Battle for Baghdad: US and Iraq plan street by street offensive by Patrick Fort 2 hours, 5 minutes ago
8/11/06
BAGHDAD (AFP) - Faced with a make or break struggle to wrest control of Baghdad from insurgents and sectarian death squads, US and Iraqi commanders plan an ambitious strategy to take back the Iraqi capital street by street, district by district. - Snip
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Iraqi minister says Baghdad safe, secure.
Xinhua News Agency; 4/7/2003
BAGHDAD, Apr 7, 2003 (Xinhua via COMTEX)
Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf said on Monday that Baghdad is safe and secure and the Iraqi government is in full control of the key government buildings though the US forces claimed they had smashed into the capital
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BILLION DOLLAR BUNKER; U.S. plans Baghdad embassy more secure than Pentagon.(News)
The Mirror (London, England); 1/3/2006
Byline: By CHRIS HUGHES Security Correspondent
AMERICA is to spend pounds 1billion on an embassy in Baghdad "more secure than the Pentagon".
Plans for the hi-tech complex are being kept secret because of the terrorist threat in Iraq.
The exact location is not being released until later this year but it is likely to be built in the heavily fortified Green Zone area where the Iraqi government and US military command is based. The embassy will be guarded by 15ft blast walls and ground-to-air missiles and the main building will have bunkers for use during air offensives. The grounds will include as many as 300 houses for consular and military officials.
And a large-scale barracks will be built for Marines who will protect what will be Washington's biggest and most secure overseas building.
A US source in the Middle East said last night: "Plans for the embassy building are being kept behind closed doors because of the terrorist threat.
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