Blog post

News Summary
Posted by IAVA Staff on April 3 2008

Iraq An Iraqi Defense Ministry official was wounded and two of his bodyguards were killed when a roadside bomb targeting their convoy exploded. Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr is calling for 1 million Iraqis to march against “U.S. occupation” next week, coinciding with the fifth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad and a highly-anticipated report to Congress by General Petraeus. The Los Angeles Times looks at how well the Iraqi security forces performed in Basra. According to U.S Ambassador Ryan Crocker, there were gaps in Iraq’s planning for the Basra mission. Life is slowly returning to normal in the port city. Afghanistan President Bush asked NATO leaders to “maintain resolve and finish the fight” in Afghanistan. President Nicolas Sarkozy has confirmed that he will send a battalion of French troops to eastern Afghanistan. Washington A bipartisan group of seven U.S. senators, including Sens. Patty Murray and Kay Bailey Hutchinson, have proposed legislation that would improve health care for female veterans and require the VA’s mental health team to be trained to counsel victims of sexual assault. The Army’s vice chief of staff is warning Congress that Army operations could be disrupted if additional war supplemental funding isn’t approved by the end of May. Veterans’ hiring preference for support and administrative jobs in Congress is now being curtailed to comply with the hiring practices of other federal offices. Troops, Veterans, and Other Military News A new DoD Inspector General report concludes that the Army cannot verify that all of its body armor met safety standards. You can read the report here. NATO has endorsed the Bush administration’s plan for a missile defense system over Russia’s objections.