News and Personal dispatches from the front and the home front.
In their own words:
Collabman's Thoughts: Golden Hour... - Evening...again...It has been a while since I have blogged twice in one day. However, the work of combat medics with the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment's evacuation platoon is more than worthy of another blog. The combat medics for the 2nd SCR highlighted in this article face challenges well beyond their job. I am humbled by their efforts and so very glad to have them in the fight...especially during that golden hour when they first reach a warrior who has been wounded. See what you think...Here is a tip of the hat to these brave women who would tell you..."just doing my job." - well done! Enjoy... (READ MORE)
Kaboom: A Soldier's War Journal: Another Change for CPT G - As this deployment continues, I am beginning to realize that nothing comes easy for CPT G. It seems that as soon as some order is put into place or he is told of some change, something completely different ends up happening. For example, just a few weeks ago I posted that CPT G was becoming a “fobbit” and would be placed in charge of Information Operations. That all changed a few days after I posted “Attention Please.” Basically, after only ten days of regular showers, normal sleep patterns, and three meals a day, CPT G was told he would become a PL again. Through a bizarre series of events, the Battallion Commander of an infantry unit contacted CPT G’s Squadron Commander with a need for a platoon leader. I admit that I have no military experience and probably have no idea what I am talking about, but I am not entirely sure how a Calvary scout is qualified to run an infantry platoon. (READ MORE)
Fearless 1st Marines’ blog: Marines hone combat skills during rare training exercise - CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq – In an area of Iraq where Coalition forces have successfully tapered down the combat-kinetic environment, Marines of Mobile Assault Platoon, Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, continued honing their combat-readiness skills with an M220 Tube-Launched, Optically Tracked Wire-Guided (TOW) missile firing exercise here, Sept. 21. “We’re doing a little anti-armor training with TOW missiles and our heavy guns,” said 1st Lt. Luke R. Barnes, platoon commander, Mobile Assault Platoon, Weapons Company. “We’re getting back to the fundamentals like at CAX (the Combined-Arms Training Exercise, Marine Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif.) and practicing our fundamentals with anti-armor employment.” (READ MORE)
Lt. Col. Paul Fanning: Commanding presence - The commanding general of the 42nd Infantry Division (Rainbow) came to Afghanistan on Sept. 25 and 26 to visit deployed members of his command serving in Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix VII. Brig. Gen. Paul Genereux was accompanied by division Command Sgt. Maj. Richard Fearnside to see members of the New York National Guard’s 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, which falls under the command of the 42nd Infantry Division back in New York. The trip was part of the Joint Monthly Access for Reserve Components program, which supports visits for reserve component leaders to federally deployed units serving inside a theater of operations. “I am very proud of all of you,” said Brig. Gen. Genereux. “You are doing a terrific job, and the work you are doing here to train the Afghan Army and Police is vital. It is a terrific mission, and you are doing it well." (READ MORE)
The Left Captain: Exile! - The rumors of this being the end of the world are true. Everyone here joked that I was stuck for a good two weeks once I got off the helo. Today was my theoretical departure day but there is no flight scheduled. I've already settled into a sustainable rhythm, so it doesn't really matter how long I'm here. I have what I need: books, my laptop, a comfortable place to sleep, food, a small gym. I've seen a few patients which justifies my visit, but there really isn't much work for me to do. I'm afraid to admit this, but it's nice to be compartmentalized from any potential work that there might be in the north. Work makes the time go by, and travel makes the time go by, but being stuck here at least keeps me away from places that are less pleasant. Not that this place is "pleasant", but so far it has been relatively benign. Here there is more a sense of isolation and a sense of being somewhere foreign. (READ MORE)
Bill Roggio: US, Iraq step up operations against Iranian terror groups - US forces detained five members of the Hezbollah Brigades in Baghdad on Saturday as part of a renewed push to blunt the return of Iranian-backed Shia terror groups reentering Iraq. The Iraqi and US military have stepped up operations against the Special Groups over the past two weeks. Iraqi and US forces killed two Special Groups fighters and captured 107 since Sept. 16. The latest series of raids in Baghdad netted five members of the Hezbollah Brigades in New Baghdad, a former stronghold of Muqtada al Sadr's Mahdi Army. The Hezbollah Brigades is an Iranian-backed terror group that has been behind multiple roadside bombings and rocket attacks against US and Iraqi forces in Baghdad. The group films these attacks and posts them on the internet. More than 30 Hezbollah Brigades operatives have been captured over the past two months. The group is estimated at having several hundred members. (READ MORE)
Matel-in-Iraq: Come Safely Home - My year is finished. I have accomplished all that I will and I have come safely home. So … how did we do? It is always hard to judge one’s own success and I am not sure I can tell. I am also not sure ANYONE can tell. So many factors were at work and my role was so small. If I crow about the successes achieved in Anbar, it will be a lot like the rooster claiming credit for the sunrise. But if I just pass over the whole thing as though my efforts meant nothing, I am denying reality and denying the whole concept of free choice. It is almost my metaphysical duty to brag on our achievements. I did only what others could have done, but most others did not do them. What a person could do, what he can do and what he actually did are often not strongly related. I made a difference to the extent of my capabilities for Western Anbar and the security of the United States. The environment is now more hostile to insurgents and terrorists because of the efforts of my team. (READ MORE)
Big Tobacco: Poor Worm! Thou Art Infected! - I wrote this while smoking a La Gloria Cubana Wavel. It’s my birthday today. I have no cake. I have no candles. I don’t want to be around anybody. I sit smoking in the dark on my porch. It is 0300 and it is cool outside. My laptop is open. I hear it before I see it. A quiet rumbling starts in the south. The sound approaches. A convoy draws near. By a sick twist of fate, my building overlooks The Road. I see convoys come and go all day, a constant reminder that I will never again leave The Little FOB for anything more important than a fuel run. I should consider myself lucky. Not every man gets to open his window in the morning and see his disappointment every day. The trucks roll north. A heavily armored MRAP rolls past, looking like a vehicle prop from a long-forgotten apocalyptic movie. The tractor trailers follow. One, two, three, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen. Another MRAP moves past, followed by more tractor trailers. I lose count. Is it forty? Is it eighty? (READ MORE)
Zen Traveller: Bully - Driving out of the compound yesterday I watched in horror as a young Iraqi man raised a 2-foot piece of black rubber hose above his head and violently brought it down onto one the the street dogs that populate the neighborhood. If the dog hadn't leaped out of the way he certainly would have hit the dog. The man stood there and laughed as he raised the hose again for another try. I was greatly tempted to halt the car, get out, and give the man a bit of his own medicine. In retrospect I wish that I had, but we kept moving as we had a client in the car with us. I bit my lip knowing that I had made the best decision for the client in the back of the car, and fought back my rage against the bully with the hose. The next time I'm not so sure that I can be as controlled. (READ MORE)
Back and still writing:
Armed and Curious: A casual disdain - I have been casually watching the trailers and buzz about the upcoming movie about three Iraq veterans called "The Lucky Ones" since I got back from my deployment in August. I would love to say its because of some interest in what Hollywood has to say about the war that has consumed my life for the last five years but the truth is I am curious as hell what Rachel McAdams and Tim Robbins will do portraying soldiers. The reviews have been pretty positive over all and it really seems from the trailers they are trying to give us a fair shake instead of portraying us all as victims or mentally scarred lunatics as all of the other movies produced on the war have done. Oddly, I was reading the review by Tom Charity on CNN.com this morning when about two thirds of the way down I stumbled on this little gem of a paragraph (emphasis added by me) "Even so, it's obvious all their options are limited. That could be why they enlisted in the first place." (READ MORE)
Bill and Bob's Excellent Afghan Adventure: Pictures Of Nuristan And Northern Laghman - The last couple of months of my tour were spent at and around a place called FOB Kalagush in the Nurguram District of Nuristan Province.
Looking North into Nuristan from Kalagush
Are there guerrillas in the mist? (READ MORE)
News from the Front:
Iraq:
Troubled bridge over (algae-clogged) waters - When the Marines and Navy Seabees erected a floating bridge over the Euphrates River near the farming community of Baghdadi in May, it was hailed as a leap forward for the U.S. and the Iraqis. And a thumb in the eye to the insurgents who want to keep communities in Anbar province isolated from each other. With the Walid Bridge open, commerce could flourish and Iraqi security forces could respond to problems on either side of the river. Otherwise, the closest bridge was 40 miles away. (READ MORE)
American and Iraqi Christians Join Together - BAGHDAD — Amid grave fears for the future of Iraq’s dwindling Christian community, a group of American military chaplains and lay preachers met with Iraqi Christians at the Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad. It was a rare encounter for the Iraqis, many of whom have had family members killed, kidnapped and threatened in anti-Christian attacks since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003, but who came in through the Green Zone checkpoints to sing and pray with their American fellow Christians. (READ MORE)
Coalition forces target bomb networks, foreign terrorist facilitators - BAGHDAD – Five wanted men and two additional suspects were detained during Coalition force operations targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq bomb networks and foreign terrorist facilitation cells in and around Baghdad Monday. Coalition forces operating near Mahmudiyah, about 27 km south of Baghdad, captured one wanted man believed to be a member of the area’s AQI foreign terrorist facilitation cell. (READ MORE)
MND-B Soldiers, ISF seize weapons, arrest Iranian backed SG criminals throughout Baghdad’s Rashid district - FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq – Multi-National Division –Baghdad Soldiers, working alongside Iraqi Security Forces in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad, confiscated weapons caches and detained suspected Iranian backed Special Groups criminals Sept. 27-28. At approximately 7 p.m., Soldiers from Company C, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, MND-B, reported finding a weapons cache in Hayy Jihad of the Rashid district Sept. 27. (READ MORE)
Double explosions, small-arms fire injure civilians, police in Rusafa - BAGHDAD – A complex attack involving a pair of explosions and small-arms fire in Rusafa left 10 civilians and an Iraqi Traffic Policeman dead and 34 civilians and nine personnel from the National Police injured at approximately 7:10 p.m. September 28. A platoon from B Company, 5th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad responded to help secure the area with an explosive ordnance detachment team. (READ MORE)
Coalition forces catch three Iranian backed Kata’ib Hezbollah suspects - BAGHDAD – Coalition forces apprehended three suspected members of the Kata'ib Hezbollah network early Sunday in Naharwan, about 25 km east of Baghdad. Acting on intelligence information, Coalition forces targeted a suspect who has been linked to Kata'ib Hezbollah operations in and around Baghdad. (READ MORE)
IA captures suspected AQI member - BAGHDAD – The Iraqi Army captured a suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq member Sept. 25 in Tarmiyah, approximately 33 km northwest of Baghdad. IA soldiers from the 36th Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division, led the operation, and Coalition Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, acted as overwatch, in the joint raid to apprehend the suspected AQI terrorist. (READ MORE)
Soldiers, IA share Iftar dinner - FORWARD OPERATING BASE WAR EAGLE, Iraq – About 40 people gathered at Forward Operating Base War Eagle Sept. 25 for a traditional Iftar dinner. “Thank you for coming tonight and for all the great work that you are doing in Sadr City,” said Col. John Hort, commander of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad. “For all of us here, I want to continue to work closely together to bring peace and progress to Sadr City.” (READ MORE)
Sulaymaniyah City is ‘growing children’ - Sulaymaniyah, Iraq - The contractor has barely started turning dirt for the Shalaw School in this small district of Sulaymaniyah City, but that in itself is a major accomplishment. Since the original site for the project is a former landfill and unsuitable for construction, a new location had to be found. "This project was on hold for almost a year," said Ric Wiedmaier, resident engineer in the Sulaymaniyah Resident Office. "Governor Dana backed us to find another site for the school, which is a garden area." (READ MORE)
Coalition forces capture four wanted men, 12 more suspected terrorists - BAGHDAD – Coalition forces operating in northern and central Iraq Thursday and Friday detained four wanted men and 12 additional suspects during operations aimed at further disrupting al-Qaeda in Iraq activities. In the vicinity of Tall Mayy, about 41 km southeast of Mosul, Coalition forces captured a wanted man and detained one additional suspect Thursday. The wanted man is believed to have connections to multiple AQI administrative and financial bookkeepers in the area. (READ MORE)
Marines Help Those Most in Need through ‘Operation Widow’ - CAMP KOREAN VILLAGE — Reserve U.S. Marines delivered food supplies for economically disadvantaged families in Rutbah, a town of about 17,000 residents in western al-Anbar province, Sept. 24. According to Navy chaplain Lt. Ray Rivers, these Marines created “Operation Widow” in June to provide non-perishable food items, fresh fruit, milk and juice to widows and their families in Rutbah. (READ MORE)
Rehabilitated Insurgent Forgiven, Released During Holy Month of Ramadan - KIRKUK — In the spirit of reconciliation and during the observance of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Sheik Abdullah Sami Al Asi Obeydi, a Kirkuk Sunni Arab Provincial Council member and tribal leader, was reunited with his cousin, Shakn Abdullah Mushed Al-Rahma Obeydi, after a ten-month separation, here at Forward Operating Base Warrior, Sept. 27. (READ MORE)
Kazakhstani Soldiers Share EOD Smarts with Iraqi Army - FOB DELTA — Kazakhstani Soldiers conducted a three-day course here in basic explosives handling and safe demolition techniques for 10 Iraqi Army Soldiers, Sept. 22 - 25. “It’s a good chance for us to share our experience with them,” said Azat Mukhamadiev, liaison officer for the Kazakhstani contingent. “Our officers are graduates of military academies and have extensive experience in practical exercises and training our troops.” (READ MORE)
Iraq Funds Upgrades to Medical Assist Clinic in Duluyiah - DULUYIAH — In an effort to assist the health needs of the people of Duluyiah, the Iraqi government has provided financial assistance for upgrades at the local clinic in the form of grants totaling $34,000. This is part of a program of Iraqi emergency relief funds allocated for key infrastructure intended to address shortfalls in necessary services previously neglected due to violence since the war began in 2003. (READ MORE)
Iraq Assumes Bulk of Security Mission Northwest of Baghdad - WASHINGTON — Iraqi Soldiers and ‘Sons of Iraq’ civilian security members are now performing the bulk of security duties northwest of Baghdad, a senior U.S. military officer in Iraq said today. “All in all, security in the area is vastly improved as the result of the great work of our Soldiers and their increasingly confident and capable partners, the Iraqi security forces,” Army Col. Todd McCaffrey, commander of the U.S. 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, told Pentagon reporters during a satellite-carried news conference. (READ MORE)
Continued Progress: Security Allows Opening of West Baqubah Road - BAQUBAH — A ribbon cutting ceremony recently took place in a western Baqubah neighborhood to reopen a road that had been closed to the locals in the area for more than a year. "This was in the workings since early May," said Capt. Kevin P. Ryan, the officer behind coordinating the opening. "My idea is to transition this area of operations (AO) back to the Iraqi people and to open the roads up, to give something back to the people." (READ MORE)
In their own words:
Collabman's Thoughts: Golden Hour... - Evening...again...It has been a while since I have blogged twice in one day. However, the work of combat medics with the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment's evacuation platoon is more than worthy of another blog. The combat medics for the 2nd SCR highlighted in this article face challenges well beyond their job. I am humbled by their efforts and so very glad to have them in the fight...especially during that golden hour when they first reach a warrior who has been wounded. See what you think...Here is a tip of the hat to these brave women who would tell you..."just doing my job." - well done! Enjoy... (READ MORE)
Kaboom: A Soldier's War Journal: Another Change for CPT G - As this deployment continues, I am beginning to realize that nothing comes easy for CPT G. It seems that as soon as some order is put into place or he is told of some change, something completely different ends up happening. For example, just a few weeks ago I posted that CPT G was becoming a “fobbit” and would be placed in charge of Information Operations. That all changed a few days after I posted “Attention Please.” Basically, after only ten days of regular showers, normal sleep patterns, and three meals a day, CPT G was told he would become a PL again. Through a bizarre series of events, the Battallion Commander of an infantry unit contacted CPT G’s Squadron Commander with a need for a platoon leader. I admit that I have no military experience and probably have no idea what I am talking about, but I am not entirely sure how a Calvary scout is qualified to run an infantry platoon. (READ MORE)
Fearless 1st Marines’ blog: Marines hone combat skills during rare training exercise - CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq – In an area of Iraq where Coalition forces have successfully tapered down the combat-kinetic environment, Marines of Mobile Assault Platoon, Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, continued honing their combat-readiness skills with an M220 Tube-Launched, Optically Tracked Wire-Guided (TOW) missile firing exercise here, Sept. 21. “We’re doing a little anti-armor training with TOW missiles and our heavy guns,” said 1st Lt. Luke R. Barnes, platoon commander, Mobile Assault Platoon, Weapons Company. “We’re getting back to the fundamentals like at CAX (the Combined-Arms Training Exercise, Marine Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif.) and practicing our fundamentals with anti-armor employment.” (READ MORE)
Lt. Col. Paul Fanning: Commanding presence - The commanding general of the 42nd Infantry Division (Rainbow) came to Afghanistan on Sept. 25 and 26 to visit deployed members of his command serving in Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix VII. Brig. Gen. Paul Genereux was accompanied by division Command Sgt. Maj. Richard Fearnside to see members of the New York National Guard’s 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, which falls under the command of the 42nd Infantry Division back in New York. The trip was part of the Joint Monthly Access for Reserve Components program, which supports visits for reserve component leaders to federally deployed units serving inside a theater of operations. “I am very proud of all of you,” said Brig. Gen. Genereux. “You are doing a terrific job, and the work you are doing here to train the Afghan Army and Police is vital. It is a terrific mission, and you are doing it well." (READ MORE)
The Left Captain: Exile! - The rumors of this being the end of the world are true. Everyone here joked that I was stuck for a good two weeks once I got off the helo. Today was my theoretical departure day but there is no flight scheduled. I've already settled into a sustainable rhythm, so it doesn't really matter how long I'm here. I have what I need: books, my laptop, a comfortable place to sleep, food, a small gym. I've seen a few patients which justifies my visit, but there really isn't much work for me to do. I'm afraid to admit this, but it's nice to be compartmentalized from any potential work that there might be in the north. Work makes the time go by, and travel makes the time go by, but being stuck here at least keeps me away from places that are less pleasant. Not that this place is "pleasant", but so far it has been relatively benign. Here there is more a sense of isolation and a sense of being somewhere foreign. (READ MORE)
Bill Roggio: US, Iraq step up operations against Iranian terror groups - US forces detained five members of the Hezbollah Brigades in Baghdad on Saturday as part of a renewed push to blunt the return of Iranian-backed Shia terror groups reentering Iraq. The Iraqi and US military have stepped up operations against the Special Groups over the past two weeks. Iraqi and US forces killed two Special Groups fighters and captured 107 since Sept. 16. The latest series of raids in Baghdad netted five members of the Hezbollah Brigades in New Baghdad, a former stronghold of Muqtada al Sadr's Mahdi Army. The Hezbollah Brigades is an Iranian-backed terror group that has been behind multiple roadside bombings and rocket attacks against US and Iraqi forces in Baghdad. The group films these attacks and posts them on the internet. More than 30 Hezbollah Brigades operatives have been captured over the past two months. The group is estimated at having several hundred members. (READ MORE)
Matel-in-Iraq: Come Safely Home - My year is finished. I have accomplished all that I will and I have come safely home. So … how did we do? It is always hard to judge one’s own success and I am not sure I can tell. I am also not sure ANYONE can tell. So many factors were at work and my role was so small. If I crow about the successes achieved in Anbar, it will be a lot like the rooster claiming credit for the sunrise. But if I just pass over the whole thing as though my efforts meant nothing, I am denying reality and denying the whole concept of free choice. It is almost my metaphysical duty to brag on our achievements. I did only what others could have done, but most others did not do them. What a person could do, what he can do and what he actually did are often not strongly related. I made a difference to the extent of my capabilities for Western Anbar and the security of the United States. The environment is now more hostile to insurgents and terrorists because of the efforts of my team. (READ MORE)
Big Tobacco: Poor Worm! Thou Art Infected! - I wrote this while smoking a La Gloria Cubana Wavel. It’s my birthday today. I have no cake. I have no candles. I don’t want to be around anybody. I sit smoking in the dark on my porch. It is 0300 and it is cool outside. My laptop is open. I hear it before I see it. A quiet rumbling starts in the south. The sound approaches. A convoy draws near. By a sick twist of fate, my building overlooks The Road. I see convoys come and go all day, a constant reminder that I will never again leave The Little FOB for anything more important than a fuel run. I should consider myself lucky. Not every man gets to open his window in the morning and see his disappointment every day. The trucks roll north. A heavily armored MRAP rolls past, looking like a vehicle prop from a long-forgotten apocalyptic movie. The tractor trailers follow. One, two, three, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen. Another MRAP moves past, followed by more tractor trailers. I lose count. Is it forty? Is it eighty? (READ MORE)
Zen Traveller: Bully - Driving out of the compound yesterday I watched in horror as a young Iraqi man raised a 2-foot piece of black rubber hose above his head and violently brought it down onto one the the street dogs that populate the neighborhood. If the dog hadn't leaped out of the way he certainly would have hit the dog. The man stood there and laughed as he raised the hose again for another try. I was greatly tempted to halt the car, get out, and give the man a bit of his own medicine. In retrospect I wish that I had, but we kept moving as we had a client in the car with us. I bit my lip knowing that I had made the best decision for the client in the back of the car, and fought back my rage against the bully with the hose. The next time I'm not so sure that I can be as controlled. (READ MORE)
Back and still writing:
Armed and Curious: A casual disdain - I have been casually watching the trailers and buzz about the upcoming movie about three Iraq veterans called "The Lucky Ones" since I got back from my deployment in August. I would love to say its because of some interest in what Hollywood has to say about the war that has consumed my life for the last five years but the truth is I am curious as hell what Rachel McAdams and Tim Robbins will do portraying soldiers. The reviews have been pretty positive over all and it really seems from the trailers they are trying to give us a fair shake instead of portraying us all as victims or mentally scarred lunatics as all of the other movies produced on the war have done. Oddly, I was reading the review by Tom Charity on CNN.com this morning when about two thirds of the way down I stumbled on this little gem of a paragraph (emphasis added by me) "Even so, it's obvious all their options are limited. That could be why they enlisted in the first place." (READ MORE)
Bill and Bob's Excellent Afghan Adventure: Pictures Of Nuristan And Northern Laghman - The last couple of months of my tour were spent at and around a place called FOB Kalagush in the Nurguram District of Nuristan Province.
Looking North into Nuristan from Kalagush
Are there guerrillas in the mist? (READ MORE)
News from the Front:
Iraq:
Troubled bridge over (algae-clogged) waters - When the Marines and Navy Seabees erected a floating bridge over the Euphrates River near the farming community of Baghdadi in May, it was hailed as a leap forward for the U.S. and the Iraqis. And a thumb in the eye to the insurgents who want to keep communities in Anbar province isolated from each other. With the Walid Bridge open, commerce could flourish and Iraqi security forces could respond to problems on either side of the river. Otherwise, the closest bridge was 40 miles away. (READ MORE)
American and Iraqi Christians Join Together - BAGHDAD — Amid grave fears for the future of Iraq’s dwindling Christian community, a group of American military chaplains and lay preachers met with Iraqi Christians at the Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad. It was a rare encounter for the Iraqis, many of whom have had family members killed, kidnapped and threatened in anti-Christian attacks since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003, but who came in through the Green Zone checkpoints to sing and pray with their American fellow Christians. (READ MORE)
Coalition forces target bomb networks, foreign terrorist facilitators - BAGHDAD – Five wanted men and two additional suspects were detained during Coalition force operations targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq bomb networks and foreign terrorist facilitation cells in and around Baghdad Monday. Coalition forces operating near Mahmudiyah, about 27 km south of Baghdad, captured one wanted man believed to be a member of the area’s AQI foreign terrorist facilitation cell. (READ MORE)
MND-B Soldiers, ISF seize weapons, arrest Iranian backed SG criminals throughout Baghdad’s Rashid district - FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq – Multi-National Division –Baghdad Soldiers, working alongside Iraqi Security Forces in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad, confiscated weapons caches and detained suspected Iranian backed Special Groups criminals Sept. 27-28. At approximately 7 p.m., Soldiers from Company C, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, MND-B, reported finding a weapons cache in Hayy Jihad of the Rashid district Sept. 27. (READ MORE)
Double explosions, small-arms fire injure civilians, police in Rusafa - BAGHDAD – A complex attack involving a pair of explosions and small-arms fire in Rusafa left 10 civilians and an Iraqi Traffic Policeman dead and 34 civilians and nine personnel from the National Police injured at approximately 7:10 p.m. September 28. A platoon from B Company, 5th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad responded to help secure the area with an explosive ordnance detachment team. (READ MORE)
Coalition forces catch three Iranian backed Kata’ib Hezbollah suspects - BAGHDAD – Coalition forces apprehended three suspected members of the Kata'ib Hezbollah network early Sunday in Naharwan, about 25 km east of Baghdad. Acting on intelligence information, Coalition forces targeted a suspect who has been linked to Kata'ib Hezbollah operations in and around Baghdad. (READ MORE)
IA captures suspected AQI member - BAGHDAD – The Iraqi Army captured a suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq member Sept. 25 in Tarmiyah, approximately 33 km northwest of Baghdad. IA soldiers from the 36th Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division, led the operation, and Coalition Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, acted as overwatch, in the joint raid to apprehend the suspected AQI terrorist. (READ MORE)
Soldiers, IA share Iftar dinner - FORWARD OPERATING BASE WAR EAGLE, Iraq – About 40 people gathered at Forward Operating Base War Eagle Sept. 25 for a traditional Iftar dinner. “Thank you for coming tonight and for all the great work that you are doing in Sadr City,” said Col. John Hort, commander of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad. “For all of us here, I want to continue to work closely together to bring peace and progress to Sadr City.” (READ MORE)
Sulaymaniyah City is ‘growing children’ - Sulaymaniyah, Iraq - The contractor has barely started turning dirt for the Shalaw School in this small district of Sulaymaniyah City, but that in itself is a major accomplishment. Since the original site for the project is a former landfill and unsuitable for construction, a new location had to be found. "This project was on hold for almost a year," said Ric Wiedmaier, resident engineer in the Sulaymaniyah Resident Office. "Governor Dana backed us to find another site for the school, which is a garden area." (READ MORE)
Coalition forces capture four wanted men, 12 more suspected terrorists - BAGHDAD – Coalition forces operating in northern and central Iraq Thursday and Friday detained four wanted men and 12 additional suspects during operations aimed at further disrupting al-Qaeda in Iraq activities. In the vicinity of Tall Mayy, about 41 km southeast of Mosul, Coalition forces captured a wanted man and detained one additional suspect Thursday. The wanted man is believed to have connections to multiple AQI administrative and financial bookkeepers in the area. (READ MORE)
Marines Help Those Most in Need through ‘Operation Widow’ - CAMP KOREAN VILLAGE — Reserve U.S. Marines delivered food supplies for economically disadvantaged families in Rutbah, a town of about 17,000 residents in western al-Anbar province, Sept. 24. According to Navy chaplain Lt. Ray Rivers, these Marines created “Operation Widow” in June to provide non-perishable food items, fresh fruit, milk and juice to widows and their families in Rutbah. (READ MORE)
Rehabilitated Insurgent Forgiven, Released During Holy Month of Ramadan - KIRKUK — In the spirit of reconciliation and during the observance of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Sheik Abdullah Sami Al Asi Obeydi, a Kirkuk Sunni Arab Provincial Council member and tribal leader, was reunited with his cousin, Shakn Abdullah Mushed Al-Rahma Obeydi, after a ten-month separation, here at Forward Operating Base Warrior, Sept. 27. (READ MORE)
Kazakhstani Soldiers Share EOD Smarts with Iraqi Army - FOB DELTA — Kazakhstani Soldiers conducted a three-day course here in basic explosives handling and safe demolition techniques for 10 Iraqi Army Soldiers, Sept. 22 - 25. “It’s a good chance for us to share our experience with them,” said Azat Mukhamadiev, liaison officer for the Kazakhstani contingent. “Our officers are graduates of military academies and have extensive experience in practical exercises and training our troops.” (READ MORE)
Iraq Funds Upgrades to Medical Assist Clinic in Duluyiah - DULUYIAH — In an effort to assist the health needs of the people of Duluyiah, the Iraqi government has provided financial assistance for upgrades at the local clinic in the form of grants totaling $34,000. This is part of a program of Iraqi emergency relief funds allocated for key infrastructure intended to address shortfalls in necessary services previously neglected due to violence since the war began in 2003. (READ MORE)
Iraq Assumes Bulk of Security Mission Northwest of Baghdad - WASHINGTON — Iraqi Soldiers and ‘Sons of Iraq’ civilian security members are now performing the bulk of security duties northwest of Baghdad, a senior U.S. military officer in Iraq said today. “All in all, security in the area is vastly improved as the result of the great work of our Soldiers and their increasingly confident and capable partners, the Iraqi security forces,” Army Col. Todd McCaffrey, commander of the U.S. 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, told Pentagon reporters during a satellite-carried news conference. (READ MORE)
Continued Progress: Security Allows Opening of West Baqubah Road - BAQUBAH — A ribbon cutting ceremony recently took place in a western Baqubah neighborhood to reopen a road that had been closed to the locals in the area for more than a year. "This was in the workings since early May," said Capt. Kevin P. Ryan, the officer behind coordinating the opening. "My idea is to transition this area of operations (AO) back to the Iraqi people and to open the roads up, to give something back to the people." (READ MORE)
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