Elections tomorrow. We shall see!

MNFI 10/14

Battle Update Assessment (unclassified)

· The total number of attacks increased from the previous 24 hour period and was above the rolling average. 26 of 119 attacks were effective.
· Weather: Conditions will continue to be favorable throughout all of Iraq over the next four days.
· Iran warns against illegal visits to holy sites in Iraq. The Iranian Foreign Ministry issued warnings to Iranian pilgrims “not to travel to Iraq illegally.” Iran encouraged the use of trips sanctioned by the Iranian Pilgrimage Organization.
· Poll: 93% of Iraqis favor participation in referendum.
· After the TNA reached an agreement on changes to the constitution, President Talabani said, “This is the day of national consensus… I cannot say all agreed, but there is no excuse or justification for the Sunni brothers to boycott after we accepted all their demands and suggestions without changing a letter in them. Their task now is to participate with us and vote 'yes' for the constitution and cooperate with us to fight terrorism and the people who want to destroy the country.”
· A story about the suicide bomber in Tal Afar included a perspective from the liaison officer for Third Armored Cavalry Regiment. “Catastrophic events attract attention,” he said, and the terrorists “want to give the perception that the area is still unstable and that the security forces are inadequate.” He pointed out that “what was supposed to be the big attack actually was very anticlimactic” and he doesn’t think it will have much influence on voting.
· 46 Iraqi Army soldiers graduated from 3 Iraqi Military Intelligence School courses at Taji.
· 147 soldiers graduated from the Squad Leader Course at the Al Kut Regional Training Center.