A progress report from just one Coalition briefing:

In eastern Mosul last night, drive-by shooters attacked the Bab Shamas (sp) pump station, but there were no injuries or damage to equipment.

In Hammam al Alil, coalition forces conducted a cordon-and-search targeting three individuals responsible for attacks on 9 and 10 April. A brigade high-value target and three other primary targets were captured.

On the Syrian border near Rabiya, Iraqi border police detained 12 benzine smugglers.

In the north central zone of operations, enemy activity included 16 attacks, eight of which were directed coalition or Iraqi security forces.

In Samarra, two attacks yesterday were reported, four mortar rounds impacting near the ICD headquarters. There were no injuries to coalition forces in this attack. In the second attack, an IED exploded near a coalition force convoy. Again, no injuries or damage to equipment.

Last night in the 1AD -- 1ID area of operations, coalition forces conducted a series of raids targeting Sadr militia safe houses near Balad. The raids resulted in the detention of six targeted individuals and 15 other males.

Also last evening, coalition forces identified an illegal checkpoint near Tuz. The checkpoint was manned by four males brandishing weapons and robbing passing cars. An aerial weapons team moved to the area to investigate and the criminals attempted to flee and they were engaged by the aerial weapons team. A combat patrol sent to investigate counted three individuals killed. The surviving male attempted to engage the combat patrol with small arms fire and was subsequently killed in a firefight, which wounded one U.S. soldier. The patrol seized 20 hand grenades, a jeep with four 155 mm rounds, fuses and one rocket-propelled grenade launcher with three rounds. The wounded soldier was evacuated for treatment where he is stable condition.

In Baghdad the 1st Cavalry experienced 16 attacks, of which 12 were directed against coalition or Iraqi security forces. Task Force Baghdad captured 18 suspected enemy and confiscated significant amounts of weapons and ammunition over the past 24 hours.

Coalition forces executed Operation Lancer Lightning in Sadr City, a coordinated cordon and search of several Sadr militia strongholds. The operations resulted in the detention of five suspects with no injuries or damage to coalition personnel.

This morning coalition forces conducted a raid near Al Duluiyah. The target of the raids were suspected of an RPG attack on an ICDC commander on the 20th of April and the raid resulted in 12 personnel detained.

In the western zone of operations, coalition forces experienced three attacks against Iraqi and coalition security forces out of a total of six attacks in the past 24 hours. We continue to see anti- coalition forces fighting from fortified positions, misusing mosques as weapons storage sites and using mosques also as command-and-control nodes.

In Fallujah there were two reports of hostile fire in the past 24 hours. Yesterday morning enemy forces attacked the Marines twice in northwest Fallujah in a well-documented incident. The 1st Marine Expeditionary Force continues aggressive patrols and offensive operations outside of Fallujah, as well as providing humanitarian assistance to the citizens of Fallujah. Movement of humanitarian assistance in and out of Fallujah was halted for several hours yesterday because of attacks on coalition forces. Forces will continue to maintain the cordon around Fallujah and are prepared to resume offensive operations on order, and continue to encourage the return of local ICDC and police.

In the central-south zone of operations, there were a total of 11 attacks, nine targeting coalition or Iraqi security forces. Coalition forces continue Operation Iron Saber, executing intelligence-based operations and MSR security in the region south of Baghdad, reconnaissance operations to develop intelligence on the location of Sadr militia leaders, as well as the identification of local leadership, sheikhs and imams for engagement.

In al Kut, coalition forces conducted three cordon-and-search operations in order to capture an individual suspected of being a Sadr militia cell leader and weapons dealer. The unit captured the target as well as five additional personnel.

In the southeastern zone of operations, the current situation remains stable, with seven attacks, five attacks which were directed against coalition or Iraqi security forces. There were three attacks against Iraqi police and coalition forces yesterday in Basra. The southeastern zone of operations in the past 36 hours has been dominated by consequence management following the VBIED attacks in Basra.

Today an ICDC checkpoint was attacked by a drive-by shooting. The ICDC soldiers at the checkpoint returned fire at the attackers, but there were no casualties as a result of the attack.

Somehow the reporters can find out that three girls were burned and make this an important part of the ongoing battle, but things like this, announced in news conferences with transcripts on the Web, seems to entirely escape them. The idea seems to be to give the impression that our soldiers are standing around in camps scratching themselves or driving from one point to another for no particular reason when they're hit.

A couple of other items:

Five arrested in Basra bombings. Bombers claim al Qaeda from Syria in charge.

The chemicals in the thwarted attack on Jordan also came from Syria.

Half a billion in reconstruction funding for seven Iraqi cities. Taken from frozen Iraqi assets and Iraqi oil money. I had to get this item from Australian news sources.