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13/05/2005
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  Ministry of Defence /  UK Defence Today / Operations / Operation Telic Index 

Summary reports: October 2003 - May 2004

(Click here for the archive of summary reports from the period of active hostilities in March and April 2003)

(Click here for the archive of summary reports from May to October 2003)

(Click here for the latest summary reports)

Coalition military activity is summarised below, with links to more extensive briefings where available.

31 May / 1 June 2004

CPA briefing

 

30/31 May 2004

CPA briefing

 

29/30 May 2004

 

28/29 May 2004

 

27/28 May 2004

US CENTCOM briefing

 

26/27 May 2004

CPA briefing

US DoD briefing

The Defence Secretary announced an adjustment to UK troop levels in Multinational Division (South-East).

25/26 May 2004

CPA briefing

MOD/Iraqi press conference

The Iraqi Defence Minister, Dr Alawi, visited London and met with the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Defence.

24/25 May 2004

CPA briefing

 

23/24 May 2004

 

22/23 May 2004

CPA briefing

 

21/22 May 2004

CPA briefing

 

20/21 May 2004

CPA briefing

 

19/20 May 2004

 

18/19 May 2004

CPA briefing

 

17/18 May 2004

CPA briefing

The president of the Iraqi Governing Council, Izzedine Salim, was murdered in a car bomb attack in Baghdad. Six other Iraqi civilians were also killed.

A 155mm artillery round containing sarin nerve agent was reportedly used in an improvised explosive device attack on a US convoy.

16/17 May 2004

 

15/16 May 2004

 

14/15 May 2004

CPA briefing

A patrol from the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders was attacked in Maysan province. The troops returned fire and inflicted serious losses on their opponents. Two soldiers suffered injuries.

13/14 May 2004

The Minister for the Armed Forces stated in Parliament that the Royal Military Police investigation into photographs of British troops allegedly abusing an Iraqi detainee had concluded that the photographs had categorically not been taken in Iraq, and that the truck in which the photos were taken had never been in the country.

12/13 May 2004

CPA briefing

 

11/12 May 2004

CPA briefing

 

10/11 May 2004

 

9/10 May 2004

Three British troops were injured during an incident in Basrah.

8/9 May 2004

Four British soldiers were injured in an incident in Al Amarah, and three in an incident in Basrah.

7/8 May 2004

 

6/7 May 2004

CPA briefing

 

5/6 May 2004

 

4/5 May 2004

US DoD briefing

CPA briefing

 

3/4 May 2004

CPA briefing

 

2/3 May 2004

 

1/2 May 2004

 

30 April / 1 May 2004

CPA briefing

US CENTCOM briefing

Allegations of abuse of prisoners by British forces were reported. The alleged incidents are under investigation.

29/30 April 2004

 

28/29 April 2004

CPA briefing

US CENTCOM briefing

Insurgent forces conducted several attacks on Coalition troops in Fallujah.

Allegations of abuse of prisoners by US forces were widely reported. The alleged incidents are under investigation.

27/28 April 2004

US DoD briefing

CPA briefing

Representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross visited Saddam Hussein in detention.

26/27 April 2004

CPA briefing

 

25/26 April 2004

 

24/25 April 2004

Three US Navy and Coast Guard personnel were killed while intercepting three waterborne attacks near the Khawr Al Amaya Oil Terminal in the northern Gulf. The terminal escaped damage.

23/24 April 2004

CPA briefing

Operational Honours, including significant awards for service in Iraq, were issued on 23 April 2004.

22/23 April 2004

 

21/22 April 2004

Vehicle-based improvised explosive devices were used to attack five separate police facilities in and around Basrah, causing multiple fatalities amongst civilians. Five soldiers from the Royal Welch Fusiliers were injured.

20/21 April 2004

US DoD briefing

CPA briefing

 

19/20 April 2004

CPA briefing

An agreement was reached with local representatives in Fallujah to ease security restrictions and implement a number of measures to help restore order to the town.

18/19 April 2004

 

17/18 April 2004

 

16/17 April 2004

CPA briefing

US CENTCOM briefing

 

15/16 April 2004

US DoD briefing

CPA briefing

 

14/15 April 2004

 

13/14 April 2004

CPA briefing

Coalition forces continued offensive operations in Al Anbar province, with the exception of the town of Fallujah.

Two attacks were mounted against UK forces in Al Amarah, but no casualties were sustained.

12/13 April 2004

CPA briefing

US CENTCOM briefing

 

11/12 April 2004

A British civilian contractor taken hostage in An Nasiriyah was released unharmed.

10/11 April 2004

 

9/10 April 2004

CPA briefing

Coalition forces suspended offensive operations in Fallujah.

8/9 April 2004

CPA briefing

 

7/8 April 2004

CPA briefing

US DoD briefing

The US 1st Marine Expeditionary Force fought a series of engagements during operations in Fallujah.

6/7 April 2004

 

5/6 April 2004

CPA briefing

US CENTCOM briefing

Iraqi police arrested Mustafa al-Yacoubi in connection with the investigation into the murder of Ayatollah al-Khoei in April 2003. 28 Iraqi deputy ministers were appointed to 14 government departments.

4/5 April 2004

 

3/4 April 2004

 

2/3 April 2004

 

1/2 April 2004

 

31 March / 1 April 2004

CPA briefing

Three British soldiers were injured by an improvised explosive device attack on their vehicle south-west of Basrah.

30/31 March 2004

Charles Duelfer, successor to David Kay as head of the Iraq Survey Group, updated a Congressional committee on 30 March 2004. His report can be found on the Central Intelligence Agency website.

29/30 March 2004

 

28/29 March 2004

 

27/28 March 2004

 

26/27 March 2004

 

25/26 March 2004

CPA briefing

 

24/25 March 2004

 

23/24 March 2004

 

22/23 March 2004

CPA briefing

 

21/22 March 2004

14 British soldiers were injured during public order incidents in Basrah on 22 March 2004.

20/21 March 2004

 

19/20 March 2004

 

18/19 March 2004

CPA briefing

 

17/18 March 2004

CPA briefing

A car bomb caused severe damage and multiple casualties at the Mount Lebanon Hotel in Baghdad.

16/17 March 2004

 

15/16 March 2004

 

14/15 March 2004

 

13/14 March 2004

 

12/13 March 2004

CPA briefing

 

11/12 March 2004

 

10/11 March 2004

CPA briefing

US 82nd Airborne Division briefing

 

9/10 March 2004

US DoD briefing

CPA briefing

Multi-National Brigade (North) briefing

 

8/9 March 2004

The transitional administrative law for Iraq was signed in a ceremony at Baghdad.

7/8 March 2004

 

6/7 March 2004

 

5/6 March 2004

Soldiers from the 1st Battalion The Light Infantry came under fire from heavy machine guns and rocket propelled grenades during a patrol in the village of Qalat Salih in Maysan province. The patrol returned fire, and was successfully extracted with the aid of a Quick Reaction Force, Seven personnel were injured but none seriously.

4/5 March 2004

US DoD briefing

 

3/4 March 2004

 

2/3 March 2004

CPA briefing

 

1/2 March 2004

A series of bomb attacks, some suicide, on the morning of 2 March 2004 during the Ashura religious festival caused over 50 fatalities in Baghdad and over 80 in Karbala, with hundreds wounded.

29 February / 1 March 2004

 

28/29 February 2004

 

27/28 February 2004

 

26/27 February 2004

CJTF7 briefing

 

25/26 February 2004

CPA briefing

 

24/25 February 2004

CPA briefing

 

23/24 February 2004

The MOD announced the eligibility criteria for the Iraq Campaign Medal on 23 February 2004. (Photographs of the new medal can also be found here.)

22/23 February 2004

Royal Engineers and Iraqi electrical engineers began repairs to electricity pylons in the southern marshes, using an RAF Chinook helicopter to lift the pylons into position in areas inaccessible to conventional cranes.

21/22 February 2004

 

20/21 February 2004

 

19/20 February 2004

CPA briefing

US DoD briefing

 

18/19 February 2004

20 Iraqi police instructors graduated from a "training the trainers" course run at Shaibah by the Czech military police. The Iraqi instructors will now train new Iraqi police officers.

17/18 February 2004

 

16/17 February 2004

CPA briefing

 

15/16 February 2004

 

14/15 February 2004

 

13/14 February 2004

 

12/13 February 2004

CPA briefing

A British soldier was killed in a vehicle accident at Shaibah.

11/12 February 2004

CPA briefing

A suicide bomb attack caused multiple fatalities at a recruiting station for the Iraqi army in Baghdad.

10/11 February 2004

A bomb attack against a police station in Iskandariyah caused multiple fatalities.

9/10 February 2004

 

8/9 February 2004

 

7/8 February 2004

 

6/7 February 2004

 

5/6 February 2004

 

3/4 February 2004

CPA briefing

 

2/3 February 2004

US 1st Armored Division briefing

 

1/2 February 2004

Suicide bomb attacks in Irbil against Kurdish political parties caused numerous fatalities and a very large number of injuries.

31 January / 1 February 2004

A British soldier died in an accident in Basrah.

30/31 January 2004

CPA briefing

 

29/30 January 2004

CJTF7 briefing

 

28/29 January 2004

CPA briefing

 

27/28 January 2004

CPA briefing

 

26/27 January 2004

 

25/26 January 2004

 

24/25 January 2004

 

23/24 January 2004

 

22/23 January 2004

CPA briefing

US 4th Infantry Division briefing

 

21/22 January 2004

CPA briefing

A British soldier died in a road traffic accident in Al Amarah.

20/21 January 2004

 

19/20 January 2004

 

18/19 January 2004

A suicide bomb caused multiple casualties in Baghdad.

17/18 January 2004

 

16/17 January 2004

 

15/16 January 2004

 

14/15 January 2004

CPA briefing

Briefing on Emergency Response Programme

 

13/14 January 2004

US DoD briefing

 

12/13 January 2004

CPA briefing

 

11/12 January 2004

Coalition forces detained Khamis Sirhan al-Mohammed, a former Karbala Ba'ath Party regional commander.

10/11 January 2004

British troops and Iraqi police responded to a serious disturbance in Al Amarah, which resulted in several Iraqi deaths. The incident is under investigation.

9/10 January 2004

 

8/9 January 2004

CPA briefing

A US UH-60 helicopter crashed near Fallujah with nine fatalities.

7/8 January 2004

A British soldier was killed in an incident on a training range near Basrah on 7 January 2004.

6/7 January 2004

US DoD briefing

US 82nd Airborne Division briefing

The second battalion of the new Iraqi Army completed training.

5/6 January 2004

 

4/5 January 2004

CPA briefing

The Prime Minister visited British forces in Basrah on 4 January 2004, including the new Police Academy established in Az Zubayr.

3/4 January 2004

 

2/3 January 2004

CPA briefing

A US Army OH-58 helicopter was shot down near Fallujah, with the loss of the pilot.

1/2 January 2004

 

31 December / 1 January 2004

US 1st Armoured Division briefing

Two British soldiers were killed in a tragic road traffic accident in Baghdad early on 1 January 2004.

30/31 December 2003

CPA briefing

 

29/30 December 2003

 

28/29 December 2003

 

27/28 December 2003

Two Thai and five Bulgarian soldiers, as well as several Iraqi police officers and civilians, were killed in attacks in Karbala. Numerous civilians were injured.

A new Regional Police Academy was opened at Az Zubayr, with the aim of training 6,000 police officers during the first six months of 2004, in preparation for the transition of government from the Coalition Provisional Authority to an Iraqi administration.

26/27 December 2003

 

25/26 December 2003

 

24/25 December 2003

CPA briefing

Midnight Mass was celebrated by troops serving with Multi-National Division (South-East) at Basrah Airport.

23/24 December 2003

US DoD briefing

 

22/23 December 2003

 

21/22 December 2003

 

20/21 December 2003

Supported by an RAF Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft, a US warship in the Gulf boarded two dhows attempting to smuggle drugs, including a consignment of heroin.

19/20 December 2003

CPA briefing

 

18/19 December 2003

CPA briefing

 

17/18 December 2003

Troops from 1st Battalion The Light Infantry mounted a successful operation against an illegal smelting plant in Maysan, recovering $250k worth of stolen metal.

16/17 December 2003

US DoD briefing

 

15/16 December 2003

A US warship in the Gulf intercepted a dhow carrying two tons of narcotics.

14/15 December 2003

US DoD statement

 

13/14 December 2003

CPA statement

Coalition forces detained Saddam Hussein during an operation in Tikrit late on 13 December 2003.

12/13 December 2003

 

11/12 December 2003

 

10/11 December 2003

A comprehensive analysis - Operations in Iraq: Lessons for the Future - was published on 11 December 2003.

9/10 December 2003

US DoD briefing

A suicide bomb attack was attempted against a US base in Mosul.

8/9 December 2003

CPA briefing

 

7/8 December 2003

 

6/7 December 2003

Italian troops from Multi-National Division (South-East) conducted a very successful operation near Al Riffal, which recovered numerous automatic weapons, as well as a very large cache of rocket propelled grenade launchers.

In Basrah, repair work was completed on the Sweet Water Canal following a breach on 2 December 2003 due to decades of neglect.

5/6 December 2003

CPA briefing

 

4/5 December 2003

 

3/4 December 2003

CPA briefing

Operation Bayonet Lightning was conducted in the Kirkuk area by US and Iraqi forces against regime resistance.

2/3 December 2003

 

1/2 December 2003

There were serious incidents in Samarra, with US troops reporting coordinated attacks by regime elements.

30 November / 1 December 2003

 

29/30 November 2003

Seven Spanish officers were killed in an ambush in Mahmudiya, and two Japanese diplomats were killed in Tikrit.

28/29 November 2003

 

27/28 November 2003

Multi-National Division (South East) held a reception for community and religious leaders in Basrah to celebrate the Eid festival.

26/27 November 2003

 

25/26 November 2003

The primary school in Al Muthanna reopened after a major renovation programme organised by British forces. A project to extend the school's capacity by building additional classrooms is now underway.

24/25 November 2003

 

23/24 November 2003

 

22/23 November 2003

 

21/22 November 2003

Two Iraqi police stations, in Ba'qubah and Khan Bani Sad, were attacked by car bombs, with fatalities among Iraqi police and civilians.

20/21 November 2003

 

19/20 November 2003

CPA briefing

 

18/19 November 2003

US 82nd Airborne Division briefing

Operation Ivy Cyclone II continued.

17/18 November 2003

Operation Ivy Cyclone II continued.

16/17 November 2003

Operation Ivy Cyclone II continued.

15/16 November 2003

Two US Army Blackhawk helicopters crashed at Mosul, with 17 fatalities. US forces launched Operation Ivy Cyclone II against regime resistance and criminal elements in the areas around Tikrit, Kirkuk, Balad and Ba'qubah.

14/15 November 2003

 

13/14 November 2003

US CENTCOM briefing

 

12/13 November 2003

 

11/12 November 2003