U.S., Iraqi Forces ReTake Samarra
Oct. 4, 2004 — -- — American and Iraqi forces in Samarra finished retaking the last insurgent-controlled neighborhood early Sunday, completing a relentless three-day push through this ancient city in a first step toward wresting control of important central Iraqi areas held by Sunni guerrillas, news wires reported.
And the British hostage Kenneth Bigley may have been handed over to another group of captors who are prepared to release him for money, his brother said today to the British news daily the Guardian.
Two Blasts Rip Through Baghdad, Killing 21
Two car bombs ripped through crowded Baghdad streets on Monday, killing at least 21 people and wounding 96, as insurgents step up their campaign to undermine the country's U.S.-backed interim government and drive the United States and its allies out of Iraq. (AP)
After 3-Day Fight, U.S. and Iraqi Forces Retake Samarra
American and Iraqi forces in Samarra finished retaking the last insurgent-controlled neighborhood early Sunday, completing a relentless three-day push through this ancient city in a first step toward wresting control of important central Iraqi areas held by Sunni guerrillas. (NY Times)
Rice: Iraqi Nuclear Plans Unclear
National security adviser Condoleezza Rice said yesterday it is still unclear whether Iraq attempted to procure tens of thousands of aluminum tubes for a nuclear weapons program or a conventional rocket program, despite conclusions by the Senate intelligence committee and U.N. investigators that the tubes could not be used in any nuclear program. (Washington Post)
How the White House Embraced Disputed Arms Intelligence
Speaking to a group of Wyoming Republicans in September, Vice President Dick Cheney said the United States now had "irrefutable evidence" — thousands of tubes made of high-strength aluminum. Those tubes became a critical exhibit in the administration's brief against Iraq. (NY Times)
Bigley May Be In Hands of New Group
The British hostage Kenneth Bigley may have been handed over to another group of captors who are prepared to release him for money, his brother said today. (Guardian)
10 Insurgent Groups Unite
A statement issued by 10 armed groups in Iraq announced that the groups were united under what they called "the Mujaheddin's Unified Command." The groups issued a warning for the withdrawal of American forces from Iraqi cities within one week, threatening to wage wide range attacks, close the country's northern and western borders and destroy pipelines, bridges and railroads. (Elaph)
Partial Vote Would Lack Full Credibility, Iraqis Contend
A sampling of people across the nation rejects some officials' notion of excluding violent areas. (LA Times)
Post-Invasion Chaos Blamed for Drug Surge
U.N. and U.S. officials are increasingly worried by signs of a nascent drug trade developing in Iraq, where smugglers are taking advantage of the continuing chaos and unguarded borders. (LA Times)
U.S. Struggles For Hold On Iraq Highway
Highway 8 between Baghdad and Najaf has become a gantlet of criminal and insurgent violence. (Boston Globe)
Iraqi Kurds' Fight for 'Independence'
At present, four Iraqi Kurds are members of the interim Iraqi Governing Council (IGC). Recently Iraqi Kurds have accelerated their efforts to fulfil their political objectives in Iraq. (Al-Jazeera)
Iran to Attend Iraq Poll Meeting
Iran says it will take part in a US-sponsored conference on election plans for Iraq due to be held in Cairo. But Tehran would have to study the details of how to take part and at what level, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said. (BBC)
Polish Troops To Quit Iraq By End 2005: Kwasniewski
Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski said after talks in Paris that Warsaw wants to withdraw all its 2,500 troops from Iraq during the course of next year. (AFP)
Anger, Confusion Mount In Paris Over Failed Mission To Free Journalists In Iraq
French Justice Minister Dominique Perben stepped Sunday into the acrimonious controversy over an unofficial bid to free two French hostages held in Iraq, accusing the freelance negotiator of lacking responsibility. (AFP)
Beirut Warned To Stop Lebanese From Working with U.S. in Iraq
A militant group holding two Lebanese hostages demanded that Beirut stop its nationals from working for the U.S.-led military in Iraq, warning unspecified consequences. (Lebanon Daily Star)
British authorities suspect that a cell of Islamic terrorists were trying to harvest radioactive material from smoke detectors. (Time)
Shots Fired at Saudi Expatriate Compound
An attacker armed with a machine gun fired at an expatriate housing compound in eastern Riyadh on Friday night but caused no injuries or damage, a Saudi security official said Sunday. (Reuters)
Hunt On for Compound Attackers
Police are still hunting for the assailants who opened fire at targets close to an upscale housing compound east of Riyadh on Friday, said Brig. Mansour Al-Turki, the Interior Ministry spokesman. (Arab News)
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