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Sniffing out enemies

Jan- 2-2006 » Filed Under: 172nd SBCT

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By MARGARET FRIEDENAUER

FORWARD OPERATING BASE Q-WEST--Following a tip from a resident of a nearby village, Capt. Robert Rossi of Fort Wainwright's 52nd Anti-Tank Unit led his team to search a farm near the site of a recent explosion.

He was interested, he said, because the farm was several hundred meters from one of what have been many improvised explosive device explosions in the past three days. While the place was several hundred meters from the farm, it was in direct line of sight. Most IED's are detonated by a triggerman who is within sight of the explosion, Rossi said.

The men at the farm told Rossi and an accompanying Iraqi army commander that they heard and saw the explosion but did not see any suspect men or vehicles on the road around the same time.

Rossi wasn't convinced and told them so. "I don't think you're telling the truth," he said. "If you were here when it happened you must have seen something."

"I believe in the government," the man replied. "We want it to be safe."

Having found no evidence, Rossi and his Iraqi counterpart moved their soldiers to another nearby village.

A surge of roadside attacks in northern Iraq, especially in this area southwest of Mosul, created a buzz of activity for the soldiers with the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team at Q-West Forward Operating Base this weekend....


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