Search results for

Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Meyers face tough questioning from the Senate Armed Services Committee about the progress of the U.S. mission in Iraq. Senators question the doubling of the mission's cost and the extension of tours of duty for U.S. reservists to one year. Hear NPR's David Welna.

Scattered clashes are reported in the region around Fallujah, though a cease-fire declared over the weekend is largely holding. Iraqi officials report 600 civilians have died in Fallujah since U.S. Marines launched an offensive there last Monday. Those fleeing the city accuse U.S. forces of firing randomly, causing numerous civilian casualties. Hear NPR's Philip Reeves.

Confusion continues to surround a U.S. attack in western Iraq that killed more than 40 people. The U.S. military says the target of the air and ground assault early Wednesday was a suspected safe house for foreign fighters infiltrating Iraq from nearby Syria. But Iraqis in the area say the victims were participating in a wedding celebration. Hear NPR's Eric Westervelt.

U.S. forces suspend offensive operations in Najaf and radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr promises to pull his armed supporters out of the city in the latest sign of a potential end to the standoff there. U.S.-led military and militia loyal to the Shiite leader have been engaged in skirmishes in the area for nearly two months. NPR's Peter Kenyon reports.

The U.S. military is reporting that it has in its custody the body of an American soldier, believed to be one of the three missing since May 12. The soldier has not yet been identified. The search for the other missing U.S. soldiers continues, Maj. Gen. William Caldwell tells NPR's Robert Siegel.

The U.S. military launches its biggest military operation since the end of the war, sending more than 4,000 soldiers to a region in central Iraq where coordinated attacks on American troops have increased in recent weeks. U.S. forces conduct house-to-house searches and detain hundreds of Iraqis believed to be Baath Party loyalists. Hear NPR's Ivan Watson.

Gen. John Abizaid, the new head of U.S. Central Command, calls the daily attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq a "classical guerrilla-type campaign" -- a characterization that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has repeatedly resisted. Abizaid blames most of the attacks on mid-level Baathists, and says the resistance is becoming more coordinated. Hear NPR's Tom Gjelten.

Conducting airstrikes and artillery assaults, U.S. forces clash with Iraqi troops in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit. U.S. military planners had expected remnants of the Iraqi army and Baath party may mount a last stand there, but reports suggest that many soldiers have fled and that defenses in the city are seriously weakened. Hear Michael Ware of Time magazine.

In a surprise ceremony, U.S. administrator for Iraq Paul Bremer formally transfers sovereignty to Iraq's interim government two days ahead of schedule. The change in schedule is seen as a move to thwart insurgent attacks on the ceremony and show the world that Iraqis are ready to assume authority. Meanwhile, the U.S. military confirms a Marine has been taken hostage. Hear NPR's Emily Harris.

American officials say they are looking for three Americans who have disappeared in Baghdad. The three were working for a group contracted by the Defense Department.