News and Personal dispatches from the front lines.
In their own words:
LT Nixon: Iraq News (6 Mar) - The Good: The Ministry of Oil has been given the green light to go ahead on oil deals with multi-national corporations. This investment will be crucial to improving the infrastructure in Iraq and will provide employment opportunities. The Oil Minister, Shahristani, has even suggested employing the tribes in the region the pipelines run through to provide security. The Bad: A former Kurdish minister has been killed by gunmen. Also, Turkey has resumed it's misguided offensive against the PKK by performing air strikes in northern Iraq. You'd think they'd learn from our mistakes of how to deal with an insurgency. (READ MORE)
Yellowhammering Afghanistan: People in the neighborhood - Remember the old "Sesame Street" segment about the people who live in your neighborhood? (I'm sorry if I just planted the song in your head. It's going to be stuck there all day now.) In Ghazni, sometimes it's fun to get out and mingle with the people on the sidewalks. I did so recently while waiting on our team chief to conclude a meeting in a downtown building. The sidewalks of Ghazni are quite a scene. There are street vendors selling most everything either from tables, carts or even just straight off the sidewalk. There are widow women in burqas begging. You will often find old men just sitting and talking. (READ MORE)
Hello Iraq: Military Recruiting Office Bombed in NYC - Quack! Quack! I see a “duck!” - It was only a matter of time before the ANSWER/UFPJ/Code Pink/DSA umbrellas for the Workers World sponsored protest movements across America evolved into anarchy and out right violence. Today at about 3:45 a.m., according to Fox Cable News, an explosion ripped through a Recruiting office in Times Square NYC. Another unexploded device was also found. One only has to do a little research on Google if they are not old enough to remember the violent activities of the sixties by the Socialist movement that virtually infiltrated every aspect of the Civil Rights and Women’s Movement of that time. On college campuses they had the SDS. This is all right out of the Hayden “playbook” and the Socialists call for action not rhetoric. (READ MORE)
Iraq Pundit: After Ahmadinejad - The Iranian propaganda machine is saying that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to Baghdad was a great success, mostly because the Iranian leader was received so politely by some of Iraq's leaders. Much of the U.S. coverage of the visit seems in line with this version, the idea being, apparently, to portray Iran as the real beneficiary of Bush's Mideast policy. But ordinary Iraqis had a different reaction to the event. There are numerous reports of protests against the Iranian president's visit, and this story says Ahmadinejad thought it the better part of valor to cancel his planned trip to the holy sites of Kerbala and Najaf. (READ MORE)
Tony Perry: IRAQ: 'Nothing has changed' - While on a foot patrol in Ramadi on May 16, 2006, Marine Gunnery Sgt. William "Spanky" Gibson was shot by an insurgent sniper. "Basically, the bullet disintegrated my [left] knee cap, completely," said Gibson. Now, 21 months later, Gibson is back in Iraq, possibly the only above-the-knee amputee to redeploy to Iraq. He's part of the command element at Camp Fallouja, coordinating the use of artillery. "For me, this is a kind of closure," he said. "I say to myself, 'Nothing has changed. I was injured. Now I'm back here.'" On a case-by-case basis, the Marines are allowing some amputees to remain in the Corps with limited duties. (READ MORE)
Paul McLeary: "Forgiveness for the greater good" - After a few days at combat outpost Courage embedded with C company, I was able to hitch a ride a little bit further north and west to another company-sized combat outpost, named Warrior (it has since been renamed combat outpost Ibrahim Bin Ali—IBA for short—which is the name of a town a few kilometers south of the base.) Manned by the men of company B of the of the 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, in many respects Courage and IBA are similar in setup and in the Spartan lives the soldiers live. (READ MORE)
Desert Dude: 6 March - Got up early this morning to help out my captain with my evaluation… should be done and good to go now…hopefully it gets done and signed before we leave or it’s gonna have to be sent back to the capt. and my commander all over the world to get it signed…also, gathered up a little more info on the trucks to update the lists and all that crap…the rest of the incoming PRT was supposed to arrive today, but they got held at Bagram due to weather…not really a big deal for me, but some of the other guys have a lot of info to turn over and need few days to get the new guys up to speed…hope they are fast learners… (READ MORE)
SGM Curtis L. Regan: Nation Building........from Scratch - Counter-Insurgency - so easy a caveman could do it. Okay, maybe not that easy. Admittedly, Counter-insurgency operations are inherently complex and place great demands on everyone involved. Nation Building is equally difficult – the complexities even greater when insurgents are allowed to meet political and ideological objectives. Historically U.S. Forces have supported insurgents in toppling oppressive governments, and given the historical success of insurgencies, the task of executing a well-planned counter-insurgency strategy takes on greater significance. (READ MORE)
News from the Front:
Iraq:
Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister insists upon meeting obligations at historic conference in northern Iraq - TIKRIT, Iraq – As part of the ongoing United and Strong conferences, the Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and the major Government of Iraq ministers met with Provincial leaders from the seven Northern Provinces to discuss the challenges of provincial reconstruction, economics and essential services near Tikrit March 5. The day’s events were part of the United and Strong Conference series designed to bring Iraqi provincial and national government leaders together to improve cooperation and discuss issues in the interest of all Iraqis. (READ MORE)
ISWAT, U.S. Special Forces kill 9, detain 8 in Ninewa province - BALAD, Iraq – The Tal Afar Special Weapons and Tactics team, advised by U.S. Special Forces, killed nine criminals and detained eight suspects during an operation to disrupt an al Qaeda in Iraq cell south of Tal Afar in western Ninewa province March 2. During the intelligence-driven operation against a known criminal support base and suspected training camp, Iraqi SWAT and U.S. SF targeted a cell responsible for assassinations, improvised explosive device attacks, and illegal traffic control points throughout the Tal Afar area. (READ MORE)
Sons of Iraq in Sabbah Nissan discover weapons cache - BAGHDAD – The Sons of Iraq of Sabbah Nissan, a village southeast of Baghdad, discovered a large weapons cache and handed it over to Soldiers of Battery A, 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery at Forward Operating Base Hammer Feb. 28. This was the most recent of 13 weapons caches the SOI have brought to Battery A since the inception of the SOI program in Sabbah Nissan. (READ MORE)
Citizen uses tip line to reveal cache in New Baghdad - BAGHDAD – An Iraqi citizen called a tip line informing Iraqi Security and Coalition Forces about munitions in the New Baghdad district of eastern Baghdad, March 4. Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, responded to the tip and seized three 80 mm rocket rounds, two 120 mm rocket rounds and an explosively formed penetrator. (READ MORE)
MND-B Soldiers discover cache (Taji) - TAJI, Iraq – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers from Company A, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, discovered a munitions cache on a routine patrol March 3. The Soldiers found 20 artillery rounds of various calibers; four AK-47s; 90 artillery fuses; six motor rockets; three anti tank mines; six hand grenades; 1,000 7.62mm rounds; a rocket propelled grenade; 20 anti-aircraft rounds; five anti-tank rocket rounds and a rifle west of Taji. (READ MORE)
Coalition Forces, ISF conduct Chaos Thunder Strike II (Kirkuk) - KIRKUK, Iraq – Soldiers from the 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, successfully conducted Operation Chaos Thunder Strike II this week with the Iraqi Army in the Rashad Valley in the Kirkuk Province of northern Iraq. The air assault mission is part of the ongoing Operation Phantom Phoenix designed to disrupt terrorist activity and provide a presence of security forces in a possible enemy stronghold. (READ MORE)
Afghanistan:
Coalition forces disrupt Taliban networks - BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Seven suspected insurgents were detained Mar. 4 during an operation, which targeted a Taliban leader and disrupted weapons-facilitations operations in Garmser District, Helmand Province. Coalition forces found and detained seven individuals with suspected links to insurgent networks. The detained individuals will be questioned on their involvement in Taliban weapon-facilitation operations as well as other extremist activities. (READ MORE)
Bagram hosts International Womens Day - BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan- Women’s history month kicked off with a celebration of International Women’s Day here March 3. This year, the Combined Joint Task Force-82, 455th Air Expeditionary Wing Equal Opportunity and various Civil Military Operations sections sponsored the celebration, which consisted of speeches, a musical performance from an Afghan band and an Afghan fashion show. The theme of the celebration was “Investing in Women and Girls.” (READ MORE)
82nd Airborne Paratrooper keeps his head, saves another in ambush - BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – As a convoy of more than 20 vehicles snaked its way through a creek bed in Tag Ab Valley Nov. 10, 2007, small-arms and rocket propelled grenade fire interrupted the patrol’s five-day mission of searching for high value targets in Kapisa Province. Spc. Nicholas Colgin, a medic with Bravo Company, Division Special Troops Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division, heard the call for “medic” and responded by running through sporadic enemy fire to a wounded French soldier ultimately saving Sabastian’s life, according to hospital officials. (READ MORE)
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Cables, dispatches and memoranda from Peace Like A River
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