| High-ranking members of the Baath Party renounced party affiliation today at a meeting in Tallafar in northwestern Iraq while fellow Iraqis and leaders from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) witnessed. In addition to renouncing their Baath Party affiliation, the officials turned in weapons to Col. Michael Linnington, commander, 187th Infantry Regiment [sic], and Lt. Col. Christopher Pease, commander, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, who handed the weapons over to local police. More then 120 AK-47s and three machine guns were handed in. That brings the total number of weapons collected by 3rd Brigade Combat Team (BCT) to 719 AK-47s, four rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), 30 RPG rounds, 15 hand grenades, two mortars and more than a thousand rounds of ammunition. All of the weapons collected will be given over to Iraqi Police and the Iraqi military for use in maintaining security, said the Tallafar chief of police. âThese weapons will be used for the future security force of this country,â Linnington said. âThe goal is Iraq for Iraqis.â |