The Insider: Daily Terrorism Report

ByABC News
April 28, 2004, 1:05 PM

Apr. 28 -- U.S. forces in Iraq engaged in a heavy military operation late Tuesday, pounding the besieged city of Fallujah for hours using airplanes and artillery upon Sunni insurgents, to demonstrate the United States' defiance against repeated threats by the Iraqi insurgency. The strikes smashed homes and sent huge plumes of smoke and orange flames into the night sky over Fallujah, where a fragile cease-fire with insurgent was extended, news wires reported. U.S. and Iraqi forces are expected to begin joint patrols on Thursday.

And the special United Nations envoy for Iraq said Tuesday that the new government in Iraq should be chosen a full month before sovereignty is transferred on June 30 to give it time to define its authority.

THE WAR IN IRAQ

U.S. Forces Pound Insurgents in Fallujah

U.S. warplanes and artillery pound Sunni insurgents in Fallujah. (AP)

A Series of Explosions Rocks Fallujah

A series of explosions and gunfire rocked Fallujah on Wednesday in new fighting after a heavy battle the night before in which U.S. warplanes and artillery pounded the city in a show of force against Sunni insurgents holed up in a slum. (AP)

U.N. Envoy Seeks New Iraq Council by Close of May

The caretaker government to assume sovereignty on June 30 should be selected a month beforehand, Lakhdar Brahimi said. (NY Times)

How Pair's Finding on Terror Led to Clash On Shaping IntelligenceA Senate committee is investigating whether a Pentagon unit exaggerated the threat posed by Iraq to justify the war. (NY Times)

Stronger Humvee Not Enough, General SaysThe reinforced version is not sufficiently protecting troops in Iraq, he tells the Army. The service says it doesn't see a problem. (LA Times)

THE WAR ON TERROR

INVESTIGATIONS

Syria

Syrian Police Clash With Bombers

Four people have been killed in an unprecedented clash between Syrian police and a team of bombers in the Syrian capital Damascus. (BBC)

Editor's Note: The attacks in Syria yesterday continue to raise questions. Officials refer to a "terrorist group" as being behind the attacks, yet the attackers who were allegedly killed have yet to be identified. It is also not clear why the group attacked some of the reported targets, such as a virtually abandoned building formerly occupied by the U.N. Moreover, journalists entering Damascus yesterday observed no increased security measures on the streets, as would be expected in such a heightened risk situation. And lastly, it is interesting that this comes in the wake of the Jordanian announcement of an intercepted attack in Amman in mid-April which involved several Syrians and used safe houses in Syria. It also comes as the U.S. is in the process of deciding whether to impose "hard" or "soft" sanctions on Syria. (ABCNEWS Investigative Unit)