06/07/2004
Submitted by Templar Titan on Wed, 06/09/2004 - 15:30.
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| Pentagon Report Set Framework For Use Of Torture Security or Legal Factors Could Trump Restrictions, Memo to Rumsfeld Argued (Wall Street Journal, June 7, 2004, Pg. 1) Bush administration lawyers contended last year that the president was not bound by laws prohibiting torture and that government agents who might torture prisoners at his direction could not be prosecuted by the Justice Department. The advice was part of a classified report on interrogation methods prepared for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld after commanders at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, complained in late 2002 that with conventional methods they were not getting enough information from prisoners. Iraqi Backs U.S. Stance On Military Interim President Wants Partnership (Washington Post, June 7, 2004, Pg. 1) Iraq's new president said that his government would allow U.S. commanders to retain overall control over U.S. and international forces in Iraq after limited authority is handed over on June 30, offering the interim Iraqi leadership's first public endorsement of the Bush administration's post-occupation military policy. Battles Take Daily Toll In Sadr City (Los Angeles Times, June 7, 2004, Pg. 1) As Iraqi and U.S. leaders focus on ending the bloodshed in the southern holy cities of Najaf, Kufa and Karbala, Baghdad's backyard is quietly boiling over. U.S. military officials estimate that they have killed more than 800 Iraqis in Sadr City over the past nine weeks-more than a dozen a day-in battles with the Al Mahdi army, the militia of radical Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada Sadr. That is more than twice the number hospitals estimate were killed in similar fighting in southern Iraq. Iraq's War Of Words: The Handbill Battle For Hearts And Minds In Husaybah on Syrian Border, Marines Try Anything; Free Soccer Balls Are a Hit (Wall Street Journal, June 7, 2004, Pg. 1) It was another week of handbill-to-handbill combat in the battle for Iraq's hearts and minds in the border town of Husaybah. Iraqi insurgents use fliers, mosque loudspeakers and threats in an effort to convince locals that U.S. occupiers are evil and the occupation doomed. The Marines use handbills, public-works projects and soccer balls to try to convince them otherwise. Leaders Unite To Honor D-Day Bush, Chirac Celebrate Heroism Of Normandy Invasion (Washington Post, June 7, 2004, Pg. 1) Under a pristine blue sky, more than 20 world leaders gathered at the American military cemetery in Normandy to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Allied invasion of France, the world's largest amphibious military expedition which cost tens of thousands of lives and eventually wrested control of mainland Europe from Nazi Germany. U.S., S. Korea Open Talks On Troop Deployment (Washington Times, June 7, 2004, Pg. 1) U.S. and South Korean officials open two days of talks in Seoul today amid growing concerns that the United States is about to reduce its military commitment to South Korea's security. Press reports say the United States wants to permanently reduce its force level in the country from the current 37,000 troops to 25,000 over the next few years. RUMSFELD TRIP-ADDITIONAL COVERAGE Rumsfeld Urges Asian Nations To Join U.S.-Led War On Terror (Wall Street Journal, June 7, 2004) Even as he called on allies in Asia to pull together to fight terrorism, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld battled the perception that the United States has acted with too little regard for their needs. Rumsfeld addressed a conference of Asian defense ministers in Singapore before flying to Bangladesh, which the U.S. hopes will be one of the first Muslim nations to contribute large numbers of troops to Iraq. Dovish Rumsfeld Debunks US' Lone Ranger Image (Singapore Straits Times, June 7, 2004) As he swooped into Singapore on Friday on a nuclear war-ready Boeing 747 dubbed the 'Doomsday Plane', many observers expected U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to get an earful from Asian countries weary of American unilateralism. At the end of three-day Shangri-la dialogue, however, the 'lashing' turned out to be a lot more subtle and subdued. U.S. Forces Not Wanted Southeast Asia Fears A Fueling Of Terror (International Herald Tribune, June 7, 2004) The use of U.S. forces in Southeast Asia to fight terrorism would fuel Islamic fanaticism in the region and potentially generate social and political instability, Defense Minister Najib Razak of Malaysia said on the final day of a three-day conference on Asian security UN Mandate Not Enough To Send Troops To Iraq Morshed Tells Rumsfeld (Bangladesh Daily Star, June 7, 2004, Pg. 1) Bangladesh Foreign Minister Morshed Khan said a U.N. peacekeeping mandate is not enough for Bangladesh to commit deployment of its troops in Iraq, but support from the Iraqis and positive public opinion at home are also needed. IRAQ U.S. And Iraq Submit Plan To Security Council Session (New York Times, June 7, 2004) The United States and Iraq submitted a military partnership plan to the U.N. Security Council, clearing the way for passage of a resolution conferring international legitimacy on the American-led multinational force after Iraq regains sovereignty on June 30. The contentious issue of what independence Iraqi troops will have under American command and what say the Iraqis will have in the conduct of the foreign troops had been the major impediment to agreement on the American-British draft resolution. 21 Killed In Attacks On Iraqi Police Officers And U.S. Forces (Los Angeles Times, June 7, 2004) In a series of attacks against U.S. forces and the Iraqi police who aid them, insurgents killed at least 21 persons over a 24-hour period, American and Iraqi officials said. One U.S. soldier was among the dead. U.S. Releases More Prisoners; Bombings Kill At Least 21 Iraqis (New York Times, June 7, 2004) American forces released hundreds of Iraqi prisoners from the scandal-ridden Abu Ghraib prison. Elsewhere, violence continued through the day, with bomb blasts killing at least 21 persons in a car bombing at a military base north of Baghdad and at an Iraqi police station 40 miles to the south. Iraqi PM Says Factional Militias Agree To Disband (New York Times on the Web, June 7, 2004) Iraq's new government has agreed to a deal to disband the country's many factional militias, the country's new prime minister, Iyad Allawi, said in a statement. "As a result of this achievement, the vast majority of such forces in Iraq-about 100,000 armed individuals-will enter either civilian life or one of the state security services," he said. Shiite Leaders Urge Radical Cleric To Join Political Process (Washington Post, June 7, 2004, Pg. 17) Iraq's Shiite Muslim establishment has launched a concerted effort to transform Moqtada Sadr's Mahdi Army militia into a political movement and enlist the defiant Shiite cleric along with his anti-U.S. followers into the political process leading to national elections next January. Assailants Attack Marine Camp In Iraq (New York Times on the Web, June 7, 2004) Assailants fired two rockets at a Marine base outside the restive city of Fallujah but caused no damage or casualties, Marine officers said. Despite Agreement, Insurgents Rule Fallujah (Washington Post, June 7, 2004, Pg. 15) Despite an agreement with Marine commanders that Iraqi insurgents in Fallujah would give way to Iraqi police and civil defense units, masked gunmen still rule the city while police cower in their patrol cars. Moreover, continuing mayhem on Fallujah's outskirts raises the question of whether the arrangement simply created a safe haven for anti-occupation fighters. Leader Bridges Sunnis, Shi'ites Al-Yawer Said To Be Nationalist (Washington Times, June 7, 2004, Pg. 17) Described as blunt, energetic and quick-tempered, Ajil al-Yawer, the interim president of Iraq, is a leader of the Shamar tribe, which has both Shiite and Sunni members in Iraq and other parts of the Persian Gulf. Though he lived abroad for much of the last two decades, he is by all accounts passionate about Iraq. Chalabi Aide Denies Obstruction Iraqi Warrant Reportedly Issued On Charges Of Impeding Raid (Washington Post, June 7, 2004, Pg. 17) Francis Brooke, a top American aide to controversial Iraqi politician Ahmed Chalabi, said that he is eager to answer allegations that he obstructed Iraqi justice by interfering with a police raid on the headquarters of the Iraqi National Congress in Baghdad. Iraq Violence Undermines Saddam Tribunal (New York Times on the Web, June 7, 2004) Fearing for his life, an American-educated Iraqi assigned to set up the court to try Saddam Hussein works from a secret office and rarely sleeps in the same bed twice. Salem Chalabi's daily routine illustrates the atmosphere of fear and intimidation that shadows the 6-month-old Iraqi Special Tribunal as it struggles to its feet. IRAQ-ABU GHRAIB Detainees Get Snapshots (Philadelphia Inquirer, June 7, 2004) A photo booth has been added to a revamped visitors' center at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison as part of a campaign to regain Iraqi trust in the U.S.-run detention system, made infamous by hundreds of images of Iraqi prisoners being abused by their American captors. While the souvenir photos handed out to detainees and their relatives do not take away the sting of separation, they are tangible proof of a loved one's health and a keepsake for families with empty chairs at the dinner table. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT DoD Tightening Contracting Rules After Iraqi Prison Scandals (Federal Times, June 7, 2004, Pg. 4) The possible involvement of contractors in the abuse and torture of Iraqi prisoners is triggering a change in the way the Defense Department will do business in the future, the leading policy-maker for Pentagon contracts said. The official, Deidre Lee, said she is drafting a new rule that will increase oversight on the Pentagon's use of government-wide contracts issued by sister agencies. The Army hired translators and interrogators for Abu Ghraib prison under an Interior Department contract on the GSA schedule. ARMY 60 Years Later, A Division Takes Stock On Different Sands (New York Times, June 7, 2004) The 1st Infantry Division took 2,400 casualties 60 years ago on D-Day and fought across France to drive out the Nazis. The war it is fighting now in Iraq has less moral clarity and more loose ends. AIR FORCE Heavier Duty The Details Are Sketchy, But 120-Day AEFs Are In Your Future (Air Force Times, June 14, 2004, Pg. 10) Starting in September, airmen will face longer deployments with the decision to extend tours from 90 to 120 days. "Simply put, the demands on our deployable forces have not diminished and are not expected to decline for some time," Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper said in disclosing the decision. WHITE HOUSE A State Funeral With History And Tradition (Los Angeles Times, June 7, 2004) The nation's capital is preparing to honor the 40th U.S. president with a state funeral, an intricately choreographed 45 hours and 45 minutes filled with tradition, including a horse-drawn caisson in a procession from the Ellipse to the Capitol where the body of Ronald Wilson Reagan will lie in state in the Rotunda. CIA Overhaul Of CIA Chief's Job Debated (Los Angeles Times, June 7, 2004, Pg. 1) The post of CIA director, one of the most demanding and perilous in government, may be a fundamentally flawed job that makes it impossible for most occupants to succeed, according to experts and lawmakers. With his resignation last week, George Tenet became the latest in a long line of spy chiefs to leave office badly bruised by the experience. The track record is so dismal that some lawmakers have argued that the position should be dramatically restructured before Tenet's permanent replacement is selected. Preserving CIA Status Will Test New Chief (Washington Post, June 7, 2004, Pg. 1) After years of obscurity, the CIA under director George Tenet moved to the center of major White House decisions on foreign operations. Now, with Tenet's departure, among the toughest challenges facing his successor John E. McLaughlin is preserving the CIA's premier status. ASIA/PACIFIC U.S.-Seoul Alliance Faces Big Revisions Washington To Seek Cut In Troops In South Korea Amid Standoff With North (Wall Street Journal, June 7, 2004, Pg. 18) The United States and South Korea are set to discuss a significant reduction in the number of American troops stationed on the Korean peninsula, as the two nations work to reshape their longstanding alliance amid a political turn to the left in Seoul and a mounting nuclear threat from North Korea. Washington is expected to suggest the eventual withdrawal of as many as one-third of the 37,000 U.S. soldiers now serving in the country during talks set to start in Seoul today, a South Korean official said. Australia Close To Deal On U.S. Defense Training Base (New York Times on the Web, June 6, 2004) Australia and the United States are moving closer to agreeing on establishing a joint military training base in northern Australia, Defense Minister Robert Hill said. AFRICA US Extends The War On Islamic Terror To The Sahara Desert (London Sunday Telegraph, June 6, 2004) The U.S. Army plans to spend $125 million over the next five years on its Trans-Sahara Counter Terrorism initiative, aimed at preventing groups allied to Al Qaeda from establishing a foothold in the region. American Special Forces are being deployed discreetly in the region, which covers eight countries and thousands of miles of desert, to train, advise and equip pro-U.S. government troops. AFGHANISTAN Violence Unsettling Afghan Vote (Christian Science Monitor, June 7, 2004) Less than one-third of Afghan voters are registered ahead of September's ballot as insurgent attacks target election workers. Iraq faces similar daunting challenges to prepare for elections just four months later in January. MIDEAST Gunmen In Saudi Arabia Attack Western Journalists, Killing One (New York Times, June 7, 2004) An Irish cameraman was killed and a British journalist was wounded when gunmen opened fire on them as they filmed in an Islamist militant area of Riyadh, the Saudi capital, security officials and diplomats said. BUSINESS Lawsuits Put Military Contractor On Defensive (Los Angeles Times, June 7, 2004) Titan Corp. is prized in industry circles for its large roster of workers with security clearances, but lately, the defense contractor finds itself with extra incentives to button lips. The 12,000-employee, information-technology concern is entangled in controversies over the suspected bribery of foreign officials and a report placing one of its Arab-language translators at the scene of prisoner abuses in Iraq. OPINION Level With Americans Bob Herbert (New York Times, June 7, 2004) It is not too late for President Bush to go on television and level with the American people about what the war in Iraq is costing the nation in human treasure and cold hard cash. For instance: "How many troops, really, are needed in Iraq? And for how long? Five years? Ten years?" We Need A Global Attack On Nuclear Proliferation Madeleine Albright and Robin Cook (Los Angeles Times, June 7, 2004) A former American secretary of state and a former British foreign secretary write that the rhetoric of international leaders about the spread of nuclear weapons and materials has not been matched by enough concrete action, even as Osama bin Laden declares that it is his "religious duty" to acquire and use a nuclear weapon against the West. Training Exercise In Asia Shows How U.S. Can Work Unilaterally Richard Halloran (Honolulu Advertiser, June 6, 2004) Cobra Gold, a joint military exercise involving the United States and Asian countries that began almost 25 years ago, shows that the United States is far more engaged in multilateral operations than asserted by critics who contend that the country is going it alone. The just-concluded 2004 edition involved military officers from 10 countries. EDITORIAL Remedies For Prisoner Abuse (Washington Post, June 7, 2004, Pg. 22) "The only way to staunch the continuing damage of the prisoner abuse scandal is for the Bush administration to fully document and publicly report on the dozens of cases of homicide and physical abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan, prosecute all those directly responsible and hold accountable the senior military and civilian officers whose decisions and policies led to the lawlessness." More Boots On The Ground (New York Post, June 7, 2004) The Army has asked for a temporary increase in "end-strength" of 30,000 troops-two new divisions, essentially-to complete the stabilization of Iraq. But no one can safely predict that the world will be stable enough in five or 10 years that the United States could start drawing down its troop strength. After all, more than 50 years after the Korean War, thousands of U.S. troops are still stationed in South Korea. "For the long-term continued success of U.S. security and strategic aims, it's time to expand the U.S. Army-permanently." Source: Defense News |
