On March 29, 2003, after the first suicide bombing in the war in Iraq, “the Iraqi vice president, Taha Yassin Ramadan, appeared in Baghdad to declare that such attacks would become ‘routine military policy,’ and the Iraqi government awarded two posthumous medals to the bomber, an Iraqi military noncommissioned officer named Ali Jaafar Nuamani. In […]
3/29/2003
At an American checkpoint in Najaf, Iraq, on March 29, 2003, “a taxi approached. The driver stopped at the roadblock and waved for help, indicating his car had broken down. Four American soldiers approached, and ordered him out of the car, so they could search it. When the driver followed the troops’ orders to open […]
3/29/2003
Eventual Iraq Survey Group leader Charles Duelfer wrote: “I knew about the withdrawal of $1 billion in cash from the Iraq bank during the night of March 29, 2003, in advance of the American invasion. [Saddam’s presidential Secretary] Abed [Hamid Mahmud] described his role in witnessing Saddam’s written order instructing some of the boxes (reported […]
3/29/2003
“On March 29 [2003], soldiers from Scott Rutter’s US 2-7 Infantry Battalion had stopped a taxi at a checkpoint. When the driver opened the trunk so it could be inspected, the vehicle exploded, killing four of Rutter’s soldiers as well as the driver and charring a passenger bus on the other side of the highway. […]
3/28/2003
In a salute to the military, President George W. Bush had this to say: “The regime that once terrorized all of Iraq now controls a small portion of that country. Coalition troops continue their steady advance and are drawing nearer to Baghdad. We’re inflicting severe damage on enemy forces. We are now fighting the most desperate units […]
3/27/2003
President George W. Bush, when asked how long the War in Iraq can be expected to last: “However long it takes. That’s the answer to your question and that’s what you’ve got to know. It isn’t a matter of timetable, it’s a matter of victory. And the Iraqi people have got to know that, see. They’ve […]
3/27/2003
At Camp David on March 27, 2003, “When a reporter asked [President] Bush how long the war [in Iraq] might take, the president responded bluntly, ‘However long it takes to win.’ Pressed whether that could mean months, the president grew testier: ‘However long it takes to achieve our objective. And that’s important for you to […]
3/27/2003
In Iraq, on March 27, 2003, Commander of the Army forces in the Persian Gulf Lt. Gen. William Wallace said: ” ‘The enemy we’re fighting is a bit different than the one we war-gamed against, because of these paramilitary forces [Saddam loyalists]… We knew they were here, but we did not know how they would […]
3/27/2003
In testimony before the House Appropriations Committee on March 27, 2003, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz said, regarding Iraq: ” ‘The oil revenues of that country could bring between $50 and $100 billion over the course of the next two or three years. Now, there are a lot of claims on that money, but… […]
3/27/2003
According to a press release from the White House’s Office of Management and Budget on March 27, 2003: ” ‘Iraq is a country rich with an educated populace, abundant and valuable natural resources like oil and natural gas, and a modern infrastructure system… The United States is committed to helping Iraq recover from this conflict, […]