Top Stories

Here are the headlines of the major stories in this edition and our summaries of them:

TOP STORIES

General In Iraq Says More G.I.'s Are Not Needed

(New York Times, August 29 2003, Pg. 1) The top American commander for Iraq said there was no need for more American troops, but he encouraged Muslim allies such as Turkey and Pakistan to send peacekeepers and said accelerating the training of a new Iraqi army should be considered. The commander, Gen. John Abizaid, said the steps could help Iraqis take more responsibility for their country's security sooner, ease the physical burden on American troops and help counter the image of an American-dominated occupation in Iraq.

Bush Plan For Iraq Given Tepid U.N. Reply France Demands Power-Sharing Role

(Washington Times, August 29, 2003, Pg. 1) Members of the U.N. Security Council reacted coolly to the Bush administration's willingness to accept a wider U.N. role in Iraq, with France saying that only a genuine power-sharing arrangement would be acceptable.

Records Show Iraq Was Buying Forbidden U.S. High-Tech Goods

(USA Today, August 29, 2003, Pg. 1) U.S. investigators examining bank and government records in Baghdad say they have unearthed evidence that high-tech hardware manufactured by at least 30 U.S. companies was sold to Iraq in violation of U.N. sanctions and U.S. Customs regulations. Officials are trying to determine whether any of the companies knowingly violated the law or unwittingly sold the goods, which include computers, laboratory equipment and aircraft parts, to third parties who then dealt with Saddam Hussein's regime. Investigators declined to name the U.S. companies.

Blair Testifies To Accuracy Of Dossier On Iraq

(Washington Post, August 29, 2003, Pg. 1) British Prime Minister Tony Blair told a public inquiry that he regarded as "extremely serious" a BBC report that alleged his office knowingly exaggerated estimates of Iraq's access to weapons of mass destruction and said he would have resigned had the charges been true.

N. Korea Threatens Nuclear Arms Test Delegate To Talks Cites U.S. Hostility

(Washington Post, August 29, 2003, Pg. 1) North Korea startled international diplomats by threatening to test a nuclear weapon in response to perceived hostility from the Bush administration, a U.S. official said after the second day of six-nation talks in Beijing on North Korea's nuclear program. The isolated country has a history of alarmist rhetoric followed by confrontation and conciliation.

McCain To Release Data Unfavorable To Boeing Air Tanker Deal

(Seattle Post-Intelligencer, August 29, 2003, Pg. 1) Sen. John McCain, a relentless foe of Boeing's tanker deal with the Air Force, is preparing to release hundreds of documents that his allies say raise serious new questions about the proposal. Although sources familiar with the documents say the information may not be strong enough to kill the $21 billion deal, they hope it is sufficient to delay final approval of a defense contract that only a month ago seemed a lock.

IRAQ

Copter Blamed For Dislodging Shiite Banner Army Drops Denials About Event That Led to Violence

(Washington Post, August 29, 2003, Pg. 18) The commander of U.S. ground forces in Iraq said that an American helicopter crew intentionally dislodged a Shiite Muslim banner from a tower in Baghdad's Sadr City district two weeks ago, an incident that sparked violent protests in which U.S. troops killed an Iraqi boy. In an abrupt reversal of denials issued at the time, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez said that as a result of a U.S. military investigation, "I think the aircraft was getting close enough to that tower in order to blow the flag down."

Coalition Seeks $350 Million To Fix Iraqi Water, Power Systems

(Los Angeles Times, August 29, 2003) Iraq's power and water systems, already the subject of a concerted U.S. rehabilitation effort, are in such poor shape that U.S. civil administrator L. Paul Bremer is pressing for an additional $350 million to fix them. A Bechtel spokesman said, "Over 100 power towers have been taken down and cut up to be sold as scrap metal" by looters.

British Soldier Is Killed In Clash With A Mob In Southern Iraq

(New York Times, August 29 2003) A British soldier was killed and another wounded on Wednesday when their convoy encountered an angry mob of Iraqis blocking a road in southern Iraq as they returned to base after arresting two suspected loyalists of Saddam Hussein, British military authorities said.

U.S. Puts Iraqis On Borders To Stem Terrorist Flow Top Officer Sees Local Forces As 'Linkage' To Population

(Washington Times, August 29, 2003, Pg. 3) The top U.S. commander in Iraq said that he now has thousands of Iraqi border guards in place to try to stop an influx of foreign terrorists. Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo also backed statements from his bosses, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Gen. John Abizaid, the Central Command chief, that the 130,000 troops now in Iraq are sufficient to pacify the country.

From Mean Streets To Clean Streets U.S. Program Battles Garbage, And Corruption Complaints, In Baghdad

(Washington Post, August 29, 2003, Pg. 18) A U.S.-organized garbage collection program in Baghdad is getting the trash off the curbs, but the effort to graft American-style urban management onto a society where corruption has long been an under-the-table means of survival has given rise to instant exploitation by contractors in charge of hiring and overseeing the workers.

Iraqi Impatience Meets American Frustration On The Streets Of Mosul

(Los Angeles Times, August 29, 2003) Soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division are having more trouble winning Iraqi hearts and minds than they did vanquishing Saddam Hussein's army. In Mosul, a city of 2 million-plus, Iraqis feel cheated, soldiers feel unappreciated and each says the other is increasingly hostile. Across the country, the gap between what Iraqi citizens expect from their occupiers and what coalition forces have been able to provide is feeding tensions.

Drug Use Seen On Rise In Iraq Porous Borders, Lack Of Security Are Cited As Cause

(Boston Globe, August 28, 2003) Drug trafficking and drug abuse, crimes once punishable by death or long imprisonment during the regime of Saddam Hussein, are infiltrating postwar Iraq, where porous borders and a lack of security make the crimes hard to control.

U.S. Serviceman Dies Of Unknown Causes

(USA Today, August 29, 2003, Pg. 5) U.S. military officials said a soldier with the 304th Civil Affairs Brigade died of undetermined causes in his living quarters at Camp Arifjan in the Kuwaiti desert. The camp is a supply base for U.S. forces in Iraq.

2 Soldiers Defy Orders, Marry Baghdad Women

(Chicago Tribune, August 28, 2007) Two Florida National Guardsmen married two Iraqi women in Baghdad in a double ring ceremony, battling disapproving senior American officers and risk of retribution by militant Iraqis. The couples met after the Iraqi women, both English-speaking physicians, took jobs working with the Americans.

NORTH KOREA

N. Korea Sends Mixed Messages

(Los Angeles Times, August 29, 2003) A six-nation meeting to deal with North Korea's nuclear weapons program ended in Beijing on a deeply contradictory note, with North Korean officials having threatened once more to test a nuclear device but with all sides indicating that they planned to meet again to work toward a resolution of the crisis.

UNITED NATIONS

Bush Aides Now Looking At Larger U.N. Role In Iraq

(Philadelphia Inquirer, August 29, 2003, Pg. 1) Alarmed by mounting casualties and staggering costs in Iraq, a growing number of Bush administration officials have concluded that the current U.S. strategy is unsustainable and are looking for ways to increase U.N. involvement, according to American officials and foreign diplomats. "There's no way to pretend that the cost of this isn't rising, in human terms, in military terms, and in economic terms," one senior official said.

U.N. Envoys Cautious On New Force In Baghdad Diplomats React To Armitage Idea

(Washington Post, August 29, 2003, Pg. 18) Key members of the U.N. Security Council reacted cautiously to Bush administration efforts to solicit broader international financial and military support for the occupation of Iraq, saying the United States must move more quickly to relinquish power to Iraqis and grant greater authority to the United Nations.

High Cost Of Occupation: U.S. Weighs A U.N. Role [Analysis]

(New York Times, August 29 2003) In weighing a greater United Nations hand in the military occupation of Iraq, the Bush administration is acknowledging that the mounting costs of the operation, in both human and financial terms, are too great for the United States alone to bear. Until now, the "vital role" that President Bush has promised for the United Nations has been limited, by American design, to a marginal contribution. But now the American need for troops and dollars that only other countries can provide is prompting a real reconsideration of those old, narrow lines.

U.S. Can't Sell Resolution On Iraq Countries Hold Out For Stronger Role For U.N.

(USA Today, August 29, 2003, Pg. 5) U.S. diplomats said that they are making little or no progress in their push for a U.N. resolution that would persuade reluctant allies to commit new peacekeeping troops to Iraq.

France Calls For International Force In Iraq Under The U.N.

(New York Times, August 29 2003) Warning that the unstable situation in Iraq could fall into "anarchy," France called for the creation of an international military force and a provisional government there under United Nations authority.

MIDEAST

Preventing A Nuclear Iran Is A Delicate Task

(Los Angeles Times, August 29, 2003) Following a report by the U.N.'s nuclear agency that particles of highly enriched uranium were found in Iran, diplomats are debating how to apply enough pressure to keep the country in line with the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty without pushing so hard that Tehran rejects international oversight altogether.

Iran Might Open Nuclear Facilities Talks Planned With U.N. On Access, Top Official Says

(Baltimore Sun, August 29, 2003) Iran's foreign minister said that his country would begin talks with the United Nations about improving access to its nuclear activities. Until this week, Iran had been resisting months of international pressure to sign a U.N. protocol that would allow inspectors unfettered access to its nuclear program.

AFGHANISTAN

Afghanistan: Heavy Fighting In The South

(New York Times, August 29 2003) American aircraft bombed suspected Taliban positions in southern Afghanistan as heavy fighting continued in Zabul Province, officials said.

ARMY

Army To Burn Cache Of Sarin

(Washington Times, August 29, 2003, Pg. 8) The Army said that it will destroy about 800 gallons of sarin nerve agent at the Anniston Army Depot in Alabama in the first bulk burn of the lethal chemical in its newest weapons incinerator.

MARINE CORPS

New Start For Osprey

(Jacksonville Daily News, N.C., August 29, 2003) Marine Tiltrotor Test and Evaluation Squadron 22 was formally activated at New River Naval Air Station, N.C., to evaluate the V-22 Osprey over the next two years. Marine Col. Glenn M. Walters assumed command.

NAVY

Repairs Stall Enterprise Departure

(Norfolk Virginian-Pilot, August 29, 2003) Maintenance problems delayed the scheduled departure of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise from Norfolk, Va., for a month-long training exercise off the East Coast. Navy officials said the repairs were minor and the ship likely would get under way today.

AIR FORCE

Rate Of Rape At Academy Is Put At 12% In Survey

(New York Times, August 29 2003) Nearly 12 percent of the women who graduated from the Air Force Academy this year were the victims of rape or attempted rape during their four years at the school, with the vast majority never reporting the incidents to the authorities, according to a survey by the Pentagon inspector general.

General: Misbehavior Threatens Academy's Future Cadets Given Verbal 'Lashing'

(USA Today, August 29, 2003, Pg. 4) Wielding a ceremonial sword, an Air Force Academy commander warned the school's 4,000 students that continued misconduct by cadets threatens the academy's future. The stern lecture by Brig. Gen. John Weida came days after an underage drinking incident further sullied the elite school's reputation, already tarnished by last spring's sexual assault scandal.

NATIONAL GUARD/RESERVE

For Guard, A Full Dose Of Sacrifice Part-Time D.C. Soldier's Death in Iraq Reflects Service's Expanded Role

(Washington Post, August 29, 2003, Pg. B1) The death of Spec. Darryl T. Dent, 21, who was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq, reminded many in the Washington area's National Guard forces of the price they pay to serve, a duty they describe as an often-overlooked balancing act of family obligations, careers and military service.

POLL

Majority Say Terror Strike Likely Within Weeks

(USA Today, August 29, 2003, Pg. 3) As the second anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks nears, a majority of Americans are seriously concerned about the nation's vulnerability to terrorism and believe that new attacks are likely and imminent. In a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll, 80 percent believe Al Qaeda agents are in the country and poised to launch major strikes at any time.

OPINION

Fistfuls Of Dollars Paul Krugman

(New York Times, August 29 2003) These days it's hard to find a military expert not reporting to Donald Rumsfeld who thinks we have enough soldiers in Iraq. But to those who say, "Send in more troops," the answer is, "What troops?" Unless we can somehow extricate ourselves from Iraq quickly, or persuade other countries to bear a lot more of the burden, we need a considerably bigger military.

More Than Soldiers Needed In Iraq Trudy Rubin

(Philadelphia Inquirer, August 29, 2003) One of the biggest mistakes made by Washington was to disband the Iraqi army, wholesale. This not only embittered 400,000 men with guns—at first they were denied any severance or pensions, a dumb decision later rescinded—but it ignored a natural source of raw material for new security services.

Playing Chicken With The French David Ignatius

(Washington Post, August 29, 2003, Pg. 23) The question for the Bush administration is simple, albeit painful: Does Washington really want international help in Iraq, and what price it is willing to pay? France's foreign minister offers his own response: "It is in the interest of the United States to share the risks with Europe, and the responsibilities." Now President Bush must decide whether that kind of partnership in Iraq is worth the trouble, and the loss of face.

Put The Iraqis In Charge Bernard Lewis

(Wall Street Journal, August 29, 2003) The author of "What Went Wrong? Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response" writes that the best course in Iraq is the one that is working in Afghanistan: to hand over power, as soon as possible, to a genuine Iraqi government. The nucleus of such a government is already available, in the Iraqi National Congress, headed by Ahmad Chalabi.

EDITORIAL

Deepening Doubts On Iraq

(Los Angeles Times, August 29, 2003) The main justification for sending Americans to die in the Iraqi desert was Saddam Hussein's earlier use of chemical weapons, his continued possession of them and the imminent threat he would inflict them on the United States. Now, Bush administration officials, intelligence analysts and Congress need to keep asking: Where are the weapons of mass destruction? And if they are not found, was the defiant U.S. insistence that Iraq had them the result of incompetence or lies?

U.N. Must Play Key Role In Iraq

(Denver Post, August 29, 2003) One approach to broadening the United Nations role in Iraq might be for U.N. troops to provide security for humanitarian operations while U.S. troops concentrate on neutralizing armed resistance. Then, maybe, peace will stand a chance of breaking out.

SOURCE: DEFENSE NEWS