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Cav Soldiers Help Drop Steel Curtain on Anti-Coalition Forces in Iraq

Dec- 9-2005 » Filed Under: 172nd SBCT

Link to Full Article with Photo
Spc. Dale Sweetnam
Fort Wainwright PAO

FORT WAINWRIGHT — Coalition forces including Soldiers from the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team recently completed an extensive isolation and containment mission in Ramana, Iraq.

Lt. Col. Mark Freitag of the 4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, said nearly 1,000 individuals from the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force and the Iraqi Army worked together to clear 11 towns encompassing close to 230 square kilometers during offensive operations from Nov. 18-22. The offensive maneuvers were apart of the larger Operation Steel Curtain.

Freitag said the area cleared functioned as a safe haven for anti-Iraqi forces. Freitag said the area needed to be cleared and secured in order to deny its use to opposing forces.

The joint forces were not fired upon and lost no lives during the operation.

Capt. Rusty Tapf, the commander of Company B, 4-14 Cavalry, said there will continue to be a U.S. presence with the ongoing security in the area, but also said security will be mostly Iraqi run.

Both Freitag and Tapf said the Iraqi forces that participated in the mission were professional and well-trained.

“The Iraqi Soldiers that we worked with were first rate,” Freitag said.

Tapf said although there were different services working together to achieve a common goal, the Iraqi soldiers fit into the scheme with ease.

“They all worked real well together,” Tapf said. “A soldier is a soldier, it doesn’t matter what language they speak.”

While the mission was successful and there were no casualties, Tapf said the mission was not completely without incident.

Tapf said during the mission an IED detonated on one of his platoon vehicles.

During the mission, joint forces detained 96 individuals, and many of them tested positive for tampering with TNT and other explosives.

Tapf was also pleased to report no civilians were displaced during the operation. Tapf said after forces moved through the area, a team followed behind and distributed comfort items including blankets and food to the Iraqi citizens.

A combined joint military effort is currently securing the area.


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