A week at war

Meredith Davisson

PRT: Provincial Reconstruction Team•An administrative unit of international aid consisting of a small operating base from which civilians and military specialists workto perform small reconstruction projects or provide security for others involved in aid and reconstruction work•Of the 10 PRTs now operating in Iraq, seven are managed by theUnited States; South Korea, the United Kingdom and Italy run the other three•Six new PRTs will be established in the Baghdad province, three in Anbar and one in the northern Babil province by the end of2007•”PRTs are important in achieving our counterinsurgency strategy. They’re also critical in terms of the long-term future of Iraq, building institutions [and] enabling Iraq to become master of its own destiny and able to rise to the level that they once were able to achieve.” – Rick Olson, chief of the national coordination team in charge of PRTs in Iraq

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: President of Iran•Affirmed on Monday that Iran will continue to expand the country’s uranium enrichment effort despite the U.N. SecurityCouncil’s threats of sanctions against Iran

United Nations Security Council:•The organ of the United Nations charged with maintaining peaceand security among nations•The UNSC has the power to make decisions that the member governments must follow (unlike other U.N. groups)•Made up of 15 member states including five permanent seats and 10 temporary onesseats

Islamic Revolutionary Guards: •The largest armed force in Iran•Known in Iran as the “Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution”•Entirely separate from the Iranian Army, Navy and Air Force•Also controls the Basij militia, a questionable Iranian paramili-tary force

Jalal Talabani: State President of Iraq

As of April 10, 2007:•3,279 American troops have been killed in Iraq* •252 Coalition troops have been killed in Iraq, including 140 British troops•Estimates range from approximately 60,000 Iraqi civilian deaths(Iraq Body Count Project) to 655,000 total excess deaths due tothe war (second Lancet survey of mortality in June 2006) (*number from the U.S. Department of Defense Web site)