Current Events: Iraq

Election Preparations Not Disrupted in North-Central Iraq

2005-09-02T16:08:00.000-07:00

By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26, 2005 - Despite continued efforts, insurgents have been unable impact preparations for elections in the north-central region of Iraq, and that region has a strong plan in place for security during elections scheduled in Iraq in October and December, the commander of U.S. operations in the area said today.

U.S. forces have been concentrating on training Iraqi forces, and collectively, a plan has been made for election security that leaves all parties assured, said Army Maj. Gen. Joseph Taluto, commander of Multinational Division North Central and Task Force Liberty.

"We're comfortable with our election security plan," Taluto told reporters in the Pentagon via an audio feed from Forward Operating Base Danger, in Tikrit, Iraq. "We're very focused."

Iraqi leaders in the area are confident about the elections, mainly because they remember the success they had in the Jan. 30 elections, Taluto said. Confidence is also derived from the better equipped and trained Iraqi security forces, a stronger independent electoral commission, and the growing sense of support for the elections among Iraqi citizens, he added.

As the elections draw nearer, insurgent attacks most likely will increase, Taluto said, but U.S. and Iraqi forces are capable of responding and keeping the area secure.

"As the political dialogue continues, our work intensifies," he said. "Our partnerships are strong, and our resolve even stronger. One of the things that makes our soldiers so determined is the considerable effort they see every day by the Iraqi people, their leaders and their security forces."

Training of the Iraqi security forces in the north-central area continues, and Iraqis will soon be able to take a more prominent role in several areas, Taluto said. In some places, Iraqi forces are already conducting virtually all traffic-control points and doing a considerable amount of work on "flash" control points, he added.

"I can say with great confidence that our Iraqi army forces in north-central -- five brigades, 18 battalions -- are doing extremely well," he said.

The recent decline in U.S. public support for the war has not affected the troops on the ground, Taluto said. Despite people's rights to free expression, the American public understands the situation servicemembers face in Iraq, he said.

"They understand that this is a very difficult environment," he said. "It is a tough, tough mission, day in and day out. The focus for these soldiers has got to be on their jobs. We have to stay focused on what it is we're doing."

Terror Suspects Killed, Captured

2005-08-25T15:23:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2005 - Task Force Freedom soldiers killed several terrorists and detained four suspected terrorists in their Iraq areas of operation today and Aug. 24, officials reported today.

The soldiers, from 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment also seized explosives and other materials used to demolish an Iraqi army vehicle in eastern Mosul on Aug. 24. They also confiscated explosives for future destruction and reported no injuries.

Four other individuals suspected of terrorist activity were detained by soldiers from 2nd Squadron, 14th Armored Cavalry Regiment, during separate operations south of Tall Ath Thawr and in Rawah on Aug. 24.

In Baghdad, Iraqi security forces responded to two separate incidents where police and civilians were attacked by anti-Iraq forces on Aug. 24, according to a multinational forces report.

Soldiers with 4th Battalion, 1st Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, tracked and killed two of the attackers and captured another suspect, who had attacked a Baghdad police station with small-arms fire.

In another incident, insurgents armed with rocket-propelled grenades attacked an Iraqi policeman and a civilian in their vehicles. Iraqi police pursued those suspects, killing one attacker.

Iraqi soldiers with 1st Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division, uncovered a 152 mm artillery shell beneath a dirt mound in Mosul.

In a related incident, Iraqi soldiers found 14 artillery rounds one kilometer northwest of the Kirkuk traffic circle.

Coalition aircraft reported flying 52 close-air support and armed reconnaissance sorties on Aug. 24 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom ground troops.

Earlier in the month, Iraqi security forces and Task Force Baghdad soldiers captured a suspected bomb emplacer, three suspected kidnappers and six other terror suspects in a series of combat operations carried out Aug. 20, officials reported.

All 10 suspects were thought to be involved in planning and carrying out numerous attacks against Iraqi civilians, Iraqi security forces and Task Force Baghdad soldiers.

Combined forces from the Iraqi 2nd Public Order Brigade and U.S. soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, worked together to catch a terror suspect preparing to use an improvised explosive device in east Baghdad.

Acting on a tip from an Iraqi citizen, the combined force apprehended the suspect at his house. A search there uncovered a 155 mm artillery shell, TNT, bomb-making materials, detonators, AK-47 assault rifles, a pistol and anti-coalition propaganda.

Acting on another tip, Task Force Baghdad soldiers took three kidnapping suspects into custody for questioning while searching two houses in south Baghdad.

Later, terrorists fired mortar rounds at an installation in south Baghdad. Soldiers on the post responded quickly and saw a white bongo truck fleeing the site where the attack originated. A patrol followed the truck to a house in southwest Baghdad and captured four attackers.

When the soldiers seized two AK-47s, a sub-machine gun and 1,000 rounds of ammunition.

Later, soldiers from the 126th Military Police Company patrolling in the Ghazaliyah district of west Baghdad saw a man firing a weapon out of his vehicle. The MPs stopped and searched the vehicle, and found three fake identification cards, two pistols, two license plates and ammunition. The suspect was taken into custody for questioning.

Coalition forces also raided another terrorist safe house and detained a man believed to be the leader of a terror cell operating in southeast Baghdad.

Based on information provided by an informant, a drug dealer with ties to the insurgency was captured during a U.S. raid in the Taji area on Aug. 7, officials reported Aug 23.

Soldiers from B Company, 1st Battalion, 115th Infantry Regiment, raided three houses based on an Iraqi citizen's tip. The soldiers are assigned to 1st Battalion, 118th Field Artillery, 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division.

U.S. troops found drug paraphernalia and large quantities of narcotics in the first home they searched. Soldiers also found anti-Iraqi forces propaganda in the other two homes and detained two additional men for their suspected participation in terrorist activities.

"Local citizens pointed out someone suspicious to us because they didn't want drug dealers and terrorists in their neighborhood," said Col. David Bishop, commander of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq, U.S. Central Command Air Forces Forward, and Task Force Baghdad news releases.)

Despite Insurgent Efforts, Progress on Iraqi Constitution Continues

2005-08-25T15:20:00.000-07:00

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2005 - Insurgents continued their attempts to derail the democratic process and discredit the Iraqi government this week, a spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq said during a briefing from Baghdad, Iraq, today.

"They continue to target the innocent men, women and children of Iraq with horrific acts of violence," Army Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch said. "Insurgents conducted a complex attack (Aug. 24) against civilians and Iraqi police officers, resulting in the unfortunate death 13 police officers and 27 innocent civilians."

Insurgents entered a home in western Iraq, killed the five occupants, and then blew up the home, Lynch said. Within an hour of that incident and less than a kilometer away, a series of suicide car bombs were detonated, causing damage and the deaths of Iraqi police officers, civilians and one U.S. servicemember. No further information about the U.S. servicemember killed was available.

Insurgents are also striking at Iraqis through the disruption of basic services, Lynch said.

An electrical tower holding two 400-kilovolt transmission lines was brought down by insurgents this week, he said. A short time later, another 400-kilovolt line was cut in another attack.

"These acts, coupled with the aging infrastructure of the electrical system, resulted in massive power failure, as many power plants around the country were not able to adjust to the power surge that resulted," Lynch said. "However, in both cases, the minister of electricity reacted quickly and dispatched assessment teams, followed shortly by repair crews to restore service as fast as possible. The Ministry of Electricity was able to restart many of the shutdown power plants in an efficient, methodical manner by rerouting hydroelectric power from nearby dams."

Local generators provided power for critical services, which helped ensure the constitutional drafting process in Baghdad was not affected. The ministry was also able to reroute power from provinces in the southern part of the country and to import power from neighboring countries. Overall, Lynch said, it was an "impressive display of professionalism and ingenuity" by the Ministry of Electricity.

"It is important to remember that shortages of electricity in Iraq are not only caused by terrorist acts," Lynch said. "They're also the result of an aging infrastructure that is the result of 30 years of neglect and increased demand for electricity across Iraq and a shortage of fuels required to run the generators."

Lynch indicated that all of these issues are being addressed and progress is being made to restore essential services to the people of Iraq.

Progress continues in other areas as well, he said, citing the graduation of more Iraqi security forces.

"This week 3,500 members of the Iraqi security force have graduated from training programs across the country," he said. "This brings the combined strength of the Iraqi army and police forces to almost 184,000 individuals. An additional 11,000 trainees are still enrolled in service academies nationwide."

Additionally, Iraqi security forces are training future Iraqi security force members at some facilities. The Irbil Regional Police Academy is run entirely by the Iraqi police, he said. And Iraqi officers and noncommissioned officers of the first Iraqi field engineer regiment are teaching new soldiers engineering skills at their training base in Taji.

One hundred percent of brigade-level operations this week were combined coalition and Iraqi security force operations, and Iraqi forces continue to show improved combat capabilities, Lynch said.

Those improved operational capabilities led to the capture this week of nine insurgents, including a cell leader and six associates in Mosul. One of the detainees is a Jordanian national with an Iraqi passport who had a video of local nationals being executed.

In Baghdad, Iraqi police discovered 32 mortar rounds buried between two houses. The rounds were transported to a local police station.

Elsewhere in Iraq, police searched an ice truck and found 20 rockets hidden beneath the ice. Iraqi security force reports indicated the rockets were intended to be used in an attack against the government, Lynch said.

This progress with Iraqi security, combined with the political progress made this week, puts Iraq on the right path, he said.

"We've always said that there are two critical paths to the accomplishment of ... an Iraq that is at peace with its neighbors, that has a representative government that respects the human rights of all Iraqis and a security force that can maintain order and deny Iraq as a safe haven for terrorists," Lynch said. "Those two paths are the continued political process and development of a capable Iraqi security force."

Plans to continue the political progress are in place as the constitutional referendum in October approaches, he explained. Drafts of the constitution will be distributed, and conferences and public debates will be encouraged.

"(The Aug. 22) submission of a draft constitution to the Transitional National Assembly was an important step forward in the democratic process and the effort to build a new Iraq," Lynch said. "Iraqi leadership continues to work with all the political factions of the country in an effort to build a document that truly represents all of Iraq and the best interests of its citizens. When the constitution is submitted to the people of Iraq for their consideration, the choice of democracy and freedom will rest firmly in their hands."

Coalition Forces Meet With Successes, Capture Insurgents, Weapons

2005-08-25T15:07:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, Aug. 24, 2005 - Coalition forces in Iraq met with several successes Aug. 23, capturing a known al Qaeda member, several suspected terrorists and weapons, and destroying a terrorist hideout, according to U.S. military officials in Baghdad.

Acting on tips from local Iraqis, coalition forces raided a hideout near Asad and confirmed terrorists were using the location to facilitate operations.

No details were available on the capture of the al Qaeda member. But after coalition forces captured the individual, he told officials about related terrorist activity in the area, which led to the capture of two suspected terrorists. Coalition forces near Asad also captured and destroyed a car bomb and two weapons caches consisting of mortars, rockets and rocket-propelled grenades.

In other news, Iraqi army soldiers captured 15 insurgents in two operations Aug. 23. Iraqi soldiers with the 4th Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division, captured five insurgents believed to be involved in improvised-explosive-device attacks in Dujayl. In nearby Tikrit and Balad, combined operations led to the capture of 10 insurgents suspected of mounting indirect-fire attacks and other attacks against Iraqi security forces.

Elsewhere, Iraqi army soldiers and coalition forces conducting a joint dismounted search of residences in the Hit area Aug. 23 captured suspected five insurgents and improvised explosive device-making materials and equipment.

Iraqi soldiers with 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Iraqi Intervention Force, joined U.S. Marines from 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines, 4th Marine Division, to search an area on the east side of the Euphrates River that earlier was the site of an engagement with insurgents.

In a building from which previous small-arms fire originated, the troops detained five men and found anti-coalition propaganda, cell phones, photos of men carrying weapons, infantry gear, and materials commonly used to make IEDs, including washing machine timers, motorcycle batteries, and wires.

The five detainees tested positive for gunpowder residue and were escorted to Camp Hit for processing and questioning, officials said.

Iraqi security forces and multinational forces from Task Force Freedom detained 27 suspected terrorists in northern Iraq Aug. 23 and today.

- Iraqi army soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, detained three individuals at a checkpoint in Makuk today.
- U.S. soldiers from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, detained four individuals suspected of terrorist activity during a raid in southern Mosul today.
- Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, detained an individual suspected of terrorist activity in northern Mosul.
- Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, detained an individual suspected of terrorist activity in central Mosul today. Weapons were confiscated for future destruction.
- Soldiers from 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment detained two individuals suspected of terrorist activity in Rawah today.
- U.S. soldiers from 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, detained 12 individuals suspected of terrorist activity in southern and eastern Mosul Aug. 23 and today.
- Soldiers from the same unit also wounded three suspected terrorists and seized a weapon from their vehicle while responding to small-arms fire in Mosul Aug. 23. The wounded suspected terrorists were transported to a combat support hospital, and one uninjured suspected terrorist was detained.
"The toll on terror continues to climb as (Iraqi security forces) and (multinational forces) show resolve in tracking down terrorists responsible for attacks against innocent Iraqi citizens," officials from Task Force Freedom said in a release.

In other action, terrorists detonated three car bombs in central Baghdad starting at 3:15 p.m. today, killing and wounding several Iraqi police and civilians. Task Force Baghdad soldiers came under small-arms fire when they tried to help the Iraqi police with security operations after the first explosion. No U.S. deaths or injuries were reported in the three attacks.

In other Iraq news, coalition forces turned over Camp Zulu, in Suwayrah, to the Iraqi army Aug. 21, officials reported today.

This is the first coalition forces camp within the Multinational Division Central South area of responsibility to be turned over to the Iraqi army's 8th Division. The division's 3rd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, will be permanently housed in the camp, which is located about 35 miles southeast of Baghdad.

In the air war over Iraq, coalition aircraft flew more than 50 close-air-support and armed-reconnaissance sorties Aug. 23 in support of coalition troops, infrastructure protection, reconstruction activities, and operations to deter and disrupt terrorist activities, according to U.S. Central Command Air Forces Forward Public Affairs officials.

Coalition aircraft also supported Iraqi and coalition ground operations in creating a secure environment for ongoing Transitional National Assembly meetings.

U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornets and a U.S. Air Force RQ-1 Predator aircraft provided close air support to coalition troops in the vicinities of Ramadi and Tuz Khurmatu, which is about 110 miles north of Baghdad. Ramadi is about 70 miles west of Baghdad on the Euphrates River.

The Predator aircraft's capabilities include providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information to battlefield commanders.

Ten Air Force and Navy intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft flew missions in support of operations in Iraq. U.S. Air Force and British Royal Air Force fighter aircraft also performed in a non-traditional role with their electro-optical and infrared sensors.

(Compiled from news releases provided by Multinational Force Iraq, Task Force Baghdad, Task Force Freedom, Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, and U.S. Central Command Air Forces Forward.)

Iraqi Soldiers, U.S. Marines Kill Two Attacking Insurgents

2005-08-25T15:04:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23, 2005 - Iraqi soldiers and coalition forces killed two insurgents who attacked them in the town of Hit, Iraq, Aug. 22, Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq officials said.

The joint patrol of Iraqi soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Iraqi Intervention Force, and U.S. Marines from 3rd Battalion, 25th Regiment were on a dismounted security patrol when they were attacked. The troops fired two warning shots into the grill and the deck on the driver's side of a truck that was speeding toward them. The truck driver crouched down while the passenger fired a weapon at the patrol.

At that point the joint patrol fired small arms at the vehicle, causing the vehicle to stop about 100 feet past the patrol.

Upon searching the vehicle, soldiers found two dead men and recovered one AK-47 automatic rifle and several spent 7.62 mm casings. The passenger tested positive for gunpowder residue.

In other news, a citizen informant led Iraqi police to a large weapons cache in the Zohour district of Baghdad Aug. 22, officials said.

When police arrived at the location pointed out by the informant, they uncovered 68 mortar rounds buried in a field and delivered them to a local police station.

Officials said this marks the second time in two days that a significant cache was found in the same area. Thirty-two mortar rounds were discovered there on Aug. 21.

Elsewhere, Iraqi Police Service officers delivered two 120 mm rounds of unexploded ordnance they had found on patrol to a police station in Mosul Aug. 22. An Iraqi explosive ordnance disposal team removed the munitions for later disposal.

(Compiled from Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq news releases.)

Iraqis to Take 3 More Days to Resolve Constitutional Issues

2005-08-25T15:00:00.001-07:00

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22, 2005 - Iraq's National Assembly accepted a draft constitution today and will take the next three days to review the document and hammer out remaining differences before voting on it, the assembly spokesman announced today.

Hajim al-Hassani announced just minutes before today's midnight deadline that the assembly had accepted the document from the constitutional drafting committee.

The move came over the objections of Sunni Arabs, who oppose some provisions and have threatened to vote against it during the national referendum if the National Assembly approves the constitution in its current state, according to news reports.

Key sticking points involve federalism, the distribution of Iraq's oil wealth and the role of Islam in the new government, news reports said.

Hassani reflected the Iraqi National Assembly's goal of reflecting all Iraqis' interests in the new constitution. "There is a determination by all parties that there should be a consensus among all parties," he said, noting that the assembly members "will try, God willing, to reach the consensus over some of the points that are still outstanding."

Negotiators worked through the day to come up with a compromise, but as the clock ticked toward midnight, they opted to deliver the draft constitution to the National Assembly.

The Iraqi Transitional Administrative Law had set an Aug. 15 deadline for the National Assembly to approve a draft constitution. However, the Iraqi parliament voted within 20 minutes of that deadline to extend it by seven days, until midnight today, or 4 p.m. Eastern time.

Once the National Assembly approves the draft constitution, it will be put to a national referendum by Oct. 15. If the Iraqi people ratify the constitution, parliamentary elections will be held by Dec. 15 to elect a permanent government.

However, if any three of Iraq's 18 provinces reject the draft constitution by two-thirds or more, the constitution will be defeated.

"Producing a constitution is a difficult process that involves debate and compromise," President Bush acknowledged during a speech earlier today at the Veterans of Foreign Wars' National Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The president noted that the 1787 U.S. Constitutional Convention "was home to political rivalries and regional disagreements," and that the document they ultimately produced "has been amended many times over."

"So Americans understand the challenges facing the framers of Iraq's new constitution," Bush said. "We admire their thoughtful deliberations. We salute their determination to lay the foundation for lasting democracy amid the ruins of a brutal dictatorship."

All Iraq's main ethnic and religious groups cooperated in the project, with all making "the courageous choice to join the political process, ...(to) produce a constitution that reflects the values and traditions of the Iraqi people," the president said.

A democratic constitution, once approved, "will be a landmark event in the history of Iraq and the history of the Middle East," he said.

Iraqi Council Seeks Support for Saddam's Victims' Families

2005-08-25T15:00:00.000-07:00

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22, 2005 - The Iraqi government is working out a plan to establish a commission to bring justice to and restore the rights of tens of thousands of families in Iraq whose loved ones were killed under Saddam Hussein's regime.

Iraq's Ministerial Council has approved a draft law establishing a commission "to take care of the martyrs' families" and redress injustices against them, Laith Kubba, spokesman for Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari, said during an Aug. 21 news conference in Baghdad, Iraq. Kubba defined martyrs as "those who were executed and victims of mass graves and ... political assassinations."

The draft law proposes paying a monthly allotment to affected families, canceling their debts, providing assistance with real estate loans, and giving them plots of land, Kubba said.

"We cannot compensate these families for those who were lost, but we can help them in another way," he said. "We want to do justice to these people, and the government wants to restore their rights. And this will pave the way to hold a national reconciliation to put an end to the mistakes committed in the past."

The Iraqi National Assembly will now consider the draft law, he said.

Another measure approved by the Ministerial Council will provide pensions to Iraqis who served more than 15 years in the old Iraqi army or in government commissions and ministries that have since been disbanded.

Kubba emphasized that those named by the de-Baathification Commission as members of Saddam's Baath Party would not be eligible.

Vehicle Rollover Kills Two Soldiers; Iraqi Officers Find Munitions

2005-08-25T14:56:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22, 2005 - Two 1st Corps Support Command soldiers were killed when their vehicle rolled over during a combat logistics patrol near Tal Afar, Iraq, about 11 p.m. Aug. 21, military officials reported.

The names of the soldiers are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

In other developments, Iraqi police officers on patrol discovered 32 mortar rounds and 20 rockets in two separate incidents in Baghdad Aug. 21, according to a Multinational Force report.

The officers noticed a fresh mound of dirt between two houses in the Zohour district. Upon further investigation, they found 32 mortar rounds buried. The rounds were transported to a local police station.

Elsewhere, Iraqi police were inspecting a truck hauling ice in the New Baghdad area when officers uncovered 20 rockets concealed beneath the ice. The rockets were intended for an attack against a government ministry, officials said.

No injuries or damages were reported in either of these incidents.

In other news from Iraq, Iraqi security forces continue to respond to reports of suspected improvised explosive devices and insurgent activity in the Baghdad area.

Iraqi police officers received a report of a possible car bomb Aug. 21. Police cordoned a pick-up truck at the specified location and secured the immediate area. Police found one rocket launcher and eight rockets in the truck. An Iraqi explosive ordnance disposal team conducted a controlled detonation of the munitions.

Early this morning, Iraqi soldiers and officers from the Iraqi Public Order Brigade conducted two separate raids in Baghdad, resulting in the detention of seven suspected insurgents.

In air-support activities, coalition aircraft flew 50 close air support and armed reconnaissance sorties Aug. 21 for Operation Iraqi Freedom. These missions included support to coalition troops, infrastructure protection, reconstruction activities, and operations to deter and disrupt terrorist activities.

Coalition aircraft also supported Iraqi and coalition ground forces in operations to create a secure environment for ongoing Transitional National Assembly meetings.

U.S. Navy and Marine Corps F/A-18s and a U.S. Air Force Predator provided close air support to coalition troops in the vicinities of Baghdad, Baqubah and Tuz Khurmatu.

Twelve U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and Royal Australian Air Force intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft flew missions in support of operations in Iraq. U.S. Air Force and Royal Air Force fighter aircraft also performed a non-traditional ISR role with electro-optical and infrared sensors.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq, Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, and U.S. Central Command Air Forces Forward news releases.)

Officials in Iraq Report on Past Week's Successes

2005-08-20T20:17:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20, 2005 - The rebuilding effort continues in Iraq, and coalition military officials here today provided a summary of the past week's progress.

Children in a village of Tamim province received school supplies, clothing and toys from the Nahrain Foundation, a nongovernmental organization that focuses on providing proper nutrition, decent clothing and medical supplies to Iraqi women and children. The foundation received its supplies as part of a joint effort between American donations and a coalition forces-run program known as "Operation ProvideSchool Supplies," which accepts donations from private citizens and corporations in the United States.

More than 600 children will return to renovated or rebuilt schools inMaysan province when school starts this fall. This week, renovation on theAl-Eethnar Mud School was completed, and the Al Eethar Mud School was replaced at a cost of $87,000, benefiting 500 students who attend classes there.

Eight newly built schools in Wassit and Babil provinces are receiving new furniture before the start of the school year. Each of the school projects will receive office desks and chairs, file cabinets and new student desks. Collectively, 400 three-student desks will be proportionally divided among the schools, based upon the number of students.

More reconstruction projects in Sadr City started this week, including a $13 million electrical distribution project. When the project is complete, an estimated 128,000 more people will have a reliable source of electricity. The project includes installation of power lines, 3,040 power poles, 80 transformers, 2,400 street lights, and power connections to individual homes, complete with meters.

Construction started on the $3.8 million Al Rayash Electricity Substation project in the Al Daur district of Salah Ad Din province, located between Tikrit and Bayji. The project, expected to be complete in early December, will provide reliable service to 50,000 Iraqi homes and small businesses. An electric distribution and street lighting project in Daquq was completed on Aug. 17, providing new overhead distribution lines and street lighting in the community.

About 2 million people will benefit from the Baghdad trunk sewer line, which was completed this week. Workers cleaned and repaired the Baghdad trunk sewer line and its associated manholes and pumping stations. The $17.48 million project restored principal sewage collection elements in the Adhamiya, Sadr City and Nissan districts of Baghdad, and will provide for the intended sewer flows to the Rustamiya wastewater treatment plant.

Construction is complete on phase one of the $865,000 Basrah courthouse project. This five-phase project is expected to be complete in October. The main courthouse, expected to hold a number of high profile trials, continues to operate during construction. Iraqi subcontractors are working on the project, and employing an average of 70 local Iraqi workers daily.

Iraqi security forces benefited from reconstruction projects this week as well. A patrol station in the Karkh district of Baghdad province was completed, as was a $390,300 border-post project on the Saudi Arabian border. A division headquarters building for the Iraqi Army in Salah Ad Din province was also completed this week. The $7 million project includes a single-story building with a concrete roof and interior office space to accommodate the unit. Additionally, a $2 million firing range in Taji was completed this week.

To accommodate additional detainees, a new prison project was started inKhan Bani Saad, a mountainous municipality in the Baquba district ofDiyala province. The $75 million project will house up to 3,600 inmates. The site is about 550,000 square meters, which includes an educational center, medical facilities and administration buildings. The project will employ about 1,000 Iraqi workers during construction.

In another move that officials said highlights the increasing turnover of security responsibilities to Iraqi forces, generals from Iraqi and coalition forces joined local tribal leaders at a ceremony where Forward Operating Base Dagger in Tikrit, one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces, was officially handed over to the 4th Iraqi Army Division this week.

Iraqi security forces continued training this week. In Taji, Iraqi soldiers completed a Strategic Infrastructure Battalion "train-the-trainer" course. The 90 graduates will go on to serve as instructors at an Iraqi Army training base. A class of future Iraqi army noncommissioned officers graduated from their primary leadership development course on Aug. 15 in Tikrit. Iraqi army unit training also included combat lifesaving, staff training, computer skills and weapons training.

The 1st Iraqi Army Brigade implemented Iraq's first noncommissioned officers academy this week. Iraqi soldiers from the most recent class were the last group to be instructed by the U.S. soldiers who had developed the training. During Saddam's regime, an NCO corps did not exist in the Iraqi army. The class will now be taught by NCOs from the 1st Iraqi Army Brigade, who assisted earlier courses.

Baghdad police continued to demonstrate their capabilities this week. Iraqi Police Service officers in the New Baghdad district conducted a variety of operations, including raids involving over 450 officers. Police confiscated 30 AK-47 rifles, two hand guns and a machine gun during the raids.

They also arrested 30 suspected terrorists, three of whom were targeted in the raids. In addition, police at the Al Khanssa Police Station in Baghdad captured a kidnapper involved in the abduction of a local physician, whose family paid a ransom to have the victim released. Following the arrest, police officers recovered the doctor's vehicle as well as the ransom money paid by his family.

Iraqi soldiers found a weapons cache under a vehicle in Rawah this week. The cache contained two light machine guns and 3,000 rounds of ammunition, nine AK-47 rifles and 500 rounds of ammunition, a NATO machine gun and 200 rounds of ammunition, four concussion grenades, one fragmentary grenade without fuses, and various other ammunition.

Based on two separate tips from Iraqis, coalition forces discovered weapons caches that contained rocket-propelled grenades and two launchers, 16 mortar rounds and a launcher, and five boxes of anti-aircraft ammunition hidden in northwest Baghdad.

Another tip led coalition forces to a large cache of artillery shells in the early hours of Aug. 16. The shells apparently were intended for use as improvised explosive devices. The 25 to 30 individual rounds, located inside a building within Anbar province, were destroyed after security forces confirmed there was no one in the building.

After a local Iraqi identified his neighbors as insurgents, Iraqi soldiers and coalition forces conducted a joint cordon-and-search operation in northwest Fallujah and detained two suspects.

Iraqi security forces killed terrorist Abu Zubair, also known as MohammedSalah Sultan, in an ambush in the northern city of Mosul this week. Zubair, who was wearing a suicide vest when he was killed, was a known member of al Qaeda in Iraq and a lieutenant in Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab Zarqawi's terrorist operations in Mosul. He was being sought for his involvement in a July suicide bombing attack of a police station in Mosul that killed five Iraqi police officers. He also was suspected of resourcing and facilitating suicide bomber attacks against the coalition, Iraqi security forces and Iraqi citizens throughout the country.

(From a Multinational Force Iraq news release.)

Coalition Turns Over More Security Mission to Iraqis

2005-08-20T20:15:00.000-07:00

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 19, 2005 - The coalition turnover of the security mission to Iraqi forces is proceeding apace in the area around Saddam's hometown, said the coalition commander in the area.

Army Maj. Gen. Joseph Taluto, commander of the 42nd Infantry Division and Multinational Division North Central, said that Iraqi security forces are picking up the missions in his region and they are able to take the fight to the insurgents.

Taluto spoke with reporters traveling with Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Myers is in the midst of a 10-day visit to assess troop morale. Taluto commands the coalition forces stretching from the suburbs of Baghdad to the Kurdish areas of the north.

"We have turned over or closed nine forward operating bases (to Iraqi forces)," Taluto said in an interview Aug. 17. "We will soon turn over the palace that has served as our headquarters." The palace on the Tigris River in Tikrit has served as the headquarters for the region since the 4th Infantry Division first went in to the country in the initial liberation.

The general said the nature of the insurgency in his area has remained fairly constant. "It's a multilayered insurgency," he said. At the most fanatical level are the allies of wanted terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

This group encourages foreign fighters to enter the country and launch suicide attacks on coalition forces and - increasingly - on Iraqi civilians in an attempt to foment civil war. Zarqawi is affiliated with al Qaeda and its purported goal is to bring the world back to the 7th century. While primarily foreign, there are Iraqis who support this extremist goal, and provide support and shelter for Zarqawi.

A second layer of the insurgency contains those who lost power when Saddam fell. Former Baath Party members have nothing in common with the Zarqawi extremists, except the need to strike at the coalition. They have an "alliance of convenience" with Zarqawi's group, but that certainly cannot last that long, officials in Baghdad said. "These people don't want the return of the Caliphate, they just want absolute power back," Taluto said.

The third layer is common criminals who want to keep the area in chaos, "because it is good for their business," Taluto said. This group pays impoverished Iraqis to plant improvised explosive devices or to fire mortar attacks or to fire small arms.

"Their common interest is to create chaos and get rid of the coalition that is protecting the process, before the coalition can stand up the Iraqi army," he said.

Training of the Iraqi units is going well, the general said, with some outstanding Iraqi battalions emerging in his area. "You can count how many guns you gave (the Iraqi security forces), you can count how many trucks, but there is a 'feel' that you get from these units that is tough to quantify," Taluto said. "I know every Iraqi battalion commander in this area. I know their qualities, and you get a feel about the unit."

There are five Iraqi brigades in the area and their performance is "very solid," Taluto said. He said he is not looking at the situation through rose-colored glasses. Each brigade has its individual problems and those problems are being addressed, he noted.

The biggest resource needed now is sustaining the units. Maintaining weapons, vehicles, training and personnel are among items that need work. Taluto said he expects improvements in this piece once a new government is formed following the December elections. Building a Ministry of Defense or Ministry of the Interior infrastructure is important to the long-term capabilities of the Iraqi security forces.

The 42nd Infantry Division comes from the New York National Guard. The area has a mix of active and reserve component soldiers, as well as coalition forces. Taluto said the training the division received prepared them for Iraq. "We were so prepared for this mission, there was absolutely no drop-off once we took over from the 1st (Infantry) Division," he said.

Security Forces Making Strides in Northwest Iraq, Commander Says

2005-08-20T20:11:00.000-07:00

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 19, 2005 - With elections on the horizon, Iraqi security forces in Iraq's northwest provinces are continuing to grow in ability and confidence, a senior commander in Iraq said today.

"The Iraqi security forces continue to make strides in improving security for all Iraqi citizens," Army Maj. Gen. David Rodriguez, commander of Multinational Force Northwest and Task Force Freedom, said during a news conference from Mosul. "Units of the 2nd and 3rd Iraqi Army divisions are conducting more effective combined and independent counterinsurgency operations and they're continuing to develop to be a source of pride for the country of Iraq."

Progress is evident in that more than 60 election registrations sites have opened on time. That has been possible through the combined efforts and partnership of the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq, provincial governments and Iraqi security forces, Rodriguez said.

Gains also are being made despite the insurgents' ongoing attempts to accomplish their objective of "destroying the Iraqi nation and the people," he said. Since the election held in January, for example, 62 mid- to high-level terrorist leaders have been captured or killed in Nineveh province alone, including 44 since early May.

"All this (came about) through the combined work of Iraqi and coalition forces," he said. "And several key leaders have been eliminated from the ranks of the insurgency as the result of independent Iraqi operations."

Insurgents' attempts to use improvised explosive devices to their advantage also have been reduced, Rodriguez said. Over the last three months the number and effectiveness of insurgent IEDs is down by about 20 percent, he noted. The general attributes this to Iraqi and coalition forces' better operations conduct, disruption of insurgent senior leadership, less complex IED devices and more local tips. The seizing of several large caches of bomb-making materials also has contributed to that decrease.

"We continue to use all available technology, tactics, techniques and procedures to decrease the impact and effect of IEDs on our forces," Rodriguez said. "The Iraqi people continue to provide quality and timely information to Iraqi security forces that enable us, together, to combat this insurgency."

Provincial police patrolling the streets is bolstering the Iraqi people's confidence to assist in fighting the insurgency, Rodriguez said. To bolster the training and readiness of the provincial police, the Ministry of Interior will open an accredited police academy in Mosul within 30 days, he added.

He said there is also progress on civilian fronts.

"The Nineveh provincial government continues to hold regular regional security and town hall meetings throughout the province, which are attended by progressively larger numbers of community leaders," Rodriguez said. "The regional Sunni leaders and population are also increasingly involved in a political transition that will determine the future of Iraq."

Also, Nineveh continues to expand its undertaking of reconstruction programs, including healthcare facility renovation, new sewers, increased electrical distribution and improved schools and roads -- all to meet people's basic needs. The province is also involved in planning for economic growth.

"We will continue the hard work until the job is complete, and as we move forward every day, (we are) very much encouraged by what we see in the hearts of the Iraqi people as they create opportunities for their future," Rodriguez said.

Four Soldiers Killed in Samarra

2005-08-20T20:09:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18, 2005 - Four Task Force Liberty soldiers were killed about 11:15 a.m. today by an improvised explosive device in Samarra, one of the four Islamic holy cities in Iraq, which is located about 75 miles north of Baghdad, according to military officials in Tikrit.

The names of the soldiers are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

In other news, Task Force Baghdad officials have updated casualty figures from car bomb attacks carried out in central Baghdad Aug. 17.

A total of 28 Iraqi civilians and four Iraqi police were killed and 68 civilians were wounded in the terrorist attacks, said Army Col. Joseph DiSalvo, commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.

The first part of the attack involved a car bomb, which detonated in a main bus terminal in downtown Baghdad at 7:50 a.m. Ten minutes later, as Iraqi police arrived at the scene, a second car bomb went off outside the terminal, a main transit station for Iraqis heading north and south.

Casualties from both attacks were taken to al-Kindi hospital, where, at 8:45 a.m., a third car bomb was detonated.

The incidents remain under investigation.

In other Baghdad area action, combined Iraqi army and Task Force Baghdad operations netted 25 terror suspects during a series of combat missions in the capital on Aug. 17, military officials reported.

Just before 2 a.m., coalition forces detained a suspect after curfew in the Thawra district in northeast Baghdad. He was carrying an AK-47 assault rifle and wearing an ammunition vest.
When the joint patrol searched the suspect's house, they found a second AK-47, a pistol, one new passport and one blank passport. The suspect was taken into custody for questioning.

The largest operation of the day was conducted at 1 p.m. by Iraqi and U.S. soldiers in southwest Baghdad.

In just over three hours, the combined patrol, acting on a tip from an Iraqi citizen, searched 10 anti-Iraqi force safe houses and detained 17 suspected terrorists. The patrol also seized four AK-47s and one machine gun.

At about the same time, another Task Force Baghdad unit conducted a precision operation resulting in the capture of two targeted terror suspects. The suspects are thought to be involved in planning and carrying out terrorist attacks in the Baghdad's Al Rasheed district.

Later, just before 8 p.m., Task Force Baghdad soldiers acting on a tip from an Iraqi citizen found one rocket-propelled grenade round, small-arms ammunition and bomb-making materials at a house in east Baghdad.

The patrol also captured five terror suspects and seized wires, batteries, switches, 40 cell phones and bomb detonators.

Multinational forces officials reported that Iraqi army soldiers continue to find and secure improvised explosive devices placed by anti-Iraq forces throughout the country.

During a search operation in Suwayrah on Aug. 17, soldiers with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 8th Iraqi Army Division, found an IED consisting of three 152 mm artillery shells connected by wires and ready to use. An explosive ordnance disposal team defused the device.

In Fallujah, soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 1st Iraqi Intervention Force, discovered a roadside bomb in a median strip while on a dismounted patrol Aug. 17. The IED, concealed in a water jug, consisted of two 120 mm mortar rounds connected to a Motorola phone base. Explosive ordnance experts destroyed the device in place.

No injuries or damages were reported during the incidents.In the air over Iraq, coalition aircraft flew 48 close-air support and armed reconnaissance sorties Aug. 17 in support of coalition troops, infrastructure protection, reconstruction activities and operations to deter and disrupt terrorist activities, Air Force officials reported.

Officials also said coalition aircraft supported Iraqi and coalition ground force operations to create a secure environment for ongoing Transitional National Assembly meetings.

Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon and Navy F/A-18 Hornet carrierborne fighter and attack aircraft provided close-air support to coalition troops in the vicinities of Al Qaim, Fallujah, Mosul and Tikrit.

Eight Air Force and Navy intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft flew missions. U.S. Air Force and Royal Air Force fighter aircraft also performed in a nontraditional ISR role with their electro-optical and infrared sensors.

In the air war over Afghanistan, coalition aircraft flew 21 close-air support and armed reconnaissance sorties in support of OperationEnduring Freedom. These missions included support to coalition and Afghan troops, the parliamentary and provincial election process, presence route patrol to include border security and reconstruction activities.

Air Force A-10 Thunderbolts and a Predator airborne surveillance reconnaissance and target acquisition aircraft provided close air support to coalition troops in the vicinities of Asadabad, Chaghasaray and Jalalabad, Afghanistan.

Four Air Force ISR aircraft flew missions in support of operations in Afghanistan. Royal Air Force and French Air Force fighter aircraft also performed in a nontraditional ISR role.

Air Force C-17 Globemaster IIIs and C-130 Hercules aircraft provided intra-theater heavy airlift support, helping sustain operations throughout Afghanistan, Iraq and the Horn of Africa.
Nearly 160 airlift sorties were flown, moving nearly 2,670 passengers and more than 400 short tons of cargo. This included about 3,000 pounds of troop re-supply airdropped to coalition ground forces in eastern Afghanistan.

Coalition C-130 crews from the United Kingdom, Australia and the Republic of Korea flew in support of either Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom.

On Aug. 16, U.S. Air Force, Royal Air Force, French Air Force and Singapore Air Force tankers flew 38 sorties and offloaded more than 2.2 million pounds of fuel.

American Forces Press Service

Progress Spreads in Iraq on Many Fronts, Official Says

2005-08-20T20:07:00.000-07:00

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18, 2005 - Progress in Iraq continues, and this includes the work extension granted earlier this week to draft the country's new constitution, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman said today.

"They have made substantial progress," Army Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch said about the Iraqis during a Baghdad briefing today, "but needed more time to put together a document that will be the foundation of a free and democratic Iraq for years to come."

"As Iraq's President (Jalal) Talibani said after the vote to extend the work on the constitution, 'We should not be hasty regarding the issues and the constitution should not be born crippled,'" Lynch noted.

The original deadline for the constitution was Aug. 15. Iraqi lawmakers, however, voted on the extension right before the deadline. "We are confident that the Iraqi people will complete this process and continue on the path toward elections for a permanent government at the end of this year," Lynch said.

He pointed out that coalition forces made gains when they shut down a chemical production facility and storage site in Mosul on Aug. 9. Forces acted on information obtained during interrogation of a detainee that insurgents were producing two chemical agents that, when combined, created lethal gas.

The facilities actually contained many different chemicals still being analyzed.
Security operations this week proved fruitful as well.

"This week, 100 percent of the brigade level operations by coalition forces were conducted jointly with the Iraq security forces," Lynch said. "We continue to be impressed by the dedication and courage of these forces."

More than 180,000 trained and equipped Iraqi security force members are duty across Iraq, and "they are making a difference," he said.

Those combined operations detained more than 129 insurgents, including foreign fighters and multiple weapons caches across Iraq.

Reconstruction is seeing some "amazing" progress, Lynch pointed out.

"Last November, there were significant military operations in (Fallujah)," he said. "By this November we will have completed 438 projects totaling $71.3 million and will continue the progress with an additional 19 projects worth over $65 million after the elections."

The people of Fallujah, he said, have reliable access to electricity and water, and can send their children to one of the 49 schools now open. Fallujans also will soon have their own TV and radio station.

Lynch also announced a new link, "This Week in Iraq," on the Multinational Force Iraq Web site that will highlight progress being made. "That link will give audiences worldwide simple access to the amazing number of good news stories across Iraq," he said.

Continued insurgent actions, such as the bombing attacks in Baghdad Aug. 17 that killed dozens of civilians, Lynch explained, are just proof of the insurgents' complete lack of regard for human life.

"We would like to extend our condolences to the families of the innocent Iraqi civilians the that were murdered during the horrific attacks here in Baghdad yesterday," Lynch said. "Those attacks show the depths (to which) the terrorists will stoop to target the innocent civilian population.

"They not only used car bombs to kill innocent civilians at bus stops and taxi stands, but also to kill those Iraqis who were rendering medical care to the injured."

Casey Predicts Success in Iraq, Calls Mission 'Realistic'

2005-08-17T20:40:00.000-07:00

By John D. Banusiewicz
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 17, 2005 - The commander of coalition forces in Iraq today predicted success in what he called the "realistic" mission his troops are performing.

Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr. spoke with NBC "Today" program host Matt Lauer in Baghdad."We're going to get where we want to be, and we're going to be successful here," Casey said.
"I've been here a little over a year now, and the longer I'm here, the more comfortable I am that this mission is ... realistic and that we can achieve our objectives."

Although terrorists continue to launch more than five dozen attacks around Iraq each day, Casey pointed out that most are ineffective. "One of the interesting points is that of the 60 or 70 attacks a day, only around 20 of those attacks are effective (and) actually produce a casualty," he said. "And that has held true for months."

Though he said suicide bombings represent the biggest change in enemy tactics since the war in Iraq began, the general noted a downward trend in the number of attacks using suicide bombers and car bombs. "Over the last four months, suicide bombs have come down steadily," he said.
"Car bombs have come down steadily for the last three months. We had a third less car bombs in July than there were in June."

The persistence of the insurgency has surprised some observers, but Casey said it's no surprise to people who study such issues. "If you're a student of history," he said, "you realize that the average insurgency in the 20th century has lasted nine years. And so there may have been people who expected this to be quick, but that's not the nature of insurgency, and that's not the nature of the war that we're fighting."

Casey said he expects Iraq to emerge with "a representative government that represents the human rights of all Iraqis (and) security forces that can maintain domestic order and deny Iraq as a safe haven for terrorists." He acknowledged that for now the country needs help to get there.

"The Iraqis will ultimately defeat the insurgency," he said. "And I believe when that happens, we'll be helping the Iraqis do that."

The general emphasized the U.S. commitment to see the mission through. "As far as the Iraqis having to defend themselves before they're ready, that's just not going to happen," he said. "The president has said we're going to stay here until the job is done."

With a new draft constitution expected on the near horizon and a national referendum on that constitution planned in September, Casey said the continued political progress means a "tough fight" still lies ahead.

"We've said repeatedly we expect the political process to be contested," the general said. "If you're an insurgent looking at this, you don't like the outcome. The outcome (is going to be) the defeat of the insurgency."

Casey said troop morale is high. "The troops know what they're doing here," he said. "They know they're making a difference."

Joint Chiefs Chairman Says Expectations Not Lowered in Iraq

2005-08-17T20:37:00.000-07:00

By John D. Banusiewicz
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 17, 2005 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff today dismissed rhetoric that the United States has lowered its expectations in Iraq.

Speaking with Matt Lauer in Baghdad, Iraq, on NBC's "Today" program, Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers blamed the rhetoric on people hoping to expose a rift between military leaders in Iraq and officials in Washington.

Emphasizing that plans in Iraq are "on track," the United States' top military officer said those who say otherwise are "are trying to find some divide between the military leadership over here and the folks back in Washington and so forth."

"I can guarantee you there is none," Myers said.

The chairman acknowledged that not every initial expectation came to pass in Iraq. "Before all this started, we had academic experts from all over the world explain to us what we were going to find after major combat," he said. "Sometimes they were right (and) we found what they said. And other times we didn't find what they predicted."

He attributed that to the nature of the conflict. "This is a different kind of war," he said, "and it's the nature (of it) that this enemy keeps adapting."

Still, the general said, progress has gone forward in Iraq by every measure. "In every sphere, whether it's security, whether it's economic progress or political progress, you know, we're pretty much proceeding along the plan to an end state where you have a self-reliant Iraq that has a constitution, that has an election under that constitution," he said.

The progress shows that despite continued violence, terrorists have been unable to stop the march toward achieving the goals of a new Iraq, Myers said, nor will they succeed in doing so.
"Nobody's taken us off that path," he said. "The insurgency that we fight day in and day out, as challenging as it is, can't sway us off that path. They cannot be victorious."

Myers said the American troops in Iraq are a big part of the reason he's optimistic about success. They know their mission and they want to accomplish it, he said, in part because of the Iraqi people they've come to know.

"They didn't know them before they came," he said. "Now they know them, and they understand that people all around the world have the same aspirations. They want a better life for their children and their grandchildren. They're going to try to help make that happen."

Myers also noted that Iraqis continue to step up for their country. "I think, as you talk to Iraqis, you see their courage in stepping forward," he said. "Whether it's the political sphere or in the security sphere, they step forward and they're wanting to put their lives on the line for this new Iraq."

Again, the chairman disputed any notion that expectations have been lowered. "I was in Crawford (Texas) last week with the president, with the secretary of defense, with the secretary of state," he said. "We all know where we're going. I know what they expect of the United States military, and we're executing those plans, and there's not lowered expectations.

"There are very high expectations" that progress will continue through a constitutional referendum and national elections, Myers said. He said he also expects "that the Iraqi people will have a chance for hope and freedom that they haven't had for decades."

Constitution Delay Will Not Affect Operations, Casey Says

2005-08-17T20:32:00.000-07:00

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 17, 2005 - No operational effects are expected from the delay in writing the Iraqi constitution, the commander of coalition forces in Iraq said today.

In an interview here, Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr. said the fact that the Iraqis themselves delayed unveiling the constitution shows "they figured it out."

On Aug. 15, the original target date for a draft constitution, the Iraqi National Assembly unanimously agreed to extend the deadline until Aug. 22. "They figured out they needed time to get it done better than they had it," Casey said. "And I think that's a great thing."

Democracy is messy, the general said, noting that 12 years elapsed between the Declaration of Independence and ratification of the U.S. Constitution. But the Iraqis suffered through 35 years of despotic rule, and they are determined to get it right, Casey said.

"We really can't appreciate the commitment they have to something better," he said. He said that infighting and mistrust are to be expected in the wake of Saddam Hussein's rule, "but the different groups, they're working through it, they are dealing with it, and in the long run this will be a better place for it."

Casey said he has not yet asked for more American troops for Iraq's October or December elections. "We always have the possibility of bringing over some additional troops," he said. "We're looking at that. I haven't asked for anything yet. But that certainly is a possibility."

During the Jan. 30 election, American forces beefed up by adding troops and holding troops already in the country. But Casey said there is a crucial difference as the October and December elections near. "This year we will have around 100,000 more Iraqi troops than we did (Jan. 30)," he noted. Iraqi security forces will number about 230,000 when Iraqis go to the polls in December to elect a permanent government under the country's new constitution, he said.

Training the Iraqi security forces is going well, the general said. The partnership effort between coalition forces and the fledgling Iraqi divisions is paying off. "Watching the example of what disciplined, professional soldiers do and how they operate does so much to bring the levels of professionalism of the Iraqi forces up," he said.

Officials here say the companies and battalions are doing well, as the Iraqi soldiers of the 1st Brigade, 6th Division, which patrols large parts of Baghdad, have improved significantly in basic infantry skills and command and control of small units over the last six months.

Brigades and divisions - and Iraq's defense ministry itself - are a much more complex problem, Casey said, and will take longer to get where they need to be. "They are coming along even at those levels," he said. "I think by the middle of next year, most of the brigades probably ought to be in pretty good shape, and probably by the end of next year, most of the divisions."

The Iraqi divisions are established now and commanders are in place, but the commanders have administrative, not operational, control. The divisions serve to pay, replace, and help train the Iraqi soldiers, not to plan and execute operations. A new reporting process allows Casey to know "in painstaking detail what their needs are, and some have a lot," the general said.

Officials said 38 Iraqi battalions are able to conduct and lead counterinsurgency operations - what the military calls being at Readiness Level 2. Coalition forces help with logistics, close air support and the like, but these units are in the lead and plan and execute their own operations.Most Iraqi units are at Readiness Level 3, meaning they are in the fight but still depend on coalition units for conducting and executing operations. "Less than a handful," Casey said, are at Readiness Level 1 - totally independent of coalition forces.

"You don't build an army overnight," the general said. "They're not going to be independent for a while. But we purposely set it up that way so we could get them into the lead in operating independently sooner, so they will learn faster."

And as the Iraqi forces take over security, he explained, there will be less need for American forces. "The important thing is that everything we are doing is tied to building capability of the Iraqi security forces," Casey said. "There is not a reduction plan. There is a plan to transfer the security responsibility to capable Iraqi security forces. As they take over, we're not going to need as many forces."

Casey said he is encouraged by the signs in Iraq. "The two things that we have to do the best in are the political process and building Iraqi security forces," he said. "And those are the two things that are going the best."

Chairman Encouraged by Meetings with Troops, Iraqis

2005-08-17T20:30:00.001-07:00

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 17, 2005 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was encouraged following meetings with Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari and President Jalal Talibani here today.

Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers is in the midst of a 10-day tour to assess U.S. troop morale. As part of this, he brought a USO troupe to Forward Operating Base Speicher near Tikrit, to Camp Liberty in Baghdad, and to Al Asad Air Base in Iraq's Anbar province.

The chairman met with Talibani and Jaafari at their offices in Baghdad. He said both men were tired, but confident that the Iraqi constitution will be finished "fairly shortly." The Iraqi National Assembly voted Aug. 15 to extend the deadline for writing the document by one week. The constitution is expected to be unveiled Aug. 22.

The chairman also participated in a broadcast of NBC's "Today" program from the Tigerland dining facility here. Matt Lauer interviewed soldiers about their lives in Iraq and also questioned Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the commander of the Multinational Force Iraq, and Myers.Myers said the whole day served to cement his belief that the effort in Iraq is "in good hands, because the troops know what it's all about."

He told of a young National Guard woman who came up to him after a USO show and "before I could thank her for her service, she said to me, 'Well, thank you for the opportunity to come over here and serve and make a difference.'"

The chairman said the troops understand what is a stake in Iraq. They know they can make a difference in the country. He tells them that in 20 years they can tell their children of grandchildren that they helped change the world. "They are out here making a difference," he said. "They know we can do this."

The chairman commented on a barbaric attack earlier in the day. Terrorists struck a busload of civilians, then attacked ambulances, firefighters and police who responded, and then attacked the hospital where rescuers brought the victims. "There is no excuse for that," Myers said. "I do think that in a war like this ... there is a large element of this that is our will vs. the adversary's will. Our will is for tolerance and building. It means freedom and hope. And the will of the adversary lets them bomb a bus and attack a hospital."

Myers said militarily United States military cannot be beaten by such attacks. But these attacks are not aimed at a military victory, he noted, but to sap the wills of people in Iraq and around the world. "It's not going to shake anybody's will," the general said. "Yes, I think most of the world is impatient. We like to fix things and get on with it. But what you can be proud of is our men and women in uniform. They get it, and every day they're doing what they are asked to do, and do it in a marvelous way."

U.S. Ambassador Details Negotiations for Iraqi Constitution

2005-08-16T15:09:00.000-07:00

By Kathleen T. Rhem
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 16, 2005 - Officials working to create a draft Iraqi constitution believed "until the very end" that the draft would be finished on time, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, who has been working closely with the Iraqis, said today.

About 20 minutes before an Aug. 15 deadline to approve a draft constitution passed, Iraqi National Assembly members voted to extend the deadline by seven days.

"It was not finished because a couple of issues were not agreed to in detail," Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said in a news conference in Baghdad, Iraq.

Khalilzad said officials also had some administrative concerns about the document. As changes were submitted from various parties, there may have been confusion in what was to be in the final document, he explained.

"Given the pressure of time and the fact that everyone ... was tired, there was a concern that all the changes that were made were not, perhaps, reflected in the text and that language may not also be appropriately edited," he said.

The ambassador noted that he had found one instance of articles that had been eliminated reappearing in the final draft.

He said officials decided to take some extra time to finish the job right rather than to accept what they had and fine-tune it later.

Khalilzad listed the areas in which negotiators agreed and those in which there was still work needed to reach an agreement. Members of the committee drafting the constitution have agreed on basic rights of Iraqi citizens, the role of Islam in government, the structure of the government.

Negotiation still is needed on the level of federalism and on powers of the president and prime minister, he said.

Despite press reports, Kurdish independence is "not on the table" and is not a sticking point in negotiations, Khalilzad said. "Nobody has raised, in any meeting that I have been involved in, the issue of (Kurdish) independence or separation from Iraq," he said. "Kurdish leaders have said repeatedly they want to be a participant, a stakeholder, a shareholder in this new Iraq."

Khalilzad said he is encouraged by the level of compromise negotiators already have reached and optimistic that officials will agree on a draft constitution within the added week.

"Based on my detailed knowledge of the state of discussion among the Iraqi leaders and the agreements that have been arrived at already with regard to key issues and what remains, I believe that an agreement will be arrived at if the leaders continue with the attitude of compromising, putting oneself in the shoe of the other side ... looking at options, (and) not remaining stuck with positions that may have been appropriate for a different set of circumstances," he said.

The ambassador has been very involved in discussions over the new constitution, not directing events, but offering assistance to bridge differences, he said. He explained that even though this is an Iraqi-led process, it's in America's best interest for him to help resolve any issues he can.

"I'm not going to stand by if they need my help to say, 'Well, no, you sink or swim on your own, don't call me,' or, 'Take an aspirin and call me tomorrow,'" Khalilzad said. "No. I'm going to say, 'I'm available.'"

Khalilzad said he's "not going to be shy about" the fact that the United States "has a lot at stake" in Iraq. "We want Iraq to succeed," he said. "A lot of American treasure and blood has been spent there."

One-Week Extension Granted for Iraqi Constitution

2005-08-15T19:40:00.000-07:00

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 15, 2005 - The Iraqi parliament voted today to extend the deadline for finalizing Iraq's new draft constitution by seven days, until Aug. 22, U.S. State Department officials confirmed.

The 275-member Iraqi National Assembly had been expected sign off on the document by midnight today, the initial deadline established by the Transitional Administrative Law. The vote to extend the deadline occurred within 20 minutes of the midnight deadline, media reports noted.

Speaking on morning talk shows Aug. 14, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad reported that the Iraqi constitution committee had agreed on most key issues, but was still trying to hammer out differences over two major issues. These involve the role of the central government versus that of regional or state government entities, and the role of Islam, particularly women's rights, in the new Iraqi government.

The committee drafting the document left a decision on these two sticking points to the National Assembly, which opted to postpone the deadline until they can be resolved.

The assembly's other options were to reject the draft constitution and trigger national elections or to pass the undisputed parts of the draft and add amendments as the other issues get resolved.

Coalition and Iraqi officials agree that passage of an Iraqi constitution is an essential move toward political progress in Iraq. During his weekly radio address Aug. 13, President Bush called it "a critical step on the path to Iraqi self-reliance."

Iraqi Policeman Engages Suicide Bomber in Mahawil

2005-08-15T19:37:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, Aug. 15, 2005 - An Iraqi police officer identified a suicide bomber in Mahawil, Iraq, Aug. 14 and attempted to kill him before the bomb could be detonated, according to a multinational forces report.

Despite the policeman's best efforts, the Syrian suicide bomber was able to detonate his bomb, killing two civilians and injuring four others in the town, which is located about 16 kilometers north of Hillah.

The report indicated the officer's actions likely prevented many more deaths and injuries.

The same day in Hit, Iraqi army and coalition forces got help from local citizens during a combined cordon-and-knock operation. Iraqi soldiers with 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Iraqi Intervention Force, and U.S. Marines from 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, detained three suspected insurgents during the search.

The troops confiscated 14 ammunition magazines, AK-47 assault rifles and an unspecified number of police uniforms from two of the suspects.

The patrol had received information from local citizens alleging the suspects' ties to the insurgency. All three suspected insurgents were transported to a secure facility for questioning.Later in the day, the same patrol located an improvised explosive device near a bridge in Hit.
The IED consisted of a 130 mm artillery round, a one-liter container of flammable fluid, a trigger mechanism, and a 12-volt car battery. The troops secured the area while an explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the IED in place. No injuries or damages were reported.

In Mosul, Iraqi soldiers with 2nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division, and U.S. soldiers with 1st Battalion, 25th Infantry Regiment, discovered a small cache during a raid today.

The cache consisted of an AK-47 automatic rifle, a Glock pistol, a revolver, and a large amount of small-arms ammunition. Seven suspected insurgents were detained and transported to a secure facility for questioning. No injuries or damages were reported.

Elsewhere in Iraq, Iraqi army and coalition forces conducted a cordon-and-search operation in Baghdad to disrupt anti-Iraqi activity.

On Aug. 14, Iraqi soldiers with 3rd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, and U.S. soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment, found seven AK-47 automatic rifles and a machine gun during a search in Baghdad. Eight suspected insurgents were detained.

(Compiled from Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq news releases.)

Soldiers Survive IED Blast; Iranian Opposition Members Kidnapped

2005-08-15T19:36:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, Aug. 15, 2005 - Soldiers from Task Force Baghdad avoided injury Aug. 13 after their Bradley fighting vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device near the Sadr City neighborhood in Baghdad, Iraq, military officials reported.

Following the attack, soldiers from Company A, 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, exited the vehicle and secured the area. Additional U.S. Army units responded to secure the site, while Baghdad civil defense responders helped extinguish the fire.

Initially, the fire could not be put out because ammunition in the Bradley was exploding due to the extreme heat. Iraqi firefighters were able to subdue the fire, and the Bradley was safely towed to a U.S. military installation.

The incident is under investigation.

In eastern Baghdad, two members of the Iranian opposition group Mujahedin-e Khalq were abducted on Aug. 4 while on a routine logistics trip to the city, officials reported. The MEK have been considered protected persons under the Fourth Geneva Convention, which relates to the protection of civilians during times of war, since June 2004. The group relinquished its weapons, including tanks, armored vehicles, and heavy artillery, under a cease-fire agreement.

Several thousand MEK members are confined to Camp Ashraf, the MEK's main compound north of Baghdad, where they remain under coalition control.

"Multinational Force Iraq strongly condemns the abduction of persons protected by the Geneva Convention," MNFI officials said in a statement.

Upon learning of the abduction, MNFI officials immediately requested that the Iraqi police investigate the abduction, and are assisting in attempts to find the missing men. MNFI units have checked with numerous police and Ministry of Interior units and stations and have notified the MNFI hostage working group.

Officials are undertaking a complete review of security risks and procedures in relation to trips off Camp Ashraf by MEK members in light of the abduction.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Division Baghdad news releases.)

Iraqis 'Optimistic' on Drafting Constitution by Deadline

2005-08-15T19:32:00.000-07:00

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 14, 2005 - Iraqi leaders are confident about meeting the Aug. 15 deadline for completing a draft constitution, the top U.S. diplomat in Iraq said today.

Speaking from Baghdad earlier today on the "Fox News Sunday," NBC's "Meet the Press" and "CNN Late Edition" shows, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad noted he'd just discussed the progress of drafting the new constitution with Iraqi leaders.

"I have just come from meetings with the Iraqi leaders and they tell me they're very optimistic that they will meet the deadline," Khalilzad said on Fox.

The ambassador also said Iraqis working on the draft constitution "have resolved most of the issues that divided them when they started the process."

Khalilzad said on CNN that the Iraqis "have made a lot of progress" on the new constitution, adding they have "a couple of issues they will have to work out," such as how and in what proportions the religion of Islam and democratic principles will be employed as sources of Iraqi constitutional law.

After the draft constitution is finished, the Iraqi people will vote to approve or disapprove the document during an Oct. 15 referendum. National assembly elections are slated for December.In order to become a successful country, it's paramount that Iraqi leaders produce "a good constitution" that is accepted by all Iraqis, Khalilzad said on Fox News Sunday.

The U.S. ambassador acknowledged that he has "proposed options for bridging the differences" during the drafting process.

Yet, "clearly the choice is theirs, the decision is theirs," Khalilzad emphasized, noting his role during the process has been "to help."

He said on CNN that he wants to assure the American people and the world community that "the Iraqi constitution will respect the rights of all Iraqis, men and women, and that the U.S., working with Iraqis, will work very hard to make sure that the human rights of Iraqis are respected in the constitution."

Khalilzad told "Meet the Press" viewers that the new constitution will also help isolate and erode the insurgency in Sunni Arab areas in Iraq. Most Sunnis are now eager to participate in the new Iraq's political process, Khalilzad pointed out, noting the Sunnis regret not getting involved in the previous elections.

And "the insurgents are trying to derail this process, but they will fail," the ambassador said.Khalilzad also said he told Iraqi leaders that their new constitution should reflect "equality between men and women before the law." The absence of any type of discrimination in Iraqi social and political affairs "is vital," he maintained, to the success of the new Iraq.

"I have every expectation that the draft constitution will grant equal rights to men and women," Khalilzad said, noting, "our efforts and the efforts of many women here in Iraq and the international community will ultimately pay off on this score."

The ambassador said he thought temporary U.S. troop increases are possible in Iraq to provide extra security during the Oct. 15 referendum and the December elections. However, he pointed out that U.S. military commanders would make requests for any increases and President Bush would make the final decision.

Syria and Iran have been "unhelpful" and doing little to stop weapons and insurgents from entering Iraq from their borders, Khalilzad said on Fox.

"We need the states in this area to cooperate," the ambassador said, noting Syria and Iran "have to understand that Iraq will succeed" and it would be to their advantage to be helpful.Meanwhile, the United States and its coalition partners are "working very hard to build up the Iraqi military" and police forces, Khalilzad pointed out on "Meet the Press," so that Iraqis can ultimately take responsibility for their nation's security.

As Iraqi military and policing capabilities improve, then "our forces can come down -- assuming that the insurgency doesn't increase and the political process that I describe succeeds," Khalilzad said. He added that he couldn't be specific at this time about possible timelines for U.S. troop departures from Iraq.

Wanted Al Qaeda Member Killed in Iraq

2005-08-15T19:31:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, Aug. 14, 2005 - Terrorist Abu Zubair, also known as Mohammed Salah Sultan, was killed Aug. 12 by Iraqi security forces in an ambush in the northern city of Mosul, officials said today.

Zubair was a known member of al Qaeda in Iraq and a lieutenant in the operations of terrorist leader Abu Musab Zarqawi in Mosul.

Zubair was being sought by coalition and Iraqi security forces for his involvement in a July suicide bombing attack of a police station in Mosul where five Iraqi police officers died. He was also suspected of resourcing and facilitating suicide bomber attacks against coalition, Iraqi security forces and Iraqi citizens throughout the country.

When Zubair was killed, he was wearing a suicide device consisting of an explosive pack across his stomach armed with pellets, officials noted.

"Abu Zubair's death, as well as recent captures of terrorists in northern Iraq, is making a difference in coalition and Iraqi security forces efforts to disrupt terrorists operating in this part of the country," said Col. Billy J. Buckner, Multinational Corps Iraq spokesman.

"Terrorists are doing all they can to stop the rise of a free Iraq, but their bombs and attacks have not prevented Iraqi sovereignty and they will not prevent Iraqi democracy," Buckner said.
Coalition and Iraqi security forces captured three bombmakers and six foreign fighters, and found and cleared 101 improvised explosive devices during the week ending Aug. 12.

On July 27, forces conducted a raid on a safe house in Mosul, arresting six terrorists and finding terrorist propaganda, to include a letter written to Zarqawi. In that letter the author, Abu Zayd, a terrorist operating out of Mosul, complained of the poor leadership in Mosul and mistreatment of foreign fighters.

(Based on a Multinational Force Iraq news release.)

Iraqi Soldiers Detain Suspects, Seize Enemy Weapons

2005-08-15T19:27:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, Aug. 14, 2005 - Iraqi Army soldiers detained several suspected insurgents and seized weapons during operations on Aug. 13.

First, Iraqi soldiers conducted a successful cordon-and-knock operation in search of anti-Iraq forces in Abayachi.

Soldiers with the 4th Iraqi Army Division detained four suspected insurgents during the search. The Iraqis searched a Toyota Supra and found shells from a light machine gun and bloodstains in the trunk. The vehicle was confiscated and the suspects were taken for questioning.
And Iraqi Army soldiers and coalition forces conducted a joint cordon and search operation in northwest Fallujah.

Soldiers with 2nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 1st Iraqi Intervention Force, and the 1st Battalion, 6th U.S. Marine Regiment, searched 579 houses in Fallujah and detained two suspects. The suspects were identified as insurgents by a neighbor. No weapons or contraband were discovered. The Marines transported the detainees to a detention center for questioning.
No injuries or damages were reported in either operation.

(From Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq news releases.)

Helicopter Mishap Hurts 2 Soldiers; Iraqis Stop Syrian Terrorist

2005-08-14T12:38:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, Aug. 13, 2005 - Two U.S. soldiers were injured as a result of a helicopter accident that occurred near Kirkuk, Iraq, on Aug. 12.

The injured soldiers were evacuated to a coalition forces medical facility. The incident is under investigation.

Elsewhere in Iraq, police detained and later arrested a Syrian man in Samawah Aug. 12. After questioning, the Syrian admitted to traveling to Iraq to carry out a suicide attack during a planned demonstration on Aug. 14.

Also, Iraqi soldiers on patrol in Diwaniyah Aug. 12 discovered improvised explosive devices that had been placed near the Najaf Road.

Responding to a tip about a suspected IED in the area, the 8th Iraqi Army Division soldiers found six rockets near an abandoned bridge in the Nooria area. The unexploded ordnance was safely removed. No injuries or damages were reported.

And Iraqi Army and U.S. soldiers teamed up to nab five suspected insurgents during a combined operation in Habbaniyah Aug. 12. Iraqi troops with 3rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 1st Iraqi Intervention Force, and U.S. soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 110th Infantry Regiment, searched homes of suspected members in the area.

Coalition military advisers say the Iraqi soldiers performed well during the mission.

Also, Iraqi Army soldiers found a weapons cache in Rawah Aug. 11. Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Iraqi Intervention Force, discovered the cache under a vehicle.

The cache consisted of two light machine guns and 3,000 rounds of ammunition, nine AK-47 automatic rifles and 500 rounds of ammunition, one NATO machine gun and 200 rounds of ammunition, four concussion grenades, one fragmentary grenade without fuses, and other ammunition. The weapons were confiscated for later disposal.

And Iraqi Army soldiers detained 16 suspected insurgents during three Aug. 11 operations conducted in Khalis, Bayji and Khan Bani Saad.

Soldiers with 1st Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division, conducted an early morning raid near Khalis resulting in nine suspects being detained. Three of them were on a targeted list.

In Khan Bani Saad, six suspects were detained following a raid designed to capture individuals believed to be involved in recent drive-by shootings. Task Force 2-34 and elements of the 4th Iraqi Army Division confiscated three AK-47s, two 9 mm pistols and one bus. The bus is suspected of being the vehicle used in the shootings.

And soldiers from the 1st Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division, in Bayji captured a possible escaped detainee the same day. The suspect was driving a dump truck at the time of his capture. This detainee is suspected of escaping from an Iraqi Army compound in Tikrit three months earlier.

Iraqi police and U.S. forces conducted a successful raid in Mosul Aug. 11. Iraqi police officers and soldiers with 1vst Battalion, 24th U.S. Infantry Regiment, found 12 rocket-propelled grenade rounds, six 60 mm mortar rounds and rifle shells during the raid. The munitions were turned over to an explosive ordnance disposal team. In another Mosul location that day, Iraqi police found another 16 RPG rounds and requested assistance for disposal.

Police officers in Baghdad are improving daily and responding to insurgent violence with more-focused investigations, keener planning and better-executed searches.

Iraqi Police Service officers in the New Baghdad District have recently conducted a variety of operations including raids involving over 450 officers. The raids were directed at 40 residences and resulted in the confiscation of 30 AK-47s, two handguns and one machine gun. Police arrested 30 suspected insurgents, three of whom were on police lists.

In addition, Baghdad police from the Al Khanssa Station captured a kidnapper involved in the abduction of a local physician whose family had paid a ransom to have the victim released.
Following the arrest, police officers recovered the doctor's vehicle as well as the ransom money paid by his family.

No injuries or damages were reported during any of the Iraqi security force or U.S. military operations.

(From Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq press releases.)

Iraq Raid Yields Possible Chemical Production Facility

2005-08-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, Aug. 13, 2005 - Acting on detainee-provided tips, coalition forces found what's believed to be an insurgent chemical production facility and chemical storage locations during Aug. 9 raids in northern Iraq, officials in Iraq reported today.

The early morning raids, conducted by Task Force Freedom, uncovered what technical experts believe to be a "clandestine chemical production facility" and possibly related storage sites.Military officials are careful to state that ongoing analysis of the chemical evidence collected from the sites is currently insufficient to determine what the insurgents had been producing.

"We are continuing to investigate the production and storage facilities to determine what type and quantities of chemicals were produced at the facility and the specific threat posed to our forces," said Col. Henry Franke, Multinational Corps' nuclear, biological and chemical defense officer.

"We don't want to speculate on any possibilities until our analysis is complete," he added.But military officials believe they've disrupted a potentially serious threat to coalition forces and the Iraqi people.

Intelligence experts are conducting related investigations to determine which terrorist or insurgent group is responsible for the construction and operation of the secret facility.

(Based on a Multinational Force Iraq news release.)

Partnership Between U.S., Iraqi Logistics Forces Yielding Results, Commander Says

2005-08-12T20:24:00.000-07:00

By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 12, 2005 - As a result of a training partnership with U.S. logistics support groups, two Iraqi motorized transportation regiments are ready to operate independently, a U.S. commander said today.

In a press briefing live from Balad, Iraq, Army Brig. Gen. Yves Fontaine, commander, 1st Corps Support Command, Multinational Corps Iraq, said that the two regiments are the beginning of what will eventually be a nine-regiment logistics force for the Iraqi army. These regiments will be important in helping the Iraqi army meet conditions for U.S. and coalition troop withdrawal, as many officials have noted recently.

"One of the keys for a successful logistics operation, for any army, is the ability to get the supplies from where they are stored to where they are needed in an efficient and reliable manner," Fontaine said. "With this in mind, it is a crucial task to ensure that the Iraqi army becomes proficient in warehousing and transportation operations."

U.S. forces have been working to refine the Iraqi logistics operation so they will be capable of sustaining the Iraqi army in independent operations, Fontaine said. Training for each Iraqi transportation regiment takes about six months, he said. A third regiment is currently being trained, a fourth will be added in the next couple of months, and he said he predicts the Iraqis will have a large enough logistics force to sustain themselves within one year.

U.S. logistics forces have been performing well, and despite an increase in improvised explosive device attacks on convoys over the last year, casualties have decreased significantly, Fontaine said. This can be attributed to the armoring of vehicles, which has been a main unit priority, he said.

"Since we arrived, we have not sent an unarmored vehicle outside a secure base," he said. "Now our soldiers are safe in their Humvees and their trucks and they walk out of the incidents."
The effectiveness of IED attacks has also been reduced because military officials review accidents when they occur to determine any new or changing enemy tactics, so they can react accordingly, Fontaine said.

The 1st Corps Support Command is made up of five support teams, one aerial support group, one brigade-sized distribution command and two brigade combat teams. These units conduct sustainment operations to keep Multinational Corps Iraq soldiers fed, equipped, maintained, armed and fueled, Fontaine said. In an average day, his unit receives and issues 1.4 million gallons of fuel, produces 3 million gallons of water and processes 500 requests for repair parts, he said. The command also works with Air Force and Army air assets to move troops and equipment on planes, reducing the need for supply convoys, which are susceptible to IED attacks, he said.

"The quality and quantity of our effort is enormous," he said, "and we succeed because we have dedicated soldiers and civilian contractors who take pride in providing superior support. We'll do whatever it takes to sustain the fight, maintain the Corps' momentum and ensure that the combat forces never go without the necessary supplies and equipment they need to win."

The 1st Corps Support Command is deployed from Fort Bragg, N.C., where it is attached to 18th Airborne Corps.

Iraqis Help Soldiers Find Bombs; Stolen Child Recovered

2005-08-12T20:22:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, Aug. 12, 2005 - Iraqi citizens tipped off U.S. soldiers patrolling the northwest part of Baghdad about the whereabouts of two roadside bombs Aug. 10.

The Iraqis told a Task Force Baghdad patrol at 9:15 a.m. the bombs were placed near a major highway in the area.

The Americans found two landmines and two mortar rounds wrapped in detonation cord. The soldiers secured the site and called in an explosive ordnance disposal team to safely detonate the munitions.

A suicide car bomber attacked another American unit patrolling west Baghdad four hours later. The bomb detonated prematurely, 10 feet from the soldiers' vehicles. The car's driver was killed in the attack, but no one else was killed or injured.

The soldiers also stopped a suspicious vehicle following directly behind the car bomb. When they searched the vehicle and the two occupants inside they found a loaded AK-47 assault rifle. One occupant also had a cellular phone that could have been used to communicate with the suicide bomber or videotape the attack. Both men where taken into custody for questioning.

At 4:45 p.m., a third task force unit found two 100-pound bombs hidden under some grass laid on a major highway in northwest Baghdad. The soldiers secured the site and called in an EOD team.

The U.S. soldiers then noticed some people gathered around a car about 100 yards away from the bomb. The soldiers questioned the group to determine the car's owner. After the owner was identified, the soldiers searched the vehicle's trunk and found the same kind of grass used to cover the bombs. Explosive materials were also found in the car. The vehicle's owner and three other men were taken into custody for questioning.

Later in the day task force soldiers found and safely disabled three more roadside bombs in northwest, central and south Baghdad before they could be used against Iraqi citizens or coalition forces.

And Iraqi police and U.S. soldiers teamed up Aug. 9 to capture two kidnappers and return a 2-year-old child to his parents in the Bayaa district of south Baghdad.

The combined patrol was patrolling the neighborhood around 2 p.m. that day when a white van drove by. One van occupant fired six shots from an AK-47 at the patrol.

When the assailant's vehicle sped around a corner to flee, an Iraqi police undercover unit met it. The police fired four shots into the rear tires of the van and stopped it.

The combined patrol investigated and found a 2-year-old child who had been kidnapped from his home just minutes before.

The Iraqi police arrested the driver and the passenger, impounded the van, and returned the child to his parents.

(Compiled from Task Force Baghdad news releases.)

MPs, IPs conduct joint-leadership seminar

2005-08-10T14:27:00.000-07:00

42nd Military Police Brigade Public Affairs

BAGHDAD , Iraq — Two dozen high-ranking Iraqi police officers participated in a leadership seminar at Baghdad Police Headquarters July 23. The seminar, conducted by officers from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 42nd Military Police Brigade, was the first in a series designed to strengthen and enhance leadership within the Iraqi police force.

Although Iraqi police leaders have been making significant progress, Col. Richard Swengros, 42nd MP Brigade commander, and Gen. Razzaq, Baghdad police chief, felt the Iraqi leadership would benefit from further training. The seminar, titled “Police Leadership in an Insurgency Environment,” covered how to be an effective leader, with a focus on four major areas: leadership traits, principles, habits and challenges.

Gathered around a large rectangular table, Razaaq opened the session with welcome remarks, followed by Swengros, who explained the intent of the seminar.

Razaaq, who has been Swengros' counterpart for the past eight months, enthusiastically said, “This [seminar] is a step toward getting to know each other and being able to share ideas and opinions of leaders.”

Following his remarks, Swengros encouraged the group to ask themselves a relatively simple question: “Why should leaders discuss leadership?” The immediate response was silence, but the answer became evident in a series of exercises that followed the question.

Breaking up into four small groups, the Iraqi police and U.S. Soldiers gathered around dry erase boards, brainstorming concepts of leadership. After coming up with a list of answers to questions such as, “What traits do good leaders have?” the U.S. leadership compared their list to the Iraqis' answers, then regrouped to share and discuss.

The seminar provided Iraqis a chance to retune and focus their leadership skills, while learning more about fighting crime in an insurgency environment. The hardest obstacle for Iraqis to overcome is being able to listen more to their subordinates, which isn't easy to do in a society that is accustomed to dictatorship.

“They need to develop their leadership so that they are more willing and open to take input from their subordinates,” said Capt. Christopher Hormel, Iraqi Police Station operations officer, HHC, 42nd MP Brigade. “A good leader develops his subordinates because they are the future leaders of Iraq .”

“As the growing capabilities of the [subordinate] police continue to grow, the leadership has to grow, adapt and increase its capabilities,” Swengros said.

Razaaq plans to take those words and use them by setting a good example while continuously training his leaders and subordinates. He took information from the seminar to pass down the chain of command, ensuring that his police men and women would be trained on information in the seminar.

“I am very happy for the joint effort and coordination between me and Col. Swengros,” Razaaq said. “Through this seminar we have gained new knowledge about leadership.”

The leadership seminar was the first in a series to come that will continue to help the Iraqis strengthen and develop their security forces.

“Very little surprises me with the Iraqi police in terms of what they can accomplish when they have the tools, basic knowledge and confidence,” Swengros said. “In a short time, they will be much better at operating on their own at all levels of police.”

Coalition, Iraqi Ministry Sign Historic Public Health Charter

2005-08-10T11:44:00.000-07:00

By Sgt. Kevin Bromley, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 9, 2005 - The children of Husseiniya, a town north of here, play among heaps of trash, lakes of standing groundwater and open sewage.

Several miles away, in northern Baghdad, U.S. Army Col. David Bishop, commander of 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division; Ayad al-Safee, the deputy minister of technical affairs for the Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works; Nanjar Manshed, the Istaklah district advisory council delegate; and representatives of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers signed a charter Aug. 1 that will ensure the citizens and children of Husseiniya have a brighter and healthier future.

Husseiniya is a settlement that took root in the agricultural region north of Baghdad in the 1980s. Unfortunately, the Baghdad storm drainage and waste treatment facilities were designed and built from the late 1960s to early 1970s, and the previous regime never extended these basic public services to the area.

The population of Husseiniya -- now nearly 750,000 -- steadily increased in size as more and more people moved to the town with their families during the previous regime. This large influx of people from the towns surrounding Baghdad created a public-works crisis situation that continues to this day.

"If there is a situation below poor, we (Husseiniya) are underneath that. ... It's bad," Manshed said.

To correct these health and public-services problems, coalition forces and the Municipalities and Public Works Ministry decided a charter was needed to detail plans that will bring storm-drainage projects, water-quality improvements, and, most importantly, sewage-treatment facilities.

The Husseiniya Charter is the first of its kind in the area, and the projects that spring out of this agreement will improve the city's health and welfare, officials said.

"It is a great project to help the people. ... We will have healthy water and less disease from the sewage all over the city," Manshed said.

Local Iraqi contractors will perform most of the work on these projects, providing the additional benefit of employment for laborers. "The widespread use of the local workforce not only adds jobs but helps to spike the economy as wage earners buy goods and services in the area," said U.S. Army Maj. Scott Sill, civil affairs officer for 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division.

Coalition forces are involved in the planning and project-development stages, but the execution of the plans will be at the direction of the Iraqi government.

"I think this is a tremendous project for the people of Husseiniya. ... This is an Iraqi project; the U.S. forces are only providing some funding and oversight," Bishop said, adding that it will provide jobs and invite better living conditions for the people of this area.

Husseiniya's programs will serve as the test-bed and guide for other projects in different impoverished areas in and around Baghdad.

"What we do and learn here in Husseiniya will be used as a road-map for projects in other towns that desperately need basic essential services such as clean water, air, and waste removal," Sill said.

The ministry and the organizers of the charter group are hopeful the newly signed charter will be the springboard to additional charter groups and spread across the region to improve the lifestyles of Iraqi people across the nation.

"Hopefully, I will see the whole improvement from when they put the first shovel into the ground," Mashed said. "These projects will make the people in Husseiniya proud."

(Army Sgt. Kevin Bromley is assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Armored Division.)

Combined Coalition, Iraqi Operations Disrupt Terrorists

2005-08-08T16:11:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8, 2005 - Multinational Corps Iraq operations continue to place pressure on terrorist operations in Iraq, with coalition and Iraqi security forces conducting more than 182 combined and independent offensive operations throughout the country since late July.

Results from operations conducted between July 30 and Aug. 5 include the discovery and clearance of 109 improvised explosive devices and 32 caches; the capture of 805 insurgent fighters, with the subsequent detention of 493; and the death or capture of 11 foreign fighters.

"These are great successes for the coalition and Iraqi security forces. The terrorists' command and control will continue to deteriorate as the coalition forces continue to pressure terrorists and disrupt their operations network," Col. Jessie Farrington, MNCI chief of operations, said.

Highlights of operations from Aug. 6 and 7 include:

- In Mosul, coalition forces detained two individuals for handing out terrorist propaganda. The two individuals revealed the location of their source and, during a resulting raid, Iraqi police killed one terrorist later confirmed to be a Syrian national. In a combined raid, coalition and Iraqi security forces captured three men connected to terror leader Abbass Fadhel Zangana.
- Near Hit, Iraqi Intervention Forces and U.S. Marines captured three terrorists in a truck towing another vehicle modified as a car bomb.
- In Haqlaniyah, coalition forces destroyed a booby-trapped house that contained improvised explosive devices.
- In Baghdad, coalition forces captured a car bomb and four terrorists who were involved in a car-bomb cell. Iraqi forces captured ten members of a terrorist cell in Sadr City.In other developments, Iraqi army soldiers and coalition forces captured suspected insurgents in a targeted search Aug. 7 in Rawah, Iraq, according to a Multinational Force Iraq report.

Elements of U.S. Army Task Force 2-14 and soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Iraqi Intervention Force, detained four suspected insurgents during the operation. The suspects included one Syrian man, one Sudanese man, a former Rawah police officer, and a civilian. The Sudanese man was in possession of an expired passport.

In Fallujah, Iraqi army soldiers found and eliminated improvised explosive devices while conducting search operations Aug. 6, according to a MNFI report.

Soldiers with the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 1st Iraqi Intervention Force, discovered an IED while on a dismounted patrol. The IED consisted of one 130 mm artillery round enclosed in a white burlap bag with a car-alarm receiver, a washing machine timer, and a battery. The area was secured and the IED was disarmed and removed for later disposal.

Elsewhere, Iraqi army soldiers found IEDs in Rawah and Mugdadiyah. In Rawah, soldiers raided a building and found one 120 mm artillery round and two pounds of propellant. Two suspected insurgents were detained.

In Mugdadiyah, a patrol located one 155 mm artillery round and an unknown initiation device. An Iraqi explosive ordnance disposal team removed the IED.

No injuries or damages were reported during the operations.

In other news from Iraq, Iraqi security forces and coalition forces conducted a combined raid on a location known to be manufacturing car bombs Aug. 7 in Baghdad.

An Iraqi SWAT team and a coalition support unit discovered two vehicles in a carport partially wired as suicide car bombs. Both vehicles had holes cut in the dashboard exposing detonators with wire connections to the trunk and under the hood. Four male suspects were detained.

Elsewhere in Baghdad, Iraqi police and elements of the U.S. Army's 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery Regiment, located a possible car bomb on a roadway. The dark blue, four-door sedan was secured, and the immediate area was cleared. An Iraqi explosive ordnance disposal team confirmed the presence of explosives and conducted a controlled detonation.

No injuries or damages were reported during the operations.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq news releases.)

Iraqi, Coalition Forces Squelch Terrorist Attacks

2005-08-06T19:54:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6, 2005 - Iraqi and coalition forces successfully defeated a coordinated terrorist attack Aug. 5 at an Iraqi army post south of Baghdad, officials said. Six of the terrorists were killed. Twelve were captured.

The terrorists launched the attack with mortar rounds and small-arms fire at 7:55 p.m. Iraqi soldiers returned fire while Task Force Baghdad attack helicopters rushed to the site and engaged the terrorists with rockets and gunfire, officials said.

Almost simultaneously, a suicide bomber drove a truck into a nearby Iraqi army checkpoint. One Iraqi soldier was killed in the explosion. Another was wounded. The driver of the truck also was killed, but U.S. troops suffered no injuries, officials said.

"The checkpoint did what it was supposed to do," said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Clifford Kent, a Task Force Baghdad spokesman. "It stopped a terrorist from carrying out his plot to cause significant casualties and damage."

In that way, Kent noted, "the checkpoint was a success. (It) demonstrates Iraqi security forces' ability to defend against terrorist attacks."

U.S. tanks from the 48th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, arrived at the site of the explosion within minutes to help secure the area. The Iraqi patrol provided medical assistance to the wounded Iraqi soldier, officials said.

Another suicide car bomber then tried to attack a third nearby site. One of the U.S. tanks fired and hit the car, killing the driver and causing the car bomb to explode prematurely. No one else was injured, and no property was damaged in the failed terrorist attack, officials said.

Minutes later, just after 8:00 p.m., terrorists in a fourth location fired two rocket-propelled grenades and a mortar round at another Iraqi army post in southern Baghdad. None of the rounds caused any damage, officials reported.

During the next two hours, the terrorists tried to regroup for another attack on each of the two Iraqi army posts. But Iraqi and coalition Forces defeated the terrorist attacks with gunfire and rockets from the air and small-arms fire on the ground, officials said.

"I am absolutely proud of the strong determination shown by the Iraqi army," Brig. Gen. Stewart Rodeheaver, 48th BCT commander, said. "They are true patriots defending their homeland."

Added U.S. Army Maj. Liston Edge, an operations officer with the 48th BCT: "The enemy came to fight us with no success. Instead, the Iraqi army took the fight to them and succeeded. Their success is what will help secure and stabilize Iraq."

(From a Task Force Baghdad news release.)

Coalition Forces Seize Terror Suspects, Bombs

2005-08-06T19:51:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6, 2005 - Coalition forces in Iraq captured seven terror suspects, seized a car bomb being prepared for an attack, and foiled five roadside-bomb attacks during a series of combat operations conducted in Baghdad over the past two days.

Just before 6 a.m. today, coalition forces seized a car bomb and three terrorists who admitted they were planning to use the car bomb in an attack later in the day. An explosive ordnance disposal team safely detonated the bomb, and the terrorists were taken into custody.

At 3:30 a.m. Aug. 5, Task Force Baghdad soldiers approached a man out after curfew in the Thawra district of northeast Baghdad. As the patrol neared, the individual ran away. The soldiers pursued the suspect to his home to question him.

As they were asking the man why he was out after curfew, the soldiers noticed hundreds of fake identification cards in the house. The patrol searched the house and found four computers and numerous documents thought to be used to create the false IDs. The unit detained the man and another suspect in the house and took them into custody for additional questioning.

Later in the day, just after 1:30 p.m., Iraqi army and Task Force Baghdad soldiers working together in Abu Ghraib caught two men red-handed as they were preparing a site for a roadside bomb. When the combined patrol approached the men, they ran to a nearby house. The soldiers chased and caught both men, searched the house, and found an AK-47 assault rifle with ammunition. Both men were taken into custody for questioning.

Task Force Baghdad soldiers also found and safely disabled two roadside bombs in different Baghdad neighborhoods before terrorists could detonate them.

In other news from Iraq, Task Force Baghdad soldiers conducted Operation Able Warrior to defeat terror cells operating west of the Baghdad International Airport in the early-morning hours of Aug. 4.

In less than three hours, soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment, 48th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, conducted a series of simultaneous attacks and captured 41 suspected terrorists, including three foreign fighters.

"We went out and did what we set out to do. This was a picture-perfect mission," said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Steve McCorkle, commander of 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment.

The mission of Operation Able Warrior was to disrupt car-bombing cells and those that place roadside bomb, and prevent them from planning, preparing and carrying out terrorist attacks in the area.

"We want to set the Iraq army up for success. This operation will help the Iraqi security forces take more control of the day-to-day operations," said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Thomas Carden, a spokesman for the 48th BCT.

(Compiled from Task Force Baghdad and Multinational Force Iraq news releases.)

Joint U.S.-Iraqi Security Operations Fighting Terrorists in Iraq

2005-08-06T19:44:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6, 2005 - Iraqi security forces, backed by U.S. troops, have seized the offensive in a series of ongoing counterterrorism operations in Iraq, according to U.S. military officials.

Iraqi soldiers and U.S. Marines from Regimental Combat Team 2 destroyed three car bombs while conducting cordon-and-search operations in the western Iraqi city of Haqliniyah today.

The soldiers and Marines are participating in Operation Quick Strike. They acted on a tip from a local citizen, officials said. The citizen reportedly informed the Marines that three parked vehicles were laden with explosives and ready to be used as car bombs.

Iraqi soldiers and U.S. Marines secured the area and shot the vehicles with main tank-gun rounds, destroying all three vehicles and setting off secondary explosions, officials said.

The soldiers and Marines also discovered two weapons caches in caves outside of Haqliniyah today. The caves are near the Euphrates River bank and several hundred meters apart. According to the Marines, they are only large enough to hide a person and a small cache.

The first cave reportedly was found at 9:00 a.m. It contained a rocket-propelled-grenade launcher, medium machine gun, several assault rifles, and bomb-making material, the Marines said. The second cave contained 155 mm artillery rounds and a propane tank -- items, they noted, that are commonly used for bomb construction.

The Marines detained 24 suspected terrorists for questioning.

Also during Operation Quick Strike today, Iraqi soldiers and U.S. Marines discovered two roadside bombs buried alongside the main road south of Haditha. An EOD team safely detonated the bombs without suffering any casualties or damage, officials said.

Operation Quick Strike is designed to interdict and disrupt terrorist operations in western Iraq, near the cities of Haditha, Haqliniyah, and Barwanah. According to the Marines, intelligence gathered by coalition forces during recent operations confirms that terrorists are operating in these cities and in surrounding areas.

Civilian services, such as water and power, are not being disrupted because of Operation Quick Strike, the Marines said.

A joint U.S-Iraqi raid in Sharmiyah Aug. 5 resulted in the capture of 39 suspected terrorists, including some key local terrorist leaders. Eight of the 39 terrorist suspects were detained at the Mudjaherin al Ansar mosque by a specially trained Iraqi Police unit. The mosque was not damaged in the operation, officials said.

The remaining 31 terrorist suspects were detained during a cordon-and-knock operation by U.S. soldiers from the 150th Engineer Battalion, 155th Brigade Combat Team (BCT), 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward). The 155th BCT is a U.S. Army unit assigned to the 2nd MEF (Forward) for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The 155th BCT also recently seized and destroyed munitions from two weapons caches identified by Iraqi police, officials said. The Soldiers also detained three suspected terrorists. Among the seized and destroyed munitions: 1,427 artillery rounds, 50 37 mm anti-aircraft rounds, two 107 mm rockets, and two mortar rounds.

Similarly, in Bauqbah Aug. 5, Iraqi security forces neutralized five improvised explosive devices. One of the IEDs was identified by Iraqi army soldiers, who immediately secured the area. An Iraqi explosive ordnance disposal team then destroyed the IED.

Iraqi Police discovered the remaining four IEDs. These IEDs, made from 155 mm artillery rounds, were removed by an Iraqi EOD team and then transported to a disposal facility. No injuries or damages were reported during the operations, officials said.

Meanwhile, in Baghdad Aug. 5, Iraqi security forces reportedly detained 45 suspected terrorists during Operation Vanguard Thunder. Participating Iraqi army soldiers and police officers were assisted by elements of the 184th U.S. Infantry Regiment. Operation Vanguard Thunder is targeting 150-200 terrorist suspects. No injuries or damages were reported during these operations, officials said.

Iraqi army and Task Force Baghdad soldiers worked together to capture five terror suspects in three separate combat operations carried out in southern, western and northern Baghdad Aug. 4.

Just after 4 a.m., coalition forces on patrol saw a poster that read "Kill Americans" prominently displayed on a house in southern Baghdad. The soldiers searched the house and found weapons and a large amount of ammunition. The patrol also found shotgun shells and body armor hidden inside the house. Two occupants in the house were taken into custody for questioning.

An hour later, Iraqi soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Iraqi Army Brigade teamed up with U.S. soldiers to raid a suspected terrorist safe house in western Baghdad. After the combined patrol arrived at the house, two suspects ran out of the residence, trying to elude the soldiers and were captured.

The suspects are thought to be involved in a plot to assassinate Iraqi government officials.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Task Force Baghdad news releases.)

British Commander Optimistic About Southeastern Iraq

2005-08-05T22:02:00.000-07:00

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5, 2005 - The British Royal Marine in charge of coalition operations in southeastern Iraq is optimistic about ongoing efforts there to train Iraqi army and police forces to eventually assume security duties.

"We have been able to force ahead with the main effort, which is security sector reform," Maj. Gen. Jim Dutton, commander of Multinational Division Southeast, told Pentagon reporters today via a video link from Basra.

Dutton's 13,000-plus-troop multinational command is made up of 7,900 British troops, 3,000 Italians, 640 Australians, 622 Romanians, 562 Japanese, 388 Danes, 97 Czechs, 33 Lithuanians, five Norwegians, and two Portuguese.

Those troops, along with Iraqi army and police forces, are charged with providing security for four southeastern Iraqi provinces, which make up an area half the size of Great Britain. Dutton's area of operations contains the cities of Nasiriyah, Basrah, and Umm Qasr, Iraq's only deep-water port.

Dutton said his command would continue to build on its partnership with the Iraqi army, police and border-enforcement elements "until they are capable of conducting operations successfully without our direct assistance. "The "relatively benign environment" across southeastern Iraq has contributed to advancements in regional security and stability, Dutton said, although there are occasional inter-tribal disputes and citizen frustrations over a jittery electricity and water infrastructure to resolve.

Yet, life in southeastern Iraq can still be dangerous. Dutton noted that roadside explosives have killed five British soldiers in Maysan province in the past three months. Improvised explosive devices are "a major concern" within his area of operations, Dutton said.

Dutton noted there is an ongoing Iraqi police investigation into the apparent murder of American journalist Steven Vincent, who was found shot to death near Basrah this week.

The general said he remains "confident that southeastern Iraq will continue to develop."

"There is a real enthusiasm here for the democratic process, and there was a very high turnout" for the January 2005 election, he said.

Dutton said there is "no shortage of volunteers" who want to join the new Iraqi army, noting there are now about 5,500 Iraqi soldiers in his sector. That number is expected to increase to 9,000 soldiers next year, he said.

The new Iraqi police are receiving good training at academies in Jordan or Baghdad, Dutton said. There are about 25,000 police in southeastern Iraq, he said, more than 14,000 of whom have received training.

Any future departure of coalition troops from southeastern Iraq would be "conditions-based, and not time-based" and would be a joint decision made between the coalition and the Iraqi government, Dutton said.

Iraq has "a long way to go," Dutton acknowledged. But, he emphasized, "there is no doubt that this country has the resources and the people have the natural talent and desire for improvement that should prove to be a winning combination."

'Quick Strike' Moves Into Area Where Marines Were Killed

2005-08-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5, 2005 - About 1,000 Iraqi security force soldiers and U.S. Marines from Regimental Combat Team 2 moved into the city of Haqliniyah, Iraq, and the surrounding area today as part of Operation Quick Strike.

The operation began Aug. 3 with Iraqi soldiers and U.S. Marines positioning their units.
Coalition forces confirmed through gathered intelligence that terrorists are operating in these cities and surrounding areas.

Iraqi special operations forces this morning directed an air strike on terrorists hiding in buildings outside of Haqliniyah, about seven kilometers southwest of Haditha, where 20 Marines were killed in two widely reported attacks this week. Marine pilots attacked terrorists who were using these buildings to fire small arms at the Iraqi forces.

Elsewhere during the operation, while searching for evidence of terrorist activity, Iraqi soldiers and U.S. Marines came across two adjacent buildings with wires running between the structures. The wires were connected to numerous 155 mm artillery rounds scattered throughout both buildings. The two buildings were subsequently destroyed.

Tanks also fired on a building in Haqliniyah that terrorists were using to engage coalition forces with small-arms and rocket-propelled-grenade fire.

The intent of Operation Quick Strike is to interdict and disrupt terrorists' presence in the Haditha, Haqliniyah, and Barwanah areas, U.S. officials said. About 800 U.S. Marines and sailors and 180 Iraqi soldiers are participating in the operation.

In other news from Iraq, a 45-year-old Iraqi man died Aug. 4 from multiple organ failure as a result of gunshot injuries suffered while engaging coalition forces.

The detainee was evacuated to the 86th Combat Support Hospital on July 24 and underwent extensive surgery on his chest, arm and abdomen, officials said. He was transferred to the 344th Field Hospital in Baghdad on July 26, where he developed a serious tissue infection. Despite aggressive antibiotic therapy, the infection spread to the blood and eventually resulted in multi-organ failure and death, officials said.

The remains will be transferred to the family upon completion of an autopsy. This is standing procedure for all detainees who die while in custody of Multinational Force Iraq, officials said.

Also on Aug. 4, Iraqi security forces supported by coalition forces conducted a joint search for known terrorists in the Nasr area, just northwest of Nasiriyah. Iraqi and coalition forces detained 17 suspects and confiscated nine vehicles during the operation.

Elsewhere, Iraqi army soldiers detained three suspected terrorists after targeted searches in Mosul today. No injuries or damages were reported during the operations.

Terrorists attacked Iraqi police officers eating lunch near the market in Old Baqubah on Aug. 4 with small-arms fire. The officers returned fire and pursued their attackers, eventually catching two of them. The detainees were transported to a nearby jail for questioning.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq news releases.)

Iraqi PM Announces New Security Plan

2005-08-05T21:46:00.000-07:00

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5, 2005 - Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jafari announced a security plan building on the progress his country has already made.

Jafari spoke in Baghdad Aug 4 following visits to Iraqi security forces training facilities.
The prime minister said through a translator that the security situation in the country is improving. Security forces are increasing in both quantity and quality, he said.

"Today I was in Hillah, and I inspected new graduates, 750 newly graduated personnel," he said. "I witnessed their training and their performance, and I'm very content with this level. I am quite content with the field commanders also. And hopefully they will continue to progress."

Jafari said terrorist groups are trying to disrupt the political process and the coming elections. "They tried to foil the previous elections. They failed," he said. The terrorists are trying to justify their evil deeds with nationalism and religion, he said, adding that killing children and destroying holy sites, mosques and churches is not a political statement, but murder.

He pledged that Iraq will stand up to the insurgents. "Terrorists avoid areas where there is no sight of courage and no sight of courageous people," he said. "But this is not the case in Iraq."
Jafari gave general details of the plan. First, the country needs to improve intelligence coordination. "We have four centers to gather information, and they have been grouped under the name of Intelligence Coordination Center," he said. Gathering the intelligence and getting it to forces that can act on it is key.

The Iraqi government will also work on improving communications, and the Ministry of Defense will form a quick intervention forces.

Jafari said Iraqi security forces will follow up the successes of Operation Lightning to secure Baghdad and other areas. Operation Lightning deployed 40,000 members of the Iraqi security forces in Baghdad and its surroundings to interdict terrorists and stop the flow of personnel, money and materials to them.

Corruption and smuggling is a serious problem in the country. Jafari's government has assigned the minister of planning and finance to follow up all corruption and smuggling activities. "We hope to increase the number of forces that follow up such subjects, and we hope to develop these forces not only by quantity, but also by quality," he said.

Finally, Jafari said, the government will work to protect the infrastructure and improve the judiciary.

DoD Reports Iraqi Forces Gains, Probable Cause of Fatal Blast

2005-08-05T10:28:00.000-07:00

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5, 2005 - Iraqi forces are being trained and equipped, and most are helping with defense of their nation, a senior defense official said here Aug. 4.

The official, speaking on background, also said that in all probability, the explosive that flipped an armored amphibious vehicle and killed 14 Marines in Iraq Aug. 3 was a triple-stacked anti-tank mine. Pictures show a crater about 8 feet wide and 4 feet deep.

The vehicle struck the mine outside Haditha, near where six Marines in two sniper teams were killed earlier in the week.

Officials in Baghdad said Iraqi security forces now have about 175,000 members, with 105 battalions of soldiers and police. Eighty percent of the units are fighting alongside American forces, but the units are not able to completely operate independently of U.S. forces. "The Iraqis don't have a logistics or intelligence or a sophisticated command and control" capability, the senior official said. "Those things are being created."

The official said Iraqis "are doing pretty darn good" in small-unit tactics -- squad, platoon and company levels. "I think we need to give credit to some young Iraqis out there who are looking to the horizon and trying to do the right thing," he said.

The official said the coalition is seeing about the same number of attacks this year as last, about 500 attacks a week. Numbers of troops killed in action are about the same from last year for coalition forces and down somewhat in overall casualties. But the insurgents have targeted the Iraqi people and Iraqi security forces, and for them, casualties are way up.

As more Iraqi forces enter the field, Iraqi civilians are giving more information to the coalition. "That's the beauty of getting these (Iraqi) forces out there with us," the official said. "They are pretty proud of their Iraqi boys -- they've got about a 75-percent approval rate. The people who want to see the country stabilize realize that's how it's going to happen." Hotline tips have increased tenfold, he added.

Foreign fighters are coming into Iraq from Syria via the Euphrates River valley, along what servicemembers call "ratlines." These are a problem, the officials said, but the coalition and Iraqi troops in the west and along the Euphrates River are making a difference.

The training for Iraqi security forces is on track, the official said, with roughly 175,000 members of the various security forces "trained and equipped." The plan is on track for 270,000 next year. "There's no shortage of Iraqis signing on. There is no lull in the training, and there are no equipment issues," he said.

Iraqi Police Officers Complete Advanced, Specialty, Basic Courses

2005-08-04T12:55:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, Aug. 4, 2005 - The Iraqi Police Service graduated 142 police officers from advanced and specialty courses at the Adnan Training Facility today, according to officials with the Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq.

Sixty-one of the new policemen graduated from the basic investigations course, 16 from the interview and interrogations course, 32 from the violent crime investigation course, 16 from the criminal intelligence course, and 27 from the first line supervisor's course.

To date, 2,264 police officers have completed the basic criminal investigation course, which covers topics such as theft, burglary, arson, robbery, sexual offenses, and homicide investigation. Students also receive instruction and hands-on training in fingerprinting, photography, tool marks, and plaster-casting techniques, MNSTI officials said in a release.

The interview and interrogations course covers advanced interview and interrogation techniques. It includes instruction on the preservation and protection of human rights, and the importance of ethical behavior during interviews and interrogations, the release stated. To date, 543 students have completed this course.

To date, 541 officers have graduated from the violent crime investigation course, in which students are introduced to investigative techniques to be used in a variety of situations, but particularly in violent crimes including armed robbery, rape and murder, according to the release.

Planning, collection, analysis and distribution of intelligence information are the topics highlighted in the criminal intelligence course. This course also equips participants with the ability to recognize trends that may have an impact on public safety and security. This course has graduated 317 students to date.

The first-line supervision course focuses on major leadership areas for front-line supervisors, including human rights training, ethics and corruption, policing in a democracy, and interpersonal skills critical to effective leadership. To date, 465 students have graduated from this course.

Officials noted that officers who participated in these courses previously completed either an eight-week basic training course for new recruits or a three-week "transitional integration program" designed for police officers currently serving.

The police officers report for duty at their respective stations immediately.

In other news, a bumper crop of Iraqi police officers graduate today from basic police training courses in Sulaymaniyah, Hillah and Baghdad, according to U.S. military officials in Baghdad.

Completing the 10-week training course were 1,816 new police recruits. One hundred thirty-seven graduated from the Sulaymaniyah Regional Academy, 643 from the Hillah Regional Academy, and 952, including 16 women, from the Baghdad Police College. Completing the three-week Transitional Integration Program in Baghdad were 84 police officers.

The 10-week basic police training program is designed to provide fundamental and democratic policing skills based on international human rights standards to the students in preparation for assuming police officer responsibilities, officials said in a release. The program consists of academic study of general policing topics combined with a heavy emphasis to tactical operational policing skills, officials noted.

With recent increased attacks on Iraqi security forces, the basic police training course was modified to increase combat survival and police skills training while building an attitude of teamwork and cohesion. New classes were added that provide for more hands-on and practical training exercises especially addressing specific survival skills needed by today's Iraqi Police Service officers, officials said.

The TIP course is a three-week program developed for serving police officers with little or no prior basic training. TIP will provide these officers with a condensed version of the 10-week course. More than 40,000 police recruits have previously completed the longer course developed for new recruits.

An additional 37,000 police officers have completed the TIP course to date. The new officers will report for duty in the coming weeks and take up their assignments at their respective police stations throughout Iraq, U.S. military officials said.

American Forces Press Service

2005-08-03T18:59:00.000-07:00

Stewart Errico, a civilian contractor with Boeing Phantom Works, assists starting the motor of a ScanEagle VMU-2, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for a test flight at Al Asad Airbase, Al Anbar, Iraq on July 13, 2005.

USMC Photo by LCpl Dustin S. Schaefer.

Multinational Commission Working to Smooth Transition

2005-08-03T18:57:00.000-07:00

By Kathleen T. Rhem
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3, 2005 - A high-level commission established in Baghdad, Iraq, is "a useful exercise" in helping Iraqis develop effective ministries, a senior Defense Department official said here today.

The Joint Commission for Conditions-Based Transition held its initial meeting Aug. 2, according to a news release from Multinational Force Iraq. The commission's main goal is to develop a plan to gradually transfer responsibility for security in Iraq to Iraqi security forces.

DoD spokesman Larry Di Rita said the commission is a good initiative "to help focus the development of ministries a little bit better and to develop a work plan going forward."

Commission members include: Iraqi Interior Minister Bayan Baqir Jabr; Defense Minister Sadun al-Dulaymi; National Security Adviser Muwafaq al-Rubai; U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad; British Ambassador to Iraq William Patey; and U.S. Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr., commander of Multinational Force Iraq.
In the first meeting, the Multinational Force Iraq news release said, commission members agreed on a set of guidelines to use in developing their plan:

- The key consideration is the capability of Iraqi security forces;
- Other considerations will include the capacity of local governments to exercise civil authority and provide basic services, as well as the level of the insurgent threat;
- Transition of security will not be based on rigid timelines;
- Transition will be gradual to ensure continued success of Iraqi governance and security forces; and
- The transition of security to Iraqi security forces and the reduced presence of coalition forces will be visible to the Iraqi people.

The commission established a smaller working group that will meet twice weekly to work out details. The full commission will then meet every other week "to finalize the conditions and criteria for the conditions-based transition," the release stated. The commission is expected to provide recommendations to Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jafari by Sept. 26.

"I think we'll be seeing more activity out of (the commission) as we move forward," Di Rita said.

Coalition Provides Update on Iraqi Security Forces Training

2005-08-02T22:43:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, Aug. 2, 2005 - Pointing out that Iraqi security forces are developing at the same time that the Iraqi people are building democracy and self-government for the first time in their history, and doing so in the midst of an insurgency, a coalition official updated reporters on the progress of that training July 28 in Baghdad.

Air Force Brig. Gen. Donald Alston, Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, said the Iraqi army now has eight ground divisions, 29 brigade headquarters with 101 battalions, plus a mechanized division with one brigade headquarters and two battalions. Three battalions are undergoing training now, he said.

The Iraqi army is attracting 1,000 to 1,400 recruits per month, and training courses are now in place for noncommissioned officers and officers alike, the general said.

Nearly 94,000 Ministry of Interior forces have been trained and equipped, including more than 63,000 Iraqi police of a planned force of 135,000, Alston told reporters. About 1,500 police officers graduate from training every eight weeks in Jordan, and another 1,000 from a 10-week class in Baghdad, he added.

Since January, Alston said, the rolls have grown by nearly 16,000 police officers, 1,300 special police, 1,800 border police, 600 highway patrol, 2,400 members of the public order battalions, and 4,000 members of the Facility Protection Service.

"The training is high-quality, involving international trainers both in Jordan and Iraq, and Iraqi instructors are playing an increasingly larger role," the general noted.

"As these forces are trained," he explained, "they return to duty across Iraq, "which tremendously aids coalition efforts to bring security and stability to Iraq, and it allows the people of Iraq to see their forces in action."

The increased numbers and growing capability of Iraq's security forces "allow us to continue to put constant pressure on the insurgency with our operations," Alston said, citing various examples of operations that resulted in killing or capturing terrorists, discovering weapons and roadside bombs before they could be used.

"The roll-up of a few of our operations this past week illustrates the success we have as a result of the constant pressure we, the coalition, and Iraqi forces put on the insurgency every day," Alston said.

Turning to reconstruction, Alston cited the city of Fallujah as "an excellent example of the progress being made."

Fallujah was the site of Operation Al-Fajr in November, when coalition forces routed terrorists from the city they had used as a base of operations. "Elevated water tanks have been repaired, and projects are under way to increase the fresh water capacity by 3 million gallons per day," the general said. "Electricity is about 80 percent of the pre-Al-Fajr levels and should be back to 100 percent by December."

Updates to Fallujah's existing electrical system will give every home and business in the city safe and modern electrical connections by spring, Alston said. A modern sewage system is 80 percent complete, and construction of a new sewage treatment facility will start in two months, he added.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will finish construction of a health clinic, four schools and four 250-person police stations in the coming months, the general told reporters. Since February, more than $20 million has been dedicated to reconstruction efforts in Fallujah, he added, and an estimated $80 million of work is planned for the future.

American Forces Press Service

Petraeus Touts 'Enormous Progress' Fielding Iraqi Forces

2005-08-02T22:41:00.000-07:00

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 2, 2005 - The chief of the coalition command charged with training Iraqi security forces said "enormous progress" has been made in the effort.

Army Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, who commands Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, told National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" that more than 105 police and army combat battalions are "in the fight."

This breaks down to more than 93,800 members of the Iraqi police and 77,700 Iraqi servicemembers. The total number of forces "trained and equipped" is 171,500. This time last year, only one battalion was trained and equipped well enough to assist coalition forces, Pentagon officials said.

Petraeus said that while most of the Iraqi units rely heavily on coalition forces for support and guidance, "there are still some three dozen of them that are assessed to be in the lead." By this he means that the Iraqi units are leading the fight against the insurgents with minimal or no help from coalition forces.

Training for the Iraqi units goes on constantly both within Iraq and outside. Insurgent forces know the security forces are the best hope for Iraq, military officials have said repeatedly, and therefore they have targeted members of the police and army. A recent bombing killed 26 police recruits. Still, Iraqis are volunteering to serve their country, Pentagon officials said.

Coalition forces still provide support and leadership for many of the units. "It's not surprising that there would be need for the coalition," Petraeus said. He pointed out that it takes years to train officers and noncommissioned officers in the U.S. Army, and the effort in Iraq has been in place just slightly over a year.

The general said that given all the turmoil, he is impressed with how rapidly the Iraqis have stood their forces back up.

Given continued progress and acceptable conditions, Petraeus said, the United States may be able to reduce troop presence in the country next year, noting this depends on political progress as well as progress in the security capabilities of Iraqi forces.

Petraeus said his command will continue to train Iraqi units. He said some of the Iraqi units have excellent leaders and are doing a great job. Others, he acknowledged, are not. But given the "age" of many of these units, he said, "it's not surprising that units are trying to find themselves and gaining experience along the way."

The national forces need to mirror the proportions of the Iraqi population, the general said, adding that he is pleased with the efforts of the Iraqi government to integrate the units.
Petraeus said he's not surprised by the insurgency in Iraq. "Military leaders plan for toughest circumstances," he said. "Still, sometimes I have to work hard to grasp the magnitude and scope of what it is that we are doing to reestablish a country's entire military structure. We have to work hard to keep all this in our viewscreen because it is a colossal effort."

Petraeus will leave Iraq next month to be commander of the Army's Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Army Maj. Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, who last week turned over the reins of the 1st Armored Division to Maj. Gen. Doug Robinson Jr., has been nominated for a third star, and if approved for promotion by the Senate, will replace Petraeus in Iraq.

Iraqi Army Shows Continued Progress

2005-07-30T19:15:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, July 30, 2005 - Iraqi Army soldiers showed continued progress in demonstrating their capabilities, Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq officials reported today.

Iraqi Army soldiers conducting a traffic control point detained suspected anti-Iraq forces in Mosul, Iraq, July 29, according to a multinational forces report.

Soldiers with 1st Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division detained 10 suspected insurgents, five of whom attempted to escape before they were transported to Al Kindi for further questioning, officials said.

Elsewhere, Iraqi Army soldiers detained six suspects. Soldiers with 5th Battalion, 1st Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division conducted a joint cordon-and-search operation in Baghdad with elements of 2nd Battalion, 156th U.S. Infantry Regiment. The effort resulted in the capture of six suspected insurgents, five who had been targeted the Iraqi forces, officials said.

In Al Batha, Iraqi security forces detained an additional 27 suspected criminals and terrorists.
No major injuries or damages were reported during any of the operations cited above.

Earlier this week, the 1st Iraqi Army Mechanized Brigade became fully operational after the 2nd Battalion came on line July 25, according to senior officials with the Coalition Military Assistance Training Team, Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq.

Soldiers with 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Mechanized Division became operational and under the tactical control of the Multinational Corps-Iraq, officials reported.
The 1st Brigade is headquartered in Taji and consists of approximately 2,000 soldiers. Officials said the unit will be available to respond to national emergencies throughout Iraq and will support the Ministry of Interior forces required.

(Compiled from Multinational Security Transition Command news releases.)

2005-07-29T21:37:00.000-07:00

An Iraqi Army Soldier from B Company, 3rd Platoon, 4th Battalion, questions civilians about terrorist activity in the area during a routine patrol in the town of Albu Suker, Iraq on July 8, 2005.

U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Suzanne M. Day.

Terror Cell Leader Captured; Nine Terrorists, Two Marines Killed

2005-07-29T21:25:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, July 29, 2005 - U.S. troops captured al Qaeda terror cell leader Ammar Abu Bara, alias Amar Hussein Hasan, during a July 27 cordon-and-search operation in Mosul, Iraq's third largest city, U.S military officials reported today.

Bara, reportedly one of terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's most trusted operations agents in Iraq, was arrested by troops of the Army's 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team,) and Iraqi army soldiers. Bara replaced Abu Talha, former terror cell leader for the Mosul area, following his capture in early June.

Officials said a number of al Qaeda terrorist leaders have been captured in recent months in northern Iraq, leading to a more secure environment in the region. These captures have led to the systematic dismantling of the al Qaeda network in Mosul, military officials said.

Camp Fallujah officials reported that two Marines were killed in Cykla, about 120 miles west of Baghdad, July 28 when their unit came under attack by small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades. The Marines were assigned to Regimental Combat Team 2, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward).

Officials at Camp Blue Diamond in Ramadi reported that Iraqi security forces and U.S. Marines killed nine terrorists, five of them reportedly were Syrian nationals, who were using buildings as safe houses and firing positions in a small village west of Haditha.

Iraqi soldiers and U.S. Marines were conducting a security patrol in the city of Cykla when terrorists attacked them with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire from three different buildings. The joint patrol consisted of Iraqi soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, and Marines with 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team.

Air combatants from the 2nd Marine Air Craft Wing struck enemy positions with three laser-guided bombs and one Global-Positioning-System-guided bomb. The air strike destroyed all three buildings and caused minimal collateral damage to the surrounding community, according to U.S. officials. Coalition forces also detained two terrorists for questioning.

A single-vehicle accident claimed the life of a Task Force Baghdad soldier in central Baghdad on July 28. The soldier was taken to an Iraqi hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His body was later recovered by U.S. military authorities.

A 30-year-old Iraqi detainee died July 27 at the U.S.-run Camp Bucca prison camp in southern Iraq as a result of renal failure and other organ failure due to chronic malaria, U.S. military officials reported. The detainee was admitted to the field hospital July 3 following complaints of nausea.

Hospital officials said they believe the detainee contracted malaria prior to arriving at Camp Bucca in December 2004. The detainee was not diagnosed until recently, as he did not exhibit any symptoms, they noted, adding that he did not pose a contagious hazard to other detainees. His body will be transferred to his family upon completion of an autopsy, which is standing procedure for all detainees who die while in custody of coalition forces, officials said.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Task Force Baghdad news releases.)

Iraqi Police Find SAMs, Large Cache of Anti-aircraft Rounds

2005-07-29T21:23:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, July 29, 2005 - Iraqi police located a large cache of munitions eight kilometers southeast of Tikrit near Owja July 28, military officials in Iraq reported today.

The cache consisted of nine surface-to-air missiles, 11 57 mm anti-aircraft artillery rounds, 300 14.5 mm anti-aircraft artillery rounds, and 300 23 mm anti-aircraft artillery rounds.

In other news from Iraq, two armed men driving a Nissan in Baghdad's Al Askan District attacked Iraqi police officers July 28, officials said. One police officer was wounded in the initial exchange of gunfire. Additional Iraqi police responded with small-arms fire, disabling the vehicle. One of the attackers was killed, and the other was wounded. Police confiscated a 9 mm pistol, two black masks, and eight fake Iraqi army identification cards.

The injured attacker later admitted the pair's mission was to kill police and Iraqi soldiers, officials said.

Acting on a tip from a civilian informant July 28, Iraqi and coalition forces conducted a cordon-and-search operation in Baghdad. Soldiers with 5th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, and 2nd Battalion, 156th U.S. Infantry Regiment, were searching for two specific terrorism suspects. Both were detained, along with eight additional suspects.

Two mortar rounds slammed into an Iraqi army compound in Mahmuhdiyah on July 27, killing an Iraqi contractor and wounding two U.S. soldiers and 10 local residents.
The two American soldiers suffered minor wounds and were returned to duty. Task Force Baghdad medics were on site and immediately began giving first aid to the wounded and helped evacuate them to the Mahmuhdiyah hospital, officials said.

Task Force Baghdad units responded to a July 27 small-arms attack on an Iraqi Army checkpoint south of Baghdad. After about 15 terrorists began firing on the checkpoint, U.S. forces responded with air, infantry and armor units to successfully ward off the attack. Soldiers checked and cleared houses in the area, found numerous weapons, and detained four suspects for questioning, officials said.

Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 108th Armor Regiment, found a large weapons cache during a routine combat patrol July 27. The cache contained more than 30 120 mm mortar rounds, seven fuses wrapped in plastic, two boxes of heavy machine gun ammunition, several grenades and a 55-gallon drum containing blasting caps, detonation cord and additional mortar rounds.
"This type of find is a motivator to every soldier here," said Maj. Jay McNair, an operations officer in the 48th BCT. "Just think - all those munitions were hidden away to do possible harm to someone. Now, thanks to those soldiers, the explosives will be destroyed,"

Operation Thundercat continued July 27, as Iraqi and U.S. Forces captured terrorism suspects during a series of cordon-and-search missions in Baghdad. The major success of the operation, which began July 24, belonged to 3rd Battalion, 3rd Iraqi Army Brigade, and companies of 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment, 256th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. At 6 a.m. July 27, the combined force searched a home in the west Abu Ghraib district of Baghdad, which resulted in the capture of seven suspects. Soldiers also confiscated a computer with terrorist information.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq, Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, and Task Force Baghdad news releases.)

Iraqi Police Graduate From Advanced, Specialty Courses

2005-07-29T21:21:00.000-07:00

BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 29, 2005 - The Iraqi Police Service graduated 238 police officers from advanced and specialty courses at the Adnan Training Facility July 28, as part of the Iraqi government's ongoing effort to train its security forces.

The courses consist of Basic Criminal Investigations with 58 graduates, Critical Incident Management with 31 graduates, Violent Crime Investigation with 34 graduates, Executive Leadership with 20 graduates, Mid-Level Management with 16 graduates, Advanced Criminal Investigation with 13 graduates, Criminal Intelligence with 37 graduates, and Interview and Interrogation with 29 graduates.

The Basic Criminal Investigation course covers topics such as theft, burglary, arson, robbery, sexual offenses and homicide investigation. Participants also receive instruction and hands-on training in fingerprinting, photography, tool marks and plaster casting techniques. To date, 2,203 police officers have completed the Basic Criminal Investigations course. The Advanced Criminal Investigation course covers advanced evidence collection techniques and procedures.
Critical Incident Management is designed to provide participants with the understanding of and application skills for managing critical incidents. To date, 488 students have graduated from this course.

The Violent Crime Investigation course introduces participants to investigative techniques to be used in a variety of situations, but particularly in violent crimes including armed robbery, rape and murder. This course has graduated 509 students to date.

Executive Leadership covers executive level concepts of planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting and budgeting. Other topics include visionary leadership, organizational values, interpersonal communication skills, motivational techniques and strategies, along with strategic planning. This course has graduated 291 students to date.

Mid-Level Management is a course designed for supervisors who are responsible for managing the first-line supervisors and their assigned personnel. To date, 365 students have graduated this course.

The Criminal Intelligence course provides training in the planning, collection, analysis and distribution of intelligence information. This course also equips participants with the ability to recognize trends that may have an impact on public safety and security.

The Interview and Interrogation course covers advanced interview and interrogation techniques and includes instruction on the preservation and protection of human rights, and the importance of ethical behavior during interviews and interrogations. To date, 527 students have completed this course.

Officers who participated in these courses previously completed either an eight-week basic training course for new recruits or a three-week "transitional integration program" course designed for prior-service officers.

The police officers report back for continued duty at their respective stations immediately.

(Courtesy of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq.)

Withdrawal to Be Conditions-Based, Coalition Spokesman Says

2005-07-28T13:28:00.000-07:00

By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 28, 2005 - The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq will be based strictly on security conditions in the country and the readiness of Iraqi forces to conduct independent operations, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman in Baghdad said today.

The United States will not withdraw forces until the Iraqi security forces meet conditions to be established by a joint commission, Air Force Brig. Gen. Donald Alston stressed in a news conference.

Army Gen. George W. Casey, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, said July 27 that substantial troop reductions could begin as early as spring or summer if the insurgency is put down and Iraqi forces are ready to handle the security mission.

The commissioned-established conditions will cover the combat capability of the Iraqi forces as well as the ability of the Iraqi government's ministries to sustain the forces and support them logistically, Alston said. The progress of Iraqi forces, however, isn't something that can be measured only quantitatively, he explained.

"Combat capability is not just a function of numbers," he said. "It has a subjective quality in terms of the combat seasoning that is going on with Iraqi security forces, and that's, I think, more of an art - a subjective assessment - that the leaders are inputting to their assessments."
Joint readiness assessments are being conducted every month, Alston said, and the information gathered is giving leaders an idea of what the conditions for withdrawal should be. These assessments are important to ensure the transfer of authority is handled correctly, he said.
"This is critical we get this right," he said. "So we need to be as self-critical as we can be to continue to assess the readiness."

The Iraqi forces continue to make progress toward achieving readiness, Alston said. The Iraqi Army now has eight ground divisions with 29 brigade headquarters and 101 battalions, he said. The army also has a mechanized division with a brigade headquarters and two battalions and three battalions undergoing training, he added.

The training is being conducted in Iraq and Jordan by international and Iraqi trainers, he said. As the Iraqi forces complete training, they join coalition forces in the field, and their presence aids operations significantly, he said.

"The increased numbers and growing capabilities of Iraqi security forces allow us to continue to put constant pressure on the insurgency," he said.

Rumsfeld: Iraq Needs to Talk Border Issues With Iran, Syria

2005-07-27T15:14:00.000-07:00

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

EN ROUTE TO BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 27, 2005 - Iraq needs "to be aggressively communicating" with its neighbors to stop the infiltration of foreign terrorists across its borders, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said today.

Speaking to the traveling press aboard his C-17 aircraft en route to Baghdad after visits to the Central Asian nations of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, Rumsfeld asserted that the behavior of Syria and Iran in allowing insurgents to enter Iraq "has been harmful" to the Iraqi government.
Iraq should work with Syria and Iran "to see that foreign terrorists stop coming across those borders," Rumsfeld said. Iraq's neighbors, he added, shouldn't be harboring or financing insurgents that seek to come into Iraq to work mischief against Iraqis or U.S. and coalition forces.

The political front is also moving ahead in Iraq, Rumsfeld noted, as its citizens are working to draft a new constitution for the country by Aug. 15. A referendum on the draft constitution is slated for Oct. 15.

The drafting of a new constitution is "enormously important" to Iraq's citizens, Rumsfeld said, noting it will give them a stake in their country.

Iraq's new political system will continue to go forward, Rumsfeld predicted, and in tandem with a rejuvenated economy and improved domestic security forces, it will ultimately assist to "dampen" the insurgency.

"It will make it much more difficult for insurgents to be successful" in Iraq, he noted.
A new, democratically elected Iraqi government is slated to take over in January, Rumsfeld said.

He also reported that planning is under way to eventually transfer responsibility for Iraqi prisoners to the Iraqi government, as Iraq's new criminal justice system gets stronger. It's also time for the Iraqi government to find opportunities to thank coalition countries that have helped it become free and sovereign, Rumsfeld said, noting some of the 25 to 30 countries that have helped Iraq will stand down or reduce their forces in Iraq.

The secretary said he'd visit with American troops during his Iraq visit and discuss current issues with U.S., coalition and Iraqi military and government officials.

Iraqi, U.S. Soldiers Capture Insurgents; Find Weapons Caches

2005-07-27T15:04:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, July 27, 2005 - Iraqi army and coalition soldiers failed to find a known terrorist responsible for mortar attacks against Iraqi police stations during a July 26 combined cordon-and-search mission, Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq officials said today.

However, multinational forces in Mosul, Iraq, said the soldiers didn't come away empty-handed; they netted two other men who tested positive for explosive materials.

Soldiers with 2nd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division, and coalition advisers searched the premises and found various uniforms, military documents, former regime propaganda and other handwritten documents, officials said.

In the Baghdad area, Iraqi army soldiers on patrol uncovered two separate improvised explosive device caches July 26.

Elements of the 4th Iraqi Army Division and U.S. Special Forces discovered five 107 mm rockets rigged as improvised explosive devices, two propane tanks also rigged as IEDs, one 120 mm mortar round, and various IED components along a road 30 kilometers southwest of Bayji. An Iraqi explosive ordnance disposal team cleared the site, officials reported.

Elsewhere, Iraqi soldiers found three 152 mm artillery rounds with fuses five kilometers northeast of Dibis. The rounds were transported to a nearby forward operating base.

That same day, Iraqi and coalition soldiers conducted two joint cordon-and-search missions for suspected terrorists, capturing two of their primary targets, U.S. officials reported.

Elements of 1st Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, and 1st and 3rd Battalions 156th U.S. Infantry Regiment detained five suspects, officials said.

American Forces Press Service

Iraqi, Coalition Forces Continue Crackdown

2005-07-26T13:11:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, July 26, 2005 - Coalition military and Iraqi security forces continue to crack down on anti-government forces in Iraq, hoping to suppress attacks against U.S. and coalition forces and Iraqi citizens, according to military officials Baghdad.

In northern Iraq, soldiers from Task Force Freedom detained seven suspected terrorists and seized a large weapons cache in Rawah on July 25. The cache included 40 rockets, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, artillery rounds, various explosives and explosive charges. Hundreds of rounds of small-arms and machine-gun ammunition and a machine gun also were seized.

Iraqi SWAT team members, on a combined patrol with coalition advisers, secured valuable intelligence from a local citizen, leading to the capture of 22 suspected terrorists July 25. The combined patrol was designed to enforce the Yusafiyah curfew. When Hillah SWAT team officers stopped a citizen violating the established curfew, the Iraqi offered information about Egyptian bomb builders operating in the area in exchange for his freedom.

The SWAT team and coalition advisers followed informant's instructions and found and detained three Egyptian males at the location.As the patrol was leaving the area, the convoy was ambushed with an improvised explosive device, small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades. The convoy returned fire, killing an estimated four to five enemy combatants. No Iraqi or coalition casualties were reported. The patrol resulted in the capture of 22 suspected terrorists, including eight Egyptians.

Also July 25, three more terrorism suspects were detained during a separate cordon-and-search operation in eastern Mosul. Iraqi police in Mansuriyah found a roadside bomb consisting of two anti-tank rounds wired together and armed with a remote-control detonator. Police in Baqubah found and disposed of a 155 mm projectile. In Abayach, Iraqi police secured the area where one kilogram of TNT was found. An Iraqi explosive ordnance disposal team assisted in clearing all three sites.

Iraqi police battled terrorists driving in a car near the Borsa Market on July 25, engaging shooters armed with two AK-47 assault rifles. The terrorists were wounded, and were taken to a hospital under guard. Police officials believe the same vehicle was involved in July 24 attacks at a Pepsi factory.

The military also reported that Iraqi and coalition forces arrested 42 individuals suspected of terrorist activity during raids in northern Iraq, and three suspected terrorists were arrested near the Syrian border on July 24.

In Baghdad, Iraqi police and Task Force Baghdad soldiers responding to an attack killed four terrorists and captured nine others July 23. Three terrorists were wounded, officials said.

In separate incidents July 23, U.S. forces conducting cordon-and-search operations in southwestern Baghdad found two IEDs attached to the front door of a home. An explosives team disabled the bombs. Once inside the home, soldiers found a man who apparently was killed after the suicide vest he was wearing detonated by mistake.

Also on July 23, three terrorists were wounded and later detained and taken to a medical facility after they attacked a coalition convoy in southwestern Baghdad. The men, traveling in a minivan, fired on the convoy with an AK-47.

In north Baghdad July 23, an Iraqi citizen led Task Force Baghdad soldiers to a roadside bomb along a major highway. At the site, soldiers found what looked like an antenna sticking out of a cement block. A man watching nearby was detained for questioning after soldiers noticed him acting suspiciously. The man was carrying a pistol and a cell phone that can be used to detonate a roadside bomb.

In central Baghdad, an individual who sped toward a military convoy after being warned by Task Force Baghdad soldiers to stay away was arrested July 23 for questioning. Soldiers found a loaded AK-47 and spent ammunition in his car.

Also on July 23, Task Force Baghdad soldiers found two weapons caches. The first, in a house in southern Baghdad, contained a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, an AK-47, three rifle magazines and two bayonets. Two people in the house at the time of the search were detained. The second cache contained numerous rocket-propelled grenades and AK-47 assault rifles. Two suspects were detained at that site.

American Forces Press Service

2005-07-25T16:19:00.000-07:00

A new Iraqi Air Force maintainer from Squadron 23, works on a C-130 Hercules engine. 35 instructors from the U.S. Air Force Advisory Support Team, 777th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, are training over 100 Iraqi Air Force trainees at Ali Air Base, Iraq on July 15, 2005.

U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Suzanne M. Day.

2005-07-23T13:00:00.000-07:00

Capt. Andrew Purath, a navigator from the 777th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, trains an Iraqi Air Force navigator from Squadron 23 aboard a C-130 Hercules. Capt. Purath is one of 35 instructors training Iraqi Air Force trainees.

U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Suzanne M. Day.

Soldiers Capture Terrorists Seen Planting Roadside Bomb

2005-07-23T12:58:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, July 23, 2005 - U.S. soldiers captured nine terrorists July 22 after they were seen placing an improvised explosive device, military officials in Baghdad reported today.

The soldiers saw two vehicles pull to the side of a road north of Forward Operating Base Kalsu. Nine men armed with AK-47 assault rifles got out and began placing an improvised explosive device. The soldiers engaged the men with small arms fire and captured five wounded terrorists. Four others, one of them wounded, fled and were captured by another U.S. patrol. The wounded terrorists were taken to the 86th Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad. The remaining three are being held for questioning.

The soldiers are from 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, 155th Brigade Combat Team. The 155th BCT is a U.S. Army unit assigned to the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In other news from Iraq, an Iraqi terrorism suspect captured July 10 died July 22 at the Forward Operating Base Kalsu aid station, officials said. A guard discovered the detainee in his cell, unresponsive and breathing shallowly. The guard immediately summoned medical assistance, and the detainee was taken by ambulance from the detention facility to the aid station, where he later died.

Officials said that while initial indications are no foul play was involved, a thorough investigation will be conducted to determine the circumstances surrounding the detainee's death. The body will be transferred to the detainee's family upon completion of an autopsy, officials said, noting that this is standing procedure for all detainees who die while in Multinational Force Iraq custody.

American Forces Press Service

Iraqis' Progress in West Leaves Area Commander Optimistic

2005-07-22T13:34:00.000-07:00

By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 22, 2005 - A strong partnership with coalition forces is improving the capability of Iraqi security forces and encouraging political development in Iraq's Anbar province, the area's top commander said today.

About 10,000 Iraqi soldiers are in the province, all at various stages of readiness, said Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Stephen Johnson, commander of Multinational Force West and 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward). These forces have played an increasingly important role in security operations and are gaining valuable experience by fighting with coalition forces, he said.
"They've been into combat with our forces, side by side," he said. "They fought bravely; they fought effectively; and they bled for their own country."

Anbar is the largest province in Iraq and includes the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi. U.S. forces have seen some of their toughest fighting in this province, including the November 2004 battle for Fallujah.

Since the Fallujah battle, that city has made considerable progress and is returning to normalcy, Johnson said. The population is at about 150,000; commerce is returning; reconstruction efforts are under way; and schools are open, he explained. Reports of insurgents returning to Fallujah are to be expected, he said, because it has become a symbol for the insurgents since their defeat there.

"Fallujah was the site of a crushing defeat for them," he said. "It's also a symbol for the Iraqi people of success and progress, and that's what the insurgents want to take away."

There are now close to 400 police operating in Fallujah, and the coalition continues to support the Iraqis' efforts to establish security there, he said.

Additional police are being trained and deployed throughout the province, including along the border with Syria, Johnson said. It is challenging to control the border because it is so large, he said, but coalition forces are assisting the Iraqis in training forces and constructing border forts.
The political situation in the area also is improving, Johnson said, with not only Anbar but also its neighboring provinces of Karbala and Najaf boasting active elected councils. These councils are stepping forward and taking part in reconstruction efforts and the growth process, he said.

"These municipalities are seeking political solutions to their problem," he said. "Iraqis are feeling more and more empowered to take their place in this new nation."

Johnson said he expects a high voter turnout for the upcoming referendum and elections. Political, tribal and religious leaders have been urging people to vote, and the people are gaining more confidence in the interim government and the security forces, he said.

"That confidence translates into willingness to vote," he said.

The significant progress in the Anbar area is being helped along by the Iraqis' attitudes and spirit, Johnson said, and that is what gives him confidence for the future.

"The people of the region are getting very tired of the violence, the intimidation, the murder and those things that are brought to them by the insurgents," he said. "They want something better."

Rumsfeld Condemns Murders, Discusses Iraq Progress, Challenges

2005-07-20T14:50:00.000-07:00

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 20, 2005 - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld today condemned the July 19 assassination of two Sunni Arab members of the commission drafting Iraq's new constitution as a "terrible act of violence" that demonstrates the insurgents' brutality and their low regard for the Iraqi people.

Mijbil Sheikh Esa and Dhamin Hussein Ubaidi were ambushed while on their way to work at a U.S. military base in Khalis, about 40 miles northeast of Baghdad.

"The coalition countries and much of the civilized world mourns the assassination of Iraqi officials involved in drafting the Iraqi constitution," Rumsfeld told Pentagon reporters.

The murders "underscore the nature of the fight in Iraq," the secretary said. "If violent extremists do such things to these people and to innocent Iraqi children, it is clear what kind of a regime theirs would be," particularly with their close working relationship with the al Qaeda terrorist organization. "And one can imagine what they would try to do to the American people and other civilized societies," he said.

Rumsfeld said it's important for the American people to understand why Esa and Ubaidi were assassinated. "They were murdered for what they believed and for what they were trying to build - a new democratic and peaceful Iraq," he said.

Millions of other Iraqis share their determination to follow through with that mission, despite desperate efforts by violent extremists to stop them, Rumsfeld said.He praised the Iraqi people who continue to step forward to support their country - participating in elections, taking part in the Iraqi transitional assembly, running for public office and serving in the Iraqi security forces. "This shows that the Iraqi people have a lot of courage," the secretary said.

Rumsfeld acknowledged that violence "has long been a mainstay in Iraq" and is likely to continue even after coalition forces leave the country.

"But despite their headline-grabbing mass murders, the extremists are failing," the secretary said. "Indeed, the murders of Iraqi citizens and children appear to be hardening the majority of the Iraqi people's commitment to defeat al Qaeda and to build a better country."

Rumsfeld cited recent polls that reflect Iraqi's confidence that their country "is going in the right direction" - 61.5 percent today, compared to 52 percent in January.

But media coverage devoted to violence in Iraq, Rumsfeld said, is losing sight of "historic events" and genuine progress being made.

A DoD report expected to go to Congress as soon as July 21 will outline Iraq's progress in moving toward a secure and self-supporting society. The report assesses Iraq's status on the political, economic and security fronts and also "offers a candid assessment of the challenges that remain for the Iraqi people and for the coalition," Rumsfeld said.

Rumsfeld emphasized that the DoD report is "not a single source of knowledge about what's going on in Iraq," and that it must be viewed in context with reports from other U.S. government agencies involved in Iraq.

On the political front, the DoD report shows that the terrorists have failed to derail progress, he said. The United Nations is supporting Iraq's constitutional development process, and constitutional referendum is still on track for Oct. 15. Elections for a new assembly are slated for Dec. 15.

In addition, international support continues, Rumsfeld said, with more pledges for financial aid for the new government promised at a June meeting in Brussels, Belgium, and with Jordan scheduled to host an international donors conference later this month.

Economically, new business registrations in Iraq have increased about 50 percent so far this year, a factor Rumsfeld said could help alleviate Iraq's high unemployment rate.

On the security front, Iraqi security forces now outnumber coalition troops "by a good margin," Rumsfeld said. More than 171,000 Iraqi security forces are now trained and equipped. In addition, week-to-week attacks are down from their pre-election peak, although Rumsfeld said they're likely to pick up as the political progress continues to move forward.

Despite numerous setbacks, the insurgents continue to incite tension, ethic strife and a civil war between the Sunnis and Shiites through murders and attacks on religious sites, the secretary said.

In doing so, the insurgents are increasingly losing any support they may have had within the Iraqi population. "They are angering people in that country, because they realize that it is mindless carnage," Rumsfeld said.

2005-07-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

U.S. Army Soldiers from Bravo Company 2 Battalion-121 Infantry Regiment and the Iraqi National Guard apprehend three individuals suspected of setting off an Improvised Explosive Device near Al-Radwnea, Iraq on July 07, 2005.

U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Reynaldo Ramon.

Forces Capture Dozens of Insurgents, Uncover Weapons Caches

2005-07-19T13:31:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, July 19, 2005 - Joint raids by Iraqi and coalition forces have rounded up dozens of suspected terrorists and uncovered thousands of weapons and ammunition, according to military reports.

Coalition soldiers and Iraqi police raids today in Baghdad's Ameriyah district and Al Dora neighborhood led to the capture of four suspected terrorists, including an individual believed to be a mid-level terrorist cell leader with ties to Ansar Al Sunna.
The individual was wanted for selling and smuggling surface-to-air missiles that could be used against coalition aircraft.

During operations July 18, the military reported that Iraqi security forces and Task Force Baghdad soldiers detained 17 individuals and uncovered as many as six roadside bombs at various locations.

Iraqi citizens pointed out explosives to coalition soldiers in one incident.
The previous day, 29 more terror suspects were taken into custody, and three others were killed in separate operations.

In a large military operation in east Baghdad, Iraqi Special Police commandos raided 19 targets and captured 24 more terror suspects.

The commandos also seized AK-47 assault rifles, a machine gun and a sniper rifle. They also found computer equipment and documents thought to be plans for future attacks. In Mosul, Iraqi security and coalition forces from Task Force Freedom detained 20 suspected terrorists, and killed five more during operations July 17-18.

The task force also discovered a large weapons cache in western Mosul July 18. It consisted of more than 1,000 mortar rounds; 25 mortar firing systems; 150 rockets, 450 rocket-propelled grenade rounds; 26 RPG launchers; numerous missile firing systems; improvised explosive devices; and assorted rifles.

In a separate discovery that day, Iraqi and coalition forces found 26 surface-to-air missiles, 700 mortar rounds, 450 rocket-propelled grenades, and 150 57 mm artillery rockets hidden in the floor of a chicken coop.

Also south of Mosul outside the town Qayyarah, another weapons find turned up six 1,000-pound bombs.

The military also reported that Iraqi soldiers captured an individual today suspected of dealing artifacts believed stolen from the Baghdad Museum.

The detainee said he was acting as a middleman for a buyer and that the artifacts, estimated to be between 2,000 and 5,000 years old, were worth $25,000 each. Three items believed to be artifacts were recovered.

In other news, a U.S. Marine assigned to 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), died as the result of a nonhostile incident July 17 at Camp Blue Diamond, in Ramadi, military officials in Baghdad today reported.

The name of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The incident is under investigation.

American Forces Press Service

Iraqi Official Says Countrymen Cannot Achieve Liberty Alone

2005-07-18T19:09:00.000-07:00

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 18, 2005 - "The Iraqi people cannot achieve their liberty and democracy by themselves alone. They need the support of the United States," the inspector general of the Iraqi Ministry of Defense said during an interview here.

The senior Iraqi government official, Layla Jassim Al-Moktar, was commenting on Benjamin Franklin's famous call for unity. "We must indeed all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately," Franklin said at the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

Iraq, America and the coalition "need to hang together" to continue the fight against terrorists operating in Iraq and around the world, Moktar asserted.

Moktar believes her countrymen will ultimately defeat terrorists in Iraq. "But at the same time," she added, the new Iraqi government and security forces now require "the support of the other friendly countries."

Moktar said there is "a very small percentage of Iraqis who don't want Iraq to be democratic and free." Those people "are the losers who lost much of their interests" after Saddam Hussein was deposed in 2003, she said.

She also acknowledged that insurgents "from other countries, maybe from the adjacent countries to Iraq, are coming inside Iraq to fight."

Moktar compared the insurgency in Iraq to an infection, noting, "when you get a small cold or flu, the whole body doesn't feel well." Iraq has 25 million people, and the insurgency amounts to "a small sickness or illness" in the populace, Moktar said.

The security situation in Iraq today "looks a little bit better than before," Moktar reported. To further improve security, she said, her country's new army and other security forces require more training, weapons and supplies. In the later years of Saddam's rule the Iraqi Army was poorly outfitted and supplied, she said.

Acquiring new and modern weapons would provide Iraq with "a good army" that will be used for national defense and not to wage war on neighbors, Moktar said.

Moktar said she believes things will get better in Iraq in the coming months and years. "Iraqis want that to happen," she said.

The people of the United States and members of its armed forces have Moktar's thanks for starting "a great mission in Iraq," she said.

She also asked Americans to remain Iraq's ally in the war against terrorism and "to complete this mission, appropriately and properly, until the end."

2005-07-18T13:20:00.000-07:00

Specialist Wells from Bravo Company 2 Battalion-121 Infantry Regiment keeps the area secure while other soldiers search through the entire house on July 06, 2005, Al-Radwnea, Iraq. During Operation Mercer, Bravo Company conducted a cordon search through Arrows road for caches, detainees and to gather intel.

Coordinated Efforts Net 39 Suspects in Iraq

2005-07-18T13:17:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, July 18, 2005 - Iraqi and U.S. forces established a joint/combined operations center to develop intelligence and track operations during a series of missions July 15, military officials in Baghdad, Iraq, said.

This was the first time Iraqi and U.S. forces established such an operations center, Task Force Baghdad officials said. The staffs of each unit worked side by side in the JOC, resulting in the capture of 39 suspected terrorists in several operations.

"Coordination between our respective units has never been better," said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. John Basilica Jr., commander of the 256th Brigade Combat Team. "The 1st Iraqi Brigade is well on its way to being a well-trained joint staff.

"On the evening of July 15, elements of the 6th Iraqi Army Division and the 256th BCT successfully detained targets in their areas of operation through cordon-and-search operations and combat patrols.Soldiers of 4th Battalion, 1st Iraqi Army, and 3rd Battalion, 156th Infantry Regiment, 256th BCT, searched houses suspected of holding terrorists in the Ameriyah district of Baghdad. The mission was successful and resulted in the capture of three suspects, two of whom were Syrian.

The search found 10 to 12 122 mm and 130 mm rounds enhanced with propane to make a larger fireball in the explosion. In another 256th operation, soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 156th Infantry Regiment, captured three personnel, all positively identified as targets. The 2-156th personnel knocked on doors when the targeted houses turned up empty, and citizens of the neighborhood led soldiers to the suspected terrorists.

The combined efforts of other 256th and Iraqi army units resulted in the capture of 33 detainees.

Soldiers of 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, and 3rd Battalion, 4th Iraqi Army, brought in 15 detainees after conducting their cordon-and-search missions. While conducting patrols in their area, the 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, and 2nd Battalion, 3rd Iraqi Army, performed a hasty cordon and search and brought in 18 suspected terrorists. The detainees are being held for questioning at an undisclosed location, officials said.

American Forces Press Service

Saddam Hussein to Face Trial Soon, Iraqi Officials Say

2005-07-18T13:01:00.000-07:00

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 18, 2005 - Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein will soon go to trial, a senior Iraqi judge said during a July 17 news conference in Baghdad, Iraq.

Judge Raeed Juhi, the chief judge of Iraq's special tribunal, said the trial date is expected to be set "within days," according to press reports.

Saddam and three other former regime members will stand trial for a July 8, 1982, massacre in Dujail, Iraq, following a failed assassination attempt against the former president. Iraqi security forces, acting on Saddam's orders, allegedly massacred an estimated 150 villagers.

Also facing trial are Barzan al-Tikriti, Saddam's half brother and former chief of Iraqi intelligence; Taha Yassin Ramadan, former vice president; and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, former chief of the Revolutionary Court, press reports said.

Meanwhile, Iraqi investigators are continuing to prepare charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide against Saddam and former regime members in 12 other cases. They include the 1988 chemical attack on the Kurdish village of Halabja, which left 5,000 dead, and the brutal crushing of a Shiite revolt in southern Iraq in 1991.

Juhi said the investigation into those cases is "in its final stages."

U.S. forces captured Saddam, who was hiding in a spider hole near his hometown of Tikrit, in December 2003. The Iraqi government maintains legal custody of the former dictator, although Multinational Force Iraq officials have physical custody of him at the Iraqi government's request, defense officials said.

Saddam's upcoming trial is expected to help bolster the security situation in Iraq, Foreign Minister Hoyshar Zebari said during a June interview.

Zebari said the evidence against the former dictator is staggering -- from mass graves of those who opposed him to the laundry list of atrocities he inflicted against his own people. "Every family has suffered from the rule of Saddam Hussein, so there is no lack of evidence whatsoever," Zebari said. "There is an abundance of evidence to try and prosecute him."

The Iraqi government "is very committed to putting Saddam and other members of his former regime on trial, and I personally think that this will impact the security situation," the foreign minister said.

"It is very important that we start -- the sooner the better," he said. "That is the view of this government. It is a widely shared view across the country."

Saddam will "be eligible for all the benefits of a free trial" and to choose his own defense team, Zebari said. "We will give him the same justice he has denied us for many years," he said.

The final verdict, he said, "will speak for Iraqi justice."

Terrorists Use Corpses as Bait in Baghdad Car-Bomb Attack

2005-07-17T14:34:00.000-07:00

By Maj. Russell Goemaere,
USASpecial to American Forces Press Service

BAGHDAD, July 17, 2005 - In what military officials are calling "a new level of barbarity," terrorists tortured and killed two innocent Iraqi civilians and laid their bodies in the road as bait for curious Iraqi civilians and investigating Iraqi security forces before detonating a car bomb at 8 a.m. this morning.

The attack, in the New Baghdad district of the capital, killed one Iraqi police officer, along with the terrorist who drove the vehicle. Five civilians and three other Iraqi police officers were wounded.

The bodies were discovered lying in the middle of the road. When Iraqi security forces and a crowd of civilians gathered near the scene, a terrorist drove his car bomb into the group and detonated it.

"The (Iraqi security forces) will not be intimidated by this type of action. We will continue to take the fight to the Godless terrorists," one Iraqi police officer said.

Iraqi forces secured the scene, and all casualties were quickly evacuated to a local hospital. The incident is under investigation, officials said.

The previous day, Iraqi security forces stopped a suicide bomber before he could detonate his suicide vest at the funeral for young victims of the July 13 car bombing, which claimed the lives of two dozen Iraqi children. The terrorist is now in custody at an undisclosed location.

"The terrorists are offering nothing for the future of Iraq. They offer only death to innocent Iraqi people. The people are with us, they support the (police) and the Iraqi army," the police officer said.

Coalition, Iraqi Forces Preventing More Attacks

2005-07-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, July 17, 2005 - Two American soldiers in Iraq were killed by improvised explosive devices July 16. Another two soldiers were wounded.

In the first incident, a soldier assigned to the 155th Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), died July 16 of wounds received July 15 from a car-bomb attack. The incident reportedly occurred during combat operations near Iskandariyah.

Also on July 16, at about 4:00 p.m. in the Kirkuk province, an IED killed one Task Force Liberty soldier and wounded two other soldiers. The two wounded soldiers were taken to a coalition forces medical treatment facility. The names of the deceased are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

In other news from Iraq, Iraqi and coalition security forces are enjoying increasing success at nabbing terrorists and preventing terrorist attacks, thanks to growing cooperation and intelligence from the Iraqi people, officials said today.

For example, in Baghdad on July 14, an Iraqi citizen reportedly told an Iraqi army patrol that he'd found a weapons cache in that city's al-Jamea'a district. When the soldiers investigated, they found seven rocket-propelled grenades, hand grenades, bomb-making materials, one set of body armor, an ammunition vest with ammunition, several ski masks, two backpacks, and a number of handwritten documents, officials said.

"This is another example of how ordinary Iraqi citizens who are fed up with terrorism and terrorists are coming forward and doing something about it," Army Lt. Col. Clifford Kent, a Task Force Baghdad spokesman, said. "Iraqis are gaining more confidence in their security forces and providing them with information that can be used to help disrupt insurgent cells."

Iraqi security forces and Task Force Baghdad have established e-mail and telephone "tip lines" for Iraqi citizens to report suspicious behavior. Officials said these tip lines have been effective tools to gather intelligence on terrorist suspects and terrorist activities.

In all, Iraqi army and Task Force Baghdad Soldiers captured nine terrorist suspects, including two specifically targeted individuals, during a series of July 14 operations in the capital city, officials said.

One of the terrorist suspects taken into custody is thought to be a close assistant to a known terrorist. He is believed to be responsible for providing instructions and money to leaders of terrorist cells operating in the Harbiya district of central Baghdad.

In a separate July 14 operation at 11:30 p.m., Iraqi soldiers from the 4th Battalion, 1st Iraqi Army Brigade, raided a suspected terrorist safe house in the Ameriyah district of western Baghdad, officials said. When the soldiers approached the house, terrorists inside reportedly fired on them. The Iraqi soldiers returned fire and, in less than half an hour, detained three men in the house, including the second specifically targeted terrorist suspect, officials said.

Elsewhere in Baghdad, on July 16, Iraqi police reportedly prevented a suicide bomber from killing scores of Iraqis during a funeral for children killed in a July 13 car-bomb attack in eastern Baghdad. The Iraqi police were providing security at the funeral and noticed that a suspicious adult male was approaching the funeral procession, officials said.

The Iraqi police stopped the man, searched him, and discovered he was wearing a suicide vest. A team of explosives experts safely removed the vest before the terrorist could detonate it. No one was injured in the failed attack, officials said.

"The Iraqi police showed incredible bravery," said Col. Joseph DiSalvo, commander of U.S. forces in Rusafa, which is in eastern Baghdad. "They noticed a suicide bomber, and they subdued him before he could detonate his ball-bearing-filled vest."

DiSalvo said the terrorist suicide bomber was high on drugs and is being treated for a potential overdose. He is being detained and eventually will be turned over to the Iraqi justice system.
"This is an incredibly heinous crime," DiSalvo added. "The bomber, who is from Libya, came here to kill the grieving parents of the children who were killed (July 13). I cannot imagine a worse crime."
An Iraqi citizen who attended the funeral reportedly praised the Iraqi police, whom, he observed, "stopped this terrorist before he could do his evil deed."

"The terrorist is obviously a very confused and evil man who has aligned himself with the most evil and Godless men on this earth," the citizen said. "I thank God for the Iraqi police."
Iraqi and coalition cordon-and-search missions also are meeting with great success, officials said.
For example, since July 14, such operations have been undertaken by elements of the 1st and 4th Iraqi Army Brigades and the U.S. Army's 256th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. According to officials, these missions have resulted in the detention of six targets and the confiscation of various weapons, documents and contraband.

On the evening of July 14, combined Iraqi and coalition forces, from the 3rd Battalion, 156th Infantry Regiment, 256th Brigade Combat Team, and the 4th Battalion, 1st Iraqi Army Brigade, apprehended nine individuals for questioning while seizing weapons, including two pistols and four AK-47 rifles. Officials said the joint Iraqi-coalition patrol was acting on intelligence gained from reconnaissance activities in the Ameriyah district of Baghdad.

Also in Baghdad on July 14, the 3rd Battalion, 4th Iraqi Army Brigade, and the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, 256th Brigade Combat Team, conducted a search that brought in 11 detainees, a pistol and a cell phone. Officials believe the detainees have intelligence on terrorist activities.

"The Iraqi force is growing stronger by the day, and each cordon-and-search mission is proof of that," said 1st Lt. Taysha Deaton, spokeswoman for the 256th Brigade Combat Team. "Iraq's own soldiers are taking control. More and more and more of our patrols witness that not only is this what must be done, it is also what the Iraqi people want."

Iraqi and coalition security forces seem to be enjoying similar success in northern Iraq. For example, Iraqi police and coalition forces with Task Force Freedom detained 13 suspected terrorists and seized a large weapons cache in operations in and around Mosul on July 15 and 16, officials said.

Iraqi police also reportedly detained four suspected kidnappers of an Iraqi child during a raid west of Mosul on July 15. U.S. officials said the police rescued the child and seized a large weapons cache. The cache had more than 50 missiles, mortar rounds and firing systems; numerous explosives; and various other weapons and ammunition. The weapons and ammunition were confiscated and will be destroyed.

Elsewhere in Mosul, soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, reportedly detained two suspected terrorists while conducting two separate operations on July 15 and 16. Also on July 15 and 16, soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, detained two suspected terrorists while conducting two raid operations in western Mosul, officials said. The suspected terrorists are in custody, and no coalition troops were injured.

In other related operations, soldiers from the 1st Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, detained five suspected terrorists at a checkpoint near the Syrian border on July 15, officials said.

"The coordinated efforts of Iraqi and coalition security forces are leading to the arrest of terrorists and criminals responsible for attacks against innocent Iraqi citizens," a release from Task Force Freedom stated.

American Forces Press Service

Coalition Forces Stymie, Respond to Ongoing Terrorist Attacks in Iraq

2005-07-16T21:20:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, July 16, 2005 - Task Force Liberty and Iraqi army soldiers stopped a potential terrorist attack when they confiscated a mortar system in a vehicle during a joint operation near Balad, Iraq, on July 15 at about 5:00 p.m.

Elsewhere in Iraq, though, terrorists continue to target and kill innocent Iraqis.The joint operation in Balad occurred at a traffic control point. Soldiers reportedly found an 82 mm mortar tube, tripod, base plate, and breach cap in the back of a truck. These items were confiscated and the driver was detained and questioned at a coalition base, officials said.

Later that day, at around 7:00 p.m., Iraqi police and Task Force Baghdad soldiers responded to two more car-bomb attacks in southern Baghdad."This is another example of terrorists attacking innocent civilians," Task Force Baghdad spokesman Army Lt. Col. Clifford Kent said. "Terrorists who blow themselves up to deliberately destroy innocent life are not suicide bombers," he added. "They are killers. The Iraqi people know that these criminals have nothing positive to offer Iraq.

"Joint security forces cordoned off the area within minutes of the blasts and began treating the wounded. Nineteen people were evacuated to a local hospital for treatment, and three Iraqi policemen and seven civilians were killed in the attack, officials said.

Just before 6:00 p.m. on the same day, four Task Force Baghdad soldiers sustained minor injuries from a remotely detonated car bomb. The soldiers reportedly were looking for terrorists who had fired on their patrol in Jihad, a southwest district of Baghdad, when the nearby car bomb was detonated.

Elsewhere in Iraq, six Iraqi policemen were killed and another 10 were injured when a suicide bomber detonated his device at a police station in Hammam al Alil, south of Mosul, today, officials said. The injured policemen were taken to a local hospital for treatment.An Iraqi civilian also was killed today in Samarra, near Tikrit. He reportedly was caught in crossfire between terrorists and coalition forces.

Task Force Liberty soldiers said they were responding to a rocket-propelled-grenade attack and small-arms fire. The civilian was riding in a vehicle that had passed between them and the terrorists. One U.S. soldier was wounded in the attack. He was evacuated to a nearby coalition medical facility for treatment, officials said.

American Forces Press Service

Iraqi Security Forces Prove Capability

2005-07-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

By Sgt. Sara Wood, USAAmerican Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 14, 2005 - Iraqi security forces continue to show their progress toward independence with their prevention of two terrorist attacks this week and their ongoing involvement in successful operations throughout the country, a military official in Baghdad said today.

Today, Iraqi security forces at a checkpoint in Baghdad prevented an attack by a car bomb and two suicide vest bombers, said Air Force Brig. Gen. Donald Alston, spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq. Before the vehicle containing the car bomb reached the checkpoint, the soldiers recognized it as a threat and engaged it, causing the bomb to detonate prematurely, Alston said.

Two people wearing suicide bomb vests then ran toward the checkpoint, and the soldiers engaged them. One bomb vest prematurely detonated, killing the bomber, and the other bomber was wounded and his vest was removed and disarmed.

On July 9, Iraqi police thwarted a possible terrorist attack on the Kuwaiti embassy in Baghdad, Alston said. Shortly before 8 a.m., Iraqi special police guarding the embassy saw a rocket propelled grenade round placed near the building's southeast entrance, he said. An explosive ordnance disposal team was called in and safely removed the round. These efforts by Iraqi forces are proof that their training is paying off and they are on the way to taking over the security of their country, Alston said.

"Casualties were minimized because they performed their critical jobs so well," he said. "They continue to make progress and develop their capability to provide for the defense of their country."The progress of the security forces makes them a prime target for terrorists, he said, but despite constant attacks, people are signing up for service in large numbers.

There are 35 battalion-size operations going on every day in Iraq, and Iraqi security forces solely are running roughly 20 percent of those, Alston said. The Iraqi soldiers' presence in communities gives the citizens confidence and encourages them to give the soldiers information about weapons and insurgents, he added. Several weapons caches are discovered every week, he said, and they include items like counterfeit U.S. money, mines, anti-tank missiles, anti-aircraft guns, dynamite and bombs.

"All of this and more are now off the streets of Iraq thanks to the efforts of the Iraqi security forces, their coalition partners and the people of Iraq," he said.

Operations throughout Iraq continue to bring in suspected terrorists as well, and in the coming weeks and months more battlespace will be transferred to the control of the Iraqi forces, he said. The transfer of different areas will always be based on conditions and readiness of the Iraqi forces, he stressed, and the U.S. will be there for support as long as needed.

Progress is being made every day not only in the security forces, but also in the government and other areas of the country, he said. This progress, coupled with the spirit of the Iraqi people, will lead to success against the insurgents, he said.

"The people of Iraq want to bring an end to terror," he said. "They want security and stability in their lives. Our constant pressure on insurgents, the continued progress of the Iraqi security forces and the reconstruction projects that are being completed will help them achieve those aims."

Iraqi, U.S. Forces Capture Al Qaeda Leaders

2005-07-14T13:02:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, July 14, 2005 - Multinational forces in Iraq have captured two high-ranking al Qaeda operatives with ties to wanted terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, military officials announced today.

The two men, Abdulla Ibrahim Muhammed Hassan al Shadad, or Abu Abdul Aziz, and Khamis Farhan Khalaf Abd al Fahdawi, or Abu Seba, were among more than 30 suspected terrorists captured during raids throughout the country.

Aziz served as both a terrorist cell leader in Baghdad and as an operations officer for al Qaeda in Iraq. He was captured July 10.

According to authorities, Aziz is cooperating with coalition forces.
Abu Seba was captured July 9 in Ramadi after intelligence provided information on his whereabouts, the military said.

Seba served as an al Qaeda senior lieutenant in Iraq and is suspected in attacks against diplomats from Bahrain and Pakistan and the recent murder of Egyptian envoy, Ihab Salah al Din Ahmad al Sharif.

The military said in capturing the two leaders it also found vital information, evidence and equipment implicating both Aziz and Seba as members of Zarqawi's leadership cell.
Computer equipment, weapons, pornography, propaganda and documents were also seized during the raids.

American Forces Press Service

New U.S. Ambassador Ready to Help Iraq Reach Goals

2005-07-14T12:58:00.000-07:00

By Samantha L. QuigleyAmerican Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 13, 2005 - Iraq is poised at a crossroads, the new U.S. ambassador to Iraq told journalists at the Foreign Press Center here today.

Zalmay Khalilzad, who was sworn in as the U.S. ambassador to Iraq on June 21st after having served 16 months as ambassador and special presidential envoy to Afghanistan, is ready to help Iraq reach its goal of democracy.

"I'm ready to go to Baghdad," Khalilzad said. "I am looking forward in the coming days to continue to help the Iraqi people and their leaders to advance towards their goal of completing Iraq's democratic transition and building a successful Iraq."

To accomplish this task, he put forth his seven-pronged plan on what he called "mutually reinforcing fronts."

The first is bringing together the Iraqi people. "I will work with Iraqi leaders to help them develop a common and unifying vision, a national compact enshrined in the constitution, and unite the people against the terrorists and hard- line Baathists," Khalilzad said.

To that end, his second prong is to break the insurgency's back. "A key aspect of this work will be to increase the number and enhance the capabilities of Iraqi forces and security institutions," the ambassador said. "This also requires that we help build security institutions in Iraq in which all Iraqis can have confidence."

He said that he would personally review all of the training programs and ensure that they are based on a jointly developed U.S.-Iraqi plan.

Third on his list is help Iraq develop good relations with all its neighbors. "Iraq will emerge from the current situation as a rich country and a key regional player," he said. "It is in the interest of all Iraq's neighbors to help Iraqis now in order to build positive relationship(s) for the future."
This task also involves encouraging those who have offered reconstruction assistance to accelerate the delivery of that assistance. He also called on neighboring countries to work to ensure terrorists are not crossing the border into Iraq.

Accelerating the capacity-building efforts of Iraqi ministries and provincial governments and making sure that the reconstruction program is "under-promising and over-delivering" are the fourth and fifth prongs of Khalilzad's plan for Iraq. The plan also includes reassuring Iraqis that the U.S. does not seek the country's territory or wealth, but a successful Iraq that works for all Iraqis and serves as a positive role model for the region.

Lastly, Khalilzad said he would work with Iraqis to set conditions for a successful election under the new constitution. The election also would be held according to the timeline in the U.N. resolutions and would establish the foundation for a stable and moderate Iraq.

"The actions of Iraqis will determine ... Iraq's future," he said. "However, I will lead the U.S. effort to support efforts by the overwhelming majority of the Iraqi people to set their country on a more positive trajectory."

Khalilzad argued that a military presence is needed at this time, as well as economic and diplomatic presences, to help Iraq move forward.

The presence of U.S. forces in Iraq "is not an end in itself," Khalilzad noted. "We do not seek permanent U.S. military presence in Iraq. We want our forces to be able to assist Iraq to stand on its own feet, because free people would like to be able to protect themselves."

While a reduction of U.S. forces would be desirable, Khalilzad said, he stressed that the U.S. would not leave Iraq in the lurch and would ensure that Iraq could stand on its own.

The transition to self-sufficient country from "authoritarian Saddamism" is understandably difficult, he said.

"I know it's difficult because it's a new way of doing things. But I think Iraqi nationalism is strong," Khalilzad said. "(Iraq) is a proud country with a very long history, periods of darkness for sure, but periods of glory as well, and they want to be able to take care of their own destiny."
And the new ambassador is confident that can happen as has been occurring in Afghanistan.

"I think that Afghanistan is heading in the right direction. It's on the right trajectory," Khalilzad said. "It has made enormous progress in the course of the last three years, but it still has a long way to go to be a successful, stable country. I think to achieve that goal it requires sustained international engagement, support by the international community." That's there, he said. And just as in Iraq, that needs to be sustained.

"I'm optimistic about Iraq's future," he said, "because Iraqis themselves are determined to seize a moment that's rich with possibilities for their nation. I will work as hard as I can to help Iraqis realize, as soon as possible, their aspirations for an Iraq that can stand on its own feet."

Iraqi Army Foils Three Terrorist Attacks

2005-07-13T14:34:00.000-07:00

BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 13, 2005 - Iraqi soldiers stopped three terrorist attacks against a water plant, a military recruiting drive, and a hospital July 11, all around Baghdad.

No soldiers or civilians were injured in any of the attacks, and the Iraqi troops' efforts saved the lives of countless citizens, officials noted.

At 3:25 a.m. that day, terrorists fired on Iraqi soldiers guarding the Khark Water Treatment Plant in north Baghdad. The guards returned fire, driving the attackers away and preventing any damage to the newly repaired facility, which provides fresh water to millions of people in the city.

In west Abu Ghraib, Iraqi soldiers guarding the site of an Iraqi Army recruiting drive spotted a mortar round less than 100 yards away from their checkpoint. A dispatched team of explosives experts safely detonated the bomb.

The third incident occurred just before noon, when a citizen told Iraqi soldiers he'd seen a car bomb parked near a hospital in south Baghdad. They secured the site and called in explosives experts to investigate.

The team found a white car with wires running from the transmission to two batteries. It also found a bomb near the hospital consisting of four mortar rounds. The team safely removed the car bomb and munitions from the site."These successes can be directly attributed to better-trained and more experienced Iraqi army soldiers patrolling the streets," said Lt. Col. Clifford Kent, a Task Force Baghdad spokesman.

"They're making their presence known and they're talking to Iraqis they meet while patrolling," Kent noted. "As a result, Iraqis are gaining more confidence in their Army and providing the Soldiers with more information, which they can use to disrupt insurgent cells."

American Forces Press Service

U.S. Forces Kill 14 Insurgents

2005-07-12T11:29:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, July 12, 2005 - A Task Force Baghdad soldier died of injuries sustained July 11 when his patrol west of Baghdad hit a land mine, officials reported today.

The soldier's name is being till the next of kin are notified. The incident is under investigation.
In other news, coalition forces from Task Force Freedom in Iraq killed 14 enemy troops and detained several others during July 10-11 offensive operations.

Soldiers from 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, killed 10 terrorists during one attack July 11 and four more in another attack July 10, both in Tal Afar. In addition, soldiers from the regiment's 1st Squadron detained one individual suspected of terrorist activity during a raid west of Tal Afar on July 11. No U.S. injuries were reported during the operations.

Also, soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, detained two individuals suspected of terrorist activity during a cordon and search operation in eastern Mosul July 11. And soldiers from 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, detained two individuals suspected of terrorist activity while patrolling in western Mosul July 10.

During a routine patrol in the Ameriyah District July 10, soldiers of Alpha Company, 4th Battalion, 1st Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, noticed a black BMW parked in the driveway of a typically unoccupied house.

The soldiers stopped to talk to a local citizen about it and observed that the man's demeanor seemed very suspicious. With assistance from soldiers of 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, the Iraqi soldiers searched the house and found a bag of raw C-4 plastic explosives and four other containers believed to be filled with explosives.

Also hidden in the house were 20 hand grenades, one machine gun, a sniper rifle, an AK-47 assault rifle, a loaded 9 mm pistol with a silencer, and 500 to 700 rounds of ammunition. A team of explosives experts safely removed the munitions. "It was a joint Iraqi and U.S. patrol. The Iraqi soldiers took the lead," said Capt. Mike Benoit from the 69th Infantry. "They were aggressive and used their insight, which led us to the cache."

In south Baghdad, Iraqi police officers and U.S. soldiers responded to a July 10 car bomb attack against a mosque by securing the area around the shrine and evacuating injured worshippers to a local hospital. The blast injured 15 people, including at least one child.

"Iraqi insurgents and foreign fighters have nothing positive to offer Iraq," said Lt. Col. Clifford Kent, a Task Force Baghdad spokesman. "They deliberately choose to strike civilian targets to maximize the number of dead and wounded. The violence of the insurgents steals from all Iraqis the chance for employment, prosperity and to worship peacefully."

Also on July 10, an East Baghdad resident alerted an Iraqi Army unit that a terrorist was preparing to fire a rocket. The soldiers of 1st Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, responded immediately and cordoned off the suspected site.

After searching the area, the Iraqi soldiers discovered the rocket ready to be fired from an improvised launcher. The terrorists were not seen or captured, but the Iraqi soldiers safely disarmed the rocket launcher and took it back to their base.

"The terrorists must have gotten scared by our presence. If he would have fired the rocket while we were in the area, he would have been captured by us," said an Iraqi soldier.
"The capture of the rocket before it was fired probably saved the lives of numerous civilians. The terrorists often miss their intended target causing death and destruction to innocent civilians," he said.

And Task Force Baghdad soldiers conducted a precision raid against a terrorist safehouse just west of Abu Ghraib July 10.

Two of the 10 occupants were identified as terrorists and were taken into custody for questioning. Earlier, coalition forces manning a checkpoint in another area of Abu Ghraib saw four men taking pictures of local national workers passing through the checkpoint. The soldiers also noticed that the men seemed to be paying close attention to the procedures for passing through and to the identity of the Iraqi workers.

The unit detained the men, searched them, and found six cell phones including two camera phones. One camera phone had numerous pictures of the Iraqi workers. The four men were taken into custody for questioning.

"Today we took two known terrorists off the street and prevented another possible terrorist attack before it could even get off the ground," said Kent. "Aggressive offensive operations by Iraqi security forces and coalition forces are taking the fight directly to the insurgents and degrading their capabilities all across Iraq."

Another Task Force Baghdad unit working in central Baghdad that day also found a bomb on a major highway that looked like a can of oil with detonation cord running from it. The soldiers secured the area and blocked traffic to keep people away. The bomb exploded before an explosives team arrived on site, but no one was injured and no property was damaged. The soldiers checked to make sure there were no other bombs in the area before re-opening the highway.

American Forces Press Service

Recruiting and Retention Numbers for June

2005-07-11T14:54:00.000-07:00

The Department of Defense announced today its recruiting and retention statistics by the active and reserve components for the month of June.

Active duty recruiting. The Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Forcemet or exceeded their recruiting goals in June.

Accessions
Goal
Percent

Army
6,157
5,650
109

Navy
4,566
4,529
101

Marine Corps
4,156
4,051
103
Air Force
2,400
2,370
101

Active duty retention. All services met or exceeded their overall retention goals for June and are projected to meet their retention goals for the current fiscal year.

Reserve forces recruiting. Four of the six reserve components, the Army Reserve, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve and Marine Corps Reserve met or exceeded their June recruiting goals.

Accessions
Goal
Percent

Army National Guard
4,337
5,032
86

Army Reserve
3,651
3,610
101

Air National Guard
798
753
106

Air Force Reserve
773
768
101

Navy Reserve
1,233
1,33
692

Marine Corps Reserve
1,196
1,194
100

Soldiers Detain 13 Suspects

2005-07-11T14:48:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, July 11, 2005 - Two Marines assigned to Regimental Combat Team 2, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), were killed in action July 10 by indirect fire while conducting combat operations in Hit, Iraq. The names of the deceased are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

Elsewhere in Iraq, Task Force Liberty soldiers detained 13 people suspected of making and emplacing improvised explosive devices during a pair of raids in north-central Iraq July 10 and 11. Nine people were detained near Tikrit after soldiers from the 1st Brigade Combat Team received a tip from a civilian.

Three of the people tested positive for contact with explosives, and the group was in possession of weapons, ammunition and IED-making materials. Iraqi and coalition Forces soldiers detained four suspects with IED-making materials and diagrams near Mansuriyah, in Diyala province. All the detainees were taken to coalition forces bases for questioning.

American Forces Press Service