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Al Qaeda in Iraq is 'broken,' cut off from leaders in Pakistan, says top US genera - The Long War Journal
Iraqi and US forces have hit al Qaeda in Iraq hard over the last several months, crippling the terror group's senior leadership and disrupting its communications with al Qaeda's top leaders in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the top US commander in the country said."Over the last 90 days or so, we've either picked up or killed 34 out of the top 42 al Qaeda in Iraq leaders," General Ray Odierno, the commander of US Forces - Iraq, told reporters during a Pentagon press briefing.
"They're clearly now attempting to reorganize themselves," "They're struggling a little bit. They've broken -- they've lost connection with AQSL [al Qaeda Senior Leadership] in Pakistan and Afghanistan," Odierno said.
The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article regarding the movement of US troops out of most urban areas in Iraq. The shift is one of the conditions outlined in the security agreement signed by the US and Iraq at the beginning of the year.
BAGHDAD -- The top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. Ray Odierno, said Monday that American combat troops are on track to leave Iraqi cities by the end of the month as scheduled, and he said the U.S. had closed or handed over 142 former American installations to the Iraqi government so far.Questions have lingered about the status of combat troops in still-volatile areas, like Mosul in the north of the country. But Gen. Odierno said American combat forces would pull back there too, thanks to improved security conditions across the country.
A small number of support troops will remain behind in some urban areas, as expected, he said. He said American forces will remain at 320 locations after a June 30 deadline for pulling U.S. combat troops out of Iraqi cities.
Although not Stryker-related I thought the following article from The New York Times was interesting. Improvements in security have brought cultural changes to the city.
BAGHDAD — Vice is making a comeback in this city once famous for 1,001 varieties of it.Gone, for the most part, are nighttime curfews, religious extremists and prowling kidnappers. So, inevitably, some people are turning to illicit pleasures, or at least slightly dubious ones. [...]
“Everything is going back to its natural way,” said Ahmed Assadee, a screenwriter who works on a soap opera.
FOB Tacoma linked to a study by the Washington Post confirming what has been obvious for a while now - mainstream media coverage of the war in Iraq is declining rapidly. Excerpt:
BAGHDAD -- The number of foreign journalists in Baghdad is declining sharply, a media withdrawal that reflects Iraq's growing stability and the financial strains faced by some news organizations.In a stark indication of the changing media focus here, the number of journalists traveling with American forces in Iraq has plummeted in the past year. U.S. military officials say they "embedded" journalists 219 times in September 2007. Last month, the number shrank to 39. Of the dozen U.S. newspapers and newspaper chains that maintained full-time bureaus in Baghdad in the early years of the war, only four are still permanently staffed by foreign correspondents. CBS and NBC no longer keep a correspondent in Baghdad year-round.
Be sure to read it all.
The Long War Journal has a nice summary of the current status of Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and what it means for future draw downs of US personnel there.
By Donna Miles, American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON — The White House will nominate Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, currently commander of Multinational Force Iraq, to be the next U.S. Central Command commander, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced April 23.
“I recommended him to the president because I am absolutely confident he is the best man for the job,” Gates told reporters. He cited Petraeus’ in-depth understanding of the situation in Iraq as well as counterinsurgency operations, and the successes seen in Iraq under his leadership.
“The kinds of conflicts we are dealing with not just in Iraq, but in Afghanistan and some of the challenges that we face elsewhere in the region in the CentCom area, are very much characterized by asymetric warfare,” he said. “And I don’t know anybody in the United States military better qualified to lead that effort.”
The Long War Journal has another detailed overview of recent events in Iraq, which apparently includes operations by Stryker soldiers within Sadr City. Excerpt:
Less than two weeks after Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki launched Operation Knights' Assault to clear the Mahdi Army and other Iranian-backer militias in Basrah, the Iraqi government is moving to ban Muqtada al Sadr's political movement from participating in the election if it fails to disband the militia. Facing near-unanimous opposition, Sadr said he would seek guidance from senior Shia clerics in Najaf and Qom and disband the Mahdi Army if told to do so, according to one aide. But another Sadr aide denied this.The pressure on Sadr and his Mahdi Army started on Sunday after Maliki announced the plans to pass legislation to prevent political parties with militias from participating in the political process. "The first step will be adding language to a draft election bill banning parties that operate militias from fielding candidates in provincial balloting this fall," Reuters reported on Sunday. "The government intends to send the draft to parliament within days and hopes to win approval within weeks." [...]
Maliki has said the military will continue to operate against the Mahdi Army, and US and Iraqi forces have kept Sadr City and Shula in Baghdad under curfew. US and Iraqi forces fought pitched battles in Sadr City over the weekend. At least nine Mahdi Army fighters were killed by US helicopters after attacking Iraqi patrols in the city. Twenty Iraqis were reported killed and more than 50 wounded during the fighting.
According to various media reports Stryker soldiers were involved in the clashes in Sadr City.
By Bill Roggio, The Long War Journal
Fighting between the Coalition and Mahdi Army fighters broke out today as operations against the Mahdi Army and the Special Groups continue despite Prime Minister Maliki's call for a halt in operations. Early reports indicate between nine and 20 Iraqis were killed during clashes in Sadr City at the 55 intersection and Falah Street. Abdellatif Rayan, a media adviser to Multinational Forces Iraq said a US Army helicopter killed nine "criminals" in Sadr City. "We do have reports of an air weapons team engagement, a US helicopter, where nine criminals were killed at around 8:00 AM," Rayan told Voices of Iraq.
The US military has confirmed several clashes today in Sadr City. "Today, while Iraqi Army Soldiers were moving through those areas they were engaged by armed criminals with [rocket propelled grenades] and [small arms fire]," Lieutenant Colonel Steve Stover, the Public Affairs Officer for Multinational Division Baghdad told The Long War Journal. "US troops moved in to assist and that did include Bradleys and Abrams Tanks as well as Strykers." US and Iraqi Army forces kicked off operations to clear the southern sector of Sadr City in Jamilla and Thawra I on March 25.
US helicopters killed nine Special Groups "criminals" after they attacked the Iraqi soldiers at 8 AM local time. "An air weapons team [AWT] fired a Hellfire missile and killed three criminals after they were observed firing rocket-propelled grenades at the Iraqi Army soldiers," Stover said. "The team identified four more criminals fleeing the scene and attempting to hide weapons in a vehicle. The AWT fired a missile and destroyed the vehicle and killed the six criminals." No US or Iraqi Army casualties were reported.
[...]
Related Article:
22 Killed in Sadr City Clashes - The Associated Press
Paul McLeary, who was recently embedded with the 2/25 SBCT, just published a long profile of Bill Roggio of The Long War Journal. In my opinion Bill and his staff provide some of the best reporting and analysis of the war in Iraq. His website is one of the very few that I consistently consider a "must-read". Excerpt:
For the past several years, Roggio, working largely as a one-man bureau, has been at the forefront of reporting on these groups and how they’re being confronted militarily. His process, as he explains it, is to scour English-language media that he has learned to trust in these countries, and vet, amplify, and contextualize what he finds there with his own sources in the U.S. intelligence community, Israel, Iraq, and elsewhere. To this he adds his own expertise. “Bill has what a lot of journalists reporting on the conflict lack: a background in military science and history,” says B. A. Patty, a reporter whom PMI helped send to the Philippines last year. “It’s not just that ‘x happened’—a bomb went off, a sniper rifle was found, etc. It’s what that means… at a strategic or operational level; and in the local situation, to understand what it means tactically.”
By Bill Roggio, The Long War Journal
Six days after the Iraqi government launched Operation Knights’ Charge in Basrah against the Mahdi Army and other Iranian-backed Shia terror groups, Muqtada al Sadr, the Leader of the Mahdi Army, has called for his fighters to lay down their weapons and cooperate with Iraqi security forces. Sadr’s call for an end to the fighting comes as his Mahdi Army has taken serious losses since the operation began.
"Sadr has sent a message to his loyalists urging them to end all armed activities," the Al Iraqiya television channel reported. Sadr "disowned anyone attacking the state institutions or parties' offices and headquarters."
"Based on responsibility towards Iraq and to stem Iraqi bloodshed and to preserve the country's unity and integrity as a prelude to its independence, I call on the people to be up to their responsibility and awareness in order to maintain Iraq's stability," according to a statement issued by Sadr and sent to Voices of Iraq. Sadr has called for the government to free members of the Mahdi Army and the Sadrist Movement captured during recent operations.
[...]
Bill Roggio of The Long War Journal has another detailed overview of the recent clashes between coalition forces and the Mahdi Army. Excerpt:
With the fifth day of fighting in Baghdad, Basrah and the South completed, the Mahdi Army has suffered major losses over the past 36 hours. The Mahdi Army has not faired well over the past five days of fighting, losing an estimated two percent of its combat power, using the best case estimate for the size of the militia.A look at the open source press reports from the US and Iraqi military and the established newspapers indicates 145 Mahdi Army fighters were killed, 81 were wounded, 98 were captured, and 30 surrendered during the past 36 hours.
Bill Roggio at The Long War Journal has a detailed overview of the recent fighting in Iraq. Excerpt:
As the fighting in Basrah is underway, the fighting in Baghdad has intensified. US and Iraqi security forces have clashed with the Mahdi Army in Shia-dominated neighborhoods numerous times in Baghdad since the fighting began on Tuesday. Major fire-fights have broken out in Sadr City, Adhamiyah, Rusafa, New Baghdad, Kadhamiyah, Mansour, and other neighborhoods in northern and eastern Baghdad where the Mahdi Army has a significant presence.US and Iraqi security forces killed 26 Mahdi Army fighters in Baghdad on March 26. Another 42 Mahdi Army fighters were killed in a series of battles throughout Baghdad on March 27. Eight of the Mahdi Army fighters were killed after they attempted to overtake an Iraqi Army checkpoint. The Iraqi soldiers beat off the attack, losing one soldier in action.
It's unclear which unit the Strykers mentioned below are from.
By Sudarsan Raghavan and Sholnn Freeman, Washington Post
BAGHDAD, March 27 -- U.S. forces in armored vehicles battled Mahdi Army fighters Thursday in Sadr City, the vast Shiite stronghold in eastern Baghdad, as an offensive to quell party-backed militias entered its third day. Iraqi army and police units appeared to be largely holding to the outskirts of the area as American troops took the lead in the fighting.
Four U.S. Stryker armored vehicles were seen in Sadr City by a Washington Post correspondent, one of them engaging Mahdi Army militiamen with heavy fire. The din of American weapons, along with the Mahdi Army's AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades, was heard through much of the day. U.S. helicopters and drones buzzed overhead.
There's quite a bit of news regarding the Iraqi Army's recent operations against militias. Provided below are a few articles of interest.
By Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service
BAGHDAD — The top military commander in Iraq gave some insight yesterday into what he will consider as he prepares to report to the president and Congress in April on the way ahead.
Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multi-National Force - Iraq, spoke with reporters accompanying Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who is visiting the country.
The security trend lines all are favorable, the general said. “Attacks have continued to go down. We’ve had a five-month period consistently of a level of attacks we’ve not seen since spring of 2005,” he said. “This past week was the fourth-lowest since October 2004.”
The Long War Journal has published Part 3 in its series of articles examining the current state of Iraqi politics. Excerpt:
Understanding the constitutional structure and current composition of Iraq’s legislative branch is a prerequisite to analyzing the much-maligned progress of key legislation. As with the executive, the political diversity of Iraq’s legislature presents many significant challenges and a few opportunities to meeting the legislative benchmarks considered important to stability and reconciliation.
The Long War Journal has published Part 2 of its look at the Iraqi political system. Excerpt:
The Government of Iraq’s executive branch has several goals central to maintaining security gains and achieving sectarian reconciliation: effective hiring and management of the highly publicized Concerned Local Citizens (CLCs), the auxiliary security forces greatly responsible for the significant reduction in violence; the delivery of reconstruction resources, including basic services, to Baghdad and the provinces; and the creation of jobs and economic opportunity for average Iraqis.
The Long War Journal turns its analytical eye on the state of Iraqi politics in this in depth article. While not specifically Stryker-related it is worth sharing. Excerpt:
Security gains in Iraq have maintained momentum for five months and the focus has turned to spurring and gauging the country’s political progress. The ultimate goal of the troop surge executed by the military was for improved security to provide “breathing room” for such progress, which can be simplified to three fronts: “ground-up” political progress, executive political progress by the federal government, and federal legislative progress.
The Long War Journal has a graph-rich analysis of the recent downward trend in violence in Iraq.
Bill Ardolino at The Long War Journal takes a close look at the reduction in violence recently in Iraq to determine its causes. Excerpt:
As violence in Iraq has decreased significantly over the last two months, analysts attempt to identify the forces behind the trend. Some attribute the reduction to a reinvigorated US strategy of counterinsurgency and the “surge” of combat troops which commenced in February, while critics of US strategy cite the exodus of Iraqi refugees and successful sectarian partition and cleansing as primary factors.The drop began in September, as civilian deaths (884) fell 52 percent from August and 77 percent year-over-year, while military deaths (65) fell 23 percent and 10 percent over the same periods. October’s declines made it a trend: Civilian deaths (758) dropped an additional 12 percent from the previous month and 38 percent year-over-year, while US military deaths (38) dropped 42 percent and 64 percent during the same periods.
"Is it the surge, is it just dumb luck, or are there a series of factors that all contribute towards the lessening violence in Iraq?" asked General Terry Wolff, the Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Iraq and Afghanistan Policy Implementation on the National Security Council, in a conference call last Friday. Wolff and other senior military and intelligence officials offered a list of "complementary" factors theorized to have reduced the violence in interviews with The Long War Journal.
I'm not sure what precipitated the change, but recently there has been almost no coverage regarding the Stryker Brigades by traditional media from within Iraq. Consequently, I'm thankful there are still folks like Michael Yon and Bill Roggio providing in-depth reports regarding the current situation in Iraq. Provided below are a few links of interest, and while they are not Stryker-related they are still enlightening.
Although not Stryker-related, the following two articles are worth reading for insight into military operation in Iraq.
By Sgt. Armando Monroig, 5th MPAD
BAQUBAH, Iraq - She carried a bag full of what she considered to be precious cargo – precious enough for her to risk her life delivering its contents.
She made several trips across the Diyala River, armed only with a pistol and a few friends as body guards.
This woman braved the dangers of traveling in a combat zone, where coalition forces and Iraqi security forces waged war against al-Qaida terrorists who used Baqubah as a stronghold.
Bill Roggio at The Fourth Rail takes a close look at the launch of Operation Phantom Strike. Operation Phantom Strike is being represented as the follow-on to Operation Phantom Thunder, of which Arrowhead Ripper was a part of. Excerpt:
Operation Phantom Strike follows Operations Fardh Al-Qanoon (the Baghdad Security Plan) and Phantom Thunder, which pushed Coalition and Iraqi security forces into areas previously unsecured, as well as ejected terror groups from safe havens in Baghdad, and Northern Babil, eastern Anbar, Salahadin and Diyala provinces. During this time, Iraqi and Coalition forces conducted daily, intelligence driven raids against al Qaeda in Iraq and the Iranian-backed cells nationwide, with a heavy emphasis on cells in Baghdad, Diyala, and central and northern Iraq.The Baghdad Security Plan and Phantom Thunder can be considered shaping operations for Phantom Strike. Once Iraqi and Coalition forces moved into previous no-go zones, they have established local security forces and intelligence networks able to pinpoint the makeup and location of the Sunni and Shia extremist groups. Phantom Strike will be a largely intelligence driven operation.
Related Article:
Coalition Troops Launch Operation Phantom Strike in Iraq - AFPS
This is a huge deal in Iraq. See Mike Gilbert's blog for a bit of background.
JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Iraq delivered an inspirational victory Sunday by winning the Asian Cup with a 1-0 victory over Saudi Arabia, a beacon of hope for a nation divided by war.
It was an extraordinary triumph for a team drawn together from all parts of the Gulf and with its players straddling bitter and violent ethnic divides.
By John J. Kruzel, American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 13, 2007 – Now at full strength, the U.S. troop surge in Iraq is showing “definitive progress” and the number of forces serving in Iraq’s Multinational Division North could be halved by summer 2009, U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin R. Mixon said today.
A reduction of U.S. forces under the general’s command could begin as early as January 2008, he told Pentagon reporters via videoconference.
Mixon, commander of both Multinational Division North and the U.S. Army’s 25th Infantry Division, is responsible for six Iraqi provinces in northern Iraq, including the city of Baqubah -- site of the ongoing Operation Arrowhead Ripper.
Michael Yon has a rather gruesome dispatch from Baqubah, although he was not with any Stryker soldiers. Excerpt:
On 29 June, American and Iraqi soldiers were again fighting side-by-side as soldiers from Charley Company 1-12 CAV—led by Captain Clayton Combs—and Iraqi soldiers from the 5th IA, closed in on a village on the outskirts of Baqubah. The village had the apparent misfortune of being located near a main road—about 3.5 miles from FOB Warhorse—that al Qaeda liked to bomb. Al Qaeda had taken over the village. As Iraqi and American soldiers moved in, they came under light contact; but the bombs planted in the roads (and maybe in the houses) were the real threat.The firefight progressed. American missiles were fired. The enemy might have been trying to bait Iraqi and American soldiers into ambush, but it did not work. The village was riddled with bombs, some of them large enough to destroy a tank. One by one, experts destroyed the bombs, leaving small and large craters in the unpaved roads.
The village was abandoned. All the people were gone. But where?
The following article offers a broad perspective on the recent offensives involving the two Stryker Brigades currently deployed.
BAGHDAD — U.S. commanders plan a summer of stepped-up offensives against Al Qaeda in Iraq as they tailor strategy to their expectation that Congress soon will impose a timeline for drawing down U.S. forces here.
The emphasis on Al Qaeda, described by commanders in interviews here this week, marks a shift in focus from Shiite Muslim militias and death squads in Baghdad. It reflects the belief of some senior officers in Iraq that the militias probably will reduce attacks once it becomes clear that a U.S. pullout is on the horizon. By contrast, they believe Al Qaeda in Iraq could be emboldened by a withdrawal plan and must be confronted before one is in place.
The Fourth Rail has an excellent summary of the current offensive in Iraq. Arrowhead Ripper is one of many simultaneous operations occurring across the country. Excerpt:
Four days after the announcement of major offensive combat operations against al Qaeda in Iraq and its allies, the picture becomes clearer on the size and scope of the operation. In today's press briefing, Rear Admiral Mark noted that the ongoing operation is a corps directed and coordinated offensive operation. This is the largest offensive operation since the first phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom ended in the spring of 2003.
The Fourth Rail takes a look at the ongoing situation in Diyala, including the formation of a new alliance of local tribes to confront al-Qaeda in the province.
The following article does not specifically mention the Stryker Brigade soldiers operating in Diyala, but it does describe in some detail the current situation in the region.
By RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr., The New York Times
BAQUBA, Iraq, March 31 — In the last moments of his life, Sgt. First Class Benjamin L. Sebban saw the flatbed truck speed into the concertina wire guarding his small Army patrol base near Baquba.
“Everybody get down! Get down!” he screamed. Soldiers dropped to the ground.
A combination of the strong wire and muddy gravel stopped the bomber, who then detonated explosives packed into the truck bed. A 50-foot-wide fireball enveloped the base, an L-shaped school that weeks earlier had served as an insurgent hide-out. Soldiers were slammed into walls and windows, they later recalled, battered by pieces of brick and glass turned into shrapnel.
A number of people have emailed us to suggest we link to recent interviews with Martha Raddatz, the Chief White House correspondent for ABC News. She recently released a book titled, "The Long Road Home: A Story of War and Family", and has been featured on programs such as Charlie Rose (interview begins at the 31:30 minute mark) and Good Morning America. I haven't read the book or watched the full interview, but those who have appreciate that she focuses so much time on the soldiers' families back home. J.M. Simpson at Blog-Ah! has a more detailed book review if you'd like to read that as well.
There are a number of independent journalists currently embedded with troops in Iraq.
Most of you are probably familiar with Michael Yon, who was embedded with the 1/25 SBCT in 2005. He is back in Iraq and hopes to stay there for all of 2007.
Bill Roggio is currently embedded with a joint Army/Marine Transition team in Iraq, and is publishing dispatches on his website, The Fourth Rail. This is his third trip.
Finally, Bill Ardolino just returned from an embed with a Marine unit in the Al Anbar region west of Baghdad (Fallujah). He is filing exclusive reports in The Examiner, but also supplements them with information on his personal website, INDCJournal.
Winds of Change has published its latest Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
The top general at Fort Lewis is leaving to become part of the U.S. military’s new leadership team in Iraq.
The White House has nominated Lt. Gen. James Dubik to take charge of training Iraqi military and police forces.
There was no word Thursday when Dubik might appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee for confirmation, or who will replace him as commanding general at Fort Lewis and I Corps.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
SEAN COCKERHAM; The News Tribune
MOSUL, IRAQ Sometimes the base can seem almost like a normal place. Theres a 7-Eleven, a Java Hut and a Baskin-Robbins ice cream store.
But walk down the street to the combat support hospital and the pain and horror of this war are all around. Here, Fort Lewis nurses care for an Iraqi man with horribly disfiguring burns from a bomb at the market.
It is unclear whether this reporter is with the 3/2 or 172nd SBCT.
UPDATE: Apparently this is 1-23 INF, 3/2 SBCT.
BAGHDAD, Iraq They call themselves the "Earth Pigs," although they're perfect gentlemen to my crew and me. Captain John Lovin and his men don't have to take television crews with them on a mission, but they've loaded us into their Stryker vehicles, and now we're rolling around a Shiite neighborhood in West Baghdad.
This will turn out to be a routine patrol. Not every mission ends in a gunbattle or a roadside bomb blast. But there is always danger, and the Earth Pigs remain on high alert.
The comments in a few of our recent entries have focused on the lack of media coverage coming from certain parts of Iraq. I just happened to read a recent entry written by Donald Sensing at Winds of Change discussing this very topic, and what he has to say is quite interesting.
Can you guess how many embedded reporters there were in all of Iraq on 9/19/06? Nine! Since then a team from The News Tribune has embedded with the 3/2 SBCT in Baghdad, but that is still an amazingly low number. It might be convenient to blame media outlets for the lack of interest/coverage, but the reality seems to be a bit more compicated. Read his report for more info.
Link to Full Article
The Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq U.S. and Iraqi forces have captured a leader of Ansar al-Sunnah, the group behind the 2004 attack on a U.S. military mess hall that killed 22 people, the prime minister's office said Saturday.
Muntasir Hamoud Ileiwi al-Jubouri and two of his aides were arrested in Al-Taeyh, about 50 miles northeast of Baghdad, said Brig. Qassim al-Mussawi, spokesman for the General Command of the Armed Forces _ the prime minister's military office. He did not say when the arrest was made.
The Sunni militant group has claimed responsibility for numerous suicide attacks, the August 2004 execution of 12 Nepalese hostages and a December 2004 explosion at a U.S. military mess hall in Mosul that killed 22 people. It is believed to be an offshoot of another group, Ansar Al-Islam.
Staff Sgt. James Sherrill
124th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
MOSUL, Iraq, Sept. 13, 2006 Looking down from a hilltop through the darkness, Alexander could see the enemy campfires burning on the distant plain just east of Mosul.
He couldnt see the soldiers warming themselves, but he knew that even if there were only a few men around each fire his army would still be vastly outnumbered. Alexander, king of the Macedonians, paused for the first time on his route of conquest. He made a sacrifice to Phobos, the god of fear and terror.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
Susy Raybon let us know about a new blog maintained by Brad Blauser, Supporting Troops. Brad is a civilian contractor working at a base in Mosul. His entries offer a relatively unique perspective on events there. Please stop by and read about his many projects. From his site:
For those who don't know, I'm on a military base in a combat zone. Civilians and soldiers work everday, with civilians working 12-13 hours/day. One cool thing for me is to have the chance to hang out with the troops in the off time. I'm involved in a couple of different projects I started - Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids and Study Bibles for Soldiers.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
Kirk H. Sowell at Threats Watch has an in depth analysis of recent operations in Baghdad. Excerpt:
Once U.S. and Iraqi forces have swept an area, it will be up to Iraqi national police to maintain order. According to MNF-I, Iraqi Interior Ministry forces, considered the national police, have reached 92 percent of the intended strength of 188,000, and are 90 percent trained and 83 percent equipped. Of those areas of Baghdad outside the control of the government, some are controlled by Sunni jihadists, some by Shia militia cells, and some are subject to total chaos. It will now be up to U.S. and Iraqi troops to lock down these neighborhoods one by one, and Iraqi police will then have to hold them. Their mettle will be verified soon.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
MOSUL, Iraq -- Mosul police officers and Iraqi soldiers defeated a complex attack by terrorists in eastern Mosul Friday morning. The attack included a suicide bomber using a vehicle-borne improvided explosive device, several IEDs and small arms fire.
The Iraqi Security Forces were led by the Iraqi police officers and supported by Iraqi Army soldiers from 1st Battalion, 4thnd Iraqi Army Division. Additionally, Coalition Forces Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT), 2nd Infantry Division (Arrowhead Brigade) responded to the attack in support of the Iraqi Police and Iraqi Army.
by Spc. Rich Vogt, 138th MPAD
MOSUL, Iraq -- On a bright and clear morning in July, members of the Police Transition Team in Mosul, Iraq sized up the aspiring Iraqi policemen to determine who would be the chosen ones.
The first group of guys we train, were going to teach to be the trainers, said Mark Allain, Iraqi Police Liaison Officer from Fort Worth, Texas. So were going to work extra hard with them.
Link to Full Article
By Michael R. Gordon The New York Times
BAGHDAD The Bush administration's announcement on Tuesday that it will shift more forces to Baghdad is much more than a numbers game. It reflects a new strategy to reclaim control of the Iraqi capital and a new approach for deploying the troops.
The plan is to concentrate on specific neighborhoods rather than distribute the forces throughout the city, control movement in and out of sectors of the capital and try to sweep them of insurgents and violent militias.
In effect, the scheme is a version of the "ink blot" counterinsurgency strategy of grabbing a piece of terrain, stabilizing it and gradually expanding it. Only this time the objective is not a far-flung Iraqi city or town, but the capital, the seat of the fledgling government and home to some seven million Iraqis.[...]
US Central Command Press Release
MOSUL, Iraq Task Force Band of Brothers will turn over control of the former Saddam Hussein presidential compound here to Iraqi government officials in a ceremony in Mosul July 20.
The Mosul VIP Residence site, built over 2.2 square kilometers and completed in 1994, contained Saddam Hussein's northernmost presidential site and includes several palaces and VIP residences, three lakes, and man-made waterfalls. According to the complexs pre-war caretaker, it was built for Saddam Husseins son, Qusay. Apparently, neither Hussein nor his sons actually stayed there.
Link to Full Story
By Claude D. McKinney
Gulf Region North
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Mosul, Iraq Iraq is a desert. That should come as no surprise to anyone. However, Iraq is also blessed with water. Between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, Iraq has more surface water than many of its neighbors. Because of the rich, fertile land along these waterways, most of Iraqs population lives along the rivers. Unfortunately, this water is of little benefit to Iraqis who live in other parts of Iraq -- away from those life-giving flows. In Northern Iraq, many villages have never had flowing water. Now, another source of water has been found and tapped in this area -- an underground aquifer. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has begun a well initiative that is due to be completed in mid-summer 2006. At its completion, the initiative will create 49 wells to service 37 Northern Iraqi communities.[...]
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
The following is a very in depth description of the coalition effort to find al-Zarqawi.
Link to Full Article
By Sean D. Naylor, Army Times
In the end, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi could not escape Task Force 145s unblinking eye.
TF 145 is the latest name for the shifting collection of U.S. and British special operations units that has hunted the most wanted terrorist in Iraq for three years, and the unblinking eye is what its members call the fusion of intelligence and operations that allowed them to relentlessly peel away the layers of Zarqawis al-Qaida in Iraq organization until the terror mastermind was left defenseless and almost alone.
Link to Full Article
Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the al-Qaida leader in Iraq who waged a bloody campaign of suicide bombings and beheadings of hostages, has been killed in a precision airstrike, U.S. and Iraqi officials said Thursday. It was a long-sought victory in the war in Iraq.
Al-Zarqawi and seven aides, including spiritual adviser Sheik Abdul Rahman, were killed Wednesday evening in a remote area 30 miles northeast of Baghdad in the volatile province of Diyala, just east of the provincial capital of Baqouba, officials said.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recnt events.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
Link to Article
Written by Spc. Timothy Tamburello, 133rd MPAD
MOSUL, Iraq (Mar. 3, 2006) -- Taking a photograph is one way for Soldiers to bring back their memories and experiences during their time here in Iraq.
What if that Soldier could take their favorite photograph of theirs and turn it into a modern day work of art?
At Forward Operating Base Courage they can, with a little help from Mahmoud The Painter.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
Link to Full Article with Photo
The photo shows 2-1 INF soldiers helping recover the downed Kiowa on Jan. 13.
Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON The Pentagon is seeking answers as to why three U.S. helicopters have crashed in Iraq within the past two weeks, a senior Defense Department official said here today.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events there.
Link to Full Article
MARIAM FAM and SINDBAD AHMED, Associated Press
MOSUL, Iraq - Power outages and gunfire are daily fixtures in this northern city. But so are election posters, talk of this week's vote and a new freedom to criticize authorities.
Across Mosul, one of two Iraqi cities President Bush cited last week as improving, residents paint a complex picture of life and violent death, progress and decline, hope and despair.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis regarding recent events.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events there.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
Bill Roggio continues his coverage of Operation Steel Curtain as fighting moves to the city of Ubaydi.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
Bil Roggio has a number of recent articles devoted to coverage of Operation Steel Curtain, a recently initiated coalition operation in western Iraq. Start at the top and work your way down.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events there.
Link to Article (Full text provided below)
By Claude D. McKinney, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
MOSUL, Iraq, Oct. 31, 2005 By next spring, Al-Zharaa, a suburb of Mosul, will have a below ground, pipe-enclosed sewer system installed to replace the surface flow system operating today. Workers are digging the first 1.5 kilometers of trenches and pipe is pre-positioned to make this modernization a reality.
The replacement system will bring improved sanitation and health conditions to more than 700,000 of Mosul's 1.5 million residents.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (November 1, 2005) A construction project to repair a stretch of Al-Intesar Road in eastern Mosul was completed Oct. 30. Iraqi workers had been working on the project that repaired and repaved the street since Aug. 25.
The roads previous condition allowed for little or no civilian traffic, leaving the area economically depressed. The conditions also allowed insurgents to easily emplace improvised explosive devices in potholes along the route. Recently insurgent activity has been much lower in the area with the improved roadway. The improved roads will enable economic growth in the area.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
Bill Roggio continues to provide in depth analyses of recent coalition operations in Iraq. Northern Exposure outlines Task Force Freedom's advances against al Quaeda in Mosul.
Michael Yon, who is now in Baghdad, will again appear on the Pundit Review Radio program this Sunday evening. Details from their website:
When: Sunday, October 23, 9pm EST
Where: Streaming Live at Bostons Talk Station, WRKO
Contact: Call toll free at 877-469-4322
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (October 15, 2005) Polling centers opened early throughout Iraq today allowing citizens to stand up for democracy.
Voters went to the polls by the thousands to cast their ballots and participate in this historic national referendum in the city of Tal Afar, which during the January elections had the second-lowest voter turnout in the country. Iraqi Army and Police were the first people to vote in Tal Afar this morning.
Michael Yon is no longer in Mosul, but he is back in Iraq to cover the upcoming elections. He's posted a new dispatch, The Embed, on his site.
The Fourth Rail has published another excellent analysis of recent coalition operations along the Euphrates river in Iraq, including Operation Restoring Rights in Tal Afar. Excerpt:
The following presentation details the current operations being conducted along the Euphrates River which began on October 1, and are still ongoing. The purposes of the operations are threefold: drive al Qaeda, the most dangerous and violent element of the insurgency from the region; establish the security conditions to allow elections on the constitution [October 15] and the parliament [December 15]; and establish a permanent presence of Iraqi Army and police forces.
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Insurgents determined to wreck Iraqs upcoming constitutional referendum killed more than 40 people and wounded dozens in several attacks Tuesday, including a suicide car bomb that ripped apart a crowded market in a town near the Syrian border.
U.S. and Iraqi officials have repeatedly warned that the insurgents would step up their attacks to undermine Saturdays vote, a crucial step in Iraqs democratic transition.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events there.
Link To Article
By U.S. Army Maj. Jim Hawkins
Gulf Region Division
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Sept. 30, 2005 A substation expansion project in Mosul will increase the existing capacity of the 400 kV Mosul substation to allow for an additional 400 kV transmission line between Mosul and Baghdad. The Mosul substation expansion is a critical, electric grid system element to increase the amount of available power to the entire country. The expansion provides the capacity to distribute power more reliably, thereby affecting six million people.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events there.
Winds of Change has published its latest Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events there.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events there.
Arthur Chrenkoff has published his final Good News From Iraq entry, with in depth coverage of positive developments there. A new site, Good News from the Front, will carry on what Arthur started.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
Arthur Chrenkoff has published his latest installment of Good News From Iraq, with a long list of positive developments worth exploring.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
Winds of Change has published its latest Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
Arthur Chrenkoff has published his latest edition of Good News From Iraq, which highlights a variety of positive developments not often reported.
Winds of Change has published its latest Iraq Report, with links to recenet news and analysis.
TFF Press Release
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 6, 2005) Security Forces detained six suspected terrorists and seized a number of items including a letter written to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi while conducting a raid on a safe house in Mosul July 27. In the letter from al-Zarqawi the author, Abu Zayd, a terrorist operating out of Mosul, complained of the poor leadership in Mosul and mistreatment of foreign fighters.
Abu Zayd informs in his letter to the Sheikh that, This is a clarification of what has become of the situation in Mosul, and it is no secret to you the noticeable decrease in the attacks carried out by the Mujahidin, from not long ago when Mosul was in the hands of the Mujahidin Abu Zayd continues by listing the multiple reasons why the Mujahidin have been less effective recently.
Michael Yon has posted a brief dispatch from Mosul, Prelude, at his website.
Two detailed entries for your review.
Link to Full Article
Jed Boal Reporting
In addition to the war against Iraqi insurgents, American troops continue to help rebuild the country. The news media is often accused of not telling the story of the reconstruction, the positive stories, but a Utah man is on his way to Iraq to spread that story.
Returning troops, soldiers in Iraq, and the Department of Defense often claim negative stories and pictures are the only images you get to see from the war. They say their success stories rarely make it to air or print. Public Affairs Specialist Claude McKinney packed up his office at the 96th Regional Readiness Command at Fort Douglas; he's headed over to help out. [...]
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events there.
MOSUL, Iraq (CNN) -- Four separate attacks in and around the city of Mosul killed eight people and wounded four others, including two U.S. soldiers.
Wednesday's deadliest attack came when an Iraqi police patrol moving toward western Mosul was ambushed at about 2 p.m. (6 a.m. EDT). Gunmen using machine guns killed seven officers and wounded one.[...]
Army Times reporter Matthew Cox is maintaining a blog while he is in Iraq. There are only a couple entries at this point, but hopefully he'll add to it as time goes on.
A new entry in the Good News from Iraq blog.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events there. One of the links included is an analysis of recent armor added to certain Stryker variants in Iraq.
They have also updated their long list of resources for those looking to support the coalition forces. To their list I'd like to add a few of our own.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (July 2, 2005) Over 1,000 citizens and 500 Iraqi Police from numerous villages in southern Ninewah Province participated in a historic event today. This was the first March Against Terrorism and was conducted in the town of Qayyarah south of Mosul today. This was a strong demonstration which indicated citizens have had enough.
Many influential sheiks, mukhtars and imams took the lead to support and rally together citizens from all backgrounds, including Arabs and a large contingent of Kurds from east of the Tigris.
Author Michael Yon was interviewed yesterday by phone on the Hugh Hewitt radio program, and the complete transcript is available online. He talks extensively about his time in Northern Iraq.
(via Blackfive)
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (June 29, 2005) Four Iraqi civilians, including one child, were killed and another 21 injured when terrorists conducted a mortar attack on a neighborhood in Tal Afar Tuesday night. The injured civilians were taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Terrorists continue to disregard the health and safety of Iraqi citizens. A number of terrorist attacks over the past three days have killed 22 and injured another 32 Iraqi civilians in northern Iraq. These attacks have directly targeted and disregarded civilian lives.
There are two Iraq news summaries worth browsing this morning.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (June 23, 2005) Iraqi Security Forces detained nine suspected terrorists during operations in northern Iraq today.
Troops from 2nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division Iraqi Army alongside troops from 1st Battalion, 3rd Brigade Iraqi Intervention Force and 1st Battalion, 3rd Brigade Iraqi Commandoes detained seven individuals suspected of terrorist activity during a cordon and search operation in western Mosul. IA troops from the 2nd Brigade also detained one individual suspected of terrorist activity during a raid in central Mosul. IIF troops from the 1-3rd detained one individual suspected of terrorist activity during a raid in western Mosul. Suspects are in custody with no ISF injuries reported.
Concerned Iraqi citizens continue to provide valuable information leading to the detention of terrorists. Coordinated efforts of Iraqi Security Forces are leading to the arrest of terrorists and criminals responsible for attacks against innocent Iraqi citizens. Anyone with information on anti-Iraqi insurgent activities should call the Joint Coordination Centers telephone numbers at 513462 or 07701623300.
Winds of Change has published a number of recent entries that might be of interest to you:
Winds of Change has publsihed its latest Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events there. Included is a link to Arthur Chreknkoff's extensive summary titled Good news from Iraq, part 29.
Winds of Change has published its latest Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recents events there.
Michael Yon has another entry on his site describing his recent visit to a village near Dohuk, Iraq.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A suspected deputy of terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been captured in the restive city of Mosul, the Iraqi military said Saturday.
Iraqi and U.S.-led coalition forces on Friday arrested Mullah Mahdi and five other suspected terrorists -- Mahdi's brother, three other Iraqis and a Syrian, Iraqi Maj. Gen. Khalil al-Obeidi said.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (June 2, 2005) A number of innocent Iraqi civilians were injured during two terrorist attacks in northern Iraq today.
A motorcycle bomb detonated in central Mosul injuring a number of innocent civilians. The scene of the attack is still under investigation. A pregnant woman was injured when a terrorist pulled next to her vehicle and shot her in northern Mosul. All injured were taken to local hospitals for treatment.
Michael Yon has a new entry on his site, A Fork in the Road, describing a recent visit to Dohuk in Northern Iraq. There are a number of photos included as well.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events there.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (May 28, 2005) Eight innocent Iraqi civilians were killed and a number more wounded during the second terrorist attack in northern Iraq today.
Eight Iraqi civilians, including, children, were killed when an improvised explosive device detonated in a central Mosul neighborhood. An unknown number of injured civilians were transported to a local hospital. The attacks are under investigation.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (May 28, 2005) At least ten innocent Iraqi civilians were injured during a terrorist attack in northern Iraq today.
The Iraqi civilians were injured in a car bombing south of Sinjar. The injured were transported to a local hospital for treatment. The attacks are under investigation.
General Carter Ham, former commander of Task Force Olympia in Mosul, led a press briefing at the Pentagon that focused on the situation in Iraq. The entire transcript is quite long, but provides some good information.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (May 26, 2005) An Iraqi Chief of Police and two Iraqi police were assassinated in northern Mosul Wednesday.
The Chief of Police of al Sharqat, Miklif Mussa, and two Iraqi police were assassinated at Mosul University. This is the latest of terrorists targeting civil servants for assassinations.
(TFF Press Release)
Iraqi Security Forces seized two weapons caches during operations in northern Iraq Wednesday.
Iraqi Police seized a weapons cache during an operation northeast of Mosul. The cache included hundreds mortar rounds.
Winds of Change has an excellent roundup of information regarding Operation Matador, the major offensive initiated by the US military in Iraq yesterday.
Link to Full Article
By Tom Regan | csmonitor.com
A recent rise in suicide attacks that has left at least 300 people dead in the last 10 days, including eight US troops over the weekend, has US commanders rethinking their strategies in Iraq. The Washington Post reports that higher priority will be given to fighting "foreign troops and Iraqi jihadists."
The following are a variety of interesting articles regarding Iraq and the military in general.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (May 3, 2005) After further investigation it was determined that two Iraqi children were killed and another 15 Iraqi citizens were injured when a combined suicide car bomb and improvised explosive device attack detonated in a western Mosul neighborhood Monday. Initial reports had indicated only one child was killed in the attack.
This attack comes one day after another car bomb loaded into a stolen hospital ambulance was driven into a tent where a funeral service was being held, killing as many as 25 Iraqis in Tal Afar Sunday evening, and just two days after a child was killed in an improvised explosive device attack. This is the fifth terrorist attack in three days against innocent Iraqi citizens. The attacks have killed 31 and injured at least 53.
WARNING: Displayed below is one of the photos that was included with this press release. While difficult to look at, I thought it was one of the most moving photos I've seen.
CORRECTION: We originally attributed the photo to the US Army. The photo was in fact taken by Michael Yon.
UPDATE 05/07/05: We may get permission to post this photo in the near future, but for the time being we have removed it. To see the picture and read about the story behind it, please visit Michael Yon's website.
UPDATE 05/09/05: We received permission from the photographer's representative to post the photo.
Winds of Change has published its latest Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 26, 2005) Over 450 new Iraqi policemen crossed paths as new recruits flew off to the Jordanian Police Academy and newly trained policemen arrived in northern Iraq Monday.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 23, 2005) Col. Khalid Najim Abdallah, Director of Corrections for Ninewah Province, was assassinated by terrorists in Mosul Friday. His vehicle was stopped by terrorists who shot and killed Abdallah and wounded his wife and child.
There is a brief update in the following article regarding the group's efforts in Mosul.
USAID and the US Army have completed work to rehabilitate Mosul's water treatment and sewer systems. In support of the Army's efforts to install diesel generator systems and rehabilitate Mosul's six water treatment plants and eight pump stations, USAID worked to clear the city's sewer and storm-drain systems and provided trucks and other equipment including pumps and pump control systems, valves, penstocks, pipes, spare parts, tools, and electrical equipment. USAID also provided welding training to water treatment plant operations and maintenance staff. With the completion of this project and the re-commissioning of the elevated tanks, Mosul will have 24 hours of water available.
A few links of interest.
Link to Full Article
By Sandra Jontz, Stars and Stripes
CAMP DUBLIN, Iraq He was a soccer star in a previous life, the one untouched by war. He was famous among his fellow Iraqis, as soccer players usually were.
But now, he lives a life in obscurity his face hidden behind a black ski mask when on the job. Its too risky for the 24-year-old soccer star-turned-cop to reveal to the world his life as a member of the Emergency Response Unit, an elite part of the rebuilding Iraqi police force.
He prefers his new life.
Plenty of information regarding recent events in the following entries:
[Link to Full Article]
By Mariam Fam
The Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Fatma peeked out the window of her Mosul home and saw masked men lobbing mortars at a nearby Iraqi army base for the third time. She decided it would be the last.
As she telephoned to report the men, Fatma became one of an increasing number of Iraqis tipping off the authorities. Officials say it's a sign the country's fledgling security forces are winning the trust of citizens, turning them against the insurgency.
Link to Full Article
By Monte Morin, Los Angeles Times
MOSUL, Iraq - Iraqi troops on patrol with U.S. forces had just captured and cuffed a sniper suspect in this northern city when a bomb hidden in a box of biscuits exploded under an Iraqi army pickup truck.
Screaming and shouting filled the air. Four soldiers were hurt. Then the insurgents opened fire.
MOSUL, Iraq (AFP) - At least one Iraqi was killed and five wounded when two car bombs blew up almost simultaneously in the path of US military convoys in the northern city of Mosul, witnesses and a local hospital said.
TFF Press Release
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 2, 2005) A group of Sunni Arab clerics issued a statement on Friday urging fellow Sunni Arabs to join the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police.
The edict that was issued Friday was signed by 64 Imams and religious scholars was an unexpected turn around for the clerics who have lashed out at the army and police in previous sermons. Clerics hope that integrating more Sunni Arabs into the army and police, which is largely composed of Shiites, will help cut down attacks.
In part the edict stated, because the police and army are a safeguard for the whole nation, not a militia for any special party, we have issued this Fatwa calling on our people to join the army and police.
Recent events in Iraq are covered in depth in the following articles.
Link to Full Article
By Rowan Scarborough, THE WASHINGTON TIMES
In the privacy of their E-ring offices, senior Pentagon officials have begun to entertain thoughts that were unimaginable a year ago: Iraq is turning the corner.
Military officials and analysts say the clearing out of enemy-infested Fallujah in November, the Jan. 30 elections and the increasing willingness of Iraqis to fight and die for a democratic country are contributing to the momentum.
MOSUL, Iraq (AFP) - A suicide car bomber blew himself up in the path of a US military convoy in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, police said, but it was not immediately known if there were any US casualties.
Two news summaries highlighting recent events.
The following articles examine the security situation in Iraq. The Newsday article takes a close look at Mosul, in particluar.
Provided below are links to in-depth analyses of recent events in Iraq.
Link to Full Article
BY MOHAMAD BAZZI, NEWSDAY
BEIRUT -- Iraqi and U.S. forces have come close to capturing Islamic militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi at least twice since mid-January, according to Kurdish intelligence officials.
In each case, Iraq's most wanted man escaped shortly before raids on his hideouts, the two officials said in phone interviews from Iraq. Even though al-Zarqawi fled, Iraqi and U.S. officials were pleased by the accuracy of the intelligence that led to the raids.
The following article examines the various insurgent groups suspected of operating in the Mosul region.
Link to Full Article
By EDWARD WONG
SULAIMANIYA, Iraq, Feb. 21 - Radical Islamist groups that originated in Iraqi Kurdistan are responsible for most of the attacks now taking place in the northern insurgent stronghold of Mosul, senior Kurdish officials say.
The activities of the related jihadist groups, Ansar al-Sunna and Ansar al-Islam, have overshadowed those of the nationalist insurgent cells in Mosul led by members of the former ruling Baath Party, the officials say. The nationalist fighters have quieted down since December, when the Americans increased the number of troops in Mosul to clamp down on the insurgency in advance of the Jan. 30 elections, the Kurdish officials say.
Lt. Gen. David Patreaus provides some information regarding Mosul in the following press briefing. The subject was the continued training of Iraqi forces.
Patreaus: What we are already focusing on more is in a sense the effectiveness of those units. And some of this is somewhat objective. Personnel fill, equipment fill, sort of basic training levels. And then there's also an [inaudible], sort of a subject evaluation of are they fighting. And by the way that's obviously a pretty important quality. What we look at, frankly, what I look at quite a bit as we look at these various units.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (February 9, 2005) Iraqi Security Forces killed one insurgent attempting to murder an ISF commander in northern Iraq yesterday.
Iraqi Intervention Forces guarding their Battalion Commander shot and killed an insurgent suicide bomber who was attempting to drive his vehicle, which was rigged to explode, into the commander. No IIF injuries were reported in the incident.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (February 6, 2005) Iraqi Regular Army Soldiers detained five individuals in northern Iraq yesterday.
Iraqi Regular Army Soldiers from the 101st Infantry Regiment detained four insurgents suspected of terrorist activities in northern Mosul. While conducting a cordon and search Iraqi Regular Army Soldiers from the 104th Infantry Regiment, also detained one insurgent suspected of terrorist activities in eastern Mosul. Suspect is in custody with no IA injuries reported.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (February 2, 2005) As the first democratic election appointing the legislative assembly ends, Iraqi Security Forces will continue to maintain a high level of security.
Iraqi Security Forces will continue to conduct cordon and searches in order to detain insurgents suspected of terrorist activities, and confiscate weapons and ammunition. ISF has been trained to help make Iraq a safer place and will continue to serve their country in it's time of rebuilding.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (February 2, 2005) The Ninewah Province had a more secure time leading up to Election Day due in-part to an early no roll put into affect January 27.
Governor Duraid Kashmoula instituted the no roll, which did not allow anyone in the province to drive from January 27 until February 1, a day before the nation-wide security measure went into affect. The decision resulted in much less insurgent minority attacks in the Ninewah Province as compared to other areas of the country.
A few worthwile entries to explore:
Link to Full Article
By CHRISTINE HAUSER
MOSUL, Iraq, Jan. 30 - The men were dressed in black. They stood on the side of the road in a group, intently watching the street. The deputy governor of Mosul sped by them in a convoy with bodyguards in police vehicles, their lights flashing.
Seconds later, a roadside bomb exploded with a deafening crack, hitting a police vehicle and claiming another victim in the kind of attack that has made Mosul one of the most notoriously dangerous cities in Iraq.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (January 30, 2005) Initial indications look good for voter turnout in northern Iraq today.
Within hours of the polls opening long lines of voters had formed outside polling stations across Mosul and the Ninewah Province. Increased Iraqi Security Force and Multi-National Force operations to include detentions and confiscation of weapons over the time leading up to the elections have helped ensure the security for Election Day.
Officials are very hopeful that election turnout will continue to be high.
Associated Press
ASKAN, Iraq Some couldn't read, but knew their party's identification number on the ballot. Others couldn't see, but were led to the polls by police.
Across wide swathes of Iraq, especially in the southern Shiite and northern Kurdish areas, Iraqis went to the polls today, expressing fierce determination and pride, together with hope that the election will improve their hard lives.
"I don't have a job. I hope the new government will give me a job," said one voter, Rashi Ayash, 50, a former Iraqi lieutenant colonel.
From the early hours of this morning, Iraqis stood in long lines that wrapped around street corners, defying militant threats of violence to cast their votes for the 275-member National Assembly. Dozens were killed as militants fired mortars, and in one town, a suicide bomber mingled with voters waiting outside a polling booth.[...]
By Steve Walsh / Post-Tribune staff writer
MOSUL, Iraq For the last three days, Iraqis in Mosul have woken up in a city fortified in large part by local Indiana National Guard troops.
Beginning Thursday, the Indiana National Guard 113th Engineer Battalion worked long nights to secure the west side of this ancient city.
The concrete barriers are intended to keep polling places safe for the historic election. Patrols of local soldiers put the last few fortifications in place just hours before the polls were to open at 7 this morning. [...]
By Luke Baker
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Some smile, some are stoic and others hide their faces as Iraqis go to the polls, braving anti-U.S. insurgents determined to drown the historic vote in blood.
Suicide bombs and mortar fire marked the event, the first multi-party poll in 50 years, killing at least 22 people countrywide. But still thousands dared to cast their votes.
In Falluja, the devastated Sunni city west of Baghdad that was an insurgent stronghold until a U.S. assault in November, a thin stream of people turned out, defying expectations.
"We want to be like other Iraqis, we don't want to always be in opposition," said Ahmed Jassim, smiling after voting.[...]
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (January 29, 2005) Iraqi Security Forces were able to thwart an anti-Iraqi insurgent attack on a power station in northern Iraq today.
The Christian Science Monitor has an excellent outline of the election process and related issues.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the 31 Marines killed in the Super Stallion crash yesterday in Iraq. 27 of the Marines were from the Kaneohe base in Hawaii, while the helicopter's crew was from Miramar in San Diego, CA.
Winds of Change has published its latest Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
Arthur Chrenkoff has published his latest edition of Good News From Iraq. As Arthur explains:
[This compilation] is not the full picture of Iraq - merely that part of it you don't often see on the nightly news or the pages of newspapers. This does not automatically make it more - or less important in the scheme of things, merely equally important to consider.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events there.
Link to Full Article
BY DIONNE SEARCEY, STAFF CORRESPONDENT
MOSUL, Iraq -- Mud-slinging is the last thing Dr. Hunain al-Qaddo has to worry about now that campaign season is in full swing and he is competing with more than 200 slates of candidates for a spot in the country's first democratically elected parliament.
Al-Qaddo fears for his life.
Two in depth summaries worth exploring:
Mosul is mentioned throughout the following article.
Link to Full Article
By Annia Ciezadlo, The Christian Science Monitor
SULAYMANIYAH, IRAQ For six weeks, the US military pounded Fallujah in an effort to crush the core of Iraq's insurgency - and kill or capture its putative leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
But two top Kurdish intelligence officers say that even before the campaign destroyed that base, insurgents were scattering, evolving into dozens of small cells determined - and empowered - to disrupt security ahead of the country's national elections Jan. 30, with or without Mr. Zarqawi. [...]
Two very worthwhile entries to explore.
Link to Full Article
By Bradley Graham, Washington Post
AL UDEID AIR BASE, Qatar -- A giant video screen, hung inside a warehouse here that has been transformed by the U.S. Air Force into a state-of-the-art operations center, provides a window on the military action that still occupies the skies over Iraq.
One day earlier this month, the radar signatures of a half-dozen U.S. fighter jets could be seen over Mosul, Fallujah and Babil Province south of Baghdad, their locations reflecting the best guesses of military commanders about where trouble might flare.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (December 18, 2004) Iraqi Security Forces defeated two separate attacks in Mosul by anti-Iraqi insurgents as they attempted to ambush an Iraqi National Guard patrol and seize a police station in northern Iraq. In addition, anti-Iraqi insurgents attempted to attack a Multi-National Force patrol with a roadside bomb but instead the blast hit and Iraqi school bus killing one student and injuring six.
Insurgents attempted to ambush an Iraqi National Guard patrol with small arms fire in western Mosul. ING soldiers quickly maneuvered on their attackers returning fire and eliminating three while detaining one person. No ING Soldiers sustained injuries during the attack and the detained individual is in custody undergoing questioning.
Link to Full Article
Edmund Sanders, Los Angeles Times
Baghdad -- Masked gunmen in the turbulent Iraqi city of Mosul ambushed a car carrying Turkish police officers Friday, shooting three to death and decapitating a fourth who tried to run away, witnesses said.
In a daytime attack reminiscent of the killing in March of four U.S. security contractors in Fallujah, militants looted the policemen's weapons and set the car ablaze before escaping.
Excerpts from yesterday's press briefing at the Pentagon by Gen. Casey.
Q: All right, you had said that with the fall of Fallujah for the insurgents, they don't have a safe house inside the country anymore. Mosul, since Fallujah has seen a lot of trouble up there, what is the status of Mosul now? And do you think that is becoming a safe haven for insurgents? And what are you doing to try to alleviate the ongoing problem up there?
GEN. CASEY: Let me talk about safe haven for a minute, what I mean when I say safe haven. For me, a safe haven is a place where insurgents and terrorists can go and plan, and build improvised explosive devices, and bring in recruits and receive them in, give them training, link them up with operations, stage for operations, rehearse operations, with impunity. And that's what they had in Fallujah, and that's what they don't have anymore. That's what they had in Samarra for a while. They don't have that -- (inaudible). That's what the Muqtada militia had in Najaf. They don't have that anymore.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (December 16, 2004) The residents of Al Fayida, a refugee settlement in a former Iraqi Army training facility near Dahuk, crowded the streets and cheered when seven flatbed trucks laden with food arrived in their village December 15.
They were the recipients of a large shipment of rice, noodles, cooking oil and other non-perishable food products purchased by the Islamic Supreme Council of America (ISCA) and delivered by Multi-National Forces Soldiers.
Provided below is a list of selected news summaries and articles to browse.
Link to Full Article
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MOSUL, Iraq -- Militants bombed two churches Tuesday in Mosul, wounding three people in a coordinated attack apparently aimed at stirring trouble between religious groups in this ethnically diverse northern city.
Deputy provincial governor Khasro Gouran said one blast struck a church about 2:30 p.m. in eastern Mosul's Wihda neighborhood, wounding three people.
The following are detailed compilations of recent news from Iraq.
Registration required to view full article. Fricke has a son with the 1/25 SBCT as well.
Link to Full Article
By Amanda Covarrubias, Times Staff Writer
When U.S. Army Maj. Daniel E. Fricke visited police stations in Iraq this year, he was surprised by what he didn't see flak jackets, gun belts, flashlights and batons.
As a sergeant with the Los Angeles School Police Department, which serves the Los Angeles Unified School District's 1,042 campuses, he knows how difficult it is to conduct police work even under the best circumstances.
Link to Full Article
By Sgt. 1st Class Doug Sample
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2004 -- Successful military operations in Fallujah, Iraq, have put insurgents and foreign fighters on the run, and the military commander of coalition forces in Iraq said today the city is "no longer held hostage to terror."
In an interview from Baghdad with the Pentagon Channel, Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr., commander of Multinational Force Iraq, said coalition forces have taken a "major step forward" in the campaign to end the insurgent stronghold that has held the city captive. [...]
A couple military officials in Mosul are quoted in the following story.
Link to Full Article
By RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr. and JAMES GLANZ
MOSUL, Iraq, Nov. 29 - Iraqi police and national guard forces, whose performance is crucial to securing January elections, are foundering in the face of coordinated efforts to kill and intimidate them and their families, say American officials in the provinces facing the most violent insurgency. [...]
In the northern city of Mosul, almost the entire police force and large parts of several Iraqi National Guard battalions deserted during an insurgent uprising this month. Iraqi leaders had to use Guard battalions of Kurdish soldiers to secure the city, kindling ethnic tensions with Arabs. Police stations in western Mosul have perhaps several hundred officers in an area that is supposed to have several thousand.
For those brave enough to come to work, "right now, all they're doing is looking out the window and making sure the bad guys aren't coming to get them," said an American military official in Mosul, who did not want his name to be used.
Provide below are two extensive compilations of recent news from Iraq.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (November 21, 2004) Soldiers from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) discovered on Saturday in central Mosul the bodies of nine Iraqi Regular Army soldiers. Each of the victims was found with a gunshot wound to the back of the head. The bodies were retrieved and transported to the city morgue.
Initial reports that seven of the victims were beheaded are false.
Winds of Change has published its most recent Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events there. Also, in case you missed it previously, they have a very comprehensive roundup of news related to Fallujah.
In addition to the sources we've mentioned previously, Winds of Change has a very comprehensive roundup of information on the situation there. Their entry will be updated as new information becomes available, so you might want to bookmark it.
In addition to the sources we've mentioned previously, Winds of Change has a very comprehensive roundup of information on the situation there. Their entry will be updated as new information becomes available, so you might want to bookmark it.
It's not clear from the article whether this Marine reservist is part of Task Force Olympia, but he operates in the Mosul region and has some very interesting experiences to share.
[Link to Full Article]
By Derek Gentile, Berkshire Eagle Staff
LEE -- Vivien Cord of Armonk, N.Y., acknowledges that she knows James Pow only by the beautiful, flower-petal designs he shows at the arts and crafts shows she runs in New York and Connecticut.
But a few months ago, Pow, a 45-year-old Marine reservist-turned-craftsman, told Cord and her husband, Ed, that he was being sent overseas to Iraq.
"I said to him, 'Please, keep in touch,' " recalled Vivien Cord. "It was a little unsettling." [...]
Here are two items to read if you're interested in exploring the situation in Iraq beyond the headlines.
In addition to traditional news reports from embedded reporters you might want to bookmark the following sites, both of which will likely follow the situation in Fallujah closely.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraqi interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi declared a 60-day state of emergency Sunday, as preparations were under way for an all-out offensive on the insurgent stronghold of Falluja.
"The council of ministers has approved this, the presidency has approved it," Allawi said of the state of emergency. "We declared it today, and we are going to implement it whenever is necessary and wherever is necessary."
The interim prime minister cautioned that Iraqi and U.S. forces "are not going to be easy" with suspected terrorists and insurgents.
There is a brief mention in the following article of an incident in Mosul.
[...] In the northern city of Mosul, another car bomb blew up near a military convoy Tuesday, killing four civilians and wounding at least seven soldiers.
Iraqi police say the attack was an attempt to assassinate Maj.-Gen. Rashid Feleih, the commander of a special task force.
He was not hurt.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (November 3, 2004) Mehdi Achmed Moussa, a known car bomb maker in Mosul, died from burns suffered when one of his car bombs accidentally exploded in a southern Mosul market last week.
Before his death, Moussa received treatment for his burns at a local hospital where three separate Iraqi citizens identified him as the notorious organizer of car bomb attacks in the Mosul area during the last few months.
Multinational Forces from Task Force Olympia continue to work together with members of Iraqi Security Forces, leaders and citizens of Iraq to make it a safe, prosperous, and democratic nation. Local citizens should cooperate with security forces by providing information that leads to the capture and arrest of anti-Iraqi forces. Anyone with information should call the Joint Coordination Center in Mosul at 125 or 513462.
[Link to Full Article]
The Associated Press
In Mosul (MOH'-sul), police and the U-S military say two car bombs have hit two separate U-S convoys. Military sources say five soldiers were hurt in the blasts.
Iraqi police say the first attack killed one Iraqi civilian. No word on civilian casualties in the second...
The U-S military isn't yet commenting.
UPDATE: This article has slightly different information. "The US military said two soldiers had also been slightly wounded in the blast, but had returned to duty. A Stryker armoured vehicle was damaged and two cars destroyed."
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (October 29, 2004) Special Iraqi Police Commandos from the Iraqi Ministry of Interior and soldiers from the Iraqi National Guard detained six people wanted for anti-Iraqi activities Thursday in northern Iraq.
Iraqi Police Commandos and Iraqi National Guard soldiers conducted cordon and search operations in Mosul and detained six people wanted for planning and conducting attacks against civilian and military targets. The suspects are in custody with no injuries reported during the operation.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (October 26, 2004) Three terrorists were killed Monday when the car bomb they parked near the Mosul Provincial Hall prematurely detonated. No one else was killed or wounded in the blast.
The three men, two dressed in police uniforms, drove through a checkpoint and into an outer parking area near the seat of Mosul provincial government where they parked the vehicle loaded with artillery shells. As one of the men, Sahir Khodhir, walked away from the vehicle, the car exploded, instantly killing the two men inside and wounding Khodhir, who later died of wounds at the hospital.
Wires and a remote detonation device were found on Khodhirs body. One man killed in the blast was his brother and the other worked as his bodyguard. Reports stating Khodhir was a tribal leader in the northern region of Iraq are false.
Winds of Change has also published its latest Iraq Report, with link to news and analysis of recent developments there.
Arthur Chrenkoff has published his latest edition of Good News From Iraq. As always, this will keep you busy for a while.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (October 25, 2004) Mosul city government and Iraqi Security
Forces were the targets of two car bomb attacks today that failed to disrupt
government operations in Mosul. The near simultaneous car bomb attacks
occurred at approximately 11 a.m.
The first car bomb occurred in an outer parking area within the Ninevah
Provincial Hall compound in the center of Mosul. Two people were killed in
the blast and one person was injured who later died of wounds at a local
hospital. All three are suspected of being responsible for the attack. The
Governor was conducting a Ninevah Provincial Council meeting at the time.
The Provincial Hall building sustained no damages, and government business
continued.
[Link to Full Article]
By MEREDITH GOAD, Portland Press Herald Writer
So you think you've suffered as a Red Sox fan? Try watching your favorite team finally make it to the World Series from a desert country half a world away.
That's the situation for Spc. Chad Haskell of Augusta and his buddies in Iraq. A Sox fan since 1969, Haskell has been getting up at 3 a.m. to watch every playoff game, and plans to do the same during the coming week, no matter how worn out he is for duty the next day.
(TFO Press Release)
UPDATE: Here's a photo from Yahoo! News related to this story.
MOSUL, IRAQ (October 22, 2004) Soldiers of the Iraqi National Guard conducted operations in northeastern Mosul at approximately 12:30 p.m. today. ING soldiers acted on information that confirmed bomb makers had sought sanctuary in the Al Norain mosque.
ING has detained suspected bomb makers for further questioning. As the ING soldiers were searching the mosque, terrorists fired small arms, rocket propelled grenades and mortars at them.
No Multinational Forces/United States forces entered any area of the mosque building or surrounding grounds at any time. MNF served in a security role only and were not stationed near the mosque.
One civilian was injured and is being treated for minor wounds.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (October 22, 2004) Approximately 2,000 Iraqi Regular Army soldiers from 4th Brigade graduated during a ceremony held Oct. 15 at the Al Kisik military installation in northern Iraq.
The soldiers underwent approximately four months of extensive training with the assistance of members of the Multi-National Forces.
During this time, soldiers were taught basic rifle marksmanship, how to conduct patrols, individual and team movements and how to secure and clear buildings. The soldiers also learned basic first aid and leadership skills.
The graduates will become part of the 3rd Infantry Division, Iraqi Regular Army and will be able to provide greater security for the citizens of northern Iraq. The addition of new soldiers is important for the Iraqi security forces in their responsibility for the security in Iraq.
[Link to Full Article]
By Lin Noueihed
MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - Rebels have fired several mortar rounds in Iraq's northern city of Mosul in an attack possibly aimed at visiting interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.
Journalists accompanying Allawi on Thursday heard about five blasts as the prime minister's party was about to leave the city. Moments later a small blaze and plume of black smoke could be seen by those aboard the helicopters taking his entourage away.
[Link to Article]
By Kathleen T. Rhem, American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2004 -- The pace of reconstruction projects is picking up in Iraq as officials make commitments for the $18.44 billion Congress allotted to the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund.
Army officials responsible for managing reconstruction programs and administering contracts said today that they have so far committed -- or set aside for specific projects -- $10.5 billion in reconstruction monies.
Acting Army Secretary Les Brownlee briefed reporters in the Pentagon today that $7.7 billion are already obligated, "which means we have actually signed contracts." He added that officials also already have more than $1 billion in "construction work in the ground."
Winds of Change has published its latest Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events there.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (October 18, 2004) A car bomb detonated on a Mosul bridge Sunday killing five Iraqi citizens and injuring 15 others.
The car bomb detonated at approximately 10:30 a.m. on the western side of the bridge between the neighborhoods of Al Matlan and Al Shefa and the Mosul amusement park. The blast occurred after the driver of the car bomb collided with another car. Several other cars were destroyed.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (October 18, 2004) Soldiers from the Iraqi National Guard detained six in separate incidents and Iraqi police discovered a large weapons cache in a Mosul neighborhood Sunday.
Guardsmen with the 102nd Iraqi National Guard Battalion conducted a cordon and knock operation near the northern Iraq city of Al Hadr in an attempt to capture subjects suspected of planning attacks against Iraqi and Multinational Forces. Soldiers detained three individuals, who remain in custody.
[Link to Full Article]
Reported by: Jennifer Steiner
A Sycamore Township firefighter who risks his life everyday to help fight fires in Iraq says he'll do it all over again in an instant.
For three months Zach Van Lieu has been working to keep members of an Army engineering detachment in Mosul safe from the constant threat of fire.
9News interviewed Van Lieu three months ago when he first left for Iraq and recently spoke again with him in a phone interview about the constant danger in Iraq.
Winds of Change has published its most recent Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events there.
First a brief explanation of why I'm posting this now. This summary of positive developments in Iraq was originally published on Monday, but it didn't seem appropriate to share given the tragic news coming from Mosul this week. It's been a very difficult time for everyone. However, I keep remembering an email I received from a soldier about six months ago during another particularly rough stretch. He asked if we could please post some good news for a change. Progress was being made, but it didn't seem to make it to the headlines on our site.
Consequently, if for no other reason than to honor the sacrifices being made by our soldiers and their Iraqi allies, I wanted to share Chrenkoff's Good News From Iraq, Part 12. This is what they are helping make possible.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (October 12, 2004) The Iraqi National Guard detained eight people wanted for anti-Iraqi activities and collected a variety of weapons Monday in northern Iraq.
Soldiers from the 109th Iraqi National Guard Battalion conducted a cordon and search in Tal Afar and detained eight people wanted for planning and conducting roadside bomb attacks against civilian and military vehicles. ING soldiers seized three AK-47s during a search of the residence and reported no injuries during the operation.
Iraqi National Guard forces continue to work together with members of the Iraqi Police, Iraqi Army, leaders and citizens of Iraq to make it a safe, prosperous, and democratic nation. Local citizens should cooperate with their security forces by providing us with information that leads to the capture and arrest of anti-Iraqi forces. Anyone with information should call the Joint Coordination Center in Mosul at 125 or 513462.
The 29th Signal Battalion is a Ft. Lewis-based unit currently deployed to central Iraq that supported the Stryker Brigade throughout its training. Consequently, we wanted to highlight some of the great work it's performing right now.
LSA Anaconda, Balad, Iraq Anaconda-based Soldiers are helping local Iraqi children start the new school year with new schools and new school supplies during October.
Soldiers from the 29th Signal Battalion kicked off the new school year Oct. 2 by distributing school supplies to 130 children in Al bu Hassan. The first day of classes at the battalion sponsored $78 thousand new school was made extra special by the visiting Soldiers donations.
The 29th Signal Battalion is a Ft. Lewis-based unit currently deployed to central Iraq that supported the Stryker Brigade throughout its training. Consequently, we wanted to highlight some of the great work it's performing right now.
LSA Anaconda, Balad, Iraq Anaconda-based Soldiers are helping local Iraqi children start the new school year with new schools and new school supplies during October.
Soldiers from the 29th Signal Battalion kicked off the new school year Oct. 2 by distributing school supplies to 130 children in Al bu Hassan. The first day of classes at the battalion sponsored $78 thousand new school was made extra special by the visiting Soldiers donations.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (October 5, 2004) Soldiers from the 416th and 426th Civil Affairs Battalions delivered 20 bags of wheat seeds to the Ninevah Agriculture Directorate Saturday in an effort to improve farming conditions in the breadbasket of Iraq.
The project was a culmination of three months of work to deliver eight varieties of wheat and barley from the United States directly to the farmers in Ninevah Province. The World Wide Wheat corporation and Texas A&M, University of Colorado State and University of Kansas State, contributed the Arizona-grown cultivars. Arizona wheat was chosen because it has adapted to a climate similar to that of Iraq.
Winds of Change has published its latest Iraq Report. One of the items they link to is Belmont Club's analysis of recent fighting in Samarra. A successful joint Iraqi/American mission seems to be a very positive development.
The following article is another reminder of the tremendous history of Iraq.
[Link to Article] (Photos included)
By Spc. Crista Birmingham
UR, Iraq (Army News Service, Oct. 1, 2004) The coalition is preserving both the old and new at southern Iraqs ancient city of Ur.
Now the site of Tallil Army Air Base, Ur was the birthplace of Abraham, revered as a patriarch in the Bible, Torah and Koran. Ur was also an ancient royal burial site and boasts the Ziggurat of Nanna, a monument to the ancient Sumerian moon god.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (October 4, 2004) A ceremony was held October 3 to formally dissolve the Turkish peace monitoring force, marking the end of its seven-year mission to contribute to the security of northern Iraq. The PMF was formed in 1997 to monitor a cease-fire between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). Members of the Iraqi government were present at the ceremony to recognize the contributions of the Turkish government.
Conflict between the KDP and PUK intensified in 1996, drawing the attention of the global community. During a meeting in Ankara, Turkey, a cease-fire agreement was established by representatives of the two parties and representatives from the United States, Britain and Turkey. The cease-fire, known as the Ankara Peace Process, called for a Turkish force to enforce the cease-fire and monitor relations between the two parties.
The following article is one of many recently that attempts to analyze the progress, and setbacks, in Iraq quantitatively. Mosul is mentioned, which is why I wanted to share it.
If you're interested in this kind of information you should also read Belmont Club's detailed examination of recent attacks against civilian and military targets in Iraq. Is the security situation improving or worsening? He explains how very different outlooks can be supported by the facts presented.
Finally, this seems like a good place to mention a new website, the MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base, described as, "a comprehensive database of global terrorist incidents and organizations." You can drill down to individual incidents, or generate a list for a geographic area, such as Mosul.
A number of in-depth summaries to browse.
MOSUL, Iraq (AP) - A car bomb exploded in the northeastern city of Mosul on Monday as an Iraqi National Guard patrol was passing by, killing at least four guardsmen and wounding three others, police said.
At least three vehicles were damaged in the blast, witnesses said.
Police Capt. Mushtaq Abdul-Karim said the explosion killed at least four guardsmen and wounded three others and also hurt a civilian.
(TFO Press Release)
By Spc. Blair Larson
MOSUL, IRAQ (September 26, 2004) Iraqi National Guard soldiers from Mosul, Irbil and Dahuk received 1,032 body armor vests and 1,500 protective helmets September 25.
The equipment was purchased by Task Force Olympia with funds from the Commanders Emergency Response Program as part of a larger effort to equip the Iraqi security forces.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (September 24, 2004) The Turkish peace monitoring force, which was formed in 1997 to monitor a cease-fire between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), will be dissolved in early October. A ceremony will be held to formally recognize the contributions of the Turkish government and the successful efforts of the force to contribute to northern Iraqs security.
The conflict between the KDP and PUK intensified in 1996, drawing the attention of the global community. During a meeting in Ankara, Turkey, a cease-fire agreement was established by representatives of the two parties and representatives from the United States, Britain and Turkey. The cease-fire, known as the Ankara Peace Process, called for a Turkish force to enforce the cease-fire and monitor relations between the two parties.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, laying out his government's security, economic, and political aspirations Thursday to a joint meeting of Congress, said elections for a transitional national assembly will be held in January, as scheduled.
"Elections will occur in Iraq on time in January," Allawi promised.
He mentioned the doubts many have expressed about Iraq's achievements over the months and said, "We will prove them wrong again."
I've been collecting a number of non-Stryker related articles that I thought might be of interest. Rather than post them all separately I've listed the article titles below and will let you click through to read the full article if you see something you like.
Winds of Change has published its latest Iraq Report, with plenty of links to news and analysis of recent events.
[Link to Full Article]
By ERIC SCHMITT, New York Times
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 - Three months into its new mission, the military command in charge of training and equipping Iraqi security forces has fewer than half of its permanent headquarters personnel in place, despite having one of the highest-priority roles in Iraq.
Only about 230 of the nearly 600 military personnel required by the headquarters, from lawyers to procurement experts, have been assigned jobs with the group, the Multinational Security Transition Command, military officials in Washington and Iraq said. One officer said the military's Joint Staff had given the armed services until Oct. 15 to fill the remaining jobs, but other officials said those people might not actually be in place until weeks later. [...]
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (September 16, 2004) The Iraqi Police detained one person for anti-Iraqi activities and discovered a huge variety of weapons and munitions Wednesday in northern Iraq.
Iraqi Police detained one person at a traffic control point 15 km north of Mosul for illegally attempting to smuggle munitions into Mosul yesterday. During a search of the suspects vehicle, police discovered 147 60mm mortar rounds. Police detained the suspect and remains in their custody. The U.S. Explosive Ordnance Disposal team secured the munitions for future destruction.
By Ann Scott Tyson, The Christian Science Monitor
MOSUL, Iraq It's 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Khalid Ahmed jostles in the back of a U.S. armored vehicle on a combat mission, tightens his flak vest, and pulls on a thick black ski mask. Covering his eyes with wrap-around sunglasses, he obscures the last clues to his Iraqi identity.
It's a mask Mr. Ahmed hates intensely, although he knows it could save his life. As an interpreter for a U.S. Army colonel, he faces constant danger on and off the job. In Mosul alone, at least four of his colleagues including his predecessor have been assassinated for working with American forces.[...]
Chrenkoff has published his latest installment of Good News From Iraq - Part 10
(TFO Press Release)
By Spc. Autumn Grimsley
MOSUL, IRAQ (September 8, 2004) The Iraqi Border Patrol soldiers are better equipped after receiving 550 new 9mm hand guns.
The new weapons will allow the border patrol soldiers to search cars easier, said Lt. Col. Sabah-Aklawi.
Winds of Change has published its latest Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The Iraqi Defense Ministry said Sunday that Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri, deputy commander of armed forces under Saddam Hussein, was captured near Tikrit by the Iraqi national guard and U.S. troops.
But the Pentagon had no immediate confirmation, and a senior Pentagon official expressed some doubt about the report. [...]
[Link to TFO Press Release]
By Spc. Autumn Grimsley
MOSUL, IRAQ (September 2, 2004) The Mosul Police Department can better protect the citizens of Mosul after being handed the keys to over $175,000 worth of new vehicles in a brief ceremony at the Mosul Palace on September 1.
Four new trucks were given to the local police to replace vehicles destroyed when a car bomb exploded in front of the Somer Police Station in southeastern Mosul on Aug 1. The police use the flat-bed trucks to move large numbers of officers to incidents at one time.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (September 1, 2004) Terrorists attacked the Mosul city center today with four mortars killing one Iraqi Police Officer and wounding another. Also injured in the attack were 17 civilians.
The attack happened just before noon in downtown Mosul. Mortars hit near the government building, located in the center, and according to Col. Khalid Hassan Ahmad, staff officer of operations at the Joint Coordination Center, did not damage the structure.
Chrenkoff has published his latest installment of Good News From Iraq - Part 9.
Additionally, Winds of Change has posted its latest Iraq Report.
Finally, The August 20 & 27 editions of The Coalition Scimitar are available for download. There is one article from Mosul in each edition, both of which have been posted here previously.
(TFO Press Release)
By. Spc. Blair Larson
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 28, 2004) Members of the Iraqi Border Patrol battalion in Diyanah, Iraq, received 25 sets of night vision goggles and 10 Jeep Libertys August 28 from Multinational Forces.
The night vision goggles were purchased by Task Force Olympia with funds from the Commanders Emergency Response Program and cost approximately $101,000. The goggles will be used to assist the IBP in conducting night patrols to capture smugglers near the border.
[Link to Full Article]
Morning Sentinel
EDITOR'S NOTE: On the day he was to fly to California and enroll as a freshman at the University of Southern California, Derek Mitchell took the time to answer questions about his ground-breaking trip as a young journalist in Iraq. Mitchell, a 2004 graduate of Skowhegan Area High School, reported live by satellite three times daily to WHQO 107.9, based in Skowhegan. From June 14 to 25, he was embedded with the 133rd Engineer Battalion, where his father, Capt. Michael Mitchell, is stationed.
We mentioned journalist Michael Weisskopf earlier this year. He was a Time magazine correspondent embedded with the Army's 1st Armored Division when he lost his hand trying to dispose of an enemy grenade that landed in the Humvee he was riding in. Weisskopf was recently honored by the Army with the Fourth Estate Award.
[Link to Article]
By Sgt. Lorie Jewell
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Army News Service, Aug. 19, 2004) Before the war in Iraq, Michael Weisskopfs lengthy journalism career was short on Soldier stories.
Three weeks with the 1st Armored Divisions Tomb Raiders in Adhamiya, a powder keg neighborhood in Baghdad, changed that. Weisskopf, a senior correspondent with Time Magazine, was embedded in November and December 2003 with the Survey Platoon, Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment. Earlier reporting from Iraq, in April 2003, peaked his interest in telling the war story from the trench level, he said.
Winds of Change has two recent Iraq Reports with plenty of coverage of events there. The first was published on August 19th, while the second was published today, August 23rd.
[Link to Full Article]
VOA News
A rocket has hit a busy market in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, killing at least five civilians.
The U.S. military says at least 10 other civilians were wounded in the early afternoon Wednesday. It is not clear who was responsible.
Chrenkoff has published his latest edition of Good News From Iraq (Part Eight), and Winds of Change has published a new Iraq Report.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 13, 2004) Soldiers of the 107th Iraqi National Guard Battalion identified an improvised explosive device on Aug. 12 and safely reduced it. In a separate incident, three terrorists were detained after they attacked Multinational Brigade patrol with a roadside bomb.
Iraqi soldiers from Company A, 107th Battalion stationed near Hammam Al Alil, identified an explosive device near the Hammam Al Alil Agricultural College. The Iraqi National Guard explosive ordnance disposal team reduced the explosive without injury or damage.
The Brookings Institue maintains a database, "tracking reconstruction and security in post-Saddam Iraq." Called the Iraq Index, it is probably the most detailed compilation of statisitcs I've seen regarding the war in Iraq. From the website:
The Iraq Index is a statistical compilation of economic and security data. This resource will provide updated information on various criteria, including crime, telephone and water service, troop fatalities, unemployment, Iraqi security forces, oil production, and coalition troop strength.
If you're interested in this kind of information you can check in regularly - the study is updated three times a week.
[Link to Full Article]
By Mike Lopresti
PATRAS, Greece The soccer team from Iraq had just scored the go-ahead goal, and in section 108, they were bouncing up and down to celebrate.
"I must call my brother," said Muhammad Bilal, reaching for his cell phone. "He is watching in Iraq." [...]
Winds of Change has published another Iraq Report this week, with links to news and analysis of recent events there. If you're interested in news from Najaf they have plenty of coverage.
[Link to Full Article] (Photos included)
By Spc. Chris Stephens
CAMP CASEY, South Korea (Army News Service, Aug. 10, 2004) -- Units from the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division are now deploying to the Middle East from South Korea.
For more than 50 years the 2nd Infantry Division has guarded freedoms frontier in South Korea, as part of the Armistice Agreement signed on July 27, 1953.
Winds of Change has published its most recent Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events there.
There's a great picture on the TFO website today of the 133's work.
by Sgt. Joseph Sanchez (TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 8, 2004) An academic workshop will be held in Amman, Jordan, hosted by the University of Jordan, August 15-19. The workshop will focus on horticulture, food services, plant protection, agriculture economics and extension.
This workshop is the first hosted by the Hawaii- Iraq Partnership for Revitalizing Agricultural Higher Education and Development. More than 100 participants are expected to attend. Participants will come from colleges and universities across northern Iraq including: University of Mosul College of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Dohuk College of Agriculture (CA), Salahaddin University (CA), Sulaimani University (CA), Tikrit University (CA), University of Baghdad (CA), Mosul Technical Institute, Mosul Dairy Plant, Nineveh Extension Center, Nineveh Food Industries in Addition to the University of Jordan.
The August 6th edition of The Coalition Scimitar is available for download. I saw a couple stories regarding Mosul and Task Force Olympia included.
[Link to Full Article]
By Sgt. 1st Class Julie Friedman
Local workers painstakingly recreate the ramp leading up to the Nergal Gate using the authentic Assyrian cobblestone pattern.
MOSUL, Iraq (Army News Service, Aug. 6, 2004) - Two major historic sites in Mosul dating back to the 8th century B.C. are being restored with help from the 416th Civil Affairs Battalion.
Maj. Wayne Bowen, head of the 416ths Higher Education and Antiquities Team, is working with Ninevah Director of Antiquities, Muzahim Mahmood, to facilitate restoration projects at the Nergal Gate and King Sennacheribes palace.[...]
Although not Stryker-related, this article was too interesting not to post.
[Link to Full Article]
Army Lionesses hit streets with Marines on combat ops
By Gordon Lubold, Times staff writer
RAMADI, Iraq When Marines on the hunt for insurgents here kick in the door, Spc. Shannon Morgan isnt far behind. Shes part of Team Lioness, a small group of women proving itself in one of Iraqs hottest combat zones.
Women are serving throughout the war zone, but the soldiers in this band of sisters are unique. Theyre joining male Marines and soldiers on offensive ops, taking part in raids, security patrols and vehicle checkpoints.
Adam Lynn and Peter Haley of The News Tribune have just returned from covering the 81st BCT (WA National Guard) in Iraq. You can browse their archive of stories here.
BAGHDAD (AP) Fierce gunbattles broke out Wednesday between Iraqi police and dozens of masked militants roaming the northern city of Mosul, killing 12 Iraqis and wounding 26 others, officials said.
Police confronted the militants, who were carrying assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers while moving through streets in the Bab al-Toub area of Mosul. The battle was punctuated by explosions, witnesses said. [...]
This is not new news, but it hasn't been posted before.
[Link to Full Article]
By Maj. Robert Weaver, HQ&A 225th FSB
FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARRIOR, Iraq -- Soldiers of Headquarters and A Company, 225th Forward Support Battalion conducted a Refuel on the Move mission July 21 in support of a Republic of Korea Army convoy through AO Warrior.
Before this mission the company conducted ROM operations in support of the 1st Bn., 14th Infantry Regiment's movement to Mosul.
Each of these ROM missions were unique for a light FSB, since none of the ROM equipment is organic to the battalion. The 225th built the capability to execute ROM missions since being deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom II. [...]
(MNFI-MNCI Press Release)
Baghdad - Multi-National Forces, at the request of the Iraqi Interim Government, began on Monday conducting border enforcement missions along Iraq's Syrian border to disrupt the movement of anti-Iraqi forces into the country.
Operation Phantom Linebacker involves ongoing joint border patrols between the Iraqi National Guard, Iraqi Border Police and Multi-National Forces, and includes MNF training and mentoring of the IBP.
Winds of Change has published its most recent Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events there.
Chrenkoff has published his seventh edition of Good News From Iraq.
An interesting letter from a pilot with the Montana Air National Guard currently operating from Balad, Iraq.
[Link to Full Article]
By Lt. Col. Mike Alien Buck, Montana Air National Guard
Greetings, Montana:
It had now been six weeks since we began flying missions from Balad Air Base, Iraq. Summer is in full swing here along the Tigris River, which provides irrigation for the ancient farms that surround our base. Our airfield is easily recognized from miles away as an island of tan amid the greenery. Typical afternoon high temperatures exceed 115 degrees, with 133 being the highest noted so far. The weather has been cloudless, but the steady breeze occasionally increases to the point where blowing dust reduces visibility to less than a mile.
Marines find an interesting way to keep water cool in the Iraqi heat. Thanks to Mike for the link.
[Link to Article]
by Sgt. Jose L. Garcia
CAMP AL QAIM, Iraq(July 27, 2004) -- Marines from 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion use socks for other reasons than just their feet.
Patrolling the western border of Iraq can take a toll on the Marines and the water is a must for Marines to drink in the hot temperature that reach well over a hundred degrees every day in the summer.
The following is an article from Army Public Affairs.
by Spc. Gretel Sharpee
MOSUL, Iraq- School children in many outlying villages in Ninevah Province do not need to worry about rain falling on their heads when they return to school this fall. They can now focus on education.
Twenty villages in the Ninevah Province will receive new concrete primary schools to replace the weather beaten mud buildings that were used before. Iraqi workers from Mosul are building schools out of concrete and plaster in preparation for the approaching school year.
The following is an article from Army Public Affairs.
by Spc. Gretel Sharpee
MOSUL, Iraq- School children in many outlying villages in Ninevah Province do not need to worry about rain falling on their heads when they return to school this fall. They can now focus on education.
Twenty villages in the Ninevah Province will receive new concrete primary schools to replace the weather beaten mud buildings that were used before. Iraqi workers from Mosul are building schools out of concrete and plaster in preparation for the approaching school year.
July 30 edition of the Coalition Scimitar is available for download. (Large PDF file)
I did not see any TFO or Stryker Brigade related stories in this edition.
James Glanz files another story from Mosul.
[Link to Full Article] (Registration required)
By JAMES GLANZ
MOSUL, Iraq, July 17 - Across the hardscrabble Iraqi countryside, dozens of modest construction initiatives, many so tiny and inexpensive that they could be called microprojects, are generating at least a taste of the good will that Congress envisioned when it approved billions of dollars for grandiose rebuilding plans that have mostly been delayed.
Typical of the little projects is a hole in the ground that was being dug last week by an ungainly contraption, chugging along with big, spinning wheels and an enormous weight that smacked the muddy earth again and again outside the isolated village of Khazna, south of Mosul.
Although not Stryker related, the following article describes the efforts of cavalry scouts in Iraq.
[Link to Full Article]
By Chris Tomlinson, Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq Standing on a high bridge over a railroad track northwest of Baghdad at dusk, cavalry scout Capt. Will Hickok VI scans the horizon, looking for insurgents planting bombs or preparing mortar and rocket attacks.
This is what I like, just scouting, said Hickok, of Dillsburg, Pa. Sitting out here, spying, watching out, its relaxing ... its almost like cowboys and Indians.
Chrenkoff has published his sixth installment of Good news from Iraq. As always, there's plenty to keep you busy for a while.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (July 14, 2004) The Iraqi Minister of Interior confirmed July 14 in Baghdad that Dr. Usama Kashmoula, the Governor of Ninevah Province in northern Iraq, died from wounds received in an attack on his convoy while he was traveling on his way to Baghdad. Governor Kashmoula was enroute to Baghdad for a meeting with the President of Iraq according to Ninevah Vice Governor Khisro Goran. The attack occurred between Baji and Tikrit. The governor was taken to a hospital in Baji, where he died.
Dr. Kashmoula became the governor of Ninevah in early April of this year.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Attackers have killed the governor of the Iraqi city of Mosul as he was driving in a convoy of vehicles towards Baghdad, an Interior Ministry source has said.
The assailants threw a grenade at the governor's vehicle on Wednesday and fired automatic weapons, the source said.
[Link to Full Article]
By Dan Murphy, Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
BAGHDAD In April, with anger swelling at the US occupation and a Marine-led assault on the Sunni city of Fallujah,thousands of Shiites provided assistance to their Iraqi brothers in the city.
Adnan Feisal Muthar filled up his truck with food and drove it to Fallujah to help residents rendered homeless by US bombing. His uncle and two of his sons donated blood for the wounded. "We wanted to help the people there,'' says Mr. Muthar. "They were Iraqis and they were suffering."
(TFO press release)
By Sgt. Fred Minnick
MOSUL, IRAQ (July 9, 2004) Iraqi Security Forces in northern Iraq collected the largest amount of munitions and weapons since the transfer of sovereignty in an early morning sweep today. The large-scale operation consisted of three Iraqi National Guard Battalions and the Mosul Police Department.
The 101st, 103rd and 106th Iraqi National Guard Battalion soldiers searched houses in three Mosul neighborhoods where suspected anti-Iraqi forces lived, while the Iraqi Police secured intersections and conducted traffic control points throughout the area.
[Link to Full Article] (Registration required)
By ERIC SCHMITT
WASHINGTON, July 7 - With an interim Iraqi government now in place, the Pentagon is beginning long-range planning on how to reduce the number of American troops in Iraq, senior military officials said Wednesday.
Pentagon officials have previously said that about 135,000 troops would stay in Iraq through 2005. But the military's Joint Staff is working on detailed plans to reduce that number by 2006, on the assumption that Iraqi Army and other security forces will be ready to take on more responsibility by then, officials said.
This certainly is an interesting development.
WASHINGTON American and Iraqi joint patrols, along with U.S. Special Operations teams, captured two men with explosives in Baghdad on Monday who identified themselves as Iranian intelligence officers, FOX News has confirmed.
Senior officials said it was previously believed that Iran had officers inside Iraq stirring up violence, but this is the first time that self-proclaimed Iranian intelligence agents have been captured within the country.
[Link to Full Article]
By DANIKA KIRKA, Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq (July 7, 1:26 pm PDT) - The Iraqi government issued a long-anticipated package of security laws Wednesday to help crush insurgents, including a provision allowing interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi to impose martial law.
"The lives of the Iraqi people are in danger, they are in danger from evil forces, from gangs of terrorists," said Human Rights Minister Bakhityar Amin, who compared the new law to the USA Patriot Act.
This Iraqi soldier has a pretty amazing story to tell.
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A little more than a year ago, shortly before President Bush flew onto the USS Lincoln off the coast of San Diego and announced the end to the war in Iraq, Soldiers of the old Iraqi Army were already on their way home resigned to defeat and an uncertain future.
Also uncertain has been the understanding of exactly what Soldiers in the new Iraqi Army have gone through since that time. There are no stories of Iraqis with medals pinned to their chests like armor plating. There are no stories of courageous actions of Soldiers taking hills and enemy machinegun positions. The true story of Iraq is that of a nation that will one day do well by that standard. And stories like that of Iraqi Army Lt. Col. Ahmed Lutfi Ahmed Raheem - an officer in this country's newly rebuilt army.
(TFO press release)
By Sgt. Joseph Sanchez
MOSUL, IRAQ (July 7, 2004) Iraqi National Guard soldiers detained two people wanted for anti-Iraqi activities during a cordon and knock operation yesterday in the town of Shafa, 10 kilometers southeast of Ash Shurah. The suspected terrorists are in custody for further questioning and no injuries were reported during the operation.
Chrenkoff publishes his 5th edition of Good News From Iraq. Lots of material to browse.
Winds of Change has published its latest Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent developments.
The July 2nd edition of The Coalition Scimitar is now available for download. I did not see any articles regarding Task Force Olympia in this issue.
TNT reporter Adam Lynn heads out of LSA Anaconda with a supply convoy. No Strykers accompanied them, but it's an interesting article anyway.
[Link to Full Article]
ADAM LYNN; The News Tribune
BALAD, Iraq - Don't ever play chicken with Sgt. Pat Umberger. He never blinks.
Just ask the Iraqi drivers who were on the road Sunday as Umberger piloted the lead Humvee of a convoy carrying explosives experts and the tools of their trade across eastern Iraq.
(TFO press release)
By Sgt. Joseph Sanchez
MOSUL, IRAQ (July 5, 2004) Five Iraqi citizens were injured today after a roadside bomb detonated at approximately 7:30 a.m. near the Al Yarmouk Circle in northwest Mosul.
The five wounded were transported to Mosul General Hospital. Four of the wounded are in stable condition, but one of the Iraqi citizens is in more serious condition.
Even though the following article is about the 81st BCT, it provides an interesting glimpse of life around LSA Anaconda.
[Link to Full Article]
ADAM LYNN; The News Tribune
BALAD, Iraq - It is a world where people draw cooking water from the same irrigation canal in which they bathe, where insurgents detonate cars packed with explosives at city council meetings, where some people wave at you and others shoot, where foxes howl in the moonlight and imams call the faithful to evening prayers over loud speakers bolted to minarets.
It is filled with grueling stretches of boredom and discomfort punctuated by heart-pounding excitement and, on a good day, extreme satisfaction.
(TFO press release)
By Sgt. Joseph Sanchez
MOSUL, IRAQ (July 4, 2004) Renovations are underway to turn Mosul Airfield into a commercial airport, bringing international commerce and trade to northern Iraq. A ceremony was held Saturday to celebrate the first phase of the airfield construction and the beginning of the transition.
The process to remodel the existing airport terminal and to demolish military-style bunkers left over on the airfield from Saddam Husseins regime was recently begun. In addition to this first phase of remodeling, Iraqi and multinational officials plan to renovate the airport taxiway, to build a second terminal and a tower and to update the electrical system, the weather forecasting equipment and the runway lights.
Jack sent me a link to the homepage of the recently established Iraq-America Freedom Alliance, "a coalition of Americans and Iraqis committed to fostering goodwill between our nations and winning the war on terror." The group took out a full-page ad in USA Today. Excerpt:
(TFO press release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (July 2, 2004) One Iraqi citizen was killed and 27 were injured in two separate indirect fire attacks in downtown Mosul just before noon yesterday. One round impacted near the Chamber of Commerce building and a second round impacted near the Mosul Police Headquarters. Three Iraqi police officers were among the wounded.
Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment assisted in a search of the suspected point of origin but nothing was found. [...]
Another article from Mosul by CSM.
[Link to Full Article]
By Ann Scott Tyson, Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
MOSUL, IRAQ Hundreds of Iraqi troops and police armed with AK-47s swarmed through a troubled district of Mosul at dawn Thursday, launching the first major military operation conceived and led by Iraq's new security forces.
More than 600 Iraqi National Guard (ING) troops and city police, backed by an outer cordon of 150 US troops, swept the Al Antezar neighborhood in a house-to-house dragnet, confiscating weapons and detaining several terrorist suspects.
MOSUL, IRAQ - One Multi-National Force Soldier was killed and two were wounded after an improvised explosive device attack on a convoy south of Mosul July 1.
The wounded were evacuated to a military medical facility.
The name of the Soldier killed is being withheld pending notification of next-of-kin.
Release #040701c
[Link to Full Article]
The Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq (July 1, 7:03 am PDT) - With troops saluting, Gen. George Casey took charge Thursday of all U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq, saying he was "extremely proud" to take on the job.
Casey replaced outgoing Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez as the senior U.S. officer in Iraq, overseeing 160,000 mostly U.S. soldiers deployed in the volatile country. Lt. Gen. Thomas Metz serves as ground forces commander with day-to-day responsibility for defeating the insurgents.
TNT reporter Adam Lynn has an interesting article describing the living conditions at LSA Anaconda. You can read an archive of his articles regarding the 81st BCT here.
[Link to Full Article]
ADAM LYNN; The News Tribune
BALAD, Iraq - The heat is bad. The bugs are bad. The dust is just plain awful.
But the men and women of the U.S. military assigned to Logistical Support Area Anaconda, including about 1,400 members of the Washington National Guard's 81st Brigade Combat Team, are doing what they can to make themselves comfortable during their deployment.
Amy Ridenour occasionally posts emails she receives from Joe Roche, a soldier with the 16th Engineers (1st Armored Division). The unit was directly involved in the battles against Muqtada Al-Sadr. His most recent correspondence is worth reading in full, as it describes the conflict with a level of detail I haven't seen elsewhere. An archive of his emails can be found here.
From the Christian Science Monitor.
When correspondent Ann Scott Tyson returned to Iraq this week for the first time since last August, she was immediately struck by how much less freely US forces were moving about and interacting with Iraqis. In a city such as Mosul, where soldiers once made frequent foot patrols and even dined in local restaurants, today almost all patrols are by vehicle, with only brief stops. Along with an escalation of violence, the distance is due to a shrinking in the size of the US force here as well as a conscious decision to pull back from the city and hand off duties to Iraqi forces.
Joe Katzman has a good summary of reactions from Iraqi bloggers regarding the transfer of power to the interim government.
[Link to Full Article]
By NADIA ABOU EL-MAGD; Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Saddam Hussein will be transferred to Iraqi legal custody and face charges in an Iraqi court this week -- but he wont go on trial for months and he will stay in a U.S.-run jail because the country doesnt have a suitable prison, the prime minister said Tuesday.
Prime Minister Iyad Allawi promised an open proceeding when Saddam faces war crimes charges, including genocide.
Lt. Gen. Metz describes what the transition will mean for U.S. troops in Iraq.
[Link to Full Article]
By Master Sgt. Karen Petitt
BAGHDAD, Iraq (Army News Service, June 28, 2004) Leading more than 127,000 U.S. troops through a transition of authority from Coalition forces to the Interim Iraqi Government is more of an art than a science says the commanding general for Multinational Corps-Iraq.
CNN provides a summary of today's transer of power.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraq's interim government was sworn in Monday after the United States returned sovereignty to the nation two days ahead of schedule.
The official handover of sovereignty occurred at 10:26 a.m. (2:26 a.m. ET), when former coalition civil administrator L. Paul Bremer gave interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi a leather-bound transfer document. [...]
Winds of Change has published its most recent Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
(TFO press release)
By Sgt. Joseph Sanchez
MOSUL, IRAQ (May 27, 2004) The first International government donation since the June 24 attacks in Iraq, comes in the form of 10 fully equipped Toyota Ambulances from Japan. The ambulances will help facilitate Mosuls left bank Emergency Medical System (EMS).
Mosul currently has a total of 160 primary healthcare and hospital facilities with less then 80 working ambulances to facilitate emergency and patient transfer needs, said Ameem Hosiin, the assistant director general of health in Mosul. These 10 brand new ambulances will help us have a reliable resource for transferring patients in need of medical care.
[Link to Full Article]
By TAREK EL-TABLAWY, ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Before the first cup of coffee, there were signs the news conference suddenly convened Monday morning was more than advertised - a simple briefing by U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer.
Journalists were caught by surprise when they finally realized what was up - the formal handover of sovereignty from the U.S.-run occupation to the Iraqis two days earlier than expected.
(TFO press release)
By Sgt. Joseph Sanchez
MOSUL, IRAQ (June 27, 2004) Members of the local Iraqi security forces destroyed two more improvised explosive devices yesterday in the Mosul area, helping to make the streets safer for all citizens.
One suspected roadside bomb was found by Iraqi police at a major intersection on the east side of Mosul and another was found by Iraqi National Guard soldiers southwest of Mosul. In both incidents they were able to secure the site and destroy the device with no injuries or damage to property.
(TFO press release from Thursday morning. I forgot to post this item yesterday.)
By Sgt. Joseph Sanchez
MOSUL, IRAQ (June 24, 2004) Ambassador Paul Bremer visited Mosul Wednesday to say farewell to the citizens of Ninevah Province and to assure them that the partnership between the Iraqi people and the Coalition forces will carry on after the transfer of sovereignty June 30.
Yesterday's events prevented me from posting a few other links of interest. Here they are in bullet form:
Iraq Report 6/25 - Winds of Change publishes it's latest collection of news links.
Good News From Iraq, Part 4 - Chrenkoff publishes his fourth collection of good news stories from Iraq. Keep in mind that this was written before yesterday.
Sgt. Hook has two great entries, Thanks for the Help and Tight. He knows how to tell a good story.
"Army unit claims victory over sheik" - Published in the Washington Times, this article examines how the coalition effectively neutralized Muqtada al-Sadr. While many observers are unhappy with how the situation in Fallujah was resolved, there's little doubt that Operation Iron Saber was a success.
Speaking of Fallujah, The Atlantic Monthly's correspondent, Robert Kaplan, was embedded with the Marines during the intial battles in the city. You need to purchase the magazine for his full report, but this interview with the author provides some good insight into his experience.
Finally, on a lighter note, the Army is developing some new versions of the Meal Ready to Eat (MRE). 24 new menus are currently being "tested". One tester concluded, "It looked good when I first saw it, but everything tastes the same, honestly...Tabasco helped." Oh well.
As we struggle to make sense of the news today from Iraq, and Mosul in particular, our first thoughts are for the soldiers that were killed or injured and their families. The death toll continued to rise throughout the day and now stands at 100 plus, with 300 plus injured. The majority of those fatalities - 62 as of this afternoon - occurred in Mosul. One Task Force Olympia soldier was among those killed, and three more were injured. Terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has claimed responsibility for the attacks, which appear to have been concentrated on government and police facilities in six separate cities.
What does all this mean? Is this a prelude to additional attacks as June 30 approaches or is it a last gasp? I certainly don't know, but The Belmont Club and Lt. Smash both attempt to put recent events in perspective, concentrating on Zarqawi and his organization.
In the midst of the difficult news from Iraq today comes this story.
(TFO press release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (June 24, 2004) A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Wednesday to celebrate the completion of renovations to the Ibn Alathyr Hospital in eastern Mosul.
The hospital, which specializes in maternity and pediatric care, treats approximately 600 patients each day and has about 300 beds for inpatient care. Recent renovations include improvements to the laboratories and teaching facilities and the installation of air-conditioning for the comfort of the patients.
CNN has an article describing the events throughout Iraq today. Mosul was definitely one of the cities hardest hit. More news to follow.
UPDATE: Army Times also carries an article from The Associated Press that has additional information on Mosul.
News Tribune reporter Adam Lynn and photographer Peter Haley have landed in Kuwait and will meet up with the 81st Brigade Combat Team in Iraq in the next few days. They are the first journalists to embed with this Washington National Guard unit, and they'll be on the ground for six weeks - including when control is returned to Iraqis next week.
The full archive of stories will be located here. Additionally, Lynn will be maintaining a weblog ("blog") while he's in Iraq. Well add both to our Links Page.
One more 416th CAB article.
[Link to Full Article]
By Spc. Blair Larson
139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
MOSUL, Iraq (USASOC News Service, June 21, 2004) Soldiers from the 416th Civil Affairs Battalion, an Army reserve unit from Norristown, Pa., are using their civilian skills to train and outfit Iraqi firemen.
The Battalions public safety team is made up of Soldiers who are paramedics, emergency medical technicians and vehicle rescue technicians in the civilian world.
Another article about the 416th CAB.
[Link to Full Article]
By Spc. Aaron Ritter
139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
DAHUK, Iraq (USASOC News Service, June 21, 2004) Coalition Soldiers of the 416th Civil Affairs Battalion provided police officers in the Dahuk Governorate much needed equipment May 5 to better prepare the police department to protect its citizens from crime and to continue the rebuilding of Iraqs infrastructure.
It looks like there is a public affairs detachment visiting the 416th CAB right now.
[Link to Full Article]
By Spc. Blair Larson
139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
MOSUL, Iraq (USASOC News Service, June 21, 2004) When the second wave of troops came to support Operation Iraqi Freedom, there was concern over how so few people would be able to take the place of so many. For 20 Soldiers from the 416th Civil Affairs Battalion, replacing 200 Soldiers has been a challenging, but rewarding task.
(TFO press release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (June 23, 2004) One Iraqi National Guard (ING) soldier was killed today when a roadside bomb exploded on an ING patrol in southern Mosul at approximately 11:55 a.m. Reports confirm that at least four other soldiers wounded in the attack have been evacuated to a military hospital in Mosul, while an unconfirmed number of ING soldiers have been taken to a local hospital.
Iraqi National Guard soldiers assist other local security forces in Mosul in maintaining peace in and around the city. This is yet another example of Anti-Iraq forces attacking Iraqi security forces who are working to improve conditions in Iraq and facilitate the transfer of sovereignty on June 30. The terrorists have no regard for the lives of those who are helping to maintain security in the country as they continue to directly oppose the success of a democratic and free Iraq.
I'm not sure if anyone has noticed recently, but we haven't linked to a CPA briefing lately - there haven't been any. The organization obviously wanted to lower it's profile after the interim Iraqi leaders were chosen. The following article provides a few parting thoughts by Paul Bremer.
[Link to Full Article]
By Kathleen T. Rhem, American Forces Press Service
BAGHDAD, Iraq, June 21, 2004 As he prepares to leave Iraq after the handover of sovereignty to the interim Iraqi government, the American who has led the country since the end of major offensive operations looked back and detailed what he believes are the three greatest accomplishment there to date.
(TFO press release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (June 22, 2004) The Dean of Law at Mosul University, Dr. Layla Abdullah Saeed, was found assassinated outside her home this morning, in the Kuwait neighborhood in southern Mosul. Her husband, Moneer Yahya Ali Al-Khairo, was also killed in the attack. Mosul police discovered the bodies and are currently investigating.
[Link to Full Article]
By Jeff Jacoby
TO HEAR the media tell it, virtually nothing in Iraq is going right. Suicide terrorism, Abu Ghraib, sabotaged pipelines, swelling anti-American sentiment -- the coverage has focused on almost all bad news, almost all the time.
But don't be fooled. There are plenty of good-news stories in Iraq, too. Here are half a dozen.
Ok, the title of the article is a bit dramatic, but it contains some interesting information about the development of the Iraqi security forces.
[Link to Full Article]
By BY VIVIENNE WALT / BAGHDAD
Lieutenant General David Petraeus has just returned to his office in Baghdad's Republican Palace from visiting a close friend a tribal sheikh he had come to know well during his 10-month command of the 101st Airborne Division in the northern city of Mosul. As is often the case, Petraeus is one lucky man: His friend, Sheikh Ghazi Yawar, was appointed as Iraq's new president three weeks ago. And Yawar's most critical priority is the one Petraeus is now charged with overseeing: getting Iraq's military and police forces up and running. "It was wonderful to see him," gushes the 51-year-old general about his friend from Mosul. Another key relationship could be about to pay off big.
[Link to Full Article]
By Sheila Flynn, Associated Press
GRAPEVINE, Texas Once Spc. Rick Aul saw his daughter for the first time, he didnt see much else.
After landing at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Wednesday following three months in Iraq, he plowed through a crowd welcoming the returning soldiers, kissed his wife, took 2-month-old Rowyn into his arms and quietly hugged her for several moments.
(TFO press release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (June 21, 2004) Four Iraqi citizens were killed at approximately 9:35 a.m. when a roadside bomb exploded on their convoy approximately 50 kilometers south of Mosul. Three other Iraqi citizens in the same convoy were wounded. All three wounded Iraqis have been evacuated to a military hospital in Mosul.
The Iraqis were employed by a private company working in Northern Iraq. This is yet another example of Anti-Iraq forces attacking Iraqi citizens who are working to improve conditions for their families and all of Iraq. The terrorists have no regard for innocent lives in their attacks on the country. Anti-Iraq forces directly oppose the success of a democratic and free Iraq, and are continuing to kill and wound Iraqi citizens as the country moves closer to sovereignty on June 30.
UPDATE: Additional information below.
(TFO press release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (June 21, 2004) Four Iraqi citizens were killed at approximately 9:35 a.m. when a roadside bomb exploded on their convoy approximately 50 kilometers south of Mosul. Three other Iraqi citizens in the same convoy were wounded. All three wounded Iraqis have been evacuated to a military hospital in Mosul.
The Iraqis were employed by a private company working in Northern Iraq. This is yet another example of Anti-Iraq forces attacking Iraqi citizens who are working to improve conditions for their families and all of Iraq. The terrorists have no regard for innocent lives in their attacks on the country. Anti-Iraq forces directly oppose the success of a democratic and free Iraq, and are continuing to kill and wound Iraqi citizens as the country moves closer to sovereignty on June 30.
UPDATE: Additional information below.
The DOD has identified the soldiers killed in the mortar attack at LSA Anaconda on Wednesday. Even though official confirmation did not come until today, Stars & Stripes published an article yesterday about one of soldiers killed that will break your heart. Peace be with the families and friends of those we lost.
[Link to Full Article]
By Rick Scavetta, Stars and Stripes
CAMP ANACONDA, Iraq After a year in combat, Sgt. Arthur Mastrapa was waiting outside the post exchange Wednesday when an enemy rocket ended his life. He was supposed to fly home Thursday.
[Link to Full Article]
By Marni McEntee, Stars and Stripes
LANDSTUHL, Germany Sammy Davis leaned over 1st Lt. Dwight Mears, who lay nearly motionless in his Army hospital bed, and asked him to hold onto the Medal of Honor draped around his neck.
Mears did, and Davis said: This medal honors everyone in uniform. Im only the caretaker. [...]
I missed this article when it was originally published. It was written by a major serving with the 81st BCT (WA National Guard) in Iraq. We'll try and post any articles we find regarding the 81st.
[Link to Full Article]
By Damon Hunt, Special to The Times
WITH THE 81ST BRIGADE, Iraq At Logistical Support Area (LSA) Anaconda, north of Baghdad, the work never stops. Every day here is like two or three days back home. The main reason is that we run 24 hours a day.
It's always more exciting to read about the violence in Iraq than it is to read about the exploits of the ordinary, hard-working soldier. Although the 81st Brigade Combat Team, with which I'm serving as a major, may not be in the spotlight, we are accomplishing our assigned mission.
Chrenkoff has published the third version of his Good News From Iraq feature. Be sure to read Part I and Part II if you haven't done so already.
In related news, the BBC carries an article about Iraqi blogs. One of the bloggers interviewed is Ali from Iraq the Model. (via Jeff Jarvis)
The most recent edition of The Coalition Scimitar is now available online. I noticed several articles regarding the SBCT and the Mosul region, including two profiles of Stryker soldiers.
Winds of Change has published two recent Iraq Reports (here and here) with links to news regarding the latest developments there.
(Task Force Olympia press release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (June 15, 2004) For the five governorates of northern Iraq, the responsibility for distributing fuels such as propane, benzene and diesel has transferred to a group of Iraqi fuel representatives.
Upon their arrival in Iraq, Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division worked with a group of Iraqi fuel representatives to distribute the almost 15 million liters of fuel that comes from Turkey each day. The representatives meet each day to decide how much fuel will be distributed and where it will go based on the needs of the people.
The following is a column written by Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz. If you're like me and wonder, "what happens after June 30th?", this article is a good starting point. The article also provides some good statistics regarding the reconstruction effort.
[Link to Full Article]
BY PAUL WOLFOWITZ
After a suicide car bombing killed Iraqi Interim Governing Council President Izzedine Salim and eight others on May 17, one Iraqi put that act of terror into a larger perspective for those who wonder if democracy can work in Iraq. His name is Omar, one of the new Iraqi "bloggers," and he wrote on his Web log: "We cannot . . . protect every single person, including our leaders and the higher officials who make favorite targets for the terrorists--but we can make their attempts go in vain by making our leadership 'replaceable.' "
[Link to Full Article]
By Sgt. 1st Class Doug Sample, USA
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, June 8, 2004 -- Coalition forces rescued four civilian hostages today south of Baghdad, military officials reported.
Three Italians and one Pole were rescued, Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez, Multinational Force Iraq commander, said during a Baghdad news briefing.
UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a resolution that endorses the June 30 transfer of sovereignty in Iraq and gives authorization for a U.S.-led multinational force.
President Bush said the vote was a "great victory for the Iraqi people." Pakistan's U.N. ambassador called it the "most significant" diplomatic step on Iraq since the 1991 Gulf War.
Interesting reminder that Iraq was the cradle of civilization.
[Link to Full Article]
By U.S. Army Spc. Sean Kimmons / 25th Infantry Division
KIRKUK AIR BASE, Iraq, June 7, 2004 Four and five thousand-year old artifacts from Iraq's multi-cultured past were discovered here when soldiers of Company B, 65th Engineer Battalion dug into a hill while gathering dirt for Hesco defense barriers in late April.
Capt. Nicholas Gianforti, an intelligence officer for the 2nd Brigade Combat Team and an anthropology major from St. John Fisher University, was one of the first to respond to the archeological site after its discovery.
Provided below is a press release from the Coalition regarding the bombing mentioned below.
MOSUL, Iraq - A car bomb was detonated in downtown Mosul several hundred meters from the City Hall around 9:15 a.m. June 8.
Initial reports indicated 10 Iraqi civilians were killed, and as many as 100 Iraqi civilians were injured. These numbers were initial assessments and the Ninevah Provincial Government's Chief of Staff now reports that nine people were killed and 25 Iraqi civilians were injured.
[Link to Full Article]
The Associated Press
MOSUL, Iraq (AP) - A roadside bomb Monday wounded three civilian security contractors working in northern Iraq for the London-based firm Global Risk Strategies, the U.S. military said.
The three were taken to a U.S. Army hospital, a U.S. military spokesman in Mosul said. No further details were immediately available.
Here are a couple noteworthy stories from this morning:
"Deal to disband Iraq militias announced" - CNN
"U.S. Troops Keep Low Profile In Iraq" - Associated Press
Gunner Palace is the film project of Michael Tucker. He traveled to Baghdad numerous times to film a documentary about the 2/3 Field Artillery Battalion (part of the 1st Armored Division). If you recall, this was the unit featured significantly in Time Magazine's "Person of the Year" issue honoring "The American Soldier."
I have no idea if/when the documentary will be released, but you should visit the film's website to read the story and view a couple trailers. This clip titled Star Spangled Banner "Baghdad Style" blew me away. Caution - you really need a high-speed connection to play the trailers.
(via Blackfive)
A few stories summarizing recent developments.
"Iraqi PM Urges War on Sabotage, Zarqawi Aide Held" - Reuters
"U.S. submits new draft of Iraq resolution" - CNN
"New Iraqi leaders put into power" - The New York Times
"Top cleric endorses new Iraqi government" - Associated Press
Susan sent us this article from her local paper. Great photo included.
[Link to Full Article] (Brief registration required)
By TERESA HICKS, Times-News
JOHNSON CITY - The world is not the same place it was a month ago. Not for Dr. Martin Olsen, at least. Olsen, chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at East Tennessee State University, recently returned from a visit to Iraq, where he met with doctors in the northern Iraqi Kurdistan area.
He went there expecting to teach the Iraqi doctors how to reduce maternal mortality rates, but he wound up learning a lot more than he taught.
[Link to Full Article]
By Kris Osborn, THE WASHINGTON TIMES
TIKRIT, Iraq Here in Saddam Hussein's hometown, the senior U.S. military officer says attacks on coalition forces are down and rebuilding efforts are looking up as the June 30 transfer of power to an Iraqi government approaches.
As commander of the 1st Infantry Division, Maj. Gen. John Batiste leads thousands of U.S. and coalition forces deployed in the northern half of Iraq, including Mosul, Tikrit and Baquba.
[Link to Full Article]
Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq - New Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said Tuesday that Iraq needs help from U.S. and other multinational forces to help defeat "the enemies of Iraq,"
The statement was seen as a prelude to the new government negotiating an agreement that would allow troops of the U.S.-led coalition to continue operating in the country.
Winds of Change has published its most recent Iraq Report with links to the latest developments there. Plenty of good information this week.
[Link to Full Article]
By Charlie Coon, Stars and Stripes
MUSHADA, Iraq The convoy of trucks and armored Humvees kicked up dirt as it rumbled down the one-lane road into the village.
Sometimes you wonder what they think, said Maj. Karen Ryan. Can you imagine rolling in like this to the place where you lived?
[Link to Full Article]
HAMZA HENDAWI; The Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Iraqi Governing Council chose a longtime anti-Saddam Hussein exile to become prime minister of Iraq's interim government, making the surprise announcement Friday despite U.N. concerns over his ties to the United States and the CIA.
The selection of Iyad Allawi - a Shiite Muslim council member who headed an exile group made up of former Saddam military officers - was an assertion of influence by the U.S.-picked body.
[Link to Full Article]
By Donna Miles, American Forces Press Service
ARLINGTON, Va., May 27, 2004 As the sound of "Taps" wailed from Army Sgt. Major Henry Sgrecci's bugle today, seven Iraqi citizens pressed their new prosthetic hands against their hearts at the Tomb of the Unknowns here to honor U.S. service members who have given their lives in Iraq.
Last week we linked to a summary of good news from Iraq. Here is Part 2.
(via Blackfive)
Interesting article regarding reconstruction efforts in Baghdad.
[Link to Full Article] (Registration required)
By Scott Wilson, Washington Post Foreign Service
BAGHDAD, May 26 -- The American counterinsurgency effort in Iraq's largest urban war zone is being fought in the sewers. Maj. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, an earnest tank officer who recalled that he once dreamed of commanding "large mechanized formations across vast open deserts," is instead knee-deep in a very different fight.
[Link to Full Article]
By Joe Burlas
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, May 26, 2004) -- The Army plans to resume military contract rest and recuperation flights from the Central Command area of operations to the United States on or about June 15, according to officials.
We'll highlight some good news.
GEN. KIMMITT: [...] In the northern zone of operations, coalition Public Works Team delivered over $1.1 million U.S. worth of USAID donated and CERP funded equipment and supplies to the Nineveh water and sewer department in order to repair breaking infrastructure.
Today 156 former regime police officers graduated from the three- week transition integration program course in Mosul. To date, 14,628 police officers have been retrained. The TIP training educates former policemen and reenforces democratic policing methods, emphasizing respect for the rule of law, as well as training, professional standards of conduct.
CERP stands for Commander's Emergency Relief Program.
There have been quite a few developments in Iraq this week. Provided below are links to various news stories of interest.
Yesterday the US and Britain submitted a new Iraq resolution for review by the UN's Security Council.
[Link to Full Article]
By Howard LaFranchi, The Christian Science Monitor
WASHINGTON The United States and Britain face little mystery over the prospects of the Iraq resolution they began circulating in the United Nations Security Council Monday.
The resolution, ending the coalition occupation by specifying what US officials say will be "full sovereignty" for Iraq, is expected to win broad support even among countries that opposed the war.
U.S. defense officials say the Pentagon will replace Army Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez as the top U.S. commander in Iraq.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, say the move does not reflect the general's handling of the prisoner abuse scandal at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison.
[Link to Full Article]
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 25, 2004 -- Security challenges in Iraq put a significant wrinkle into reconstruction efforts in early spring, but work is once again progressing rapidly on $5 billion in contracts awarded in March, the U.S. head of reconstruction in Iraq told Pentagon reporters May 24.
Retired Navy Rear Adm. David J. Nash, director of the Iraq Program Management Office in Baghdad, said rebuilding continued throughout the tumultuous April 9 timeframe, even when 75 percent of the Iraqi workforce stopped showing up for work due to security concerns. [...]
The following article provides a good summary of recent coalition activity in the southern Iraqi cities of Najaf, Karbala and Kufa.
[Link to Full Article] (Registration required)
By Daniel Williams and Scott Wilson
Washington Post Foreign Service
KARBALA, Iraq, May 23 -- U.S. forces expanded an offensive against rebel cleric Moqtada Sadr on Sunday by pushing into his stronghold of Kufa for the first time, as his armed followers vanished from the streets of this Shiite holy city.
Winds of Change has published its latest Iraq Report with links to, and analysis of, recent developments. Of particular interest is a link to the Carnival of the Liberated, a weekly roundup of opinions from Iraqi bloggers.
This month National Geographic has an in depth feature on the Shiites of Iraq. Although the full article is only available in print, the NG website has a summary with links to a variety of supplemental information.
[Link to Full Article]
Associated Press
UNITED NATIONS - The United States says it will give Iraq's new interim government a decisive voice in whether a multinational force remains in the country, and has agreed with other Security Council members to transfer full sovereignty to the Iraqis on June 30.
The extent of the caretaker government's powers has been a subject of intense discussion among members of the U.N. Security Council as they await a new resolution dealing with the end of U.S.-British occupation and the restoration of Iraqi sovereignty. [...]
More R&R info.
[Link to Full Article]
By Steve Liewer, Stars and Stripes
The loss of thousands of Rest and Recuperation slots for troops in the Middle East during May and June has been met mostly with stoic resignation, say some deployed soldiers and family readiness group leaders in Germany. [...]
On April 25, Coalition Joint Task Force 7 the name of the unit overseeing allied military operations in Iraq until it was realigned last week as Multi-national Force-Iraq/Multi-national-Corps-Iraq quietly notified units it would be dramatically cutting back R&R slots between May 1 and June 15.
This is certainly an interesting development. I'll be anxious to see how this one plays out.
[Link to Full Article]
By Annia Ciezadlo, The Christian Science Monitor
BAGHDAD A year ago, Ahmed Chalabi was the darling of American policymakers, a political powerhouse with unprecedented access to the highest levels of the Pentagon. [...]
But Thursday, US troops raided his house and the offices of his Iraqi National Congress political party. Earlier this week, his party's monthly US stipend of $340,000 was abruptly cut off.
The latest edition of The Coalition Scimitar is available now.
The Coalition Scimitar is a weekly paper published by the Multi-National Force - Iraq and Multi-National Corps - Iraq Joint Public Affairs Office. It is distributed throughout the Baghdad area inside the Stars & Stripes every Friday. It is also available here in PDF format.
To speed up the download time visit the site above, right click on the "21 May 2004 Edition" link and select "Save Target As..." I did not see any articles mentioning the SBCT or Task Force Olympia.
[Link to Full Article]
By Ben Connable
RAMADI, Iraq This is my third deployment with the 1st Marine Division to the Middle East.
This is the third time I've heard the quavering cries of the talking heads predicting failure and calling for withdrawal.
This is the third time I find myself shaking my head in disbelief. [...]
Here's an interesting report on a variety of positive developments in Iraq, many of which were news to me.
[Link to Full Article]
By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA, ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The head of the Iraqi Governing Council was killed in a suicide car bombing near a checkpoint outside the coalition headquarters in central Baghdad on Monday, dealing a blow to U.S. efforts to stabilize Iraq ahead of a handover of sovereignty on June 30.
Another brigade from the 2nd Infantry Division, currently based in South Korea, may be sent to Iraq. There is speculation that it might not return to Korea once redeployed.
[Link to Full Article]
By Robert Burns, Associated Press
In a sign of the Iraq wars increasing strain on the Army, the Pentagon is considering an extraordinary shift of troops to Iraq from their garrisons in South Korea, where they have stood guard for decades against a feared invasion by forces of communist North Korea, official say.
An increasing number of Iraqi citizens have discovered the power of the internet and have started their own weblogs to share their experiences. Some are pro-coalition, others are anti, but they are all interesting and provide a valuable insight into the everyday lives of Iraqis. Iraq The Model is published by three brothers, all of whom are doctors. I read one entry by Mohammed today that is worth sharing. He recently made a trip from Baghdad to Samawa and was amazed by the changes since his last visit. Excerpts:
Good for them. I'll root for the team this summer in Athens since our men's team failed to qualify.
AMMAN, Jordan Iraq's soccer team, whose players were brutalized and whose stadium was used as a torture chamber under the regime of Saddam Hussein, qualified for the Olympics with a victory over Saudi Arabia.
The 3-1 victory, coupled with a 0-0 draw between Kuwait and Oman, gave Iraq a spot at the Athens Games this August. It's the nation's first Olympic berth in the world's most popular sport.
Further explanation of the R&R program.
[Link to Full Article]
By Sandra Jontz, Stars and Stripes
ARLINGTON, Va. Though ground commanders in Iraq have the authority to deny their troops R&R leave, the U.S. Central Command program that grants deployed fighters leave time still is operational, officials said.
The program, dubbed Rest and Recuperation, "has never been canceled or suspended," said Army spokesman Hank Minitrez, in spite of units in theater being told otherwise.
In light of the stories dominating the news cycle right now, I thought you would be interested in two more emails sent by a soldier and a marine in Iraq. Blackfive shares an email from a Marine Captain in Fallujah, and Amy Ridenour posts an email from an Army Specialist in Sadr City. (via Instapundit)
UPDATE: Here's another from a Marine to his dad. (via Smash)
The following article discusses the reduction of R&R slots for the 1st ID, but the reasons cited apply to the entire Iraqi theater, I'm sure.
[Link to Full Article]
By Steve Liewer, Stars and Stripes
WRZBURG, Germany The 1st Infantry Division has announced that rest-and-recuperation slots for its soldiers have been cut by nearly 85 percent for the period May 1 through June 15.
Interesting.
[Link to Full Article]
By C. Mark Brinkley, Times staff writer
A vote for the militarys favorite Survivor could pay off big for the families of service members killed in Iraq.
If selected for the $1 million fan vote, retired Navy Master Chief Rudy Boesch vowed Monday to give half to the families of troops killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Blackfive shares another amazing story, this one about Marine Captain Brian Chontosh. Chontosh was recently awarded the Navy Cross for his actions during the initial drive to Baghdad last spring. The Navy Cross, which you can learn more about here, is the second highest combat award for bravery. You can also read he official Marine press release regarding the award ceremony.
Winds of Change has published its latest Iraq Report with links to, and analysis of, the latest news from Iraq.
[Link to Column] (Full text provided below)
"Iraq: Work To Be Proud Of"
By Andrew S. Natsios
The last time I was in Iraq, I met with a delegation of graduate students from Baghdad's best universities. Two hours into the discussion, one student said something extraordinary to me. He likened us to "doctors" and Iraq to a "patient" who needed radical surgery: "You [Americans] have started the operation. We are on the operating table. You can't leave now. You've got to finish," he pleaded.
Freelance jounalist Kevin Sites recounts a close call with an IED while he was embedded with the Marines near Fallujah recently.
The new Scimitar pdf file is available online at the CJTF7 web site.
I have just skimmed over it, no SBCT info that I could find but a lot of good stories.
Remember, right click on the link at the web site and select Save Target As
That will work faster for slower connections to get the file to your machine.
The new Scimitar pdf file is available online at the CJTF7 web site.
I have just skimmed over it, no SBCT info that I could find but a lot of good stories.
Remember, right click on the link at the web site and select Save Target As
That will work faster for slower connections to get the file to your machine.
Another local publication with a story about two students serving in Iraq. Notice one of the pics shows the 2id Patch on a soldier in a Stryker.
[Link to Full Article]
Sarah L. Lamb, Carey Guhlke; Staff writers
While students at Whitworth hunker down for finals in one week, two Whitworth students are hunkering down to fight insurgents in Iraq.
Daniel Bauch, who attended Whitworth from the fall of 1998 to the spring of 2001, was sent to Iraq after a yearlong tour in South Korea.
Once I heard it was time for us to ship out, I knew that it is my lot in life at this time, Bauch said in an e-mail interview. Being in the military, you prepare for war.
Not much from today's briefing in Baghdad.
GEN. KIMMITT: [...] In the northern zone of operations, coalition and Iraqi security forces conducted 76 patrols and detained (77 ?) anti-coalition suspects. In general, the area in the north is quite quiet.
There's more information in the transcript about the situation in Najaf and the prisoner photos if you're interested.
[Link to Full Article]
by Airman 1st Class J.G. Buzanowski
Combined Air Operations Center Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- When Lt. Col. Greg Harbin landed at the airport in Mosul, Iraq, he knew he had to travel to the operational headquarters on the other side of town. He also knew an Army convoy would be escorting him. What he did not know was that his brother would be the convoy commander.
MOSUL, Iraq, May 7 (Reuters) - A roadside bomb killed four Iraqi policemen and wounded one in the northern Iraq city of Mosul on Friday, police and hospital officials said.
The bomb detonated as a patrol was passing through the al-Jadida district in the southern part of the city. Police said there was an exchange of gunfire with the attackers immediately after the attack, but no one was arrested.
Beck in the Box, a Marine deployed to Iraq, recounts his confrontation with a camel spider in the honey bucket - as if dark outhouses weren't scary enough. Must read comic relief.
[Link to Full Article]
POSTED: 10:57 am PDT May 6, 2004
CANTON, Ohio -- An Ohio soldier formerly based at Fort Lewis, Wash., died Wednesday in Iraq after trying to stop an attack on a U.S. Army checkpoint, the Department of Defense announced Thursday.
Pfc. Jesse Buryj, 21, of Canton, fired more than 400 rounds at a dump truck trying to crash the checkpoint near Karbala. He shot the driver of the truck that then crashed into the Humvee in which he was riding, an Army sergeant told his mother, Peggy Buryj, on Wednesday morning.
"Everyone was fine, but Jesse's stomach was hurting him," she said she was told. "They took him to a hospital where they found he had massive internal injuries, and he died on the operating table."
[Link to Full Article]
By Vince Crawley, Times staff writer
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is sending another 20,000 troops to Iraq this summer to replace those on emergency extensions, and the Pentagon plans to keep a force of 135,000 in the county through all of 2005.
[Link to Full Article]
Sunday, May 2, 2004
NOTEBOOK FROM MOSUL: Bill Nemitz
Brave 133rd to remain in journalists' hearts, minds
Today marks photographer Greg Rec's and my final dispatch from Iraq. When these words go to press, we will be in Kuwait on the first leg of our long journey back to Maine.
We depart Camp Marez, after three weeks with the Maine Army National Guard's 133rd Engineer Battalion, eager to see home again. Our days and nights here in Mosul often found us missing not just our families and friends, but also the everyday peace and prosperity that we Americans take so much for granted.
A Styker Captain gets a mention in this Bill Nemitz article.
[Link to Full Article]
By Bill Nemitz
MOSUL He could be an Army hotshot. He could be traveling all over the Operation Iraqi Freedom theater, piling one adventure after another onto his ability to speak fluent Arabic.
But Sgt. Kameel Farag of Damariscotta is first and foremost a Mainer.
Today Gen. Abizaid briefly mentioned the Stryker Brigade in his press conference from Qatar. Included in his briefing were a number of presentation slides, a couple of which you might find interesting. The first clearly outlines the area of operations for the coalition forces in Iraq (Task Force Olympia is up north). The second illustrates some of the troop movement in response to the situation in Najaf, which involved elements of the SBCT.
[Link to TFO Press Release]
by Sgt. Joseph Sanchez
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 30, 2004) Dr. Rabei Yasim Alkhahl, Director General of Health, received a $10,000 check from the Coalition forces during Ninevah Governor Osama Kashmoulas weekly press conference held at Mosuls Provincial Hall.
The money was donated for the reconstruction of the Al Salam hospital that was damaged in a rocket attack on April 29, 2004.
[Link to Full Article] (Registration required)
By THOM SHANKER
WASHINGTON, April 28 A Pentagon intelligence report has concluded that many bombings against Americans and their allies in Iraq, and the more sophisticated of the guerrilla attacks in Falluja, are organized and often carried out by members of Saddam Hussein's secret service, who planned for the insurgency even before the fall of Baghdad.
Some good news out of Fallujah?
[Link to Full Article]
By Jason Keyser, Associated Press
FALLUJAH, Iraq Marines announced Thursday an agreement to end a bloody, nearly monthlong siege of Fallujah, saying American forces will pull back and allow an all-Iraqi force commanded by a former Saddam Hussein-regime general to take over security.
[Link to CJTF7 Press Release]
MOSUL, Iraq - Seven Iraqi Police and one civilian were killed in two attacks targeting Iraqi security forces in Mosul April 28.
The first attack occurred when two Iraqi Policeman were shot in front of their homes. Both officers were taken to Al Razzi hospital after the shooting where they later died.
[Link to CJTF7 Press Release]
MOSUL, Iraq - Iraqi Civil Defense Corps soldiers conducted three cordon and search missions in the Qayyarah area April 27, resulting in the detention of two known counterfeiters and the confiscation of counterfeiting material supporting anti-Coalition activities.
This mission was the first independent operation planned and conducted by the ICDC.
Based on comments from our bulletin board it's obvious that many of you also have a personal connection to the Marines fighting in Fallujah. Consequently, I thought you might want to read this article from Darrin Mortenson, who continues his excellent reporting as an embedded reporter there.
[Link to Full Article]
By: DARRIN MORTENSON - Staff Writer
FALLUJAH, Iraq -- One Marine was killed and at least eight more wounded in Fallujah on Monday in a bloody street battle fought close enough that the combatants tossed grenades and fired pistols at each other, officials said.
[Link to Full Article]
By BILL NEMITZ, Portland Press Herald Staff Writer
DOHUK, Iraq - Every soldier should have this problem. Spc. Joshua Nalbandian of Scarborough has his truck running and ready to depart the thriving marketplace in the middle of this small northern Iraq city - but it's still too dangerous to move.
The kids won't get off the tailgate.
Former Bamberg County administrator awarded Purple Heart for act of bravery
[Link to Full Article]
By LISA B. STOKES, T&D Bamberg Correspondent
BAMBERG -- A former Bamberg County administrator was awarded the Purple Heart Friday as he lay in a hospital bed at Camp Diamondback in Mosul, Iraq.
Donnie Delk, 33, a first lieutenant and company commander of the 268 ENGR DET HQ out of McCrady Training Center in Eastover and the son of Donnie and Mary Ann Delk of Bamberg, received second- and third-degree burns on his face and hands when his convoy was attacked near the Tigris River last week. Delk sustained the burns after the ambush when he crawled over a burning Humvee to provide aid to two wounded soldiers. News of Delk's act of bravery has been reported across the U.S.
[Link to Full Article]
By BILL NEMITZ, Staff Writer
MOSUL, Iraq - They sat shoulder to shoulder Saturday morning, 34 to a row and 15 rows deep, an entire battalion besieged by grief.
Many dabbed at their eyes as the lyrics to "Arms of the Angels" wafted through the hangar-sized building at Camp Marez. Others just stared at the impeccably arranged memorial - an M-16 rifle standing barrel-down between a pair of boots, a helmet perched atop the rifle stock, a set of dog tags hanging off the weapon's handle, a soldier's shirt with the name "Gelineau" stitched above the left pocket - as if they still didn't believe what they were seeing.
[Link to Full Article]
by Bill Nemitz
MOSUL, Iraq - He walked slowly into the small room just off the entrance to the small hospital at Camp Diamondback, his face and left hand covered with burns, his lower right arm buried beneath a mound of gauze.
"Hey, sir, how you doin'?" Lt. Matthew Delk said in his deep southern accent as Maj. Dwaine Drummond, executive officer of the Maine Army National Guard's 133rd Engineer Battalion, stepped forward to greet him.
Another mention of the possible deployment of the 2nd SBCT at Ft. Lewis to Iraq.
[Link to Full Article]
By ERIC SCHMITT, New York Times
CAMP AS SAYLIYAH, Qatar -- The top U.S. commander in the Middle East suggested in an interview on Friday that he was likely to ask for another extension in the current troop levels in Iraq, now at 135,000, and might even ask for more troops beyond that. [...]
One leading option to replace the 20,000 troops now on extended tours in Iraq would include sending a second Army Stryker brigade and at least one, and possibly two, Marine expeditionary units, senior military officials said.
The 81st BCT, or Washington National Guard, recently made the trip up to Iraq from Kuwait and assumed control at a supply base near Baghdad.
[Link to Full Article]
ADAM LYNN; The News Tribune
Members of a Washington National Guard brigade are in charge of security at one of the most important bases in Iraq.
The 82nd Airborne Division transferred responsibility for defending Logistical Support Area Anaconda to the 81st Brigade Combat Team on Sunday, the brigade reported. The base, about 50 miles north of Baghdad in Balad, is the main supply hub for U.S. forces in Iraq.
Even though he is not embedded with the SBCT, we'll probably carry all of the articles by Bill Nemitz. His articles still provide a good sense of what life is like for the soldiers of Task Force Olympia.
[Link to Full Article]
by Bill Nemitz
MOSUL, Iraq - They grimaced. They squirmed. Some looked down at the floor. Others interlocked their fingers behind their heads and squinted at the ceiling.
But not one of the 31 soldiers from the Maine Army National Guard's 133rd Engineer Battalion missed a word that Maj. John "Doc" Nelson said Thursday morning as he held an intravenous-needle kit high in the air.
Here are two separate accounts of the same battle between insurgents and the Marines in Fallujah. Amazing story. This incident occurred last week.
As always, thoughts and prayers for the family and friends he leaves behind.
[Link to Full Article]
By JOHN RICHARDSON, Portland Press Herald Writer
Christopher D. Gelineau was one semester away from earning his college degree and starting a promising career and a new life with his wife, a fellow student at the University of Southern Maine.
But his strong sense of responsibility would first lead the bright 23-year-old student to Iraq, where he was fatally wounded Tuesday morning in an ambush on a military convoy in Mosul.
[Link to Full Article]
By BILL NEMITZ, Portland Press Herald Staff Writer
MOSUL, Iraq - He always knew that if it came to this, his would be one of the hardest jobs at Camp Marez. But only now, sitting in his cubbyhole office in the back of the camp's Olive Garden Chapel, did Chaplain David Sivret appreciate how hard.
"Yesterday was a horrendous day for all of us," Sivret, an Episcopal priest from Calais, said Wednesday afternoon.
Here's a notebook entry from Bill Nemitz.
[Link to Full Article]
Bill Nemitz
As details about Tuesday's attack on a 133rd Engineer Battalion convoy continue to emerge, it's clear that the soldiers in the convoy did everything they were trained to do in fending off an attack.
Although not specifically about the Stryker Brigade, the following article describes the training provided by soldiers from the 75th Division to the new Iraqi Armes Forces in Tall Afar.
[Link to Full Article]
By Maj. Wayne Marotto
TALLAFAR, Iraq (Army News Service, April 20, 2004) -- Amidst mortar attacks, fire fights at the front gate, drive-by shootings, and the ever-present danger of Improvised Explosive Devices, a team of the 75th Division (Training Support) is training hundreds of soldiers of the Iraqi Armed Forces.
Head over to Winds of Change to read their latest Iraq Report with links to, and analysis of, the latest news over there.
Embedded reporter Bill Nemitz describes the IED attack that killed one Maine National Guard soldier.
[Link to Full Article]
By BILL NEMITZ, Portland Press Herald Staff Writer
MOSUL, Iraq - A roadside ambush by anti-American insurgents left one Maine soldier dead and seriously wounded another Tuesday morning as their Maine National Guard convoy traveled along a divided highway on the western edge of Mosul.
[Link to Full Article]
By Alistair Lyon
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Tension eased in two Iraqi flashpoint cities Tuesday as a truce held in the Sunni bastion of Falluja and U.S. forces prepared to pull back from a base near Najaf, where a rebel Shi'ite cleric is holed up. [...]
U.S. forces also gave Iraqi mediators more time to resolve a standoff with Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and his Mehdi Army militia in the holy city of Najaf, south of the capital.
The following article mentions that the 2,500 soldiers involved in the operation near Najaf will be replaced by 2,000 soldiers from the Army's 1st Armored Division. Since the Pentagon announced last week that an unknown number of Strykers had been tasked to the 1st AD, I don't know if they will rotate out of the area or not.
[Link to Full Article]
By Gleb Bryanski
NEAR NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. forces poised outside Najaf say they will allow time for talks before any attempt to enter the holy Iraqi city to seize a rebel cleric -- a move that could spark new unrest. [...]
Wounded by Insurgent Attacks in Northern Iraq
CJTF7
MOSUL, Iraq - Eight Iraqi civilians were killed by indiscriminate anti-Coalition mortar and rocket attacks in northern Iraq April 14.
Four Iraqi civilians were killed and seven wounded when insurgents fired two Katushya rockets into a crowded market place in Mosul around 12:30 p.m.
Wounded by Insurgent Attacks in Northern Iraq
CJTF7
MOSUL, Iraq - Eight Iraqi civilians were killed by indiscriminate anti-Coalition mortar and rocket attacks in northern Iraq April 14.
Four Iraqi civilians were killed and seven wounded when insurgents fired two Katushya rockets into a crowded market place in Mosul around 12:30 p.m.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A U.S. soldier was killed in a roadside bomb attack in the northern Iraqi city of Samarra in the past 24 hours, a U.S. Army spokesman said Thursday.
Another U.S. soldier died in Mosul of a "severe cardiac event." The U.S. military had earlier said there had been two combat deaths in the last 24 hours.
Here's an article with some information about Najaf and Mosul.
[Link to Full Article]
By Gleb Bryanski
NEAR NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. forces have tightened their grip around one of Iraq's holiest cities as the rebel Shi'ite cleric they have vowed to kill or capture offered peace terms to spare Najaf a bloodbath.
An envoy appointed by Moqtada al-Sadr said the wanted cleric had asked him to convey peace proposals to the Americans. [...]
The following article discusses the mission of the U.S. force destined for Najaf, no registration required.
[Link to Full Article]
By Denis D. Gray
Associated Press
NAJAF, Iraq A 2,500-strong U.S. force, backed by tanks and artillery, pushed to the outskirts of the Shiite holy city of Najaf on Tuesday for a showdown with a radical cleric. Near Fallujah, a U.S. military helicopter crashed, and an insurgent said he shot it down with a rocket-propelled grenade. [...]
[Link to Full Article]
By Maya Alleruzzo
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
MOSUL, Iraq Spc. Jessica Hall, 21, and Cpl. Bobby Hall, 25, of Castlewood, Va., have been married for almost two years, but their marriage has been anything but traditional since they were deployed to northern Iraq with Virginia's 276th Engineer Battalion.
He's with Bravo Company, filling his days with missions around Mosul. He builds roads, provides security and detonates improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
The 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Golden Dragons that were rotated to Mosul to support Task Force Olympia have moved on apparently.
[Link to Full Article]
By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer
AMADIYAH, Northern Iraq When Schofield Barracks soldiers came calling on this town of 20,000 in the middle of the night, it was with a show of firepower its residents will not soon forget.
Part of the reason why news has been so sparse the past week or so...
[Link to Full Article] (Link expires after 7 days)
By JULIA ANGWIN
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
As intense fighting continues in Iraq and journalists come under attack, many news organizations are severely restricting their reporters' movements.
[Link to Full Article]
By U.S. Army Spc. Jessika Ross / Task Force Olympia
MOSUL, Iraq, April 9, 2004 Imagine two brothers, both in the Army National Guard, but from two different states, meeting for the first time in almost a year, thousands of miles away from their hometown of Parkersburg, West Va.
There is a short statement about Mosul in this summary of the most recent briefing by Army Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt.
[Link to Full Article]
By Sgt. 1st Class Doug Sample, USA
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 10, 2004 -- Sporadic gunfire continues in Iraq despite the coalition's offer of a cease-fire in Fallujah, coalition officials said today at a Baghdad news conference. [...]
The northern zone of operations remains stable, he said, as Task Force Olympia continues offensive and security operations with Iraqi police and security forces. The governor and police chief there remain in control, he added, with the cooperation of the police and the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps.
MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - The U.S. army said on Saturday it killed 12 insurgents in northern Iraq, destroying their truck with a missile after the guerrillas opened fire.
"A patrol from 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment was engaged by 12 assailants in a truck with a rocket-propelled grenade near Al Thubat," a U.S. statement said. "The patrol returned fire with a missile, destroying the truck and killing all 12 assailants."
[Link to Full Article]
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 9, 2004 Coalition forces today unilaterally suspended offensive operations in Fallujah, Iraq, at the request of the Iraqi Governing Council, officials in Baghdad reported.
This move, they noted, will allow council members to meet with the city leadership and leaders of anti-coalition forces in an effort to quell the violence. [...]
The statue fell.
This one was sent to Andrew Sullivan by a marine in Fallujah. Excerpt:
Joe Roche, a U.S. Army soldier stationed in Baghdad, has something he'd like to tell everyone at home. Be sure to read his follow-up email as well.
(via Blackfive)
With all the activity taking place near Fallujah, I thought I would provide a link to the reporting of Darrin Mortenson, a North County Times journalist embedded with the Marines. His latest article describes the intense fighting taking place today - up to 12 Marines may have been killed. I'll be adding a link to his archives on our Links Page.
There is so much news coming out of Iraq today that it's hard to keep up - try The Command Post for the latest headlines.
UPDATE: I fixed the "Darrin Mortenson" link above. Should work now.
[Link to Full Article]
Associated Press
April 6, 2004
WASHINGTON - U.S. military commanders have begun studying ways they might increase troops in Iraq should violence spread much more widely, a senior officer said Monday.
Generals believe they have enough forces to handle the attacks that have been coming from various quarters, including the recent violence by a Shiite militia group, but they want to know what is available if the situation gets worse, said the officer, briefing reporters on condition of anonymity.
[Link to Full Article] (Registration required)
By Thomas E. Ricks
Washington Post Staff Writer
Maj. Gen. David H. Petraeus, who spent most of the past year in Iraq as commander of the 101st Airborne Division, is being sent back to that country to oversee the organization and training of all Iraqi military and security forces, Pentagon insiders said yesterday.
[Link to Full Article]
By HAMZA HENDAWI
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- An Iraqi judge has issued a murder arrest warrant for a radical Shiite Muslim cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, for the slaying of another Shiite leader shortly after the U.S.-led invasion of the country, coalition officials said Monday.
Belmont Club has a very detailed update on the situation in Fallujah and the planned military response.
(via Phil Carter)
UPDATE: Belmont Club provides additional analysis of the latest developments.
MORE: Mark Bowden, author of "Black Hawk Down", offers his view on the situation in Fallujah.
Winds of Change has published its latest Winds of War briefing highlighting recent developments in the war on terror, including Iraq.
If you're like me you might be scratching your head wondering why U.S. troops, specifically the Marines, haven't descended on Fallujah yet. Steven Den Beste provides one of the better explanations I've read to date:
If there are broad reprisals against the uncommitted friendly population because of the acts of the terrorists, that population will become motivated and polarized in favor of the position held by the terrorists. If the American response is viewed by the Sunnis as being directed broadly at all Sunnis, rather than being targeted specifically at those responsible for this outrage, then there's every likelihood that the Sunnis will begin to wonder whether the US is actually genuine in its attempts to include the Sunnis as equal partners in the new government of Iraq. That would be a major victory for al Qaeda.
There really is a golf course in Mosul - it was created by soldiers of the 101st.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL (AP) -- Lt. Jesse White spent the last year telling stories about playing golf in Iraq. Now he has one to take back.
White was one of five Army soldiers honored Thursday at the Tournament Players Club after they created a golf course in Iraq and dubbed it TPC Mosul. [...]
GEN. KIMMITT: Over the past week there's been an average of 28 engagements daily against coalition military, five engagements daily against Iraqi security forces and just under four attacks daily against Iraqi civilians. The coalition is stepping up its offensive tempo to kill or capture anti-coalition elements and enemies of the Iraqi people in response to the latest increase in engagements. To that end, in the past 24 hours the coalition conducted 1,416 patrols, 20 offensive operations, 11 raids and captured 52 anti-coalition suspects.
For those of you following developments in the upcoming transfer of power in June, this NYT article provides interesting information about a possible replacement for Paul Bremer.
[Link to Full Article] (Registration required)
By STEVEN R. WEISMAN
WASHINGTON, March 30 It is described as the most challenging diplomatic assignment in the world, and the toughest to fill. Three months before sovereignty is restored in Iraq, the Bush administration is still looking for an ambassador to replace L. Paul Bremer III as the chief American political presence in Baghdad.
[Link to Full Article]
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, March 30, 2004 Iraqis training for leadership positions within the new Iraqi Ministry of Defense told reporters here today they look forward to building a military that transcends ethnic and political differences to protect Iraq's people and its constitution.
About 25 Iraqi civilian and military officials are in Washington attending a three-week workshop to help prepare them for yet-to-be-determined positions within the new defense ministry.
[Link to Full Article]
SEWELL CHAN; The Washington Post
[...] In the northern city of Mosul, the governor of Nineveh province, Ghanem Basso, resigned Monday after officials with the U.S.-led occupation authority questioned him about possible corruption, a senior U.S. official said in Baghdad. "It is our understanding that the governor resigned rather than contest the charges," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. He said no charges were brought and did not provide details of the allegations.
[Link to Full Article]
Christian Science Monitor
BAGHDAD - A month ago, suicide car bombings appeared to be Iraq's greatest security problem. In recent weeks, there's been a sharp spike in targeted assassinations of both foreigners and locals - including a failed attempt Sunday on Iraq's minister of public works - working with the coalition. And in recent days, firefights and roadside bombs have been on the rise again.
[Link to Full Article]
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Tuesday, March 30, 2004
BAGHDAD Army and Air Force Exchange Service concessionaires and haji shops are selling counterfeit products on U.S. bases in Iraq, even though AAFES says the selling of knockoff merchandise is not authorized.
Counterfeit products ranging from fake watches to bootleg DVDs are on sale at U.S. military bases all over Iraq. [...]
We mentioned last week that The History Channel will air the mini-series "Band of Brothers" in April. The following article indicates that the broadcast will incorporate interviews with recent veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Nice touch.
[Link to Full Article]
By Willis Witter
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
BAGHDAD Contributions of clothes and toys from Americans to poor Iraqi children have swamped flights of military mail into Baghdad, forcing officials to scramble for ways to handle an influx of generosity that no one had anticipated.
[Link to Full Article]
Here is an article that includes some updates to some of the stories posted today.
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Gunmen opened fire Sunday on a convoy carrying Iraq's minister of public works, killing a driver and a bodyguard and injuring two others, the U.S.-led coalition said. The minister, Nisreen Berwari, was unharmed.
In another attack in the same city, Mosul, gunmen killed a Briton and a Canadian who were working as security guards for foreign electrical engineers at a power station. The ambush appeared to be part of a campaign to undermine U.S.-led reconstruction efforts in Iraq.
WaPo carries an article that mentions an additional attack on an Iraqi minister in Mosul on Sunday.
[Link to Full Article] (Registration required)
By Karl Vick
Washington Post Foreign Service
BAGHDAD -- Ambushes in the northern city of Mosul on Sunday killed two foreign civilians and two bodyguards assigned to an Iraqi minister who survived an attack on her convoy later in the day. [...]
[Link to Full Article]
By Andrew Marshall
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Guerrillas fired rockets at the city hall building in Mosul on Saturday, killing two people and wounding 13, in another deadly attack on Iraqis working with U.S.-led occupation forces.
[Link to Full Article]
By Sgt. 1st Class Donald Sparks
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, March 25, 2004) -- When I was asked to write an editorial reflecting on the one-year anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom, initially I thought it would be too easy to transfer my thoughts to my fingers -- yet this piece was a struggle.
[Link to Full Article] (Registration required)
By JOHN F. BURNS and THOM SHANKER
BAGHDAD, Iraq, March 25 With fewer than 100 days to go before Iraq resumes its sovereignty, American officials say they believe they have found a legal basis for American troops to continue their military control over the security situation in Iraq.
Winds of Change has published its latest Winds of War briefing highlighting recent developments in the war on terror, including Iraq.
[Link to Full Article]
VOA News
A roadside bomb blast and a brief gunfight in the Iraqi town Fallujah have left at least two civilians dead and four people wounded, including two U.S. soldiers. [...]
Hours later, in northern Iraq, two bombs exploded in the town of Mosul. Iraqi police said at least three policemen were wounded in one of the roadside blasts. They said the second explosion damaged a U.S. military vehicle and wounded its Iraqi driver.
[Link to Full Article]
(Registration required, or use "laexaminer" for both username and password)
By Esther Schrader, Times Staff Writer
Flushed and sweating, Leonard Bentley is shaken.
The 21-year-old Army specialist has just watched six fellow soldiers fall to bullets from an unseen gun. He is being taunted in Arabic by an angry mob. Helicopters hum overhead, mortar fire is exploding around him, a turbanned kid has brazenly stolen his stores of food and water and his commander is nowhere to be seen.
[Link to Full Article]
By Spc. Lorie Jewell
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, March 24, 2004) Senior Army leaders gave emphatic assurances that efforts to transform the Army and properly equip the current force fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan are at top speed during their recent testimony to the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Airland. [...]
[Link to Full Article]
By Ali Jasim
BAGHDAD, Iraq (Reuters) - Insurgents shot and killed 11 Iraqi police and police trainees in two daylight attacks Tuesday, the latest deadly strikes against Iraqis working with the U.S.-led occupation. [...]
And in Mosul, Iraq's third largest city in the far north of the country, a mortar attack on an Iraqi military base killed two Iraqi civilians and wounded six, local officials said.
[Link to Full Article] (Registration required)
By Christine Spolar
Tribune foreign correspondent
BAGHDAD -- From the ashes of abandoned Iraqi army bases, U.S. military engineers are overseeing the building of an enhanced system of American bases designed to last for years.
Last year, as troops poured over the Kuwait border to invade Iraq, the U.S. military set up at least 120 forward operating bases. Then came hundreds of expeditionary and temporary bases that were to last between six months and a year for tactical operations while providing soldiers with such comforts as e-mail and Internet access.
[Link to Full Article]
By Michele Chabin, Special for USA TODAY
JERUSALEM More than 200,000 Palestinians crowded the streets of Gaza City on Monday for the funeral of Sheik Ahmed Yassin and vowed revenge against Israel for killing the founder of the terrorist group Hamas. [...]
In Mosul, the third-largest city of U.S.-occupied Iraq, about 500 students protested the killing, burning Israeli and U.S. flags.
Photos of the demonstration here, here, here, and here.
[Link to Full Article] (Registration required)
By Rajiv Chandrasekaran and Robin Wright
Washington Post Foreign Service
IRBIL, Iraq -- Leaders of Iraq's two largest militias have provisionally agreed to dissolve their forces, according to senior U.S. and Iraqi officials. The move is a major boost to a U.S. campaign to prevent civil war by eliminating armed groups before sovereignty is handed over to an interim Iraqi government on June 30, the officials said.
Winds of Change has published its latest Winds of War briefing highlighting recent developments in the war on terror, including Iraq.
[Link to Full Article]
By Khaled Yacoub Oweis
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric has urged the United Nations not to endorse the country's interim constitution, his office says, raising a potentially grave obstacle to U.S. plans to hand power to Iraqis on July 1. [...]
An Iraqi security guard was shot dead and three were wounded in the northern city of Mosul as they walked to work, Iraqi security officials said. A civilian was also wounded.
An editorial that briefly mentions the Stryker Brigade.
[Link to Full Article]
By Andrew Apostolou
One year after Coalition forces began the liberation of Iraq, there is a rush to judge how the U.S.-led project of creating a democratic society is faring. Too many commentators set unfair standards, refusing to acknowledge that Iraq is a failed state with little record of successful government, located in the intolerant and repressive Islamic Middle East, not democratic Scandinavia. Viewed in context, Iraq is a success, although not an unqualified one. Above all, nobody who has seen the torture chambers and the destroyed Kurdish villages, can call the war a "catastrophic mistake."
[Link to Full Article]
Christopher Torchia
Associated Press
Baghdad, Iraq - The first anniversary of the start of the war that ousted Saddam Hussein was a day like many others in Iraq: a mortar attack in a northern city, an attempt to kill a politician and news of a U.S. Marine cut down by rebel fire. [...]
Insurgents fired four mortar rounds at the offices of a Kurdish political party in the northern city of Mosul but missed and killed a driver on a nearby street, Iraqi police said. Guards fired at the rebels; three party members and a passer-by were wounded in the shootout.
[Link to Full Article]
Greg LaMotte, Cairo
21 Mar 2004
American soldiers and Iraqi civilians were barraged by rockets on Sunday that killed at least two Iraqis and wounded a U.S. soldier. [...]
Also Sunday, a bomb exploded at an Iraqi police station north of Baghdad. At least one policeman was killed and two others were wounded. And a roadside bomb exploded near a U.S. convoy in the northern city of Mosul, injuring a municipal worker.
Since there has been some discussion of sand fleas on the bulletin board, here's an article worth reading. On the right-hand side of the article are some prevention tips.
[Link to Full Article]
By Lisa Burgess, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Saturday, March 20, 2004
ARLINGTON, Va. About 500 soldiers who have served in Iraq have been diagnosed with a skin disease caused by sand flies in the largest outbreak of leishmaniasis faced by the U.S. military since World War II, according to Defense Department doctors.
[Link to Full Article]
by Lorne Cook
Baghdad - Attacks on civilians and US-led coalition troops continued in Iraq amid warnings of "some really bad days to come," as the country marked the first anniversary of the war to oust Saddam Hussein.
[Link to Full Article]
Elise Labott, CNN Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein seems to think he is smarter than his captors, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said Thursday.
For the first anniversary of the Iraq war Defend America has put together a photo slide show.
One more small step...
[Link to Full Article]
Laurie Kassman
Amman, 18 Mar 2004
The first class of Iraqi military trainees graduated Thursday from a two-and-a-half-month course for platoon and company commanders in Jordan.
Military history fans will want to read a new article from AFIS that recounts the two "Thunder Runs" by the 3rd Infantry Division into the heart of Baghdad. The LA Times ran an article a while back that described the operation in greater detail, but you have to pay to get the piece from its archives now (Murdoc found a link to the full article. Thanks!)
[Link to Full Article]
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, March 18, 2004 The "Thunder Runs" of the war in Iraq seemed to come from nowhere. One day the fighting was far to the south, and seemingly the next, soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division were liberating Baghdad.
Interesting press release from CENTCOM that highlights some of the coalition's achievements in Iraq over the past year.
UPDATE: Defend America has published a similar list that includes more detail.
Winds of Change has posted its latest Winds of War briefing, with an in depth section on recent events in Iraq.
[Link to Full Article]
By MICHAEL BARBER
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
The bulk of Washington state's 81st Armored Brigade is either en route or in Kuwait preparing to enter Iraq, the National Guard said yesterday.
The 3,600-member 81st, one of the nation's 15 National Guard "enhanced readiness" or E-brigades, was federalized last November to enter the rotation for service in Iraq. Most of its troops, about 2,000, have been training at and will be sent from the U.S. Army National Training Center in the Mojave Desert at Fort Irwin, Calif.
Lorraine sent this article about some of the television reporters embedded with troops during the beginning of the war. Will there be embedded reporters in future conflicts?
[Link to Full Article]
BY VERNE GAY, STAFF WRITER
March 18, 2004
A year ago today, ABC News "embed" Mike Cerre was poised on the Iraqi border with Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Division - or "Fox 2/5" in military shorthand - and about to become one of the few and the proud to change television history.
DefendAmerica has a new photo essay of the distribution of school supplies in Iraq by an Air Force unit. There is a soldier with the Stryker Brigade that is conducting a similar effort in Mosul.
[Link to Full Article] (Registration required)
By J. Michael Kennedy, Times Staff Writer
MOSUL, Iraq The police officers piled out of their van, machine guns at the ready, as they scanned the busy street for any sign of the assassins who had killed three of their own less than an hour before.
The Seattle Times has a comprehensive section on its website examining the U.S presence in Iraq one year later, including articles, photos and local events marking the anniversary.
[Link to Full Article] (Registration required)
By Karl Vick
Washington Post Foreign Service
MOSUL, Iraq, March 16 -- A few hours before being cut down in a city they had come to help, five American aid workers paid a call on the U.S. military base at the edge of Mosul.
[Link to Full Article]
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky., March 17, 2004 One year ago today, the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) was at Camp New Jersey, the division's holding area in Kuwait, awaiting orders to move north and cross into Iraq at the onset of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Here's an additional article about the recent civilian attacks in Iraq.
[Link to Full Article]
By Carol Rosenberg
Knight Ridder Newspapers
BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. forces on Tuesday airlifted to Germany the sole survivor of an attack on an American humanitarian mission that killed her four fellow Christian missionaries Monday evening. The team was in northern Iraq to plan a water-purification project and "share God's love with the Iraqi people." [...]
An Iraqi woman translator working for the United States military was shot dead and her father badly wounded in an attack in the northern city of Mosul.
They said the woman had been on her way to work at the main US military base in Mosul when her car came under small arms fire in the city's northern suburb of al-Muthanna.
[Link to Full Article]
By CHANTAL ESCOTO
The Leaf-Chronicle
Not only did the 101st Airborne Division leave northern Iraq a better place by helping to rebuild the Ninevah province, but the division has a lasting legacy with a street named after the Screaming Eagles.
In an unprecedented show of public support, the Provincial Governor and Council announced last week a main thoroughfare in Mosul will be renamed the 101st Airborne Division Street.
Here's more information on the attack in Mosul yesterday.
[Link to Full Article]
By EMERY P. DALESIO
Associated Press Writer
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)--Four Southern Baptist missionaries killed in Iraq were remembered as ``people who just had a great heart for helping people out.''
Unidentified assailants attacked a car with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades Monday, killing the missionaries who were trying to find a way to provide clean water in the northern city of Mosul.
[Link to Full Article]
By Maher al-Thanoon
MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - Gunmen opened fire on a vehicle carrying U.S. civilians in the northern city of Mosul on Monday, killing three and wounding two in the latest deadly attack targeting foreigners in Iraq.
[Link to Full Article]
Associated Press, Baghdad
In another northern city, Mosul, assailants fired several mortar shells at a police station early Monday. The shells failed to hit any buildings, but lightly injured a civilian and damaged some cars outside the station.
Time magazine has a lengthy section in its upcoming issue examining Iraq one year later. Mosul is mentioned in the beginning of this particluar article.
[Link to Full Article]
By TERRY MCCARTHY/MOSUL
Talal al-Jalili's life these days is somewhere between a dream and a nightmare. The newly appointed dean of political science at Mosul University says he "lives like a prince," taking home more than $1,000 a month, about five times what he made last year. But he has the dean's job only because his predecessor, Abdul Jabbar Mustafa, was taken at gunpoint from his house on New Year's Eve and shot twice in the head in one of a series of political assassinations in the northern Iraqi city that police have been unable to solve.
[Link to Full Article]
Associated Press
March 13, 2004
WASHINGTON - The Army is spread so thin around the globe that when it needs fresh combat troops for Iraq this fall it will have little choice but to call on the same soldiers who led the charge into Baghdad last spring.
[Link to CENTCOM Press Release]
March 12, 2004
Release Number: 04-03-33
MOSUL, Iraq - For the first time in history, women in Mosul, Iraq, were able to join the rest of the world in celebrating International Women's Day Monday. International Women's Day, commemorated by the United Nations in 1911, serves as a day to recognize coordinated efforts of women everywhere for equal rights and political and economic equality.
[Link to CENTCOM Press Release]
March 11, 2004
Release Number: 04-03-31
MOSUL, Iraq - Iraqi policemen from the Mosul area met with soldiers from the U.S. Army's 503rd Military Police Battalion Wednesday to thank them for their assistance in providing security and stability in northern Iraq over the past year.
[Link to Full Article]
By Larry Neumeister
The Associated Press
NEW YORK An American citizen was arrested today on charges she acted as an Iraqi spy before and after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, accepting $10,000 for her work, prosecutors said today.
I wanted to link to this article because it mentions Samarra.
[Link to Full Article]
By Jim Krane
Associated Press
TIKRIT, Iraq Fresh U.S. troops arriving in northern Iraq will find themselves fighting a different sort of war, with fewer Iraqi-led assaults on U.S. personnel and more foreign-led attacks on Iraqi civilians, a top U.S. commander said Wednesday.
Winds of Change has published its latest Winds of War briefing with links to, and analysis of, the war on terror. There's a section devoted to the latest developments in Iraq.
[Link to Full Article]
StrategyPage
March 9, 2004: There's a war going on in Iraq. Who's winning? Hardly anyone noticed, but U.S. troops aren't losing. American casualties have been steadily declining since they peaked last November (414, including 82 dead). The casualties went down to 306 in December, 234 in January and 167 last month. In February there were twenty American soldiers killed in action, or .79 per day. This was the first month, since the war began, that the troops killed fell to less than one a day.
This could be interesting.
(Kuwait City, Kuwait -AP, Feb. 28, 2004 11:30 AM) _ The U.S. military will launch its own news service in Iraq and Afghanistan to send military video, text and photos directly to the Internet or news outlets.
Washington Post reporter Rick Atkinson traveled with Maj. Gen. David Petraeus, commander of the 101st Airborne, during the war in Iraq. He recently published a book titled, "In the Company of Soldiers: A Chronicle of Combat," describing the experience. WaPo has printed excerpts from the book in a three-part series that is very much worth reading (registration required).
Part One - "The Long, Blinding Road to War"
Part Two - "Shifting Sands and Shifting Plans"
Part Three - "After Chaos in the Capital, Losses Climbed"
[Link to Full Article]
Associated Press
Mar. 9, 2004 07:00 AM
MOSUL, Iraq - Seven people were injured Tuesday after a grenade was tossed in a building housing a local governing council, police said.
Police said the attack may have been aimed at several U.S. soldiers who had been in the building earlier, but left before the grenade was thrown. Seven people, including three policeman and four Iraqis were hurt in the blast in the Bab al-Toub local council building. No attackers were caught.
Although women cannot serve in the infantry and certain other military units, many are still seeing combat in Iraq...and holding their own.
[Link to Full Article]
Chuck Yarborough
Plain Dealer Reporter
Tikrit, Iraq - It was hot, and his unit had just finished its lunchtime weave through the concrete maze into the Iraqi police station in Samarra, a town where dump, slums and suburbs are all the same place.
Attackers opened fire on a car carrying two local council members in the Iraqi city of Mosul today, killing one and wounding the other, police said...
In the northern city of Mosul, gunmen fled after firing on the car. Akram Mahmoud Nijim, a member of a local council, was killed and another councillor was wounded.
[Link to Article]
The Associated Press
MOSUL, Iraq (AP) - Insurgents in a car fired rocket-propelled grenades at a police station in northern Iraq on Sunday, and two Iraqi civilians were killed, police and witnesses said.
GlobalSecurity.org has a very useful list of all U.S. ground forces currently deployed to Iraq and the surrounding region (Kuwait & Qatar). The list also details all of the units attached to Task Force Olympia, which the SBCT is a part of. You'll need to scroll down the page to find TFO.
They also have a separate list of ground forces currently deploying to Iraq, including the 81st Armor Brigade (WA National Guard).
One major step forward for democracy in Iraq.
[Link to Full Article]
By MATT MOORE
Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP)--Shiite politicians who delayed the signing of Iraq's interim constitution said Sunday they will sign the document without any changes on Monday, despite concerns of the country's top Shiite cleric.
It is unclear whether bases outside of Baghdad will be affected.
[Link to Full Article] (Registration required)
By John Hendren, Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON Seeking to lower the American profile in Iraq, a top U.S. military commander said Wednesday that he would remove U.S. forces from the palaces of toppled leader Saddam Hussein and had ordered the military to hand over Baghdad's international airport within a year.
[Link to Full Article] (Registration required)
By REUTERS
Published: March 4, 2004
MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - Guerrillas attacked Iraqi police with mortars and rifles in the northern city of Mosul on Thursday, wounding at least two policemen and two civilians, police and witnesses said.
Via Blackfive I found an article about Spc. David McCorkle, an Army reservist attached to the 101st in Mosul. McCorkle started a non-profit charity to help Iraqi children called American Aid for Children of Ninevah, Iraq (AA-CNI). Even though McCorkle is returning to the U.S. soon he is working hard to ensure that donations are distributed in Iraq.
Cheryl sent a reminder that PBS has another Frontline documentary about the war called The Invasion of Iraq. In Seattle it aired last week, but supposedly it is being broadcast in other markets tonight. Check your local PBS listings to see when it airs in your area. If you missed it (sorry!), go the website and explore the information they have there. Many of the key interviews, including a particularly chilling one with a general from the Republican Guard, are available online.
Not much news so far this week, so here are a few links worth exploring:
Winds of War - From Winds of Change. Summary and analysis of recent events in the war on terror.
The Warrior & Who is Defending You? - Both from Sgt. Hook, who is deploying to Afghanistan soon.
Freedom Rock - A tribute to soldiers past and present painted on a rock in rural Iowa. (Thanks to John for the link)
[Link to Full Article]
THE OLYMPIAN - Environment section
"I wanted to send you a photo of a couple of us enjoying the snow that fell (Feb. 24) in Mosul, Iraq," said Cpt. Michael J. McCurty of Stryker Brigade Combat Team. "According to the locals, it was the first snow to fall in Mosul in over 10 years."
The soldiers in the photo are members of the I Corps "Task Force Olympia" from Fort Lewis.
"We are contracting officers working at the Mosul Airfield Contracting Center," McCurty said.
The contracting center provides support to over 10,000 soldiers operating in northern Iraq.
Maj. General David Petraeus, the commander of the 101st Airborne, will be on The Charlie Rose Show tonight. It might be interesting to hear what he has to say about Mosul, and Iraq in general. Follow the link to find the showtimes in your area.
UPDATE: Did anyone else watch this? He really had some interesting things to say.
[Link to Full Article]
Military Operations Continue
By Gerry J. Gilmore; American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 29, 2004 Although it was apparent the Iraqi General Council would miss the U.S.-suggested deadline to establish an interim constitution, IGC member Mawaffak Rubaie asserted late Feb. 28 that the signing of the document is imminent, noting, "Failure is not an option."
This article mentions the SBCT, excerpt below.
I'm starting to feel like a broken record, but I just wanted to remind everyone that Geraldo is still in Iraq. I guess he was in Tikrit or Kirkuk recently and is planning on returning home from Turkey, so perhaps his exit strategy includes Mosul? Follow the link for show times etc.
(Thanks to Lorraine for the reminder)
UPDATE: Lorraine and others confirm that he is in Mosul. Tune in tonight.
Ralph Peters, a columnist and former Army officer, has two pieces this week worth reading. The second mentions the Stryker program specifically.
[Link to Full Article]
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2004 Attacks on U.S., coalition and Iraqi security forces in Iraq will not stop the country's march toward self-governance and democracy, a senior U.S. military officer said today.
I was going to link to a couple items at Jason Van Steenwyk's site Iraq Now, but instead I would recommend you start at the top and scroll down. An Army officer in Iraq preparing to redeploy, Jason has written a number of great entries recently on a wide variety of topics. Check him out.
JIM KRANE; The Associated Press
CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait - Nearly a quarter-million U.S. soldiers are within weeks of passing through this desert kingdom on their way to or from the war in neighboring Iraq, the largest such rotation of American forces in history, according to military planners overseeing the project.
Brian Taylor was a Marine who participated in the initial invasion of Iraq last March. During his time there he kept a journal, excerpts of which he is sharing in a five-part series for OpinionJournal. Here are parts one, two and three. I'll post his subsequent entries over the next couple weeks.
UPDATE: I'm moving this entry back to the top b/c parts four and five are now available.
(via Sparkey)
We wanted to highlight one item from the Winds of War briefing we mentioned below. Capt. Morgan, who is former commander of HHC, 3rd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, has written a lengthy article outlining lessons learned while in Iraq. It is very much worth reading since the SBCT has taken control of the region formerly occupied by the 101st.
By Capt. Daniel Morgan
I have spent eleven months in Iraq fighting this war as a company commander, starting from the berm in Kuwait to Mosul, Iraq. My soldiers and I have learned a tremendous amount of lessons, shared many successes, and witnessed horrific injuries on our fellow soldiers. We never failed to conduct an AAR or hotwash after an operation, despite the success, failure or casualties. I want to share some TTPs and SOPs with as many as possible because this fight ebbs and flows with short, shocking violence that always being prepared becomes more than just a clich. You will never know when you will be attacked it just happens.
Here's the latest Winds of War briefing from the Winds of Change team. Take a look for links to, and analysis of, the latest news in the war on terror.
[Link to Full Article] (Registration required)
By DEXTER FILKINS
Published: February 23, 2004
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb. 22 Iraq's interim leaders said Sunday that they could not negotiate a formal agreement with the American military on maintaining troops in Iraq, and that the task must await the next sovereign Iraqi government.
The delay could put the Americans in the position of negotiating an agreement with leaders they did not appoint on such sensitive issues as when the use of force would be allowed...
Lorraine wanted to remind everyone that Geraldo is still in Iraq. His show is on Saturday and Sunday nights at 10 PM EST, with repeats at 1 AM EST. We're hoping he makes the trip to Mosul.
USA TODAY
February 19, 2004
The U.S. invasion of Iraq may have rolled over Saddam Hussein's forces in a matter of weeks -- but it could be a poor model for future fights, a draft of an Army study of the war warns.
I thought this was an interesting article given that the brigade seems to have adopted at least one mascot of its own.
Sunday Gazette-Mail
February 17, 2004
ST. LOUIS - Yo-ge has made it out of war torn Iraq. So have Cookie, Ratchet and Private.
But to the dismay of Missouri National Guard Pfc. Jeremiah Smith of Fulton, Mo., and scores of other soldiers and Marines, Niki and dozens of others like her have not. And as the clock ticks down, the chances of their survival diminish.
Here's the latest Winds of War briefing from Winds of Change. Head on over for the latest news and analysis of the global war on terror.
MOSUL, Iraq: Two Iraqis were arrested Thursday for carrying a barrel of material suspected to be uranium, a high-ranking police officer told AFP Sunday.
"Iraqi police stopped two Iraqis at a checkpoint north of Mosul. They were carrying a huge quantity of uranium to northern Iraq," said General Hikmat Mahmud Mohamed of the Nineveh province's police department.
We heard a while back that Geraldo Rivera was going to be in Iraq, possibly visiting Mosul and the SBCT. Lorraine sent us a heads up that he will be broadcasting Saturday and Sunday from Iraq, although it doesn't say where. Tune in and find out...and pray that he doesn't draw any more maps in the sand.
[Link to Full Article] (Registration required)
By THOM SHANKER
Published: February 12, 2004
WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 A complacent Saddam Hussein was so convinced that war would be averted or that America would mount only a limited bombing campaign that he deployed the Iraqi military to crush domestic uprisings rather than defend against a ground invasion, according to a classified log of interrogations of captured Iraqi leaders and former officers.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A convoy carrying Gen. John Abizaid, the commander of all U.S. forces in the Middle East, was attacked Thursday during a visit to Iraqi defense forces in Fallujah, U.S. officials told CNN.
Attackers fired on the convoy with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades as it entered a military compound near Fallujah.
Donald Sensing takes a look at recent events in Iraq and draws some interesting conclusions about the continuing insurgency. Excerpt:
On the matter of national will, Zarqawi's letter seems clearly to indicate that al Qaeda's leadership is recognizing they cannot outlast us.Neither can they overpower us. The core purpose of military operations is to compel, not persuade, your enemy to conform to your will. Through attrition, maneuver of forces, political processes, psyops and civil affairs, al Qaeda is discovering it is being checked at almost every turn, starting with the fact that 70 percent of its leaders known to America are dead or captured. Their first team is pretty much off the field and the benchers trying to carry on aren't up to the job. They don't have the personal renown of the terrorists who have been killed or captured, and among the societies they most need assistance from, personal reputation is extremely important. But they are virtual unknowns for the most part.
Let's hope he's right.
[Link to Full Article] (Brief registration required)
By Thomas E. Ricks
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, February 8, 2004; Page A01
As the insurgency in the Sunni Triangle was heating up last fall, Lt. Col. Steve Russell was dealing with a new wave of attacks in which bombers were using the transmitters from radio-controlled toy cars: They would take the electronic guts of the cars, wrap them in C-4 plastic explosive and attach a blasting cap, then detonate them by remote control.
Interested in reading first-hand accounts from soldiers stationed around the world, including Iraq? Citizen Smash has a complete roundup of military bloggers that is worth exploring. Many of them are already listed on our links page, but there are a few I didn't know about.
According to this Associated Press report, Task Force Olympia has released a statement regarding the explosion in Sinjar.
Monday, February 09, 2004
Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq A man wearing an explosives belt blew himself up Monday outside the home of two tribal leaders who have cooperated with American forces. Two U.S. soldiers were killed while disposing of explosives in northern Iraq...
It is unclear whether any SBCT soldiers were involved in this incident. Let us know if you find any additional details in the news.
The Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq Feb. 9 Two U.S. soldiers were killed and six wounded Monday during an explosion while troops were trying to dispose of explosives, a U.S. officer said.
The blast occurred near Sinjar near Mosul, Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt told reporters. Kimmitt said the explosion appeared to have been an accident and not a result hostile action.
By Joe Burlas
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Feb. 6, 2004) -- Despite the misconception of some members of Congress and the media who have raised the issue in recent weeks, the Army is meeting Central Commands requirements for up-armored Humvees for operations in Iraq and doing it in a timely manner, according to Maj. Gen. N. Ross Thompson III, commanding general for the Armys Tank-automotive and Armaments Command.
Today Winds of Change publishes both its "Winds of War" and "Iraq Report" updates. Head on over for links to, and analysis of, the latest developments in the war on terror and the situation in Iraq.
This week Rich Galen, a DOD consultant in Iraq, makes a visit to Fallujah.
Monday, February 9, 2004 (Mosul):
A US military convoy came under attack in central Mosul on Sunday.
Eyewitnesses claimed three US soldiers were injured when an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) detonated. But there was no confirmation of casualties from the US military.
There was some discussion on the bulletin board that the upcoming PBS Frontline documentary "Beyond Baghdad" might include some coverage of the Stryker Brigade in Mosul. The feature airs this Thursday, February 12th at 9 PM. Visit the show's website (link above), or view the press release for additional information. Check your local PBS station's schedule here for exact times.
There was some discussion on the bulletin board that the upcoming PBS Frontline documentary "Beyond Baghdad" might include some coverage of the Stryker Brigade in Mosul. The feature airs this Thursday, February 12th at 9 PM. Visit the show's website (link above), or view the press release for additional information. Check your local PBS station's schedule here for exact times.
In his most recent photo essay, Kevin Sites profiles Wisam Rady, a former artist for Saddam's regime. Viewing the capture of Saddam on television inspired Rady to create a new series of paintings that are a drastic departure from his work glorifying the ex-dictator. After viewing the photographs, scroll down to read his full story.
The Wall Street Journal has a very interesting article today regarding civilian Halliburton employees that agree to work for a year in Iraq. Unfortunately, you need a subscription to read the entire article, but I've included a few excerpts below.
[Link to Full Article] (Subscription required)
By RUSSELL GOLD
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
HOUSTON -- In a shuttered J.C. Penney store here, more than 500 job recruits sat at long tables and leafed through packets of information. John Watson, a staffing supervisor for Halliburton Co., welcomed them with a somber introduction.
Blogger Phil Carter examines the Improved Explosive Device ("IED") problem facing U.S. troops in Iraq and what measures they are taking to combat the situation. He provides a number of links to informative articles as well.
Winds of Change has posted their regular update on the war on terror with links to, and analysis of, recent developments.
News is a bit sparse today, but sapperwife sent an article that you music fans might be interested in.
By Lee Elder
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Army News Service, Feb. 4, 2004) -- Like many Americans, country songwriter Dave Gibson was glued to the television and the Internet the Sunday morning when the world learned of Saddam Husseins capture.
I thought to myself, Somebody ought to write a song about this, said Gibson, a former front man for the famed country act, the Gibson/Miller Band.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz held a press conference during which he addressed the current situation in Iraq, including the handover of authority in Mosul and the capabilities of the Stryker vehicle. Excerpt:
I've seen the handover issues first-hand both up in Mosul and here in Kirkuk. It's like wrenching a limb away I think to take these good guys out for the people here, but I feel very very good about the thought that's gone into the handover already and the fact that we're able to go around with the successor commanders right next to the people that are leaving. I think before long they'll say - who was Odierno? And who was Petraeus? But we won't forget you. [Laughter]
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
VILLAGE OF HOPE, Iraq, Feb. 3, 2004 Who got new homes and how they came to be was the big news Feb. 2 at this village near Mosul.
A total of 18 families representing all ethnic and religious groups received new homes during a ceremony at the aptly named Village of Hope.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (Jan. 29, 2004)I told the two Iraqi males to get in the back of the truck, said Capt. Juan David Pena, displaying concern for the property of two innocent strangers while in the midst of commandeering their truck at gunpoint during an anti-Coalition ambush of Penas small reconnaissance convoy.
The latest edition of the Winds of War has been posted over at Winds of Change. Check it out if you're interested in recent news and analysis regarding the war on terror.
Rich Galen is a communications consultant working for the DOD in Iraq. Essentially he is helping to highlight the coalition's successes. He also writes a weekly column detailing his activities during the past week. His entry this week is titled, "G.I. Janes & G.I. James." For a unique perspective on recent events in Iraq, go explore Rich's column archive.
By Karen Jowers
Times staff writer
Television coverage of Super Bowl XXXVIII begins in the middle of the night in Iraq and Afghanistan, but plenty of U.S. troops will be watching.
The game between the Carolina Panthers and the New England Patriots will be broadcast live in all corners of the war zones, including Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Djibouti, said Joe Pettoni, the Armys Morale, Welfare and Recreation manager for the theater.
UPDATE: Greyhawk, who is on active duty in Germany, has a great Super Bowl post over at his blog. He also mentions The Fallen Heroes Fund, a charitable organization supported by the NFL.
[Link to Full Article]
(No Strykers were involved)
By VIJAY JOSHI, Associated Press
MOSUL, Iraq (AP) - A car bomb targeting a police station in Iraq's third largest city killed nine people and injured 45 others Saturday, while three American soldiers died when a roadside bomb ripped through their convoy near the oil-rich city of Kirkuk.
Witnesses in Mosul, Iraq's major northern city, said what appeared to be a suicide attacker drove through a security barricade in front of the police station before blowing up his vehicle outside the building. Officials confirmed a car bomb but wouldn't say if it was a suicide attack.
Here's a transcript of the online discussion with Hal Bernton of the Seattle Times from earlier today.
Seattle Times reporter Hal Bernton, who just returned from a trip to Iraq, will be featured in an hour-long online discussion Friday, January 30th at noon PST. Follow this link for more information or to submit a question.
I was glad to see that Congress recently boosted funding of the Commander's Emergency Response Program (CERP) in Iraq.
By Dan Murphy, Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
BAGHDAD In November, the deadliest month for US soldiers in the occupation of Iraq, angry and sometimes desperate calls began streaming back to the US from commanders, complaining that the government wasn't giving them what they needed to battle an intensifying insurgency.
Associated Press
OLYMPIA, Wash. The deployment of the 81st Armored Brigade of the Washington National Guard to the Middle East will begin next month, officials have announced.
Patti, whose son is currently serving in Iraq, maintains two websites you might like to visit. A Soldier's Blog is dedicated to providing news from Iraq, while Soldier's Angels aims, "to provide aid and comfort to any and all armed forces and their families." Keep up the great work Patti!
We'll add these to our links page for future reference.
Patti, whose son is currently serving in Iraq, maintains two websites you might like to visit. A Soldier's Blog is dedicated to providing news from Iraq, while Soldier's Angels aims, "to provide aid and comfort to any and all armed forces and their families." Keep up the great work Patti!
We'll add these to our links page for future reference.
According to his website:
Kevin Sites is a freelance solo journalist currently on assignment for NBC News in Iraq, but this site is a personal website not affiliated with or funded by NBC News...Sitess war blog [uses] text, digital images and audio to provide readers with a more intimate behind-the-scenes look at the people of Iraq, the war and how it was being covered.
He has some amazing photo essays of his time in Iraq, including one from Samarra published a month before the Strykers arrived there. Go explore.
Seattle Times reporter Hal Bernton is leaving Iraq, but he filed this interesting story about an Iraqi exile returning to his homeland. He lived in Seattle prior to his return.
By Hal Bernton
Seattle Times staff reporter
QAL'AT SUKKAR, Iraq The daily livestock auction is a roadside affair. A collection of scruffy sheep and goats appears at the highway intersection, led by a clutch of farmers eager to deal.
This article from the WaPo gives a very nice summary of military progress in Iraq over the past few months.
[Link to Full Article] (brief registration required)
By Thomas E. Ricks and Liz Spayd
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, January 23, 2004; Page A01
MOSUL, Iraq -- Senior U.S. commanders say they are making progress toward defeating insurgents in Iraq, but caution that political disputes over the country's path to sovereignty could prolong or worsen security problems, according to a range of interviews with military officials.
According to Phil Carter, the Transportation Security Administration has issued new guidelines which allow family members of soldiers arriving from, and departing to, Iraq to proceed past the security checkpoints at airports in order to maximize their time together. Small gesture, but a nice one.
Now that the Stryker Brigade is assuming control in the Mosul region, you might be interested in browsing an archive of news stories from the 101st's time there. Kali, who sent me the link, said it eased her mind a bit to learn more about the tremendous progress that has been made in the area.
If you really want to dig into the details, the 101st has published 55 Iraqi Destiny Newsletters since it entered the country last April. That should keep you busy.
Deb sent a graphic she created using a map of Mosul with an overlay of a black and white satellite photo of the palace. Click on the link below to see a full-size version. Thanks!
I'm always impressed by the wealth of information provided by GlobalSecurity.org. Today I found a section devoted to information about all of the U.S. military's facilities in Iraq. Here's an introduction, followed by a complete list. If you know where your loved one is located, simply click the name on the list to learn more about the facility, including photos and maps if available.
By Lisa Burgess, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Tuesday, January 13, 2004
ARLINGTON, Va. Working full-tilt, nine contractors have finished crafting 160,000 Interceptor body armor vests, and the equipment is now en route to units preparing to deploy to Iraq and a central distribution point in Kuwait, according to Army officials.
CJTF7 Press Release
MOSUL, Iraq Amid preparations for redeployment, the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) hosted its final meeting of the Tigris River Valley Commission at the Qayyarah West Airfield in northern Iraq Jan. 17.
Here are some interesting biblical facts about Iraq that were forwarded to me by a reader.
January 16, 2004
TONIGHT'S FOCUS: The final part of Nightline's week-long series: "Report from Iraq." Tonight Ted Koppel tours a Baghdad that few ever see with a man known around the world by his pseudonym and by his internet diary. Seeing Iraq through the eyes of the Baghdad Blogger--tonight....
NYT reporter Eric Schmitt makes a visit to Freedom Rest, the Army's R&R depot in Baghdad. Excerpts:
Called Freedom Rest, it offers a sauna, outdoor swimming pool, 100-seat movie theater, weight rooms and 24-hour food service, including T-bone steaks and lobster. In the renovated marble lobby with glass chandeliers glistening overhead, uniformed attendants sweep up cigarette butts and serve cold drinks...The Army has long provided rest and relaxation escapes to improve morale for troops on extended assignments. With virtually all soldiers in Iraq now pulling yearlong tours, the Army sensitive to potential recruiting and retention problems has one of its most ambitious programs ever to keep soldiers' spirits high...
Still, after nights of rocket and mortar attacks, some soldiers say it is hard to break old habits of scanning the hotel rooftop for snipers or momentarily panicking when they don't find their weapons by their sides at bedtime.
"Last night," said Sgt. William Schramm, 25, of Lancaster, Wis., "it was so quiet I could barely sleep."
Let's hope there's one up north.
January 14, 2004
TONIGHT'S FOCUS: Part three in Nightline's week-long series: "Report from Iraq." Tonight Ted Koppel tours Baghdad's American controlled "green zone" and the more chaotic neighborhoods outside of this sphere of safety. It is a tour that illustrates how far Iraq has come since the Saddam Hussein regime was toppled--and how far it still has to go to bring Baghdad's five million residents the quality of life they seek.
The folks at Winds of Change link to us, so we link back. Joe Katzman has a great entry focusing on counterinsurgency techniques in tribal societies, which are crucial for our success in Iraq and Afghanistan. As Joe points out, the Stryker Brigade's recent operations in Samarra illustrate one successful approach.
Nightline News
Tuesday, Jan. 13
Ted Koppel reports tonight with the 82nd Airborne Division in Fallujah, Iraq. The 82nd is responsible for searching out men carrying out anti-American violence. Last night Nightline went along on one particular raid looking for three men involved in the downing of a Black Hawk Helicopter last week.
Since ABC did a special on the Strykers last time, I hope they incorporate some coverage with this report. I have no further information other than this series runs all week.
Nightline News
Tuesday, Jan. 13
Ted Koppel reports tonight with the 82nd Airborne Division in Fallujah, Iraq. The 82nd is responsible for searching out men carrying out anti-American violence. Last night Nightline went along on one particular raid looking for three men involved in the downing of a Black Hawk Helicopter last week.
Since ABC did a special on the Strykers last time, I hope they incorporate some coverage with this report. I have no further information other than this series runs all week.
Another NYT reporter, John Burns, has a great profile of Lt. Gen. Sanchez, commander of all allied forces in Iraq. Sanchez discusses his background as well as the remaining challenges for U.S. forces in Iraq. Excerpt:
"It's about gaining and retaining the consent of the people," General Sanchez said to the officers who gathered in front of a satellite map of the Abu Saida area in the dim interior of the command post. "That's what we're here for, fighting a war, and building a nation."
It is a task that General Sanchez believes is within grasp. In a conversation at his headquarters in the Republican Palace in Baghdad a few days before the trip to Abu Saida, he said that despite the scale of warfare that has disappointed and even shocked many Americans, allied forces here could fail only if the political will of the United States faltered. "I really believe that the only way we are going to lose here, is if we walk away from it like we did in Vietnam," he said. "If the political will fails, and the support of the American public fails, that's the only way we can lose."
(article via Just One Minute)
NYT reporter Eric Shmitt wrote an interesting article last week detailing the logistics involved in the upcoming troop rotation in Iraq. Excerpt:
During this rotation, about 110,000 fresh troops will flow into Iraq to replace 125,000 who have been there for about a year. The first 200 returning soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division arrived home this week in Fort Campbell, Ky. Soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division were also heading home, to Fort Bragg, N.C.
At the peak period of overlapping forces, commanders will be able to capitalize on having as many as 200,000 troops in Iraq. But the rotation also poses new risks as American officials say they fully expect guerrillas to try to exploit the transition to new, less experienced troops.
"The shifting focus of their attacks is relentless," said Maj. Gen. Stephen M. Speakes, the senior Army officer here overseeing the troop rotation. "But this will not be a period of vulnerability."
Blogger Phil Carter, along with other observers, thinks that the Army might use this overlap to conduct increased offensive maneuvers in Iraq this spring.
(article via Intel Dump)
It looks like the SBCT Engineers will be able to continue what the 101st has started.
By Spc. Joshua Hutcheson MOSUL, IRAQ (January 11, 2004) - A ceremony was held in the city of Mosul today in honor of the first fiber optic communications network to be laid in Northern Iraq...
I received this information via email and thought I would pass it along. It appears in the Army Times, By Karen Jowers, Times staff writer
An e-mail from a sergeant first class in Iraq looking for ideas to improve Internet access for soldiers in her unit has mushroomed into something far bigger than the sergeant ever imagined...
A 23-year-old soldier from Auburn, Calif. died Wednesday in a mortar attack near Fallujah. He was assigned to the 542nd Maintenance Company, 44th Corps Support Battalion, 593rd Corps Support Group at Fort Lewis.
This story from the komotv web site has a tissue alert.
May Bless his soul and watch over his family.
If you're interested in broader news regarding the war on terror, I highly recommend reading "Iraq Briefing" and "Winds of War" - both regular features from the Winds of Change team.
I like this story. An Iraqi artist used metal from old Saddam sculptures to create a memorial for American soldiers.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A mortar attack on a forward coalition operating base near Balad, Iraq, killed a U.S. soldier and wounded two others, a 4th Infantry Division spokeswoman said Saturday.
Lorraine forwarded a list of coalition accomlishments in Iraq that had some great information. However, since we didn't know the source of the information, we didn't feel like we could post it. I remembered seeing a similar list distributed by the Coalition Provisional Authority ("CPA") a couple months back and I managed to find it on their website.
This information is dated (October), but it gives a good sense of the amazing work U.S. and coalition forces are performing in Iraq. You can read the entire press briefing here, but I'll excerpt it below.
Even though most of us know the Stryker Brigade has been living on the lean and basic side of deployment, this story sheds some light on what may be in store for our troops as their base becomes more operational.
The article we decided to post yesterday regarding Samarra was one man's portrayal of life in Iraq right now. Eric Schmitt with the NYT has a great article in today's paper which offers a different perspective. Without help from organizations like the U.N., U.S. soldiers are being asked to wear many different hats, and doing the job exceptionally. Excerpt:
When First Lt. Ryan Peay reported for duty here in mid-October, his assignment was to call in 105-millimeter artillery strikes on the opposing forces' positions. With major combat in Iraq long over, that job lasted about two days.Instead, Lieutenant Peay, 24, was thrown into the breach as his battalion's civil affairs officer, responsible for hiring the unit's 20 Iraqi interpreters, employing hundreds of Iraqi guards and setting priorities for $1.5 million in requests from local leaders for new wells, schools, hospitals and Internet cafes...
With civilian aid experts still in short supply or scared off by the security threats, the story of Lieutenant Peay and others like him is told hundreds, if not thousands, of times over as the American military continues to shoulder the biggest effort to help a nation restore its civilian society since the end of World War II...
"It's the smile-and-wave campaign," said Maj. Shawn Phillips, 35, of Flemington, N.J., the operations officer for Second Battalion. "You have one hand on your machine gun and the other waving at kids, handing out soccer balls."
Here's a good article discussing troop rotation in Iraq. The Stryker Brigade and other units from Ft. Lewis are mentioned.
For those of you only checking the Stryker Brigade category, I have some related news on my main page regarding the capture of Saddam that you might like to read.
For those of you only checking the Stryker Brigade category, I have some related news on my main page regarding the capture of Saddam that you might like to read.