Iraqi shia cleric Moqtada Sadr goes on the offense After his newspaper was shut down and it became clear that Sadr was wanted for questioning in regards to the murder of another Iraqi cleric months ago, his forces, known as the Mehdi Army, attacked American and Iraqi positions. He has seized three police stations in Sadr City. Sadr told his followers to "terrorise" the enemy because protests had become useless.
President Bush vows to confront Sadr President Bush said regarding the violence, "We just can't let it stand."
Americans seal off Falluja US forces have surrounded Falluja cutting it off from the rest of country, in preparation for an "overwhelming" response to the attack that killed 4 US contractors, all former soldiers.
Suspected Madrid bombers die in suicide blast A Tunisian man the Spanish believed to be responsible for the train bombings in Madrid was among five suspects killed when they blew themselves up in the Madrid suburb of Leganes rather than submit to arrest. One police officer was killed, 11 injured.
Sadr wanted An Iraqi judge (but appointed by America) issues an arrest warrant for Sadr in connection to the murder of a rival cleric months ago.
Sadr continues to fight 150 cars filled with Sadr supporters surrounded a Polish camp then left peacefully, as a show of force. An aide named Al-Khazali said "The uprising will continue and we will not negotiate unless they fulfil our demands, which are a withdrawal from populated areas and the release of prisoners." Americans re-captured some police stations.
British stop chemical bomb plot Security officials said they uncovered a plan to build a chemical bomb capable of creating a toxic cloud of osmium tetroxide that would choke people to death.
Iran to stop producing centrifuges Gholamreza Aghazadeh, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, said that Iran would "voluntarily" suspend its centrifuge work starting April 9.
Rebellion spreads as Sadr captures several cities Sadr went to Najaf and seized the Imam Ali mosque. The Mahdi Army fired mortars at a Spanish base, destroyed five armoured cars in Najaf, seven in Basra, and 12 in Nasiriya. They chased the Ukrainian forces out of Kut, a town 60 miles south of Baghdad. Sunnis and Shias are joining forces to battle coalition troops.
Two more arrested in Spain The suspects detained in connection with the Madrid bombings were both Moroccans and provisionally charged with terrorism offences.
Suicide terrorists planned second attack in Madrid The suspects who died in the suicide blast of April 5 planned another major attack in Madrid, possibly during Easter celebrations, possibly at a large mall.
Condoleezza Rice testifies at 911 Commission Appearing confident after being pressured into appearing before the commission, she answered questions for almost 3 hours. Saying President Bush was tired of "swatting flies", Dr. Rice made no apologies for her handling of the terrorist threats in the summer leading up to the attack, leaving some 911 families unsatisfied. She had several "battles" with 2 democratic commissioners with her tendency to give long answers to direct questions.
Iraqi rebels take foreign hostages Iraqi militants threaten to burn alive three Japanese hostages if Japan does not withdraw its troops from Iraq in three days. Japan has said they will not pull their 500 troops out of Iraq. As many as 8 other South Korean hostages were captured and later released, 2 Israeli-Arabs and a Canadian of Syrian descent are also being held.
Fierce fighting in Falluja More than 1,200 marines, backed by attack helicopters and fighter-bombers fought militants in house-to-house urban warefare for the fourth straight day in Falluja. Over 300 Iraqi cilivians and over a dozen Americans have been killed.
Afghan militia captures northern city General Abdul Rashid Dostum stormed into Maymana, the provincial capital of Faryab, and forced the governor to flee.
Sudan, Rebels Sign Cease-Fire The Sudanese government and rebels in the western Darfur region have signed a cease-fire to allow humanitarian agencies access to the area, where thousands have died. More than 860,000 Sudanese have fled their homes in the impoverished region since two main rebel groups took up arms in February 2003 against the government, fighting for some power and wealth. The rebels and refugees accuse the government of bombing and attacking civilians. The government denies the allegations.
Anniversary of the fall of Baghdad US forces regained control of the southern city of Kut seized by Sadr supporters and unilaterally declared a "halt" in fighting in Falluja, they claimed to allow Sunni clerics and American military leaders an opportunity to negotiate with anti-coalition insurgents and to allow humanitarian aid into the city.
Afghan soldiers retake Maymana The Afghan government restored the city to their control without resistance, but Governor Enayatullah Enayat remains in hiding afraid for his life. There were no reports of casualties.
Iran to build a nuclear reactor Iran will start building a nuclear reactor in June. The planned 40-megawatt reactor could produce enough plutonium for a nuclear weapon each year. The Iranians say they need it to produce radioisotopes for medical research.
White house de-classifies Aug 6. memo Under pressure from the 911 commission, the PDB (Presidential Daily Briefing) from August 6, 2001, entitled "Bin Laden determined to strike in the United States" was released to the public. The document says the FBI was engaged in at least 70 Bin Laden related investigations and had seen "patterns of suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks, including recent surveillance of federal buildings in New York." The White house continues to claim it's a historical document with no threat warnings.
Bouteflika elected in Algeria President Abdelaziz Bouteflika won a landslide re-election with 83% of the vote. Despite what many foreign observers called one of the cleanest elections ever in the Arab world, few people expect any changes in Algeria -- a country with 25% unemployment. Back in 1992 the military canceled elections in which an Islamic party was expected to win; a move that sparked a decade of violence in which 120,000 civilians were killed.
Many hostages released in Iraq Twelve hostages were released and more are expected to be set free. The Association of Muslim Clerics issued a fatwa banning hostage taking, and held talks to try to secure the release of the remaining captives.
Advanced copies of Bob Woodward's book, "Plan of Attack" released Among the book's most headline grabbing claims are that President Bush ordered an Iraq war plan in November 2001 in the middle of the Afghanistan war and that Powell repeatedly warned the President against invading Iraq, saying "You break it, you own it". He also says that Dick Cheney was the major proponent of the war, calling him a "powerful, steamrolling force." Woodward claims Cheney and Powell are not on speaking terms.
Bush accepts Sharon's plan In light of internal party disagreements and a looming scandal, Sharon's visit to Washington yielded exactly what he was looking for -- a strong statement of support for his policy of unilateral disengagement including a stamp of approval on the controversial "security barrier" wall and a rejection of the Palestinians' right of return to Israel. Palestinians say the move signals the end of peace negotiations. "Bush is the first U.S. president to give legitimacy to Jewish settlements on Palestinian land. We reject this, we will not accept it," Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie.
First killed hostage in Iraq Al-Jazeera claims it has footage of 1 of 4 Italian hostages being killed and the fighters threatening to kill the others 1 by 1 if their demands are not met. Since the hostage crises began, dozens of hostages have been taken and dozens have been released. Most countries have been telling their citizens to leave for a few days.
Iran quits negotiations with Americans over Iraq In a rare acknowledgement of official talks between the two countries, Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi announced that Iran had ended talks with the United States over how to restore order in Iraq after concluding the negotiations were "going nowhere." He added that Washington's reliance on military force was fueling violence in Iraq. Iranian Foreign Ministry official Hossein Sadeghi was sent to Iraq to consult with the Governing Council.
Major attack stopped in Jordan Jordan's King Abdullah said a terrorist plot involving 3 trucks filled with explosives destined for government buildings, hotels and the US embassy would have killed thousands and was thwarted by Jordanian intelligence. They blame "fundamentalists".
Bin Laden offers Europe a truce A tape aired by Al-Jazeera of a man claiming to be Osama Bin Laden has offered European countries a truce if they pull their troops out of all Muslim countries. Britain reacted first, rejecting the offer.
Sadr offers truce in Najaf As US forces surrounded the city in preparation for an attack, Sadr sent a few envoys to negotiate. One of them said Sadr "realises that an armed confrontation is not in anybody's interest."
Senior Iranian diplomat gunned down in Iraq Iranian foreign ministry official Hossein Sadeghi described the murder as "savage". It is not known who is responsible, but the Iranian envoy has ruled out holding any talks with Sadr after earlier indications that a meeting was possible. Kharazi said his team was sent to Iraq at the request of the United States. Washington insisted instead that it was a British proposal which it did not oppose.
Palestinians banned from leaving Gaza The Israeli security forces will prevent Palestinians aged 16-35 from leaving the Gaza Strip for abroad.
Sadr refuses to surrender Moktada al-Sadr said in Kufa that he was not willing to disband his army under any circumstances. "We have been trying to avoid bloodshed... everyone, not only the occupiers [had presented him with only unacceptable choices].
US Army retention rate is down The Army fell about 1,000 short of meeting its goal of keeping 25,786 soldiers, and they announce 20,000 troops will remain in Iraq for another 90 days.
US evacuates diplomats from Saudi Arabia The US ordered the evacuation of most US diplomats, US family dependents and "strongly urged" all American citizens to leave. The decision comes after "credible and specific" intelligence about terrorist attacks.
Sadr says hostages from non-occupying nations should be released Responding to Sadr's comments, hostages from countries not participating in the occupation were released. Also, footage of the first American soldier to be held hostage was released. The captives said they would trade him for prisoners being held be US forces.
Spain orders troops home Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero kept a campaign promise by announcing that he was ordering Spanish troops to leave Iraq "as soon as possible." Al-Sadr called for a halt to attacks on Spanish troops in Iraq.
18 mortar rounds hit Abu Gharib prison A mortar attack on a prison near Baghdad has killed at least 21 inmates and wounded more than 100 others.
King of Jordan snubs Bush Amid growing anger in the Arab World in the wake of Bush's support of Sharon, King Abdullah flew home early after cancelling his meeting with the president, saying he would reschedule for sometime in May.
Italy Seizes 8,000 Kalashnikovs Headed to U.S. The weapons were found aboard a ship arriving from Romania that pulled into the southern Italian port of Gioia Tauro on its way to the United States. According to travel documents, the arms are being delivered to a large U.S. company headquartered in Georgia.
Thailand's PM threatens to pull out of Iraq Thailand will withdraw its 451 medical and engineering troops from Iraq if they are attacked. "We do not go there to fight. If we get killed why should we stay?"
Honduras is pulling out of Iraq Around 370 Honduran soldiers have been clearing mines and providing medical care in central Iraq.
US forces claim to have made a deal in Falluja US officials in Baghdad claimed to have reached a agreement with civic leaders in Falluja but continued to threaten an invasion if their conditions are not met. The deal would end the seige in exchange for the surrender of heavy weapons. Those who hang in their weapons will not be charged. The fighters themselves it appears were not involved in the negotiations.
Four killed, scores wounded in Riyadh explosions According to Saudi security officials the explosion resulted from two car-bombs next to the building of the general security headquarters.
Baathists to be hired by America Some 400,000 people were sent home by US forces when they captured Baghdad. The new policy would allow some of these people and some skilled senior Baathists to reclaim their jobs.
Sharon threatens to harm Arafat Israeli PM Arial Sharon has pubicly declared he is no longer bound by a commitment not to harm Arafat. President Bush responded by saying he opposes harming Arafat.
US removes some sanctions from Libya Most commercial business, investment and trade with Libya is now possible without penalties but controls on exports of dual-use goods to Libya remain, in accordance with the State Department's list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. Libya immediately began loading it's first shipment of oil to the US in many years. In February the US dropped its 23-year-old travel ban.
British Diplomats attack Blair 52 former and current British diplomats have signed a letter to Tony Blair criticising his Middle East policy, saying it is time for the prime minister to start influencing America's "doomed" policy in the Middle East or stop backing it.
Jordan stops chemical attack Jordanian officials said they foiled an Al-Qaeda chemical bomb plot against the Jordanian intelligence services. The goal was to use trucks packed with 20 tons of explosives. They say the attack could have killed thousands. Critics in the region are beginning to believe that Jordan is exagerating recent plots to justify its security policies.
New Iraqi flag revealed After a competition, the new Iraqi flag was revealed by the Governing Council to negative reviews from Iraqis. They complained that it resembles too closely the flag of Israel.
Afghanistan negotiating with Taliban Afghan President Hamid Karzai is negotiating with former Taliban in an attempt to bring the still violent country to its first elections since the invasion.
Syrian Security Units Clash with Terrorists A battle in the diplomatic section of Damascus erupted between syrian police and some armed rebels attempting to blow up a bomb. Several cars were blown up and several people killed.
Thailand security kills 108 Muslims In the southern region of Pattani the authorities were tipped off about a raid on police stations by a group of young Muslims, and lied in wait with overwhelming firepower. The battle left many Muslims furious at the number of innocent civilians killed by the troops in response to the threat.
Bush and Cheney meet with 911 commission President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney met behind closed doors with the panel investigating the 911 attacks. No recordings have been made, most of the discussion is classified. It's not entirely clear why the President insisted that Cheney be with him.
US Marines will end the siege of Fallujah They announced they will allow a newly established Iraqi security force, called the Falluja Protective Army, under the leadership of a former Iraqi Army General, to move into the city. Later in the day they said the deal is not finished.
Americans torturing Iraqi prisoners Six U.S. soldiers in Iraq are facing court martial for abusing and torturing Iraqi prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad, a facility known for torture under Saddam Hussein. Images of the abuse were first aired on CBS.
Al-Qaeda denies involvment in Jordan Chemical bomb plot An audiotape reportedly from al-Qaida operative Abu Musab al-Zarqawi denied planning a chemical attack in Jordan, saying "The chemical and poisonous bomb is a fabrication by the evil Jordanian services."
