Republican National Committee Release - Ir Aqfactsvol1

NEWS FOR THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 17, 2005

“Iraq’s Security Forces Have Arrested [Yasser Sabawi Ibrahim] A Nephew Of Saddam Hussein On Suspicion He Was Funneling Overseas Money To Iraqi Insurgents …” (Ibon Villelabeitia, “Iraq Arrests Saddam Nephew, Probes Militant Funding,” Reuters, 10/20/05)

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“The Capture … Could Help Track Down The Source Of The Funds From Abroad, The [Iraqi] Interior Minister Said ...” (Sameer N. Yacoub, “Arrest Of Saddam Nephew Who Financed Insurgents Could Help Track Money’s Source, Officials Say,” The Associated Press, 10/20/05)

“U.S. Forces Killed 12 Militants In Western Iraq Including An Al Qaeda Leader Responsible For Attacks Around Ramadi, A Focus Of The Sunni Arab Insurgency, The U.S. Military Said ...” (“U.S. Says Kills Senior Qaeda Leader In West Iraq,” Reuters, 10/20/05)

Middle East Expert Amir Taheri Notes “[A] Closer Look Shows That The Iraqi Economy … Performed Surprisingly Well.” (Amir Taheri, Op-Ed, “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinar,” The Wall Street Journal, 9/14/05)

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“[Iraq’s] Current 4% Growth Rate Is Higher Than The Average Rates For The Members Of The Arab League.” (Amir Taheri, Op-Ed, “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinar,” The Wall Street Journal, 9/14/05)

Iraq’s GDP Has More Than Quadrupled From 2003. (Nina Kamp, Michael O’Hanlon and Amy Unikewicz, Op-Ed, “The State Of Iraq: An Update,” The New York Times, 9/9/05)

Iraq’s Debt Has Been Cut By Nearly A Third. (Nina Kamp, Michael O’Hanlon and Amy Unikewicz, Op-Ed, “The State Of Iraq: An Update,” The New York Times, 9/9/05)

“[An] Important Aspect Of [The Constitutional Referendum] Vote Was That Security Was Provided Mainly By Iraqi Police And Soldiers, Whereas U.S. Troops Provided That Necessity In January.” (George Melloan, Op-Ed, “Once Again, The Jihadists Suffer A Defeat,” The Wall Street Journal, 10/18/05)

“Iraqi And Task Force Freedom Soldiers Seized A Large Weapons Cache In Rawah Oct. 11.” (United States Central Command Website, www.centcom.mil, Accessed 10/13/05)

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Iraqi Intervention Forces And U.S. Soldiers Discovered Hundreds Of Rocket Propelled Grenades, Thousands Of Rockets And Hundreds Of Pounds Of Bomb Making Materials. (United States Central Command Website, www.centcom.mil, Accessed 10/13/05)

The Washington Times: “Iraqi Voter Turnout [For The Constitutional Referendum] Increased From The 58 Percent Who Cast A Ballot In The Jan. 30 Elections For National And Provincial Parliaments To Between 60 And 63 Percent ...” (Editorial, “Positive News From Iraq,” The Washington Times, 10/17/05)

“Widespread Participation … By Sunnis … Was Taken As Evidence Of A Desire To Reject Insurgent Violence And Place Their Trust In The Political Process.” (Sharon Behn, “Constitution Headed For Win In Iraq,” The Washington Times, 10/17/05)

New York Post: “[The Referendum Results] Vindicate U.S. Policy, And Are A Giant Step Toward Regional Peace.” (Editorial, “The Iraqi Referendum,” New York Post, 10/17/05)

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