News and Personal dispatches from the front and the home front.
In their own words:
From the ‘Stan: Commandant visits 2/7 - CAMP BARBER, Afghanistan – Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. James T. Conway visited with Marines and other service members here assigned to Task Force 2d Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix, Aug. 14. Upon arriving here in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan, Task Force Commander Lt. Col. Richard D. Hall briefed the four-star general on operations conducted by the task force since deploying here in early April to support Operation Enduring Freedom. (READ MORE)
Fearless 1st Marines’ blog: Water flows again in Lahib - LAHIB, Iraq – The desert environment can be harsh on crops and livestock without the steady flow of fresh water, and in a place like Iraq, a fresh flow of water is hard to come by. With this in mind, Marines of Task Force 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, along with the local officials of the Lahib area repaired a water purification pump and adjacent road here July 31. Over the last few years, the water pump had been damaged by insurgents and the road leading to the pump was closed because of its strategic positioning for insurgents, said 1st Lt. Brendan Mahoney, platoon commander, 3rd Platoon, Company G, Task Force 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. (READ MORE)
Fearless 1st Marines’ blog: Operation Jazeera Sweep proves successful - JAZEERAH, Iraq – More than 700 Iraqi Provincial Security Forces successfully completed Operation Jazeera Sweep Aug. 9, with over-watch and security assistance from 1st Platoon, Company C, Task Force 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1. Members of Iraqi Army’s Sabbatine Battalion made up the majority of the security forces taking part in the operation. The battalion is a “disciplined and highly professional” PSF battalion which is building a reputation to become Iraq’s version of the U.S. Marine Corps, said Capt. Thomas Schwabenbauer, 1st platoon commander with Company C. (READ MORE)
IraqPundit: The U.S.-Iraq Agreement - To those who are anxious to declare Iraq a permanent disaster, slow down. The United States is not as unprincipled as you claim. Of course, it's perfectly reasonable to read failure into some analysts' interpretation of today's news reports about the withdrawal agreement between the U.S. and Iraq. At least one analyst thinks Bush finally sees the supposed wisdom of Barack Obama's plan to write off Iraq. The prof also says the deal weakens John McCain. Juan Cole writes that "it will be much harder for McCain to paint Obama as 'surrendering' or wanting to 'cut and run,' since his withdrawal plan is very close to what Bush and the Iraqi government have agreed on." (READ MORE)
Bill Roggio: Taliban suicide bombers kill 70 Pakistanis outside a munitions factory - The Taliban's suicide campaign against the Pakistani government is in full swing. The latest suicide bombings occurred outside a weapons factory just west of the capital of Islamabad in Punjab province. More than seventy Pakistanis have been reported killed and more than eighty wounded after two suicide bombers detonated their vest "almost simultaneously" outside the gates of the Wah Cantt (military installation), Geo TV reported. The bombers detonated their vests within a minute of each other. The attack occurred just as workers were changing shifts in order to maximize casualties. The Taliban took credit for today's attack. Mullah Omar, the spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, said the attack was a response to yesterday's airstrike in Wana, South Waziristan, that killed at least eight al Qaeda and Taliban fighters. (READ MORE)
Peace and War Times: The Weight of War - After the combative training, we got issue our bulletproof jacket or IBA as they call it; I walked a few blocks back to the barracks wearing it and I felt like dying with it. I made my mind to walk with it to get use to as soon as I recover from the soreness. However, that goal became a reality too soon; the 1SG came out with the idea to have PT wearing our bulletproof jacket the following morning, a piece of equipment that can weight more than 40 pounds alone depending on the size. Morning came and after doing this painful road march PT, we were issue all our equipment that we will use in the war zone. It was scary to be in this warehouse full of equipment, lining up with a duffel bag in hand to be filling with all the things Uncle Sam said we have to have. They issued us winter clothes and other necessary items, alone with a huge rucksack. These rucksacks once full and assembled will be up to 170 pounds on our backs. (READ MORE)
Rocinante's Burdens: Day 63. The Iraqi Army Supply System - This is perhaps the largest remaining challenge keeping US forces in Iraq. The Enemy is defeated. The Iraqi Army is strong and willing to fight. The population supports their government against the insurgents. But the IA supply system is a source of frustration for all who encounter it. First, the policy of the US army is not to make the Iraqis change their supply system so that it looks and acts like ours. They have no where near a strong enough economy to feed such a behemoth. Our goal is simply to make their system work for them by making them do their jobs. Here is a simplified outline. (READ MORE)
Big Tobacco: Black And Blue - I wrote this while smoking a La Gloria Cubana Wavel. I look at my opponent. Sergeant Rocksalt [OPSEC] stares back at me, if not with hate, than with a reasonable determination to choke the life out of me. The referee stands between us: “No Armbars. No punching. If this guy taps out, you stop.” “Wait a minute,” I think. “The referee pointed to me when he said that.” The referee already knows that the outcome of this match is predetermined. It’s not a question of if Sergeant Rocksalt will win, it’s a question of how long before he chokes me out. Sergeant Rocksalt’s eyes drill into my soul. He’s already breathing heavy, psyching himself up into a frenzy so that he can liquefy me before the two-minute clock runs out. He is two-hundred and ten pounds of pure pissed off corrections officer. (READ MORE)
David Botti: Frustration and Hope on the Syrian Border - Roughly 250 miles northwest of Baghdad, the border between Iraq’s Ninawa province and Syria is marked by nothing more than a single dirt berm. The mound is easy enough to walk, and in some places, drive a vehicle over. While the terrain is mostly flat, nighttime often brings a consuming darkness and electricity here is non-existent. Snaking through this terrain are countless dried-up canals, affording the area’s smugglers concealed routes through which their cross-border business is conducted with relative ease. Meanwhile, members of Iraq’s border police (the IBP) wait, watch, and listen from their forts and outposts, some with little more than a flashlight, a few rifles, and handheld radios frequently turned off to conserve what little battery life remains. (READ MORE)
News from the Front:
Iraq:
Al-Qaeda bombing, propaganda networks degraded - BAGHDAD – Coalition forces detained 16 suspected terrorists during operations targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq bombing and propaganda networks Thursday and Friday in the central and northern parts of the country. An alleged weapons facilitator in Mosul is in Coalition custody after forces captured him and six additional suspects Friday. The wanted man allegedly stores explosives for AQI attacks and delivers weapons to foreign terrorists and suicide bombers. He is also assessed to have ties to AQI senior leaders in Mosul. (READ MORE)
IA medical personnel work alongside U.S. counterparts - CAMP TAQADDUM, Iraq – Camp Taqaddum Surgical, 1st Supply Battalion (Reinforced), 1st Marine Logistics Group, has partnered with Iraqi medical personnel at Camp Habbaniyah and brought them into the operating room for the first time Aug. 21. Lt. Cmdr. John A. Lynott, senior orthopedic surgeon with TQ Surgical, worked with Iraqi Army Maj. Tahseen Muallah, medical officer from Camp Habbaniyah, to remove fragmentation from the leg of an Iraqi Policeman. (READ MORE)
ISF, MND-B MPs confiscate multiple passports - BAGHDAD – Iraqi Security Forces, along with Multi-National Division – Baghdad military police Soldiers from the 191st MP Company, 18th MP Brigade, confiscated more than 20 passports and detained two suspects during checkpoint operations near Thawra in the Sadr City district of Baghdad Aug. 18. While assisting ISF and observing check point operations, the combined forces were searching a truck and confiscated the passports, which appeared to be from Iran, Jordan and Syria. (READ MORE)
Iraqi Army takes lead to support Sadr City clinic - BAGHDAD – The 11th Iraqi Army Division delivered medical supplies and provided treatment to the citizens of the Thawra 1 neighborhood of the Sadr City district Aug. 20. Company C, 1st Battalion, 35th Armor Regiment, attached to Task Force 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, who currently supports the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, provided security for the operation, while IA soldiers and medical personnel met with Iraqi families in need of treatment. (READ MORE)
NPs, local resident help take weapons off streets (Baghdad) - BAGHDAD – National Police seized a weapons cache, and a local resident turned in another in the greater Baghdad area Aug. 20. At approximately 8 a.m., police with the 1st Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 1st National Police Division, seized 13 small rockets, two artillery shells, three mortar rounds and an assortment of ordnance in the New Baghdad area of Baghdad. (READ MORE)
New Fresh Water Pipeline to Extend From Al Rasheed to Mahmudiyah - FOB MAHMUDIYAH — A water pipeline that will connect the city of Al Rasheed to the city of Mahmudiyah is nearing completion. “People who have been limited on their water supply within the city will soon not have to worry about such issues,” said Sgt. Hamad Ali Kathwan, 25th Brigade, 17th Iraqi Army Division. The goal in this project is to demonstrate to the Mahmudiyah Qada the local government’s ability to recommend, plan and complete a project, said Maj. Alaric Robinson, a native of Hartford, Conn., Company A, 411th Civil Affairs Battalion. (READ MORE)
Iraqi Army Takes Lead, Supports Sadr City Medical Clinic - BAGHDAD — When much needed health care is provided to citizens, it’s a welcome gift. The gift is even more welcome when Iraqi citizens see their own Soldiers taking the lead to help them. The 11th Iraqi Army (IA) Division delivered medical supplies and provided treatment to the citizens of the Thawra 1 neighborhood of the Sadr City District of Baghdad, Aug. 20. Coalition Soldiers provided security for the operation, while Iraqi Soldiers and medical personnel met with Iraqi families in need of treatment. (READ MORE)
Afghanistan:
Brown vows $120m aid for Afghan troops - KABUL: Prime Minister Gordon Brown said yesterday Britain would put more resources into training the Afghan army after a surge in Taliban violence this year and pledged an extra $120 million (BD45.36m) in development aid. (READ MORE)
Afghan hero to get new house - The winner of Afghanistan's first Olympic medal is to be given a house as a reward on the orders of President Hamid Karzai, a palace official said yesterday. (READ MORE)
Taliban bombers kill 70 after Pakistani border strike - Pakistan’s conflict with militants took a savage turn yesterday at the country’s main weapons complex where two suicide bombers set off blasts that killed dozens of people and wounded hundreds. (READ MORE)
Over 40 Taliban killed in Afghan clashes - KABUL, Afghanistan (Map, News) - U.S.-led troops attacked a compound where Taliban leaders were meeting in western Afghanistan, killing 30 militants, American and Afghan officials said Friday. Another 11 militants reportedly died in a separate clash in the south. (READ MORE)
US coalition: 30 militants killed in Afghanistan - KABUL: US-led coalition troops attacked a compound where Taliban leaders were meeting in western Afghanistan, killing 30 militants, American and Afghan officials said on Friday. (READ MORE)
Afghan President inaugurates road project in Bamyan - BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (August 16, 2008) — President Hamid Karzai addressed his nation’s road improvements and development in an address to approximately 400 guest at the Silk Road Hotel in Bamyan province, Afghanistan, Aug. 14. “Progress and patience,” were the words the president chose to describe construction work on a proposed 100 kilometer road, which will extend from the provincial capital to Nyak. (READ MORE)
PRT supports agriculture in Konar province - According to Afghanistan's own statistics, 13 percent of the Konar province is suitable for farming. Wheat, rice and corn are the primary crops, all of which are reliant on irrigation systems fed primarily by snow melt from the Hindu Kush Mountains. Thirty years of war and sporadic drought has severely impaired the province’s irrigation system and reduced the productivity of Konar’s fertile valleys. (READ MORE)
ANA, Coalition forces disrupt militant operations in Laghman province - BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (August 20, 2008) – Afghan National Army Commandos and Coalition forces conducted a cordon and search operation in Laghman province in order to disrupt suspected Taliban safe-havens and IED cells, Wednesday. The operation took place in response to information gathered following a recent attack by militants on International Security Assistance Forces in that area. (READ MORE)
Coalition Forces detain militants in Khowst - BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (August 19, 2008) – One militant was killed and two were detained Monday during a Coalition forces operation to disrupt militant activities in Khowst province. Coalition forces searched a compound in the Tani District targeting a militant known to facilitate IED attacks on Afghan and Coalition forces. (READ MORE)
President Karzai expresses gratitude to international community at ceremony - BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (August 19, 2008) – Afghan President Hamid Karzai took the opportunity to thank the international community for their help in reconstructing Bamyan and all of Afghanistan during a ceremony held in Bamyan, Thursday. The ceremony celebrated the reconstruction of a road that runs from the provincial capital in Bamyan to Nayak in the Yakawlang District. (READ MORE)
Coalition forces disrupt IED, arms facilitation in Ghazni province - BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (August 19, 2008) – A militant was killed and four were detained during a Coalition forces’ operation to disrupt militant activities in Ghazni province, Monday. Coalition forces searched a compound in Andar District targeting a militant responsible for facilitating foreign-fighter operations in the area. (READ MORE)
More than three dozen militants and several civilians killed - BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (Aug 16, 2008) – Afghan National Security Forces and Coalition forces fought militants in a series of engagements that left over 40 militants and several non-combatants dead in southern Afghanistan August 15. A few non-combatants were injured after the roof of a building collapsed, trapping them. ANSF and Coalition forces positively identified and killed several militants emplacing an IED on the road they were travelling during a patrol. (READ MORE)
ANA, Coalition forces detain militants in Paktika province - BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (August 15, 2008) – Eight militants were detained during a joint Afghan National Army and Coalition forces operation to disrupt militant IED-networks in Paktika province, Thursday. The joint force searched compounds in Orgun District targeting a Taliban sub-commander wanted for kidnapping, murder of multiple Afghan soldiers and facilitating IED operations. (READ MORE)
Several militants killed in Helmand province - BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (June 21, 2008) – Afghan National Security Forces and Coalition forces killed several militants in Nahr Surkh District, Helmand province Thursday. The ANSF and Coalition forces were on patrol when they observed militants planting an IED on a nearby road. When the militants realized they were being watched, they fled into a local village. (READ MORE)
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