Occupation of Iraq: In the heaviest single loss for the coalition troops since cessation of the military campaign in Iraq two US Chinook helicopters are fired on by two surface-to-air missiles and one crashes near Fallujah and on its way to Baghdad airport; 16 soldiers are killed and 20 wounded. [1][2] A blast damages an oil pipeline near Kirkuk, north of Baghdad. [3]
War on Terrorism: The New York Times reports that militantMuslim recruits are "streaming into Iraq" and answering the call of Osama bin Laden and other extremists. These individuals are joining the fight against the coalition's occupation in Iraq, state counterterrorism officials. Intelligence officials (in six countries) have detected an estimate of hundreds of militant young Muslims from various countries headed for Iraq (primarily by crossing the Syrian or Iranian borders). [4]
The Yukos crisis continues, and Dmitry Medvedev, the new Chief of Staff of the Russian president, warns of risks to the economy. [5] Following his appointment, the siloviks continue to dominate Putin's administration in a larger degree than in the Yeltsin and Gorbachev years. [6]
