong Iraqi army and to purge the state of members of Saddam Hussein's Baath party has contributed to chaos and helped fuel insurgency in postwar Iraq. |
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Two Marines Killed In Western Iraq
Total Of 10 Marines Killed In 3 Days POSTED: 12:03 am EST December 14, 2004 Theomahachannel.com |
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Two more U.S. Marines have been killed in action in Iraq's western Anbar province, bringing to 10 the number of Marines killed there in the past three days.
The military said the two Marines, with the First Marine Expeditionary Force, were killed Monday, but no specifics were provided. Anbar is a large province west of Baghdad, and includes the battleground cities of Fallujah and Ramadi. Seven Marines were killed in action there Sunday, the deadliest day for the Marines since losing eight people to a car bomb Oct. 30 outside Fallujah. Another Marine was killed Saturday. About 550 U.S. soldiers died in the first year after Iraq invasion was launched; almost 750 troops have died in the nine months that followed. Also in Iraq, The Associated Press reported that an al-Qaida-linked suicide bomber blew up his vehicle Monday near cars waiting to enter the Green Zone, home to the U.S. Embassy and Iraq's interim government, killing 13 Iraqis on the anniversary of Saddam Hussein's capture. |
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A Year After Capture, Saddam's Trial Date Uncertain
POSTED: 3:46 pm EST December 13, 2004 Theomahachannel.com |
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A year ago Monday, Saddam Hussein was pulled out of a spider hole in Iraq and hustled off to a secret location.
Since then, the former Iraqi leader has undergone a hernia operation, taken up gardening and written poetry that one visitor says is rubbish. But Saddam has yet to meet with any of the 20 lawyers who claim to represent him. And there doesn't seem to be any rush to make such a meeting happen. Officials initially predicted a swift trial, but now one adviser says it won't start until 2006 at the earliest. Saddam first appeared before an Iraqi court in July. Legal workers are pouring over thousands of documents in the case. And officials are having trouble lining up all of the players, as several judges have withdrawn from the case. Meanwhile, a French lawyer is asking the Red Cross to check into reports that Saddam has begun a hunger strike. The attorney said he represents Saddam and that there are indications from Iraq that the former dictator and other detainees have stopped eating. U.S. officials say some detainees have rejected their main meals but insist they are all snacking on military rations. The lawyer representing Saddam said he wants a more objective look at the situation and is calling on the Red Cross to send experts as soon as possible to check on the deposed leader. |
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Six Reservists Court-Martialed For Scrounging Equipment
Soldiers Charged With Theft, Destruction Of Property, Conspiracy POSTED: 10:19 am EST December 13, 2004 Theomahachannel.com |
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Six Ohio-based reservists were court-martialed for taking Army vehicles abandoned in Kuwait by other units so they could carry out their own unit's mission to Iraq.
It comes at a time when some U.S. troops in Iraq are complaining they have to scrounge for equipment. The soldiers said they needed the vehicles and parts stripped from one, to deliver fuel to Iraq. But their former battalion commander said the troops should at least have returned the vehicles to their original units. One of the reservists, Darrell Birt, said they took two tractor-trailers and stripped parts from a five-ton truck that had been abandoned in Kuwait by other units that had already moved into Iraq. The reservists are in the 656th Transportation Company based in Springfield. |
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2 U.S. Marines Dead In Continuing Iraq Violence
Another Marine Convoy Attacked, But No Injuries Reported POSTED: 9:25 am EST December 12, 2004 UPDATED: 1:07 pm EST December 12, 2004 Theomahachannel.com |
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- U.S. military officials said a Marine was killed in action Sunday in a volatile region west of Baghdad.
He was the second Marine to die in as many days in the Anbar province, which includes the battleground city of Fallujah. Earlier, authorities reported the death of another American soldier, from wounds sustained Saturday from a roadside bombing in northern Baghdad. Three others were slightly wounded in that attack, but have since returned to duty. As of Saturday, at least 1,288 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003. Meanwhile, a Marine spokesman said a suicide car bomber attacked a U.S. military convoy in Anbar province. No Americans were reported hurt. Guerrillas also killed a security guard of the Iraqi Northern Oil Co. near one of its Kirkuk oilfields early Sunday. A company official didn't have any other details. Also, the military said U.S. soldiers and Iraqi police have detained more than 50 Iraqis. It happened in two raids conducted Saturday in the Baqouba area. Officials said they also confiscated a range of firearms and other weapons in the raids. Officials say insurgents are trying to derail next month's nationwide elections, in part by killing Iraqis who cooperate with the United States. |
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Long Lines For Gas Plague Baghdad
Fuel Shortage Blamed On Insurgents POSTED: 7:23 pm EST December 11, 2004 UPDATED: 7:42 pm EST December 11, 2004 Theomahachannel.com |
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- There's a worsening fuel shortage in Iraq, despite the oil-rich nation's large petroleum reserves.
Some drivers are waiting up to 18 hours in lines at Baghdad gas stations. That's created a huge black market for the "black gold," with people paying 50 cents a gallon for gas instead of the usual 5 cents. The fuel shortage has embarrassed the Iraqi government, which is trying to solve other energy problems like sporadic electric service. Iraq's oil minister said insurgents are targeting the country's fuel delivery system as a way to cause "chaos in the country" ahead of next month's elections. Oil exports have also suffered. A key pipeline between northern Iraq and Turkey reopened Saturday after a portion of it was blown up last month. |
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Army Speeding Up Armored Humvee Production
Company Says It Can Produce More Armored Vehicles POSTED: 8:09 am EST December 11, 2004 UPDATED: 8:25 am EST December 11, 2004 Theomahachannel.com |
WASHINGTON -- The Army is negotiating with a company that makes armored Humvees that says it could turn out a hundred a month more than it has been.
AP U.S. military's armored M-1114 Humvee multipurpose vehicle. The Army had thought Armor Holdings was working at capacity until the company told the news media it could make more, although it would take at least two months to increase its production rate. But the Jacksonville, Fla., company said it's producing 450 armored Humvees a month now, and is ahead of schedule by 330 vehicles. A further speed-up could mean the Army would have to ask Congress for more money. Sen. John Kerry said other companies have indicated they can boost production of protective equipment as well. Kerry wants Defense Secretary Rumsfeld to investigate why the administration hasn't asked for increased production, given the shortfall. |
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U.S. Soldier Found Guilty Of Murdering Iraqi Teen
POSTED: 7:46 am EST December 10, 2004 UPDATED: 8:15 am EST December 10, 2004 Theomahachannel.com |
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The military says a U.S. soldier has pleaded guilty to murdering a severely wounded 16-year-old Iraqi.
An investigator says Staff Sgt. Johnny Horne was trying to put the injured Iraqi "out of his misery." Horne was accused of killing the teenager in August in Baghdad's Sadr City. Witnesses had said the teen was among those injured when troops fired on a group placing homemade bombs along a road. They said when other soldiers arrived they, including Horne, tried to rescue him. However, they say the teen was severely wounded and thought to be beyond medical help. The criminal investigator said the soldiers then decided that "the best course of action" was to kill the victim. Horne has also pleaded guilty to a charge of soliciting another soldier to commit murder. He's expected to be sentenced Friday. |
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Soldiers Stir Up Controversy By Questioning Rumsfeld
POSTED: 7:19 am EST December 8, 2004 Theomahachannel.com |
In a question-and-answer session afterward, Army Spc. Thomas Wilson asked Rumsfeld why some soldiers have to "dig through local landfills" to supply themselves with vehicle armor. Other soldiers cheered loudly.
After a hesitation and asking Wilson to repeat the question, Rumsfeld replied that "You go to war with the Army you have," not the one you might want. He also said, all the armor in the world won't prevent a tank from being blown up. Another soldier asked Rumsfeld if the Army will continue its policy of preventing some eligible soldiers from leaving the service. The defense chief said it's a "sound principle" but promised it will be used as little as possible. Meanwhile, the deputy commanding general of U.S. forces in Kuwait -- Maj. Gen. Gary Speer -- said he wasn't aware of the vehicle armor issue raised by troops Wednesday. His denial is already being disputed. The adjutant general of the Tennesse National Guard -- Maj. Gen. Gus Hargett -- said he knows that members of Speer's staff were aware, and that they assisted the soldiers in obtaining the materials. As for Rumsfeld, he told the soldier that the Army is trying to get as many Humvees and other vehicles with extra armor as it can. But he added that armor itself won't keep a tank or a smaller vehicle from being blown up. Meanwhile, Democratic Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut wrote a letter to Rumsfeld, saying that his answer was "utterly unacceptable." Dodd says it's up to the government to provide safety equipment for soldiers in battle. He said, "Our troops go to war with the Army that our nation's leaders provide." |
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Iraq War Produces Less Lethal, More Traumatic Wounds
Medical Journal Credits Protective Gear For Survival POSTED: 6:44 pm EST December 8, 2004 UPDATED: 7:32 pm EST December 8, 2004 Theomahachannel.com |
More U.S. soldiers are surviving serious wounds in Iraq than in any other conflict, but the nature of the wounds presents huge challenges.
For every American soldier killed in Iraq, nine others have been wounded and survived, the highest rate of any U.S. war. Quick medical attention plays a role. But the vests that protect the soldiers' chests and abdomen are allowing them to survive even when their faces, arms and legs are blown off. A report in the New England Journal of Medicine included 21 photographs that graphically depict the injuries. A medical researcher's article tells of an airman who lost both legs, his right hand and part of his face. "How he and others like him will be able to live and function remains an open question," the doctor said. |
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McCain Criticizes Pentagon Over Iraq War
Republican Senator Says Troop Level Too Low POSTED: 1:58 pm EST December 5, 2004 UPDATED: 2:20 pm EST December 5, 2004 Theomahachannel.com |
Sen. John McCain is attacking the Pentagon's approach to the war in Iraq, saying it's letting militants take the initiative.
McCain told "Fox News Sunday" that while troop levels are too low, the bigger problem is "the Pentagon has been reacting" to militants and is too reluctant to set its own agenda. He said if the Pentagon had planned better it wouldn't now be extending tours of duty of thousands of troops in Iraq ahead of next month's election. By doing that, McCain said, the Pentagon is straining morale and persuading troops not to re-enlist with the military. The Arizona Republican also said he won't give Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld a vote of confidence but will continue to try to work with him. |
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Insurgents Kill 17 Iraqis Working For U.S. Forces
21 Iraqis Killed In Separate Attacks POSTED: 7:18 am EST December 5, 2004 UPDATED: 7:27 am EST December 5, 2004 Theomahachannel.com |
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The military said 17 Iraqis have been killed and 13 injured as they were heading to work at a U.S. military base in the city of Tikrit.
Meanwhile, four Iraqi security personnel were killed in separate attacks in nearby towns. A military spokesman said gunmen fired on the workers from two cars. The workers were traveling in several buses that had stopped in northern Tikrit, 80 miles north of Baghdad. U.S. and Iraqi security forces are taking the wounded to a hospital. |
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U.S. General: Iraqi Troops Not Ready
American Commander Says More U.S. Forces Needed POSTED: 5:15 pm EST December 4, 2004 UPDATED: 5:43 pm EST December 4, 2004 Theomahachannel.com |
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- On another bloody day in Iraq, the commander of U.S. forces acknowledged that Iraqi troops aren't "seasoned" enough to take over security operations.
Militant attacks have killed more than 40 Iraqis in the last two days, including at least 14 in a series of car bombings Saturday. Two U.S. soldiers were also killed by roadside bombs. Gen. John Abizaid said "it had been our hope" that Iraqi forces would be ready to assume more of the burden as elections approach, but he said it's clear they need more training -- so more American forces will have to be brought in. Meanwhile, the U.N. special envoy to Iraq said credible elections cannot be held as scheduled Jan. 30 unless conditions improve. Lakhdar Brahimi told a Dutch newspaper "it's a mess in Iraq" and the international community will have to help clean it up. |
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Car Bombs Kill 7 Near Baghdad's Green Zone
Most Of Victims Iraqi Police Officers, Officials Say POSTED: 9:41 pm EST December 3, 2004 UPDATED: 9:24 am EST December 4, 2004 Theomahachannel.com |
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Hospital officials said two car bombs that exploded Saturday just outside Baghdad's Green Zone are now blamed for at least seven deaths.
The officials said most of the victims were police officers, although not everyone has been identified. They also say 59 others have been wounded in attack. Most of those also are police. The U.S. military said the bombs exploded near a checkpoint leading to the heavily fortified area, which houses the offices of Iraq's interim government the U.S. Embassy. Saturday's attack is the second major assault on Baghdad's police force in two days. |
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Marines Find Bloody Torture Chamber In Iraq
Bloody Handprint On Wall, Human Nails In Gravel POSTED: 12:21 pm EST December 3, 2004 Theomahachannel.com |
FALLUJAH, Iraq -- A single bloody handprint on the wall and human fingernails dug into gravel -- U.S. Marines in Iraq said it's evidence of a torture chamber they came across in a basement in Fallujah.
One Marine said he sensed a "pure streak of evil" when he first came to fight in Fallujah. Troops discovered the scene in the basement of Fallujah's Islamic Resistance Center last month. Major Alex Ray, an operations officer, said the 15-by-20 foot space was used by insurgents to imprison and torture captives. He said he's found "enough blood to surmise that." No bodies or human remains -- except for the fingernails -- are left. But Marines have collected blood samples for DNA testing. Elsewhere in Fallujah, Marines have found DVD recordings of beheadings and a cage and chains with traces of human blood. They say the cage wasn't holding animals. Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. |
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U.S. Extends Iraq Tours, Adds Troops
U.S. Beefs Up Security For Election POSTED: 1:50 pm EST December 1, 2004 UPDATED: 4:43 pm EST December 1, 2004 Theomahachannel.com |
WASHINGTON -- About 2,000 more U.S. Marines will wait a bit longer to come home from Iraq, marking the third group to get a tour extension this week.
Those announcements are coming as the United States tries to provide security for Iraqi elections at the end of January. The Pentagon says the unit of 2,000 Marines will stay longer than planned, but will still go home within seven months of arriving in Iraq. The news came the same day as news that at least two Army brigades will stay for two more months -- until the Iraq election is over. And members of two airborne battalions now in the United States are getting ready to deploy. Iraq's elections are set for Jan. 30. The voting is seen as a potential target for attacks. U.S. officials have called the elections critical for the country's future. There are currently about 138,000 American troops in Iraq. |
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Nov. Ties April As Deadliest For U.S. Troops In Iraq
At Least 135 Have Died POSTED: 8:12 pm EST November 30, 2004 UPDATED: 8:17 pm EST November 30, 2004 Theomahachannel.com |
PENTAGON -- November has been a very deadly month for U.S. troops in Iraq.
As of Wednesday, at least 135 troops have died. That ties April, when 135 died as the insurgence flared in Fallujah and elsewhere in the so-called Sunni Triangle. More than 50 American troops have been killed in Fallujah since the military launched an offensive there Nov. 8, although the Pentagon has not provided a casualty count for Fallujah for more than a week. Since the interim Iraqi government was put in power June 28, each month's death toll has been higher than the last, except for October, when it was 63. At least 1,253 members of the U.S. military have died since the war began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. |
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Bush awards medal of freedom
Three recipients central to his Iraq policy Tuesday, December 14, 2004 Posted: 1:17 PM EST (1817 GMT) cnn.com |
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush awarded the nation's highest civilian honor Tuesday to three men central to his Iraq policy, saying they had played "pivotal roles in great events."
Bush presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom to retired Gen. Tommy Franks, who oversaw combat in Afghanistan and the initial invasion of Iraq, former CIA Director George Tenet and former Iraq administrator L. Paul Bremer. Franks is a retired four-star Army general who commanded U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. He didn't decide until last summer to endorse Bush's re-election, but then spoke on the president's behalf at the Republican National Convention and campaigned for Bush through the fall. Bush said Franks "led the forces that fought and won two wars in the defense of the world's security and helped liberate more than 50 million people from two of the worst tyrannies in the world." Tenet left the CIA in July after seven years as director. He has been criticized for intelligence failures before the September 11, 2001 attacks and the never-proven prewar allegations that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Bush credited him as "one of the first to recognize and address the threat to America from radical networks." He said that after September 11, Tenet was "ready with a plan to strike back at al-Qaeda and to topple the Taliban." Bremer was the top civilian U.S. official in postwar Iraq, overseeing the transfer of power to an interim Iraqi government in June. "For 14 months Jerry Bremer worked day and night in difficult and dangerous conditions to stabilize the country, to help its people rebuild and to establish a political process that would lead to justice and liberty," Bush said. This fall, Bremer suggested the United States had paid a price in Iraq in the immediate aftermath of major combat operations because it did not have enough troops in place to stop the looting. Those remarks gave Bush critics ammunition for their claims that the administration's postwar planning was inadequate. Bremer tried to calm that controversy by saying he had constantly supported the president's strategy in Iraq. The Medal of Freedom, established by President Truman in 1945 to recognize civilians for their efforts during World War II, was reinstated by President Kennedy in 1963 to honor distinguished service. "This honor goes to three men who have played pivotal roles in great events and whose efforts have made our country more secure and advanced the cause of human liberty," Bush said. |
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U.S.
Army absolved in fatal friendly-fire shoot down From CNN Pentagon Producer Mike Mount Saturday, December 11, 2004 Posted: 12:33 AM EST (0533 GMT) |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Navy pilot killed during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was shot down by U.S. Army soldiers who mistakenly believed an enemy missile was heading their way, according to a military investigation.
The Army battery violated proper firing procedures when it launch two missiles as two U.S. Navy F/A-18 fighter jets returning from a mission in central Iraq on April 2, 2003 approached their position, according to the report. Lt. Nathan White, was killed when both missiles hit his jet. The other pilot returned safely to the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk, according to the report. The missile system also failed to properly identify the two aircraft, according to an executive summary of the report released Friday evening. No disciplinary action will be taken against the soldiers involved in the incident, Army officials said. The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations in Iraq and the Middle East. Navy officials said that the pilots were not at fault, and radio systems identifying them as friendly forces were operating as they approached the missile batteries. The Patriot missile system was first used during the Persian Gulf War, but most missiles missed their targets. After several billion dollars worth of upgrades, Army Patriot missiles hit all nine incoming missiles during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, but also were involved in other friendly-fire incidents. Two British pilots were killed in March 2003, when their fighter was shot down over Iraq. U.S. investigators found the the plane had not sent a signal that it was part of the coalition force and the Army crew was cleared of wrongdoing. A British military investigation came to the same conclusion but found weaknesses in the operation and procedures of the Patriot anti-missile system. Two days after the British jet was shot down, a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot fired a missile at a Patriot battery, believing the radar had targeted his plane. No troops were injured, but the battery was damaged. More than 41,000 coalition air sorties were conducted during the invasion, the Army said in a news release. With information gathered from Operation Iraqi Freedom, missile system procedures have been improved and hardware and software have been upgraded, the Army said. |
