27th day of war

Published April 16, 2003

* Iraqi political and religious leaders pledge to work for democratic, federal Iraq in first talks on country’s future with US, British officials; agree to reconvene in 10 days

* Rumsfeld says US forces have shut off a pipeline carrying oil from Iraq to Syria

* Powell says US has concerns about Syria and Iran but has no plan right now to overthrow leaders of other nations

* Syria denounces US accusations it is developing chemical weapons as “threats and falsifications”

* Chirac and Bush talk on phone for first time since before war began; Chirac spokeswoman says conversation was “positive”

CASUALTIES

* US - 121 killed, 4 missing

* Britain - 30 killed

* Iraqi military - at least 2,320 in Baghdad, according to US military. Iraq has given no figures for its military losses

* Iraqi civilians (Iraqi estimates up to April 3) - 1,254 killed, 5,112 wounded

RECONSTRUCTION

French agency Medecins du Monde says it has teams in Kirkuk and Basra conducting first independent medical evaluations in hospitals there. World Food Programme says food shipments to northern Iraq through Turkey increased by 200 percent on Monday and should soon be running at 2,000 tonnes a day. UNICEF says 17 lorries, carrying 120,000 litres (26,400 gallons) of drinking water, are due to cross from Iran to southern Iraq.

UN World Food Programme says it has bought thousands of tonnes of wheat flour, rice, vegetable oil, sugar, pulses, high-energy biscuits, milk powder and cheese for Iraq.—Reuters

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