News and Personal dispatches from the front and the home front.
In their own words:
feeling of absurdity...: Contact - The vehicle in front of you is now replaced with a 100 meter dust cloud and your ears feel like they were just slapped all at the same time. What do you do? (READ MORE)
Lost in Translation - the sandbox version: When did we stop being of value? - If all the world is a stage and we are but players, apparently some have more important roles than others, and some have inadvertent roles. This sickens me, that potentially other's lives are offered up to the god of jihad without their active participation or agreement. (READ MORE)
Matel-in-Iraq: Reservoir Dogs -
In their own words:
feeling of absurdity...: Contact - The vehicle in front of you is now replaced with a 100 meter dust cloud and your ears feel like they were just slapped all at the same time. What do you do? (READ MORE)
Lost in Translation - the sandbox version: When did we stop being of value? - If all the world is a stage and we are but players, apparently some have more important roles than others, and some have inadvertent roles. This sickens me, that potentially other's lives are offered up to the god of jihad without their active participation or agreement. (READ MORE)
Matel-in-Iraq: Reservoir Dogs -
Tell those terrorists we're coming ... and hell's coming with us. No further comment. We just liked the picture and it reminded everybody of that movie. (READ MORE)
IraqPundit: More on that Security Agreement - WaPoreports that Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki demands U.S. forces out of Iraq by 2011. The newspaper charactarized the comments as "an attempt to extract further concessions from American officials, less than a week after both sides said they had agreed to remove all U.S. combat troops by the end of 2011, if the security situation remained relatively stable, but leave other American forces in place. Get it? Tough guy Al Maliki is pushing the United States around. Take that George Bush! WaPo knew Iraq was a hellhole and will become a worse hellhole because of President Bush. The paper reports Al Maliki as saying for the first time, the United States "had agreed to withdraw all troops -- not just combat brigades -- as part of a security accord governing U.S. forces in Iraq, and that the withdrawal schedule must be firm." (READ MORE)
Bill Roggio: Eight killed in Islamabad bombing - Eight Pakistanis were killed and twenty were wounded in a bombing at a cafe in Islamabad. Today's attack is the latest in the Taliban's new terror campaign outside the tribal areas. The bombing occurred at a restaurant on the outskirts of Pakistan's capital. The cafe was frequented by laborers and travelers, Daily Times reported. The bomb contained about eight pounds of explosives and left a one-foot deep crater. Witnesses indicated a child may have placed the bomb. Initial reports indicated a propane cylinder caused the explosion, but the cafe owner denied he used propane for fuel. The Taliban have targeted cafes in Islamabad in the past. Last March, one civilian was killed and 15 wounded in a bombing at an Italian restaurant known to be frequented by foreigners. Twelve foreigners were wounded in the bombing. (READ MORE)
Bill Roggio: US diplomat dodges assassination attempt in Peshawar - The security situation in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan's turbulent Northwest Frontier Province, continues to deteriorate as the Taliban conduct several high-profile strikes in the city. The chief US diplomat in Peshawar evaded an assassination attempt today as the Taliban bombed a school and police station in the city. The assassination attempt occurred on the streets of Peshawar as Lynne Tracy, the US Consulate's principal officer, was driving from her home to the consulate. "Unknown gunmen" used a Land Cruiser to block the street, forcing Tracy's vehicle to stop. The gunmen opened fire on the car as the driver slammed it into reverse and escaped the scene of the attack. The vehicle was bulletproof; neither Tracy nor her driver was wounded. (READ MORE)
Rocinante's Burdens: An ethical dilemma - Everyone agrees that you should always do the right thing. My dilemma springs from the right thing looking a lot like the wrong thing, depending on who you ask. Here is the story. I have a small sum of money, collected by force from the US taxpayers, given to me for the expressed purpose of spending it on the Iraqi Army in order to improve their performance in some essential way. As General Petraus says, "money is bullets in Counter-insurgency." No problem. I am all over that. There are lots of things I can spend this money on to make my IA unit more effective. They need everything. Here is the problem. Some of the things they need are on a list of things I am not allowed to buy. Bureaucrats and financial auditors don't want us to buy some things because it will look like fraud, waste and abuse... something we all agree is bad. But some of the things on the “do not buy” list are mission essential. (READ MORE)
Something on the staff: Detainee Release - One of my many extra duties is to supervise detainee release. For whatever reason, we release individuals from Coalition custody after they’re deemed “no longer a threat to the Coalition or Iraqi people.” So, I get the call that around 50 detainees will land in my little slice of Iraqi heaven, and I need to be out there at fricking midnight to meet the helicopters. Why midnight? Because it’s inconvenient, nothing is ever easy in Iraq…and I hate helicopters. My Iraqi Army partner, and a dozen of his soldiers, sat out by the helicopter landing zone and waited for the detainees. A little after midnight (of course they’re late) we hear the whoop-whoop-whoop of the helicopters, and we jump back into our vehicles. Helicopters kick up an absurd amount of dirt when they land, often accompanied by giggles from the pilots as they brown-out yet another unsuspecting group of spectators. (READ MORE)
Zen Traveler: Child Brides - One of our Iraqi security operators took the day off yesterday so that he could attend his brother's wedding in a nice hotel in Baghdad. I asked him how the event went and he said that it was great, even some of the western media showed up for whom his brother works. I asked him, out of curiosity how old his brother was, and he replied 27. Then I asked about the bride, "oh, she's 14". Huh?! This is normal here in the Middle East, and you hear stories all of the time of children even younger than that, some as young as 11-years old, being married off to older men. Our co-worker claims that she loves her new husband, his brother, very much. One of the guys retorted that only last week she loved The Magic Pony. In my opinion the entire practice of child brides is an extreme form of human rights abuse. (READ MORE)
Back and still writing:
Bouhammer: Going home fast may not be good - Not that this is new news, or surprising but it does highlight the fact that it is a challenge and I am not sure there is an easy answer. Living a year on natural juice (adrenalin) is an awesome experience. I have talked about it many times in my blog and what a powerful drug adrenaline can be. I have also talked about how “boring” life is after first getting back from combat because of the lack of a thrill in every day, mundane life. This is the reason soldiers come back and take on high-risk activities like extreme sports, motorcycles, and even drinking and driving. As of Aug 15th 43 soldiers have been killed in the Army on motorcycles alone. This is a huge jump over last year (37 in all of FY2007 and we still have 2 months left in this FY) and is a problem recognized by the Army, including the highest levels. SMA Preston has sent out several All-Army messages talking about motorcycle safety, etc. (READ MORE)
Bouhammer: The latest from 2/7 Marines - What is interesting about this news release is that a while back one of my regular readers who is currently deployed in this Area of Operation wrote me an email and we had several emails go back and forth about what 2/7 Marines was really doing in country. Officially I was being told they were ANP mentors, while this reader was telling me that no, barely any of them are doing ANP mentoring. He told me that most of them were conducting full-spectrum combat operations. Well, hats off to you fine sir becuase it looks like you were 100% correct. “Task Force 2/7 raids Taliban headquarters - HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan – U.S. Marines conducted their first major assault on a Taliban headquarters in NowZad, Afghanistan. The Marines’ major accomplishments of the raid were the destruction of several enemy buildings, fighting positions, IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and the capture of a Taliban fighter.” (READ MORE)
News from the Front:
Iraq:
In Basra, fears for the future - The attempted assassination of a Shiite cleric in Basra recently has added to locals' fears that five months after a military crackdown on militias, the gangland-style violence that once plagued the southern oil city is returning. The clergyman, Haidar Ismael, was shot in central Basra on Saturday night and seriously wounded. According to the Associated Press, Ismael is known as a critic of Shiite militias blamed for much of the past violence in Basra. They include the Mahdi Army of Muqtada Sadr and the Badr Organization, the militia tied to the country's biggest Shiite political group. (READ MORE)
MND-B Soldiers find weapons cache in southwestern Baghdad (Rashid) - FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers seized a weapons cache in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad Aug. 26. At approximately 8 p.m., engineer Soldiers of Company E, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, reported finding 100 blasting caps, 20 rocket-propelled grenades, two 120 mm mortar rounds, a 60 mm mortar round, two anti-tank rounds and 35 parachute grenades in the Shurta community. (READ MORE)
Terrorists with suicide vests killed, alleged attack cell leader detained - BAGHDAD – Coalition forces killed three terrorists – two of whom were wearing suicide vests – and detained six suspects, including an alleged al-Qaeda in Iraq leader, during operations in Diyala province Wednesday. Coalition forces targeted regional terrorist leaders near Jalula, about 125 km northeast of Baghdad who are believed to have close ties to AQI senior leaders. When forces arrived, several men ran from the target building and hid in nearby fields. (READ MORE)
Al-Qaeda in Iraq associates face continued pressure - BAGHDAD – Coalition forces detained four suspected terrorists while targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq operatives around two of the country’s major cities Tuesday and Wednesday. During a precision operation in Baghdad Wednesday, Coalition forces captured a man who is reportedly involved in a terrorist facilitation network that brings foreigners into Iraq to conduct attacks against civilians. (READ MORE)
VBIED wounds 9 in Ninewah - Ninewah, Iraq – A suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device wounded eight Iraqi Army soldiers and one local citizen south of Mosul, Ninewah Province Aug. 26. The wounded were transported to a local medical facility for treatment. (READ MORE)
VBIED kills 25 in Diyala - JALULA, Iraq – A vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near the Emergency Response Police Station in the Hai’ al-Shuhadah neighborhood in northeast Jalula, Diyala, Aug. 26 killing five Iraqi Police and 20 local civilians. Three Iraqi soldiers were wounded along with 39 local civilians. Most of the casualties were recruits lined up outside the station. (READ MORE)
Iraqi Air Force bids farewell to Iowa Guardsmen - TAJI, Iraq – Soon a group of Iowa National Guardsmen will be leaving Iraq and leaving behind a legacy of training and friendship with their Iraqi Air Force partners. “This day I would like to say goodbye to our dear friends who gave serious assistance and backup for our air force,” said Lt. Gen. Kamal, IqAF commander. “They did a major job to build our new Air Force.” (READ MORE)
MND-B Soldiers seize weapons caches throughout Baghdad - BAGHDAD – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers seized weapons caches throughout Baghdad Aug. 25. Based on information from a Sons of Iraq leader, Soldiers with the 1st Combat Arms Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, removed 36 grenade fuses in the Adhamiyah area of Baghdad at approximately 11 a.m. (READ MORE)
IA soldiers detained five suspects following IED strike (Baghdad) - FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq – Iraqi Security Forces detained five suspects in connection with an improvised explosive device attack against Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers Aug. 25. Soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 24th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, detained the five Iraqis, who were found at the origin of a command detonated IED, at approximately 11:45 p.m. in the Saydiyah community of southern Baghdad’s Rashid district. The suspects were then taken to a combat outpost for questioning. (READ MORE)
INP confiscate weapons caches in southwestern Baghdad - FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq – Iraqi Security Forces, working with Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers discovered two weapons caches Aug. 25 in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad. At approximately 11:15 a.m., Iraqi National Police of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 2nd National Police Division, captured 37 60 mm mortar rounds in the Furat community located in southwestern Rashid. (READ MORE)
Iraqi Army Takes Lead to Support Sadr City Medical Clinic - BAGHDAD — The 11th Iraqi Army Division delivered medical supplies and provided treatment to the citizens of the Thawra 1 neighborhood of the Iraqi capital’s Sadr City district Aug. 20. Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldiers provided security for the operation, while Iraqi Soldiers and medical personnel met with families in need of treatment. (READ MORE)
Soldiers Offer Microgrants, Security While Patrolling Streets of Sha’ab - BAGHDAD — He sees a lot of potential in northern Baghdad. During a routine patrol around the area, he points to several areas that need improvements – a park here, a new store sign there; even Sons of Iraq (Abna al-Iraq) checkpoints are on his radar for upgrading. “(We’re) showing the people that we care about them, and we care about the future and trying to put money into the environment – treating them with dignity and respect – trying to get them out of their homes into a safe, secure environment so they feel comfortable with us,” said Sgt. 1st Class Jason Maynard. (READ MORE)
Grand Canal Upgrades Ease Traffic Flow - CAMP TAJI — Traffic builds while a truck struggles to make it up a sandy on-ramp as the vehicle’s driver navigates an alternate route in an attempt to bypass a damaged bridge. After some time, Iraqi Police and locals give the driver a push. The scene replayed every few minutes, frustrating military and civilian drivers alike near the city of Taji. (READ MORE)
Iraqi Citizens Celebrate Farmers Market Foundation-stone Ceremony - FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — Sealing off a cornerstone time capsule marked a new beginning for the farmers of north Babil province. Agriculture leaders, Iraqi provincial government officials, Iraqi Security Forces and Coalition forces participated in the Central Euphrates Farmers Market and Agricultural Center Foundation-Stone Ceremony in an open field just north of Forward Operating Base Kalsu, Aug. 23. (READ MORE)
Release of 49 Juveniles Puts Number Above 11,000 for 2008 - CAMP CROPPER — Coalition forces released 49 juvenile detainees to their families on Aug. 19, bringing the number of all detainees released in 2008 to just above 11,000. “As Iraq prepares for Ramadan, we are attempting to release as many detainees as the security situation allows,” said Brig. Gen. Robert Hipwell, commanding general of the 300th Military Police Brigade, the unit responsible for oversight of Camp Cropper. (READ MORE)
Conference Focuses on Future of ISF - BAGHDAD — Leaders from Task Force Mountain, Multi-National Corps - Iraq and other units working with the Iraqi Security Forces met with Iraqi Army commanders for a one-day conference, Aug. 20. "What we are trying to do is identify force generation needs. We are looking at the way ahead," said Capt. Steven Chadwick, an ISF coordinator with 10th Mountain Division. (READ MORE)
Afghanistan:
US claims Dr Aafia eldest son still in Afghan custody - Washington, Aug 27 : The 11-year old boy who was captured along with 'terror suspect' Pakistani-American doctor Aafia Siddiqui is her son and presently under Afghan authorities' custody, said US authorities in a letter written to Siddiqui's family. The whereabouts of her two other children - one six-month and the other 5-year old - are still not known. (READ MORE)
UN confirms civilian deaths in Afghan raids - KABUL: The UN said yesterday it had found convincing evidence that 90 Afghan civilians, most of them children, were killed in air strikes by US-led coalition forces in western Afghanistan last week. The issue of civilian casualties has driven a rift between the Afghan government and its Nato backers, with President Hamid Karzai saying earlier this month that air strikes had achieved nothing and had only succeeded in killing ordinary Afghans. (READ MORE)
Coalition forces kill more than a dozen Taliban in Afghanistan - Kabul - US-led coalition forces claimed Wednesday to have killed more than a dozen Taliban insurgents in volatile southern Afghanistan, while another four were detained by the combined forces elsewhere. Afghan and coalition forces on Monday spotted a large number of heavily armed militants gathering in small groups and preparing to attack soldiers in Sangin district of the restive Helmand province, the US military said in a statement. (READ MORE)
Two German soldiers injured in bombing in Afghanistan - Kabul - Two German soldiers were injured Wednesday in a bombing in northern Afghanistan, one critically, an Afghan official said. A remote-controlled bomb was used to attack an armoured vehicle of the German army in the district of Chardara in Kunduz province, provincial Governor Engineer Mohammed Omar told Deutsche-Presse Agentur dpa. He blamed Taliban militants and the al-Qaeda terrorist network for the attack. (READ MORE)
EXTRA: Afghan police find dead body of Japanese hostage - Kabul - Police and Afghan villagers found the dead body of a Japanese aid worker on Wednesday morning, who was abducted by four armed men the previous day, officials said. "I can confirm that the dead body of our colleague has been found in Naw area of Khewa district in a mountain and the body has been seen and confirmed by our other colleagues in the area," Noor Zaman, an official from Peshawar-Kai, a Japanese aid group, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. (READ MORE)
30 Taliban fighters killed in Afghanistan - KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN: More than 30 Taliban fighters and four policemen were killed in a series of clashes, air strikes and bombings in Afghanistan, officials said on Wednesday. A group of Taliban fighters attacked a police checkpoint in Nad Ali district of southern Helmand province on Tuesday, sparking a clash that killed 18 militants, a provincial police chief Mohammad Hussein Andiwal said. (READ MORE)
Afghan inquiry into freed rapists - The Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, has announced a full investigation into the case of two rapists who have been freed on a presidential pardon. The case was raised by the BBC after it discovered that the victim, Sara, had been forced into hiding by the release of the men. (READ MORE)
Cultivation of opium in Afghanistan drops - KABUL, Afghanistan — Drought and anti-drug campaigns helped slash Afghanistan's opium poppy cultivation by 19 percent this year compared to 2007, but Taliban militants could still derive up to $70 million from the harvest, the U.N. anti-drug chief said Tuesday. The country is still far and away the world's leading source of the heroin-producing crop, a new U.N. report said. (READ MORE)
Top Taliban commander killed in Swat - Peshawar, Aug 27 : Pakistan security forces claimed to have killed a top Taliban commander in Swat last evening, though a spokesman for the extremist organisation maintained that he died when his pistol misfired. Security officials said that Ikramuddin, a close associate of Baitullah Mehsud, was killed following a clash in Chota Kalam area of Kabal tehsil, reported the Daily Times. (READ MORE)
IraqPundit: More on that Security Agreement - WaPoreports that Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki demands U.S. forces out of Iraq by 2011. The newspaper charactarized the comments as "an attempt to extract further concessions from American officials, less than a week after both sides said they had agreed to remove all U.S. combat troops by the end of 2011, if the security situation remained relatively stable, but leave other American forces in place. Get it? Tough guy Al Maliki is pushing the United States around. Take that George Bush! WaPo knew Iraq was a hellhole and will become a worse hellhole because of President Bush. The paper reports Al Maliki as saying for the first time, the United States "had agreed to withdraw all troops -- not just combat brigades -- as part of a security accord governing U.S. forces in Iraq, and that the withdrawal schedule must be firm." (READ MORE)
Bill Roggio: Eight killed in Islamabad bombing - Eight Pakistanis were killed and twenty were wounded in a bombing at a cafe in Islamabad. Today's attack is the latest in the Taliban's new terror campaign outside the tribal areas. The bombing occurred at a restaurant on the outskirts of Pakistan's capital. The cafe was frequented by laborers and travelers, Daily Times reported. The bomb contained about eight pounds of explosives and left a one-foot deep crater. Witnesses indicated a child may have placed the bomb. Initial reports indicated a propane cylinder caused the explosion, but the cafe owner denied he used propane for fuel. The Taliban have targeted cafes in Islamabad in the past. Last March, one civilian was killed and 15 wounded in a bombing at an Italian restaurant known to be frequented by foreigners. Twelve foreigners were wounded in the bombing. (READ MORE)
Bill Roggio: US diplomat dodges assassination attempt in Peshawar - The security situation in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan's turbulent Northwest Frontier Province, continues to deteriorate as the Taliban conduct several high-profile strikes in the city. The chief US diplomat in Peshawar evaded an assassination attempt today as the Taliban bombed a school and police station in the city. The assassination attempt occurred on the streets of Peshawar as Lynne Tracy, the US Consulate's principal officer, was driving from her home to the consulate. "Unknown gunmen" used a Land Cruiser to block the street, forcing Tracy's vehicle to stop. The gunmen opened fire on the car as the driver slammed it into reverse and escaped the scene of the attack. The vehicle was bulletproof; neither Tracy nor her driver was wounded. (READ MORE)
Rocinante's Burdens: An ethical dilemma - Everyone agrees that you should always do the right thing. My dilemma springs from the right thing looking a lot like the wrong thing, depending on who you ask. Here is the story. I have a small sum of money, collected by force from the US taxpayers, given to me for the expressed purpose of spending it on the Iraqi Army in order to improve their performance in some essential way. As General Petraus says, "money is bullets in Counter-insurgency." No problem. I am all over that. There are lots of things I can spend this money on to make my IA unit more effective. They need everything. Here is the problem. Some of the things they need are on a list of things I am not allowed to buy. Bureaucrats and financial auditors don't want us to buy some things because it will look like fraud, waste and abuse... something we all agree is bad. But some of the things on the “do not buy” list are mission essential. (READ MORE)
Something on the staff: Detainee Release - One of my many extra duties is to supervise detainee release. For whatever reason, we release individuals from Coalition custody after they’re deemed “no longer a threat to the Coalition or Iraqi people.” So, I get the call that around 50 detainees will land in my little slice of Iraqi heaven, and I need to be out there at fricking midnight to meet the helicopters. Why midnight? Because it’s inconvenient, nothing is ever easy in Iraq…and I hate helicopters. My Iraqi Army partner, and a dozen of his soldiers, sat out by the helicopter landing zone and waited for the detainees. A little after midnight (of course they’re late) we hear the whoop-whoop-whoop of the helicopters, and we jump back into our vehicles. Helicopters kick up an absurd amount of dirt when they land, often accompanied by giggles from the pilots as they brown-out yet another unsuspecting group of spectators. (READ MORE)
Zen Traveler: Child Brides - One of our Iraqi security operators took the day off yesterday so that he could attend his brother's wedding in a nice hotel in Baghdad. I asked him how the event went and he said that it was great, even some of the western media showed up for whom his brother works. I asked him, out of curiosity how old his brother was, and he replied 27. Then I asked about the bride, "oh, she's 14". Huh?! This is normal here in the Middle East, and you hear stories all of the time of children even younger than that, some as young as 11-years old, being married off to older men. Our co-worker claims that she loves her new husband, his brother, very much. One of the guys retorted that only last week she loved The Magic Pony. In my opinion the entire practice of child brides is an extreme form of human rights abuse. (READ MORE)
Back and still writing:
Bouhammer: Going home fast may not be good - Not that this is new news, or surprising but it does highlight the fact that it is a challenge and I am not sure there is an easy answer. Living a year on natural juice (adrenalin) is an awesome experience. I have talked about it many times in my blog and what a powerful drug adrenaline can be. I have also talked about how “boring” life is after first getting back from combat because of the lack of a thrill in every day, mundane life. This is the reason soldiers come back and take on high-risk activities like extreme sports, motorcycles, and even drinking and driving. As of Aug 15th 43 soldiers have been killed in the Army on motorcycles alone. This is a huge jump over last year (37 in all of FY2007 and we still have 2 months left in this FY) and is a problem recognized by the Army, including the highest levels. SMA Preston has sent out several All-Army messages talking about motorcycle safety, etc. (READ MORE)
Bouhammer: The latest from 2/7 Marines - What is interesting about this news release is that a while back one of my regular readers who is currently deployed in this Area of Operation wrote me an email and we had several emails go back and forth about what 2/7 Marines was really doing in country. Officially I was being told they were ANP mentors, while this reader was telling me that no, barely any of them are doing ANP mentoring. He told me that most of them were conducting full-spectrum combat operations. Well, hats off to you fine sir becuase it looks like you were 100% correct. “Task Force 2/7 raids Taliban headquarters - HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan – U.S. Marines conducted their first major assault on a Taliban headquarters in NowZad, Afghanistan. The Marines’ major accomplishments of the raid were the destruction of several enemy buildings, fighting positions, IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and the capture of a Taliban fighter.” (READ MORE)
News from the Front:
Iraq:
In Basra, fears for the future - The attempted assassination of a Shiite cleric in Basra recently has added to locals' fears that five months after a military crackdown on militias, the gangland-style violence that once plagued the southern oil city is returning. The clergyman, Haidar Ismael, was shot in central Basra on Saturday night and seriously wounded. According to the Associated Press, Ismael is known as a critic of Shiite militias blamed for much of the past violence in Basra. They include the Mahdi Army of Muqtada Sadr and the Badr Organization, the militia tied to the country's biggest Shiite political group. (READ MORE)
MND-B Soldiers find weapons cache in southwestern Baghdad (Rashid) - FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers seized a weapons cache in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad Aug. 26. At approximately 8 p.m., engineer Soldiers of Company E, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, reported finding 100 blasting caps, 20 rocket-propelled grenades, two 120 mm mortar rounds, a 60 mm mortar round, two anti-tank rounds and 35 parachute grenades in the Shurta community. (READ MORE)
Terrorists with suicide vests killed, alleged attack cell leader detained - BAGHDAD – Coalition forces killed three terrorists – two of whom were wearing suicide vests – and detained six suspects, including an alleged al-Qaeda in Iraq leader, during operations in Diyala province Wednesday. Coalition forces targeted regional terrorist leaders near Jalula, about 125 km northeast of Baghdad who are believed to have close ties to AQI senior leaders. When forces arrived, several men ran from the target building and hid in nearby fields. (READ MORE)
Al-Qaeda in Iraq associates face continued pressure - BAGHDAD – Coalition forces detained four suspected terrorists while targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq operatives around two of the country’s major cities Tuesday and Wednesday. During a precision operation in Baghdad Wednesday, Coalition forces captured a man who is reportedly involved in a terrorist facilitation network that brings foreigners into Iraq to conduct attacks against civilians. (READ MORE)
VBIED wounds 9 in Ninewah - Ninewah, Iraq – A suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device wounded eight Iraqi Army soldiers and one local citizen south of Mosul, Ninewah Province Aug. 26. The wounded were transported to a local medical facility for treatment. (READ MORE)
VBIED kills 25 in Diyala - JALULA, Iraq – A vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near the Emergency Response Police Station in the Hai’ al-Shuhadah neighborhood in northeast Jalula, Diyala, Aug. 26 killing five Iraqi Police and 20 local civilians. Three Iraqi soldiers were wounded along with 39 local civilians. Most of the casualties were recruits lined up outside the station. (READ MORE)
Iraqi Air Force bids farewell to Iowa Guardsmen - TAJI, Iraq – Soon a group of Iowa National Guardsmen will be leaving Iraq and leaving behind a legacy of training and friendship with their Iraqi Air Force partners. “This day I would like to say goodbye to our dear friends who gave serious assistance and backup for our air force,” said Lt. Gen. Kamal, IqAF commander. “They did a major job to build our new Air Force.” (READ MORE)
MND-B Soldiers seize weapons caches throughout Baghdad - BAGHDAD – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers seized weapons caches throughout Baghdad Aug. 25. Based on information from a Sons of Iraq leader, Soldiers with the 1st Combat Arms Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, removed 36 grenade fuses in the Adhamiyah area of Baghdad at approximately 11 a.m. (READ MORE)
IA soldiers detained five suspects following IED strike (Baghdad) - FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq – Iraqi Security Forces detained five suspects in connection with an improvised explosive device attack against Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers Aug. 25. Soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 24th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, detained the five Iraqis, who were found at the origin of a command detonated IED, at approximately 11:45 p.m. in the Saydiyah community of southern Baghdad’s Rashid district. The suspects were then taken to a combat outpost for questioning. (READ MORE)
INP confiscate weapons caches in southwestern Baghdad - FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq – Iraqi Security Forces, working with Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers discovered two weapons caches Aug. 25 in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad. At approximately 11:15 a.m., Iraqi National Police of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 2nd National Police Division, captured 37 60 mm mortar rounds in the Furat community located in southwestern Rashid. (READ MORE)
Iraqi Army Takes Lead to Support Sadr City Medical Clinic - BAGHDAD — The 11th Iraqi Army Division delivered medical supplies and provided treatment to the citizens of the Thawra 1 neighborhood of the Iraqi capital’s Sadr City district Aug. 20. Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldiers provided security for the operation, while Iraqi Soldiers and medical personnel met with families in need of treatment. (READ MORE)
Soldiers Offer Microgrants, Security While Patrolling Streets of Sha’ab - BAGHDAD — He sees a lot of potential in northern Baghdad. During a routine patrol around the area, he points to several areas that need improvements – a park here, a new store sign there; even Sons of Iraq (Abna al-Iraq) checkpoints are on his radar for upgrading. “(We’re) showing the people that we care about them, and we care about the future and trying to put money into the environment – treating them with dignity and respect – trying to get them out of their homes into a safe, secure environment so they feel comfortable with us,” said Sgt. 1st Class Jason Maynard. (READ MORE)
Grand Canal Upgrades Ease Traffic Flow - CAMP TAJI — Traffic builds while a truck struggles to make it up a sandy on-ramp as the vehicle’s driver navigates an alternate route in an attempt to bypass a damaged bridge. After some time, Iraqi Police and locals give the driver a push. The scene replayed every few minutes, frustrating military and civilian drivers alike near the city of Taji. (READ MORE)
Iraqi Citizens Celebrate Farmers Market Foundation-stone Ceremony - FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — Sealing off a cornerstone time capsule marked a new beginning for the farmers of north Babil province. Agriculture leaders, Iraqi provincial government officials, Iraqi Security Forces and Coalition forces participated in the Central Euphrates Farmers Market and Agricultural Center Foundation-Stone Ceremony in an open field just north of Forward Operating Base Kalsu, Aug. 23. (READ MORE)
Release of 49 Juveniles Puts Number Above 11,000 for 2008 - CAMP CROPPER — Coalition forces released 49 juvenile detainees to their families on Aug. 19, bringing the number of all detainees released in 2008 to just above 11,000. “As Iraq prepares for Ramadan, we are attempting to release as many detainees as the security situation allows,” said Brig. Gen. Robert Hipwell, commanding general of the 300th Military Police Brigade, the unit responsible for oversight of Camp Cropper. (READ MORE)
Conference Focuses on Future of ISF - BAGHDAD — Leaders from Task Force Mountain, Multi-National Corps - Iraq and other units working with the Iraqi Security Forces met with Iraqi Army commanders for a one-day conference, Aug. 20. "What we are trying to do is identify force generation needs. We are looking at the way ahead," said Capt. Steven Chadwick, an ISF coordinator with 10th Mountain Division. (READ MORE)
Afghanistan:
US claims Dr Aafia eldest son still in Afghan custody - Washington, Aug 27 : The 11-year old boy who was captured along with 'terror suspect' Pakistani-American doctor Aafia Siddiqui is her son and presently under Afghan authorities' custody, said US authorities in a letter written to Siddiqui's family. The whereabouts of her two other children - one six-month and the other 5-year old - are still not known. (READ MORE)
UN confirms civilian deaths in Afghan raids - KABUL: The UN said yesterday it had found convincing evidence that 90 Afghan civilians, most of them children, were killed in air strikes by US-led coalition forces in western Afghanistan last week. The issue of civilian casualties has driven a rift between the Afghan government and its Nato backers, with President Hamid Karzai saying earlier this month that air strikes had achieved nothing and had only succeeded in killing ordinary Afghans. (READ MORE)
Coalition forces kill more than a dozen Taliban in Afghanistan - Kabul - US-led coalition forces claimed Wednesday to have killed more than a dozen Taliban insurgents in volatile southern Afghanistan, while another four were detained by the combined forces elsewhere. Afghan and coalition forces on Monday spotted a large number of heavily armed militants gathering in small groups and preparing to attack soldiers in Sangin district of the restive Helmand province, the US military said in a statement. (READ MORE)
Two German soldiers injured in bombing in Afghanistan - Kabul - Two German soldiers were injured Wednesday in a bombing in northern Afghanistan, one critically, an Afghan official said. A remote-controlled bomb was used to attack an armoured vehicle of the German army in the district of Chardara in Kunduz province, provincial Governor Engineer Mohammed Omar told Deutsche-Presse Agentur dpa. He blamed Taliban militants and the al-Qaeda terrorist network for the attack. (READ MORE)
EXTRA: Afghan police find dead body of Japanese hostage - Kabul - Police and Afghan villagers found the dead body of a Japanese aid worker on Wednesday morning, who was abducted by four armed men the previous day, officials said. "I can confirm that the dead body of our colleague has been found in Naw area of Khewa district in a mountain and the body has been seen and confirmed by our other colleagues in the area," Noor Zaman, an official from Peshawar-Kai, a Japanese aid group, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. (READ MORE)
30 Taliban fighters killed in Afghanistan - KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN: More than 30 Taliban fighters and four policemen were killed in a series of clashes, air strikes and bombings in Afghanistan, officials said on Wednesday. A group of Taliban fighters attacked a police checkpoint in Nad Ali district of southern Helmand province on Tuesday, sparking a clash that killed 18 militants, a provincial police chief Mohammad Hussein Andiwal said. (READ MORE)
Afghan inquiry into freed rapists - The Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, has announced a full investigation into the case of two rapists who have been freed on a presidential pardon. The case was raised by the BBC after it discovered that the victim, Sara, had been forced into hiding by the release of the men. (READ MORE)
Cultivation of opium in Afghanistan drops - KABUL, Afghanistan — Drought and anti-drug campaigns helped slash Afghanistan's opium poppy cultivation by 19 percent this year compared to 2007, but Taliban militants could still derive up to $70 million from the harvest, the U.N. anti-drug chief said Tuesday. The country is still far and away the world's leading source of the heroin-producing crop, a new U.N. report said. (READ MORE)
Top Taliban commander killed in Swat - Peshawar, Aug 27 : Pakistan security forces claimed to have killed a top Taliban commander in Swat last evening, though a spokesman for the extremist organisation maintained that he died when his pistol misfired. Security officials said that Ikramuddin, a close associate of Baitullah Mehsud, was killed following a clash in Chota Kalam area of Kabal tehsil, reported the Daily Times. (READ MORE)
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