News and Personal dispatches from the front and the home front.
In their own words:
A Battlefield Tourist: Heavy Fighting in Oruzgan Province Leaves Dozens Dead - Heavy fighting in Deh Rahwood district, Oruzgan Province has left at least 60 militant fighters dead, including a top commander. The fighting erupted on October 21 when coalition intelligence pinpointed the location of Taliban commander Sharif Agha who was spotted with 14 other militants near a river bed as they were preparing an attack against a coalition patrol. An air strike was called in killing all 15 militants. Agha was a known terrorist leader responsible for attacks against coalition and civilian targets in both Oruzgan and Helmand Provinces. A second firefight erupted in the same district when a large Taliban force attacked a joint Coalition/Afghan patrol. During the battle, close air support was again used resulting in the deaths of 55 suspected militants. (READ MORE)
IN-iraq: "Do they have any idea when the coaliton will be leaving?" - Patrol Base O’Ryan - From the frustration of donated generators being sold off to the joy of giving away soccer balls to kids, each day can give a U.S. soldier a different ground-level perspective on helping Iraqis and how much progress is being made here, or how little. Evidence of the enemy activity is no where to be seen in the south of Salah Al Din province. There hasn’t been a significant attack in the last two weeks in the desert area surrounding Alpha Battery’s Patrol Base O'Ryan. No enemy unless you count poverty. Many of the locals here are tenant farmers who don’t have enough fuel, water or electricity to sustain their families. Alpha Battery of 2nd/320th Field Artillery Regiment donated $10,000 worth of portable generators to this sparse farming community intending them for school and community use. (READ MORE)
Bill Roggio: US hits Haqqani Network in North Waziristan - After a one week lull in attacks inside Pakistan's tribal areas, US unmanned Predator aircraft struck a compound run by the powerful, al Qaeda-linked Haqqani family in North Waziristan. The attack occurred early Thursday morning Pakistani time in a village on the outskirts of Miramshah where Jalaluddin Haqqani "established a madrassa or religious school and where his extended family used to be living," Reuters reported. The Haqqani's madrassa, known as the Manba Ulom, is in the town of Danda Darpa Khel. "Scores" of casualties have been reported by Geo TV, but no hard numbers have been given. "A large number of militants are rushing toward the area in vehicles," a witness in Miramshah told Reuters. There is no word if any senior al Qaeda or Taliban leaders have been killed. (READ MORE)
Playing in the Sandbox: A (Few) Day's Kuwait - The last few days have consisted of having various awards formations that last entirely too long, lessons from nearly every senior leader in the unit about not getting drunk and beating your wife back in Germany, and a whole lot of nothing else. Fortunately, I'm not married, so I only have to worry about getting drunk and beating someone else's wife. In the very near future I'll be back in Kuwait, where this trainwreck began. Like many others, I couldn't wait to leave it for Iraq on the way in. Now I can't wait to leave Iraq to get to Kuwait. It's not ironic, it's just how it is. There will undoubtedly be bullshit along the way. With the Army, there always is. Simple tasks often require seemingly Herculean efforts to complete, and suggesting better ways to do things to anyone who outranks you generally brings scorn and leaves you feeling like a dog who fetched yesterday's newspaper. (READ MORE)
Sgt Trevor Skeggs: Coping with homesickness - Friday 3rd October - It’s been busy the last few days as we are now well into our hand-over with the outgoing gun troop. We’ve also been working on the guns and moving ammunition during Fire Missions to support our Fire Support Teams (FSTs) on the ground within the North Western Area of Operations. The rounds (shells) fired from the guns were gratefully appreciated by the troops on the ground. You could actually hear the firing from the area of the contact (firefight) about 10 km away as well as the FST signaller on the radio sending down the target location and all the relevant information required enabling us to fire at the enemy forces that had attacked the troops out on patrol. Our other efforts at this time remain with documenting all the equipment and stores that will be needed when the rest of my troop arrives. As soon as they arrive we will need to be ready to support anyone who might need the guns of D Troop 8 (Alma) Commando Battery Royal Artillery. (READ MORE)
Two Brothers, Two Countries, One Army: R&R - Well, hello!! I know it’s been a while, but I was home on R&R and I must say that I hardly even checked my email while I was home. BUT, what a nice surprise I got when I got back over here to the wonderful Iraq…I had about 10 boxes of “stuff” waiting on me!! THANK YOU!! Thank you to all of those that sent me care packages!! THANK YOU!! Well, like I said, I was home on R&R, for those of you who don’t know what that is…in the easiest way, I was home on a two week vacation from Iraq to spend time with my family and friends. I must say that I had a WONDERFUL time!! Thanks to a few great friends and one in particular..flyin squirrel! I don’t want to get into too many details just yet about that one though…it just wouldn’t be right. But, I know they know who I’m talking about. WOW! I’m going to have to make another entry to just get some things off my chest that I don’t want to in this one… I’ll keep this post for just general info and blah blah blah. (READ MORE)
Back and still writing:
Bill and Bob's Excellent Adventure: Call To Arms - When you are called by a brother in arms, you answer the call. Whether it is O calling from an ambush on Route Vermont, the Marine ETT's asking for escort to respond to a call to blow up a suspected IED, our ANP reporting that they were under fire, or when characters are being assassinated, it's the same; you respond. Shoot at one, draw fire from all. Especially, for me, when it's ANP mentors putting out the call. Grab your helmet and body armor, check your weapons and fuel, grab your terp and mount up; we're riding out. Recently, a British journalist named Nick Meo from the Telegraph embedded with a PMT (Police Mentor Team) in Helmand Province, one of the hottest parts of Afghanistan. (READ MORE)
News from the Front:
Iraq:
Oqba Bin Nafea School reopens in Rusafa - FORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY, Iraq – Iraqi citizens, local officials and Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers came together and celebrated the reopening of a school in the Rusafa area of eastern Baghdad Oct. 22. Al’aa Dagher, the Rusafa District Council chairman, kicked off the celebration for the reopening of the Oqba Bin Nafea School with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Joining in the celebration were Soldiers from 3rd Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, MND-B. (READ MORE)
MND-B Soldiers find weapons in Baghdad - BAGHDAD – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers find weapons caches in the Baghdad area Oct. 22. Soldier serving with Company B, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, MND-B, found 1,500 rounds of 7.62 ammunition, four 85 mm rockets, a 75 mm rocket, a machine gun and two washing machine timers north of Baghdad at approximately 9:30 a.m. (READ MORE)
Forces capture two suspected terrorists, disrupt AQI bomb facilitation network - BAGHDAD – Two suspected terrorists, one of them a wanted man, were detained in central Iraq on Thursday as Coalition forces dealt another blow to al-Qaeda in Iraq’s improvised explosive device network. Acting on intelligence reports, forces operating near Habbaniyah, about 69 km west of Baghdad, targeted a wanted man believed to secure materials and finances for improvised explosive devices used by AQI to attack Coalition forces. The suspected terrorist, who is assessed to have ties to regional AQI leaders, was captured without incident. (READ MORE)
4 killed by VBIED in Mosul - MOSUL, Iraq — A vehicle-borne improvised explosive device killed four Iraqi citizens, including a five-year-old boy in Mosul Oct. 22. In addition, four other local citizens were wounded in the blast, including a six-year-old boy. The attack occurred in the al Uruba neighborhood. All casualties were taken to the Al Jamouri Hospital. (READ MORE)
MND-B Soldiers detain criminals operating in Rashid - BAGHDAD – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers arrested two suspected criminals during combat operations Oct. 21-22 in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad. At approximately 11:30 p.m. Oct. 21, Soldiers from Troop C, 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, MND-B, conducting a target raid, detained a special groups criminal suspected of conducting improvised explosive device attacks and building weapons caches in the Abu T’shir community of southern Baghdad. (READ MORE)
IA, MND-B Soldiers find caches in Baghdad - BAGHDAD – Iraq Army and Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers seized weapons caches in Baghdad Oct 22. At approximately 9 a.m., IA soldiers with 4th Battalion, 22nd Brigade, 6th Iraq Army Division, found a 105 mm artillery round, 12 60 mm mortars and 150 .50-caliber rounds of ammunition while conducting a patrol in the Kadhamiyah area of Baghdad. (READ MORE)
MND-B Soldiers help plan to rebuild historical landmarks - CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Plans are in the works to help restore one of Aqur Quf’s oldest landmark: the Ziggurat. The Ziggurat of Aqur Quf, which lies west of Baghdad, is one of the best preserved religious landmarks of its kind in Iraq. It dates back to 1400 B.C. and was built as a monument to the local religion. (READ MORE)
Iraqi Police Media Relations Graduates Will Tell the IP Story - BAGHDAD — Baghdad’s top Iraqi Police (IP) officials and members of Multi-National Division – Baghdad’s 18th Military Police Brigades’ Provincial Police Transition Team (PPTT) gathered at the Iraqi Directorate of Police headquarters Oct. 20 to witness the graduation of 401 new Iraqi Police Media Relations Officers. “The IPs will be assigned at every IP facility throughout Baghdad to work with the community and the media to help improve the public perception of the IP at the local level,” said Maj. Larry Dewey, 18th MP Bde.’s PPTT chief. (READ MORE)
Afghanistan:
ANSF, Coalition forces disrupt insurgent activity in Farah - KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan National Security Forces and Coalition forces today killed three insurgents and uncovered a weapons and ammunition cache in Bala Boluk District, Farah province. As ANSF and Coalition forces helicopters entered the area, they were attacked by insurgents with small-arms and heavy-weapons fire coming from inside a cave. ANSF and Coalition forces returned fire, killing three insurgents. (READ MORE)
ANSF, Coalition forces kill 3 militants in Oruzgan - KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan National Security Forces and Coalition forces today killed three militants in Khas Oruzgan District, Oruzgan province. ANSF and Coalition forces were conducting a combat security patrol when they were attacked by militants with small-arms fire coming from inside a compound. ANSF and Coalition forces responded with small-arms, heavy-weapons and supporting fires, killing three militants. (READ MORE)
Coalition air strike kills Taliban leader, 14 militants - KABUL, Afghanistan – A Coalition air strike Tuesday killed Taliban Commander Sharif Agha and 14 other militants in Deh Rawood District, Oruzgan province. Agha was a known improvised explosive device and suicide bombing facilitator in Helmand and Oruzgan provinces. Coalition forces positively identified Agha and 14 other militants near a riverbed in the vicinity of a known insurgent compound located in a remote area away from local villages. (READ MORE)
ANSF, Coalition forces kill 55 militants in Oruzgan province - KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan National Security Forces and Coalition forces killed 55 militants Tuesday in Deh Rawood District, Oruzgan province. ANSF and Coalition forces were conducting a combat security patrol when they were attacked by a large group of militants with small-arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire. ANSF and Coalition forces responded with small-arms, rocket-propelled grenade, heavy-weapons and supporting fires, killing 55 militants. (READ MORE)
Coalition forces kill six, detain seven during operations in Afghanistan - KABUL, Afghanistan – Coalition forces killed six armed militants and detained seven suspected militants while targeting the Haqqani and Taliban leadership in Paktia, Khowst and Ghazni provinces, Tuesday. Coalition forces in Paktia, searched a compound in Zadran District, targeting a Haqqani commander and financier, known to coordinate and direct terrorist attacks in the region. The force searched the compound without incident, detaining two suspected militants. (READ MORE)
Taliban leader killed in Helmand province - KABUL, Afghanistan – Taliban commander Mullah Ghafar was killed and two other militants were wounded in a Coalition airstrike in Helmand province Oct. 20. Ghafar, a weapons and fighter facilitator, was responsible for conducting ambushes and attacks on checkpoints and Coalition forces convoys in Farah, Nimruz and Helmand provinces. (READ MORE)
Coalition forces detain four in Konar, Ghazni provinces - KABUL, Afghanistan – Coalition forces detained four suspected militants during separate operations targeting the Taliban and al-Qaeda terrorist networks in Konar and Ghazni provinces, Monday. Coalition forces searched a compound in Asadabad District, targeting an al-Qaeda associated sub-commander, suspected of facilitating the movement of foreign fighters into Afghanistan. He is also believed to be in contact with and coordinate malicious attacks for senior al-Qaeda and Taliban commanders in the region. (READ MORE)
Mistaken identity possible cause of Coalition forces and ANA incident - KABUL, Afghanistan – Coalition forces may have mistakenly killed and injured Afghan National Army soldiers last night in Khowst province, Afghanistan. As a Coalition forces convoy was returning from a previous operation, they were involved in multiple engagements. As a result of the engagements, ANA soldiers were killed and injured. (READ MORE)
Coalition forces detain 8 suspected Haqqani militants in Paktia - KABUL, Afghanistan – Coalition forces detained eight suspected militants during an operation Sunday to disrupt the Haqqani terrorist network in Paktia province. Coalition forces searched a compound in Zadran District, targeting a Haqqani subcommader who is suspected of coordinating militant activities to destabilize the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. (READ MORE)
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