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Coalition Protects Saddam's
Geneva Convention Rights
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| By Donna Miles / American Forces Press Service |
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WASHINGTON, Dec. 15, 2003 — Coalition forces are ensuring that former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's Geneva Conventions rights are protected while he is in custody and that he receives "all of the privileges of a prisoner of war," according to the commander of coalition forces in Iraq.
U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez said today on the CBS "Early Show" that Saddam "has been talkative" since his capture near Tikrit Dec. 13, and that "he'll respond readily to questions that are asked of him in terms of just normal administrative requirements."
But Sanchez stopped short of saying Saddam is cooperating with coalition forces. "I wouldn't characterize it either way, cooperative or uncooperative," he said. "We still have a long way to go in this process." More |
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Saddam ‘Caught Like a Rat,’
4th Infantry Commander Says |
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| By Kathleen T. Rhem / American Forces Press Service |
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 WASHINGTON, Dec. 14, 2003 – Saddam Hussein was “caught like a rat” and offered no resistance when U.S. soldiers captured him near Tikrit Dec. 13, the U.S. general in charge of the operation said today.
Saddam was found hiding at the bottom of a hole hidden on a farm near his hometown. Roughly 600 U.S. soldiers were involved in the operation, but no shots were fired. Two other men were captured in the compound, Maj. Gen Raymond T. Odierno, commander of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, said during a press briefing in Iraq. The 4th Infantry Division is responsible for coalition operations in the Tikrit area.
Odierno surmised the pressure on Saddam had become so tight that he couldn’t risk traveling with a large entourage, and therefore had no bodyguards with him. “It was him and just a couple other people with him, so he really didn’t have much of a security force,” the general said. “And he was in the bottom of a hole, so there was no way he could fight back, so he was just caught like a rat.” More |
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| 'WE GOT HIM' |
4th Infantry Captures Saddam
In Remote Village Near Tikrit |
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| By Jim Garamone / American Forces Press Service |
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WASHINGTON, Dec. 14, 2003 —With three words –"We got him" –Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III announced at a press briefing in Baghdad today that U.S. forces had captured Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein near his hometown of Tikrit.
Saddam was taken into custody at a small mud-walled compound outside the village of Ad Dwar at 8:30 p.m. Dec. 13.
About 600 members of the 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, along with special operations forces, launched Operation Red Dawn after receiving intelligence that Saddam was in the area, said Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, commander of coalition forces in the country. More
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| Army's 'Task Force All American' Continues Operations in Anbar |
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| American Forces Press Service |
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WASHINGTON, Dec. 15, 2003 — The Army's 82nd Airborne Division and attached units, known collectively as "Task Force All American," is enjoying increased cooperation with the Iraqi people as the task force continues security operations to improve safety within the Anbar Province, according to U.S. Central Command officials.
During the past 24 hours, the task force conducted 25 tactical checkpoints and eight cordon-and-search operations, Central Command reported. Units also performed 169 patrols, including 13 joint patrols with the Iraqi Border Guard and Iraqi police. These operations resulted in the killing of three and capture of 16 enemy personnel. One U.S. soldier died as well. More |
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Holiday Spirit
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| Lt. Col. Steven Keith, a U.S. Air Force chaplain, hands out homemade cookies donated by Hill Air Force Base, Utah, to security forces troop Airman 1st Class Joseph Murphy on duty at Baghdad International Airport, Iraq, Dec. 10, 2003. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Lisa M. Zunzanyika |
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| Psychological Operations Team
Makes Friends Through Newspaper |
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| By U.S. Army Sgt. Mark S. Rickert / 372nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment |
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 BAGHDAD, Iraq, Dec. 15, 2003 — As soldiers here drop a bundle of the latest "Baghdad Now" newspaper onto the sidewalk, Iraqi children pounce on the newspaper heap as if it were a fumbled football during the Super Bowl.
Whether they are concerned citizens or just children who like to read, "Baghdad Now" is drawing an enormous fan base. The newspaper's promotion and its remarkably low price -- it's free! -- make the paper a useful tool for the 361st Psychological Operations Company (Tactical) here, an Army Reserve unit from Bothell, Wash., which is supporting the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, a subordinate unit of the 1st Armored Division. More |
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| Georgia Train and Equip Program
Graduates Fourth Infantry Battalion |
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TBILISI, Georgia, Dec. 13, 2003 — The fourth phase of tactical training for Task Force Georgia Train and Equip Program ended Dec. 13 with a downtown graduation ceremony for the 111th Light Infantry Battalion.
The 100-day training cycle, which focused mainly on company-level infantry tactics and maneuver warfare doctrine, was designed to professionalize selected units of the Georgian armed forces in order to provide security and stability to this troubled region. More |
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| Global War on Terrorism |
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| On Iraq |
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| On Afghanistan |
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Defense Officials
Identify Army Casualties |
WASHINGTON, Dec. 14, 2003 — Defense Department officials have announced the identities of three soldiers who died while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spec. Marshall L. Edgerton, 27, of Rocky Face, Ga., was killed Dec. 11 in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. Edgerton was killed when his camp was attacked with an improvised explosive device. He died of his injuries. Edgerton was assigned to Company A, 82nd Signal Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division, based in Fort Bragg, N.C.
Pfc. Jeffrey F. Braun, 19, of Stafford, Conn., died Dec. 12, 2003, in Baghdad, Iraq. Braun died from a non-hostile gunshot wound. Braun was assigned to Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division based in Fort Bragg, N.C.
Pfc. Jerrick M. Petty, 25, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, was killed Dec. 10 in Mosul, Iraq. While guarding a gas station, Petty was attacked by enemy forces. He died of his injuries. Petty was assigned to Company B, 3rd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.
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| Remembering the Fallen |
Troops Mourn Soldier
Killed After Returning Home |
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MOSUL, Iraq, Dec. 15, 2003 — After seeing eight months of violence in Iraq, Sgt. 1st Class Eduard Fico returned to his home in Georgia, where violence lurked in his shadow.
The soldier with the 501st Signal Battalion, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), went uninjured throughout the war and peacekeeping missions in Iraq only to lose his life at an auto repair shop in Augusta, Ga., after returning home to enroll in the Senior Non-commissioned Officer Course at Fort Gordon. More |
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U.S. Soldier Dies from
Non-hostile Gunshot Wound |
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Dec. 15, 2003 A Coalition Joint Task Force soldier died at about 7:30 a.m. today from a non-hostile gunshot wound. The soldier was transported to the 28th Combat Support Hospital. The soldier’s name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The incident is under investigation.
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Secretary of Defense
Donald H. Rumsfeld
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"In the last analysis, here's a man (Saddam Hussein) who has killed so many tens of thousands of people, who will have to be held accountable and brought to justice in some form, in some way." |
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Remarks during 60 Minutes
interview, Dec. 14, 2003
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Preliminary Court Proceedings
For Travis Airman Delayed |
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, ILL., Dec. 15, 2003 — The military judge appointed to preside over the court martial case involving Senior Airman Ahmad I. Al Halabi, Travis Air Force Base, Calif., has delayed the court martial's initial session, originally set for Dec. 15 at Travis, until mid-January.
The judge postponed the session until Jan. 13 to allow resolution of questions raised by defense counsel related to the ongoing investigation involving Senior Airman Al Halabi. The military judge, Colonel Barbara G. Brand of the Central Circuit Judiciary, Randolph AFB, Texas, is expected to arraign Al Halabi and hear motions at the session on Jan. 13.
The date of the proceedings before the court members detailed to hear this case, also to be held at Travis AFB, remains tentatively set for Apr. 20.
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| U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Jon Gray and Petty Officer 3rd Class Rebekah Caruso send holiday greetings home from USS Enterprise, underway in the Arabian Gulf in support of Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Justin N. McGarry |
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Send
your 'Best Wishes' to the men and women in uniform
supporting the global war on terror. |
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BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, Dec . 15, 2003 -- The coalition in Afghanistan remembers what we are fighting for; we remember the thousands of victims of terrorism, here and abroad.
In coordination with the Islamic Transitional Government of Afghanistan, Combined Joint Task Force 180 continues to train the Afghan National Army, provide civil affairs support, and disrupt, deny, and destroy terrorist and anti-ITGA forces in order to establish a stable and secure Afghanistan. More |
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| Profile |
U.S. Army
Staff Sgt. Shon Lewis |
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| ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Army News Service), Dec. 10, 2003 — Staff Sgt. Shon Lewis, coach of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program wrestlers at Fort Carson, Colo., has been selected as one of three coaches to lead Team USA's Greco-Roman wrestlers in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. More |
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Eleventh-Grade
Winners
Offer Their Insights |
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| WASHINGTON, Dec. 15, 2003 — America’s right to freedom “did not come easy for this country, and many lives were lost fighting for it,” wrote Senya Waas from Port Orchard, Wash., in the Weekly Reader’s Operation Tribute to Freedom essay contest. More More essays |
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![Home Page - DefendAmerica
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"Today
is a great day for the Iraqi people and for the Coalition.
Last night at approximately 8:00 p.m. local, forces from
the 4th Infantry Division commanded by Major General Ray
Odierno together with Coalition Special Operations Forces
conducted Operation Red Dawn to capture the former Iraqi
dictator Saddam Hussein." 
WASHINGTON, Dec. 14, 2003 —President Bush praised the “superb skill and precision by a brave fighting force”that led to the 4th Infantry Division’s Dec. 13 capture of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, which Bush said “marks the end of the road for him, and for all who bullied and killed in his name.“
