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CPA Briefing 2-25-2004
2004-02-26
Snippets

  • Last night there were a number of questions at the press conference regarding the capture of Abu Mohammed Hamza. We thought we’d provide some questions and some answers with regards to some of the items that have been picked up.
    These are pictures taken directly at the location. This was a set of photographs of Zarqawi that were picked up at the location. As you can see, this is a suicide vest that was found inside the house at which Hamza was killed, contains a plastic explosive, ball bearings, blasting caps, a trigger device and a hand grenade. This satchel is made to loop over the neck and be detonated by hand.
    Inside of the house, you can see an extensive amount of explosives. There was a pre-made improvised explosive device, a container full of plastic explosives over here. These were a number of suitcases that were found with wires, batteries, items that would be necessary for triggering explosive devices.
    Outside the house were found some barrels of sodium nitrate, some crates with some Soviet Cyrillic writing on the side, some more bags of sodium nitrate, and other items unknown. Samples have been taken by our explosive ordnance detachments, and they’re being analyzed at this time.
  • In the central-south zone of operations, coalition forces conducted a search-and-seizure operation southwest of Karbala. The unit arrested 11 suspected anti-coalition personnel and confiscated six AK-47s, two shotguns, one sniper rifle, a satellite phone, one FM transceiver and one global positioning system. Additionally, 150 packages of suspected drugs were found.
  • A patrol detained 90 personnel who tried to illegally cross the Iran-Iraq border northeast of Al Kut and confiscated 8 minibuses, five AK-47s and two other small-arms weapons. All of the persons and the minibuses were turned over to the Iraqi border police.
  • I’m not aware of any redeployments of troops from Iraq to Afghanistan. We have a routine transportation going back and forth. That is all part of the same CENTCOM area of operations. We have some shared assets that work for both commands. But large numbers of troops redeploying from Iraq to Afghanistan? Not aware.
  • Q (In Arabic, Through Translator.) Husam Munaf (ph), (inaudible) news agency. We can see that most of the helicopters are flying low profile. So this might cause some panic and terrify the children of Iraq or are you intended to annoy the Iraqis by this action. Is it a challenge to the Iraqis especially since they are terrifying the children of Iraq?
    GEN. KIMMITT: What we would tell the children of Iraq is that the noise they hear is the sound of freedom. Those helicopters are in the air to provide safety, provide security. Certainly our helicopter pilots do not fly at an altitude intentionally to distract the children of Iraq. They’re there for their safety. They’re there for their protection. And just as my wife, who is a schoolteacher, tells the children when they’re sitting in the classroom that, when they hear the artillery rounds go off at Fort Bragg, she says, "Children, that’s the sound of freedom." They seem to be quite pleased with that explanation. We would recommend that you tell the same thing to the children of Iraq, that that helicopter noise you hear above you ensures that they don’t have to worry for the future.
Posted by:Chuck Simmins

#6  from a PBS website: "In Russia, Cyrillic was first written in the early Middle Ages in clear-cut, legible ustav (large letters). Later a succession of cursive forms developed. In the early eighteenth century, under Peter the Great, the forms of letters were simplified and regularized, with some appropriate only to Greek being removed. Further unnecessary letters were expunged in 1918, leaving the alphabet as it is today—still in use in many Slavic Orthodox countries. "
Posted by: liberalhawk   2004-2-26 5:07:09 PM  

#5   Have they restored any of the letters they abolished in 1918?
Yes the $ is back in vogue.

Seriously, did the Red's just modernize their alphabit or were there anti-state letters? I've always been suspicous of v.
Posted by: Shipman   2004-2-26 4:50:50 PM  

#4  a satellite phone, one FM transceiver and one global positioning system

Sat phone -- ID numbers and the phone numbers it's been calling; or that have called it.

GPS receiver -- TRACKBACK!!! Unless you disable it, most commercial systems keep a track of where you've recently been. Depending on the manufacturer, they may have a couple day's worth of someone's movements.
Posted by: Robert Crawford   2004-2-26 4:00:16 PM  

#3   "What we would tell the children of Iraq is that the noise they hear is the sound of freedom"

Kinda like down south, when your nose catches the waft of a paper mill, they say "thats the smell of money?" :)
Posted by: liberalhawk   2004-2-26 3:25:57 PM  

#2  "A patrol detained 90 personnel who tried to illegally cross the Iran-Iraq border northeast of Al Kut and confiscated 8 minibuses, five AK-47s and two other small-arms weapons. All of the persons and the minibuses were turned over to the Iraqi border police."

This sounds really big too me.
Posted by: liberalhawk   2004-2-26 3:24:38 PM  

#1  "some crates with some Soviet Cyrillic writing on the side,"

how i wonder, does Soviet Cyrillic writint differ from post soviet Russian Cyrillic writing? Have they restored any of the letters they abolished in 1918?
Posted by: liberalhawk   2004-2-26 3:23:22 PM  

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