Rumsfeld, Rice visit Iraq in show of support
04/26/2006
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN)—On a mission to show support for Iraq’s move toward a new government, U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived Wednesday in Baghdad on unannounced visits.
Rumsfeld and Rice are expected to urge Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Jawad al-Maliki to quickly form a government, a step that the U.S.-led coalition has said will help end violence that has plagued Iraq over the past three years.
Rumsfeld was greeted at Baghdad International Airport by Gen. George Casey, the commander of U.S. troops in Iraq, before they went to the U.S. Embassy for a one-on-one meeting. (Watch why Rumsfeld is making the trip—2:08)
The defense secretary, who flew to Baghdad on orders from President Bush, arrived in Iraq on a C-17 military transport. Rice arrived six hours later, flying in from Turkey.
At a news conference with Casey, Rumsfeld said Iraq is moving forward. (Watch Rumsfeld and Casey discuss what they mean by progress—10:22)
“This is a sovereign country, and they are making impressive progress,” he said.
“We’ve now gone through two elections, the drafting of a constitution, a referendum on the constitution—all of which the extremists have tried to stop and failed.
“We now are moving through another important milestone—the formation of a new government, a sovereign government of Iraq,” Rumsfeld said.
According to Pentagon spokesman Eric Ruff, Bush asked the defense secretary to make the trip at this particularly critical time in the Iraqi political process.
Last week, Iraqi lawmakers broke an impasse over the selection of a prime minister when President Jalal Talabani designated al-Maliki, a Shiite, to the post.
Al-Maliki has 30 days to put together a government and present it for approval to the 275-member Council of Representatives, the new parliament.
Since the December elections, squabbling Iraqi lawmakers have missed several deadlines. If the parliament rejects the new government more delays would stymie the political process that U.S. and Iraqi officials have said is key to defeating the stubborn insurgency.
Earlier this week, al-Maliki said he thinks U.S. troops could begin withdrawing in 18 months or less if his country’s security forces get up to speed.
In an interview with CNN, al-Maliki, 55, also promised to tackle the problem of militias, the armed groups thought to be fueling sectarian violence. (Full story)
Three U.S. senators, meanwhile, plan legislation that will send a stark message to Iraqi politicians: Form a government quickly or risk losing U.S. military support.
Sens. Carl Levin, D-Michigan; Susan Collins, R-Maine; and Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, said Tuesday the legislation they plan to introduce in Congress would place “significant pressure” on politicians in Baghdad.
“It would put the Senate on record as urging the president, for the first time, to specifically link the continued presence of American forces to the Iraqis meeting their own self-imposed deadline,” Levin said. “That is an incredibly powerful message, if the president delivers it.” (Full story)
13 killed in strike
U.S.-led air and ground forces killed 12 suspected insurgents and one woman in a raid south of Baghdad on a safe house “associated with foreign terrorists,” according to the U.S. military.
It did not label the woman a terrorist.
Intelligence sources led troops to a building in Yusifiya, about five miles north-northeast of where a Apache helicopter went down April 1, the military said.
After a gunbattle with the insurgents and an airstrike on the home, five bodies were found outside the building, with eight more inside—seven men and a woman.
“Every male who was found in the rubble was wearing an AK-47 vest with two loaded magazines and two grenades,” the statement said. “The troops also discovered suicide notes on one of the terrorists, body bombs, weapons [including] a shoulder-fired rocket and ammunition.”
Two wanted terrorists were believed to have been operating out of the building, but it was not immediately clear if they were among the dead, the military said.
An F-16 performed the airstrike, delivering “a Paveway II precision-guided munition against the target with successful effects,” said a Central Command statement.
Bombs kill 1; Bodies found
Roadside bombs killed one civilian and wounded five others in central Iraq on Wednesday, police said.
One person died when a homemade bomb went off near a police patrol in western Baghdad’s upscale Mansour neighborhood. Two other people were wounded.
About 15 miles south of Baghdad in Mahmodiya, three police officers were wounded when a bomb blast hit their vehicle.
Four bodies were found across Baghdad on Wednesday—three in Khadamya in northern Baghdad and one in western Baghdad’s Yarmouk neighborhood. According to police, the victims were shot execution-style and showed signs of torture.
Other developments
Al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi surfaced Tuesday in a Web site video, defending the insurgent fight, exhorting followers to keep the faith and mocking the U.S.-led effort in Iraq. (Full story)
More than half of Americans believe the United States erred in sending troops to Iraq, a poll released Tuesday suggested, indicating that recent White House efforts to rally support for the war have not been successful. (Full story)
Sen. Hillary Clinton wants administration officials and retired generals—including those who recently urged Rumsfeld to resign—to testify before Congress about the handling of the Iraq war. The chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Republican Sen. John Warner of Virginia, reacted coolly Tuesday to Clinton’s request and said he will make a decision on the request soon.