- The area of operations remains stable, although there has been a slight uptick in the number of attacks against coalition forces in the past week. There have been an average of 26 engagements daily against coalition military, just over five attacks daily against Iraqi security forces and just over three attacks daily against Iraqi civilians.
- Yesterday Iraqi police were attacked with small-arms fire from a house in Mosul; two Iraqis were wounded and one apprehended. Inside a vehicle nearby, police found and confiscated two rocket-propelled grenades and three hand grenades.
- Yesterday two Coalition Provisional Authority vehicles were engaged by small-arms fire. They broke contact and sought refuge at an Iraqi Civil Defense Corps checkpoint. The ICDC protected them and deployed a quick-reaction force to the site. After a brief firefight, the ICDC captured two individuals.
- Two days ago, coalition forces conducted a raid in southern Kirkuk. The purpose of the raid was to capture targets suspected of facilitating the entry of foreign fighters into the area of operation. The force captured a man they believe to be the target and is currently in custody for identification and interrogation.
- Q The shutdown of Al-Hawza -- were they warned at all? Were there any sort of letters sent to them before this letter that Bremer sent? And what kind of message do you think that sends to Iraqi journalists?
MR. SENOR: There was no warning. Under CPA Order Number 14, we are not required to issue a warning. From time to time, there are cases that we think warrant a warning, and then other times there are cases that we believe warrant swift action.
I think our overall message to the Iraqi people is quite clear in events like this, which we hold on a daily basis. There are over 200 Iraqi newspapers that have sprouted up since liberation. Many of them are represented at our daily press conferences, free to ask any questions they want. A group of Iraqi journalists meet on a weekly basis with Ambassador Bremer. We bend over backwards to protect the free Iraqi press’s right to exist and practice their trade here in Iraq.
What we will not tolerate, however, is individuals or organizations that seek to incite violence against the coalition or against Iraqis, whether they’re news organizations or not. We will not allow that sort of activity in an environment in which are responsible for the security and safety of the local population and of our forces.
We have a responsibility to protect, to strike a balance. And the balance is between protecting against incitement of violence while at the same time protecting the freedom of press. It’s often difficult to strike the right balance. But some cases are clear. And when you have a newspaper like Al-Hawza, which repeatedly uses rhetoric designed to incite violence against U.S. soldiers and against the Iraqi people, we have an obligation to step forward and shut them down. And we did it for 60 days, and we hope that’s all it will require.
- As for Ayatollah Sistani, we have tremendous respect for him, his point of views. He represents a long tradition and a great number of Iraqis. And he is a key voice in this debate, as are all Iraqi political, religious and regional leaders. And he -- my understanding -- has sent correspondence to the United Nations with regard to the interim constitution and there is purportedly some sort of exchange, or could be some sort of exchange, between him and Mr. Brahimi. And I don’t want to speak on behalf of two statesmen, two leaders -- speak on behalf of the communications they’re having with one another. But we welcome all voices in this process and we’re glad that they are contributing to a vibrant debate.
- The operations in Fallujah. The Marines are quite pleased with how they’re moving, progressing forward. There was a short period of time, perhaps a misjudgment on the part of a small number of insurgents out there that believed with the changeover between the 82nd Airborne and the Marines that somehow there could be exclusionary zones and areas where the coalition could not or would not operate.
The Marines, knowing that they have a responsibility for a safe and secure environment throughout the entire Al Anbar province, and fully understanding their requirement to have freedom of movement throughout the province, went in there. Some people challenged them. Some people tested them. Some people failed the test. And the Marines are enthusiastic about, one, maintaining security, but more enthusiastic about the second aspect of that, which is getting on with the notion of providing support in that region, so that all citizens in the Al Anbar province, all citizens in the town of Fallujah will not be terrorized by a small number of insurgents, but in fact can profit from the significant amount of civic action projects that they can bring into the town of Fallujah.
So the Marines are quite pleased with how things are going in Fallujah, and they’re looking forward to continuing the progress in establishing a safe and secure environment and rebuilding that province in Iraq.
- GEN. KIMMITT: I would be very cautious about trying to attribute any of the extremist groups by either ethnicity, by region of the country, by background, and in some cases, whether they’re foreigners or internal to this country. For a simple paratrooper like me, it’s people who are working against a free and sovereign Iraq, and those who working for a free and sovereign Iraq. And we’re not too particularly concerned about where they came from, but we are concerned about what they can do; we’re concerned about how they can derail the will of 99 percent of the people of Iraq who want to move to a free, democratic and sovereign and united country. And we’re going to continue our operations against anyone who’s not just anti- coalition, but who’s anti-Iraqi and who’s going to try to take us off this path towards handing over freedom and sovereignty, independence and liberty to the people of Iraq.
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