Good News From Iraq

What’s happening in Iraq that isn’t being reported by the MSM?

First up we learn that Ameriya is stepping up and beginning to provide for their own security as they conduct an Iraqi Police recruiting drive:

Residents in the western Ameriya neighborhood took another step this week to secure their community, as a local recruiting drive resulted in more than 300
applicants for the new Ameriya Iraqi Police Force.

The recruits underwent a series of physical tests, mental evaluations and a literacy
assessment.

Successful completion certified them as qualified Iraqi Police candidates to represent more than 30,000 citizens of Ameriya.

To date, Ameriya does not have a police force to protect and serve residents like other communities in western Baghdad.

Pretty impressive for a country that the Democrats say can’t or won’t take care of themselves or will always be reliant upon US Forces. Digging a littel deeper we also find that Coalition Forces are keeping insurgents on the run by conducting night assaults into areas in which they do not normally operate, with Operation Anchorage:

Coalition Forces detained five suspected insurgents and destroyed a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device with two joint direct attack munitions Sept. 30 during Operation Anchorage, east of FOB Falcon.

Paratroopers of the 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment along with several Iraqi army soldiers conducted a night air assault raid here in the early morning hours. The detainees are suspected to be involved with attacks conducted on an IA checkpoint, said Capt. Donald Braman, commander, Troop B.

The Iraqi troops detained the suspects after finding an AK-47 with four fully loaded magazines, a shotgun, more than 500 meters of command wire, IED-making electronic components and anti-Iraqi forces propaganda in the house where the suspects were found.

The raid also netted a five-ton white bongo truck in the process of being rigged as a VBIED. An explosives-detecting K-9 reacted to explosive residue on the vehicle.

An F-16 was called in and struck the truck with a JDAM.

A key quote of the story:

“Every time we go out and take the fight to the enemy we disrupt them; make his life uncomfortable,” he said. “The life of an insurgent isn’t an easy life. When they are on the run, they have to sleep in open fields, in canals; they get tired. As long as they know we are coming after them they can’t sleep easy.” - Capt. Donald Braman

Hooah Captain!

And evidence continues to mount that the Iranians are funding and supplying the insurgent groups operating in Iraq as soldiers with 1st – 30th Inf find four Iranian hand grenades in weapons cache:

Coalition troops discovered a cache Sept. 30 while conducting area searches south of Patrol Base Murray.

Soldiers of Company A, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team found the cache in a buried plastic barrel.

It consisted of a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, seven RPGs, four Iranian hand grenades, an AK-47 with four full magazines, more than 400 machine gun rounds, 20 mortar primers, a set of body armor and 13 RPG propellant charges.

These aren’t the only caches being uncovered though: Coalition Forces operating in the area of Rushdi Mullah found and destroyed a cache near the Euphrates recently:

CAMP STRIKER, Iraq — Coalition Forces operating on a tip from concerned local citizens southwest of Rushdi Mullah, Iraq, discovered a cache the morning of Oct. 1.

Soldiers of Company C, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y., searched the area based on the tip and found a cache.

The cache contained 53 82mm mortar rounds, four 60mm rounds, eight 80mm rockets, 26 68mm flechette rockets, an OG-7V rocket and 200 sticks of propellant.

The weapons cache was destroyed in a controlled detonation by an explosive ordnance disposal team.

Troopers of the 3rd Squadron 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment also found several IEDs and either foiled their emplacement or came upon them being emplaced. MNF-I reports that with the Sept. 30 IED discoveries, 22 roadside bombs have been taken off the street of the Rashid District since Operation Dragon Talon II began Sept.16. That my friends is a lot of IEDs that won’t kill American Troopers or innocent civilians and lends credence to the reports that both US Military and Iraqi Civilian deaths have been dropping.

Who is failing whom in Iraq, Mr. Reid?

Trackbacked by:
Surprising Iraqi progress, on the one hand, despite continuing problems on the other from Pros and Cons