Thread: Iraqi/Dinar News History 2-3-07 thru 3-5-07(at 11:30am cst)

Iraq announces security meeting with Iran, Syria and the U.S.

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BAGHDAD, Iraq, 02 March 2007 (Associated Press)

Iraq's neighbors including Iran and Syria have agreed to join U.S. and British representatives to discuss the Iraqi security crisis at a regional conference March 10 in Baghdad, the government said.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said Wednesday he will be issuing formal invitations shortly to the neighboring countries and the five permanent U.N. Security Council members, the U.S., Britain, France, Russia and China, to send deputy foreign ministers or senior officials to the conference.

Zebari, in a telephone interview with The Associated Press from Sweden, said the Iranians agreed to participate in a meeting with the other neighbors but "they have some questions" about a separate session that would be held the same day with the five permanent council members. His words seemed to indicate that Iran was at least partly unhappy with the arrangements for the conference, and weighing the extent of its own participation.

Iran has had little public comment on the conference so far. But in the past, Iranian leaders have been vocal in accusing the United States of trying to use the U.N. as a way to "gang up" on it, and the presence of the key Security Council countries at the Iraq conference might give Iran pause.

For their part, Sunni Arab countries like Egypt still hold grave concerns about the direction taken by Iraq's Shiite-led government, raising concerns the conference will make little headway on key issues like security.

Iraq's relations with its Arab neighbors have been rocky because of fears that the Shiite-led government is falling under Iran's influence. Originally, the Iraqi government had been reluctant to endorse the regional conference, fearing pressure from Sunni-dominated regimes, but it dropped those objections last year so long as the gathering was held on Iraqi soil.

Two Arab diplomats in Cairo said Wednesday that the U.S. recently increased pressure on some Arab governments to press them to attend the conference, after they initially had turned down invitations from the Iraqi government. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the issue's sensitivity.

The March conference got a big boost Tuesday when Washington said it would attend, leading to the possibility it could discuss Iraq's security with adversaries Syria and Iran.

The Bush administration had waited to embrace the idea until Iraq made progress on a deal governing national distribution of oil revenue. The difficulty in getting such a deal is symbolic of Iraq's regional, factional and political divisions, and the deal was seen by the United States as a key marker of the government's will to work across divides. "They thought the timing was right for them to hold the conference, and so we encouraged them to move forward with it," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Wednesday.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is sending the U.N. envoy in Iraq, Ashraf Qazi, to attend the conference as an observer, U.N. spokeswoman Michele Montas said. "The secretary-general hopes that the participants in the preparatory meeting will focus on urgently needed steps to reduce violence in Iraq and help stabilize the situation in the region," Montas said.

Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister Labid Abawi said the United States, Britain, China, Saudi Arabia and Iran said they will attend. "The conference will be important. It will prove that Iraq is politically capable of holding such a conference. It will send a message to the world," said Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's adviser, Sami al-Askari. Syria and Egypt confirmed separately they would attend, but there was no immediate comment from Jordan or Saudi Arabia. Bahrain, Turkey and Kuwait were also invited, along with the Arab League and the Organization of the Islamic Conference.

Arab countries had been reluctant to accept an invitation previously, because of Iraqi security issues as well as their hesitancy to be seen as supporting the Baghdad government by attending the gathering there, Arab diplomats said.

Iraq and its neighbors have held nine meetings, Zebari said. At the last meeting, in Tehran in July 2006, Zebari said "I demanded that the next meeting should be in Iraq.... I told them we are capable, we are confident, we can ensure your security." Asked about Iran's participation in the conference, a spokesman for Iran's U.N. Mission sidestepped the question: "We believe if the United States really wants to reach a solution there is hope that they can achieve that," the spokesman said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. Ali Larijani, the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said it was important to involve Iraq's neighbors. "We believe Iraq's security is related to all its neighboring countries, and they have to help settle the situation," Larijani said. But Mustafa Alani, an expert in Iraqi affairs at the Gulf Research Center in Dubai, said while the conference will officially focus on Iraq's security, neighboring Sunni Arab countries and the U.S. will use it to convey their disquiet at Iranian influence. Each side has accused another of being responsible for the spiraling violence in Iraq. The U.S. claims Iran is sending weapons and money to Shiite extremists in Iraq. Iraqi officials, meanwhile, have complained that Syria harbors former Saddam Hussein loyalists and allows weapons and foreign fighters to slip into the country, while Sunni countries believe the fault lies with Iraq's Shiite-led government.

Iraqi Business Restoration Progressing

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01 March 2007 (News Blaze)

A Defense Department official Monday discussed the ongoing work to improve Iraq's business and economic stability during at press conference at the Combined Press Information Center here.

Paul Brinkley, Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Business Transformation and director of the Task Force to Improve Business and Stability Operations in Iraq, spoke about the progress that has been made and what is in store for the future.

"We've been coming to Iraq now for several months, and for the past few months, bringing sizable groups of business executives from outside of Iraq into Iraq working with one objective, and that is to restore economic opportunity and create a sense of potential economic growth for the Iraqi people," Brinkley said.

Representatives from several dozen American and international businesses will be engaging both business communities and Iraqi officials in an effort to get an understanding of the situation here to prepare for the work ahead.

"In an effort to connect the Iraqi economy to the global economy to drive demand and opportunity to Iraqi business and to create a sense of economic hope and prosperity," Brinkley said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will also try to revitalize the agricultural industry which has a huge role in Iraq's economy.

"We have a stellar group of agricultural and agribusiness representatives from major American universities and from international businesses who are here and are going to be working to ensure that we synchronize our industry revitalization efforts with the agriculture sector, which is obviously a major part of the overall Iraqi economy," Brinkley said.

Brinkley states that the economic efforts will help the Fardh Al-Qanoon plan and not work against it.

"We're working in collaboration with our commands as the Fardh Al-Qanoon unfolds to ensure that we are working to revitalize industry in areas as security is restored," Brinkley said.

Problems plague some factories due to many issues but a majority of them can be easily identified and dealt with.

"In most case, it requires a small amount of investment," Brinkley said. "We're working with the government of Iraq to get those investments made to deal with, in some cases, maintenance and spare parts."

Others, such as the cement and phosphate industries in Al Anbar require a larger and more complicated approach.

"They require huge amounts of steady, continual electrical power," Brinkley said. "We're working closely with the minister of electricity and our own reconstruction organizations to identify the most rapid path to power restoration which will enable the re-employment of people in the Al Anbar region."

The amount of jobs that the reconstruction would generate for the Iraqi population would be astronomical.

The official statistics go as high as 500,000 jobs, Brinkley said.

Brinkley has a positive outlook on how this will affect the economy as a whole.

"The optimism we have is that as we restore these industrial operations, this will create immediate uplift to other parts of the economy," Brinkley said.

If there were any concern as to how much money the Iraqi government is willing to spend to fix their fledgling economy, Brinkley is quick to reassure.

"I know 10 billion dollars has been set aside by the Iraqi government," he said.

The road ahead is difficult, but Brinkley and his team are working together to bring about a better tomorrow.

"The next several months are key to our ability to demonstrate to the Iraqi people a sense of optimism and to give them hope in a brighter future," Brinkley said. "I think this year that's going to be a huge amount of our energy dedicated to this."

Sailors pump up Iraq oil terminal


By Sandra Jontz, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Saturday, March 3, 2007



ABOARD AL BASRA OIL TERMINAL — Much of Iraq’s financial hope for the future rests on a $59 million coalition-funded upgrade.

Buoyed some 60 miles south of the war-torn nation in the Persian Gulf sits an oil platform that provides Iraq with an estimated 85 percent of the struggling country’s revenue.

Each day the Al Basra Oil Terminal, or ABOT, receives about 1.5 million barrels of crude oil via pipelines from southern Iraq. The oil is then pumped into tankers, a process that translates to roughly $11,000 in oil revenue per second, said U.S. Navy Lt. Aaron Bergman, officer in charge of Mobile Security Squadron 7, Detachment 73, from Naval Base Guam.

While technically in charge of the sailors training Iraqi marines to protect the terminals, Bergman doubles as a well-informed platform tour guide.

Upgrades to the north and south sides of the platform, operated by Iraq’s Southern Oil Company, should be complete by May or June, Bergman said. Upgrades feature new piping metering systems and added safety features such as fire hoses.

A new digital metering system lets pumpers measure precisely how much oil a tanker receives. Before, they “guesstimated,” figuring every centimeter a tanker lowered into the water equaled about 6,000 barrels of oil, Bergman said.

“So you can imagine,” he said, “a couple of inches could equal 180,000 barrels of fuel.”

Parsons Iraqi Joint Venture Project and Alaa For Industry joined efforts to upgrade the platform’s capabilities.

Then there’s security, Bergman said. U.S. Navy sailors rotate every six months to train Iraqi marines to safeguard the ABOT and smaller Khawr al Amaya oil platform. The task now is with the “Black Sheep” of Mobile Security Squadron 7, Detachment 73 from Naval Base Guam.

“They’ve received a tremendous amount of training and are getting better,” Bergman said. Four of six Iraqi marine platoons are “fully mission capable” and provide platform security, with U.S. sailors providing oversight.

Much of the training for the Iraqi marines is “on the job training,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew Reeder, 28, a master-at-arms. “The training we receive is a lot of school, weapons school, combat school. Theirs is on the job training, running drills, but they’re doing fairly well,” Reeder said.

The picture is bleaker for the Khawr al Amaya, built in 1956 and showing tremendous signs of aging. From rusty beams to piping still pockmarked with bullet and artillery holes from the Iran-Iraq war, the coalition has no intention of sinking funds into upgrading the platform. It supplies oil from only one piping system, and the draft is shallower than at ABOT, meaning tankers can fill up only half way, or risk running aground.

Reports Northern Iraq Discovery
Addax Petroleum Corp. Thursday, March 01, 2007


Addax Petroleum Corp. on Thursday announced flow test results for the TT-05 well, the second appraisal well recently drilled on the Taq Taq field by Taq Taq Operating Company (TTOPCO), the joint venture company formed by Genel Enerji A.S. (Genel) and Addax Petroleum to carry out the petroleum operations in the Taq Taq license area.
Two reservoir intervals were tested separately and flowed at an aggregate rate of 26,550 bbl/d of light oil, measured gravity ranging from 44 to 50 degrees API with

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Drilling Technology in Nontechnical Language


low gas oil ratio. The intervals tested were a 105 meter perforated interval in the Shiranish formation which flowed at a rate of 12,890 bbl/d and a 82 meter interval in the Qamchuga formation which flowed at a rate of 13,660 bbl/d. Oil flow rates from the Shiranish and Qamchuga intervals were restricted by 56/64" and 64/64" choke size respectively, and in each instance, limited by the capacity of the surface testing facilities. Evaluation of these flow test results is ongoing.
Commenting, Jean Claude Gandur, President and Chief Executive Officer of Addax Petroleum said: "I am delighted at the continued successful appraisal of the Taq Taq field and the excellent cooperation amongst the Taq Taq field partners. I believe that this operational momentum, alongside the constructive efforts of the Kurdistan Region and Iraq towards finalizing a legal framework, will expedite the development of the Taq Taq field. We believe that the development of the Taq Taq field can deliver excellent value to the people of the Kurdistan Region, to the people of Iraq and to our shareholders."

The TT-05 well is located on the crest of the Taq Taq field and was drilled approximately 580 meters north-northeast of the TT-04 well. The TT-05 well was spudded in late October, 2006 and completed drilling in late December, 2006 at a total depth of 2,070 meters. Testing commenced in mid-February, 2007.

Interpretation of data acquired, including wireline and core data, confirm the presence of a significant and extensive fracture system as observed in the TT-04 well. The TT-05 well was the second of an initial three well drilling program by Genel and Addax Petroleum. The drilling of the third appraisal and development well, TT-06, is now in progress. The TT-06 well location is approximately 3.6 kilometers north-northwest of the TT-05 well.

The Taq Taq field is located in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq some 60 kilometers northeast of Kirkuk, 85 kilometers northeast of Erbil and 120 kilometers northwest of Sulaimaniyah.

Addax Petroleum is an international oil and gas exploration and production company with a strategic focus on Africa and the Middle East. Addax Petroleum is one of the largest independent oil producers in West Africa and has increased its crude oil production from an average of 8,800 barrels per day for 1998 to an average of approximately 90,000 barrels per day for 2006.

Iraqi Police, Marines work together to restore security to Habbaniyah
Friday, 02 March 2007
By Lance Cpl. Christopher Zahn
Regimental Combat Team 6



Staff Sgt. Michael S. Richard, 30, from Merrimack, N.H., speaks to an Iraqi civilian while on patrol with Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, and the Iraqi Police. The IPs, pictured here wearing ski masks to avoid being identified, face a constant threat of death from insurgents frustrated by the diligent work of policemen dedicated to cleaning up the streets of the city. The combined efforts of both Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police mean a safer environment for the people. Photo by: Lance Cpl. Christopher ZahnHABBANIYAH — Marines from Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, recently conducted their first joint security patrol with the Iraqi Police since arriving in Al Anbar late January. The historic operation marked a turning point for the future of Habbaniyah. The local populace has grown accustomed to seeing Marines and Iraqi Army soldiers patrol the streets, but not with the Iraqi Police.

The mission of the day was to pass out Iraqi Police recruiting pamphlets, search suspicious vehicles and establish the presence of police forces. Unlike the Iraqi Army soldiers, who are recruited throughout the country, the Iraqi Police are locally recruited. By joining forces with the Marines, the IPs are ensuring the safety of their own neighborhoods.

“I think we definitely turned some heads out there,” said Staff Sgt. Michael S. Richard, 30, from Merrimack, N.H. “The Iraqi people saw that the Iraqi Police are here to rid their neighborhoods of bad guys.”

For the Marines, their mission can be summed up in one word: transition. Fighting the insurgency gets easier as the Iraqi Security Forces become more effective. A more effective force means the ISF will be able to take over their towns and villages.

“Our mission is transition,” said Maj. Mark H. Clingan, battalion operations officer, 36, from Westminster, Md. “We need to set up the Iraqi Security Forces for success. We have done extensive work with the Iraqi Army, and now it’s time to start doing the same with the Iraqi Police.”

The eagerness of the Iraqi Police to patrol their own hometowns was evident, despite the threat they face daily from anti-Iraqi forces.

“The IPs showed a desire to conduct joint patrols with the Marines,” said Richard. “(They) responded without hesitation to dismount from their armored vehicles and patrol the streets with us.”

This first combined patrol set the pace and tone for what the mission is really about. The Marines are here to create an environment that will allow the ISF to create an Iraq, for Iraqis, by Iraqis. It is important for the Iraqi people to see their fellow citizens stepping up to fill this role.

Engineers help deliver school supplies
Friday, 02 March 2007
Gulf Region South District


Gulf Region South employees package school supplies of notebooks, pencils, color pencils, pens, rulers, and other learning supplies to be distributed to Iraqi schoolchildren. The donations where sent to the Gulf Region South district from concerned citizens in the United States, including a Boy Scout troop in Brooklyn, N.Y. U.S. Army photo by Mohammed AliwiAN NASIRIYAH — Many Americans are collecting and shipping school supplies to the headquarters of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in an effort to support mission and help the people of Iraq rebuild their country.

Delivering school supplies does not only help the children who receive them, but the effort also helps the growth of education, which is an essential factor for the successful establishment of democracy in Iraq.

Asked if she thought this mission was important, Edmay Mayers, a program analyst with the Gulf Region South district said, “Most definitely! Children need to be happy, as happy as possible and what we do here in GRS enhances their happiness. This is thanks to the American people who so generously send boxes and boxes of items to help our mission.”

Mayers said that she packs the supplies for each child individually and credits Boy Scout Troop 310 from Brooklyn, N.Y.

“We appreciate all the scouts of Troop 310 and their troop leader, Michael Scarano, for caring so deeply and doing so much for the Iraqi teachers and students,” she said.

Both teachers and students receive needed items to make their school days productive. Children receive notebooks, pencils, color pencils, pens, a ruler, a metric set, oil pastels, a pencil sharpener, erasers, washable school glue, letter and animal shapes stencil, and watercolor sets. Teachers receive much-needed items such as chalks, papers, pencils, and calculators.

“I think we (the Corps), are doing very good work here especially with the different projects we have been doing personally for the children’s orphanages,” said Staff Sgt. Jessica Harvey, 412th Engineering Command. “I am very pleased with how we come together as a team to do special things for the underprivileged children of Iraq. I am enjoying my tour and what I have been able to do for the Iraqi people. Being involved while deployed has shown me how I can be of help to the Iraqi children once I have redeployed to the states. I will continue helping with this mission upon my return home.”

Mayers said that she asks that the Iraqi engineers, the administrative staff and maintenance crew give her lists about the ages, gender and numbers of children living with them. This includes nieces and nephews. Once she receives this list, a team gets together and bags up toys and supplies for them to take home.

“They all leave here thrilled knowing that they are going to make their children extremely happy with these gifts … . All our Iraqi associates are very grateful to us and are incredibly glad we are here in their country to help them.” she said.

“You can’t imagine how happy the Iraqi children are when they receive these supplies,” said Jenny Hughes, the commander’s executive secretary. “For them, it is just like Christmas when they get a school bag full of crayons, a ruler, pencil sharpener, calculator, it is amazing.”

Hughes said that she enjoys helping pack the supplies, even if she cannot go out and see the children personally due to the danger outside the wire.

“If anyone ever has the opportunity as I have to see these children eye to eye, face to face, hold their hands, see the sparkle in their eyes, I guarantee their hearts will be stolen as mine was and they will be more than happy to take over this endeavor in their off-duty hours,” said Mayers. “It is no picnic. It is a lot of hard work and it is done mainly on your own time, before work, during lunch, and after work.”

Hughes said she would like to thank the people who have sent the supplies and added the items help the children to try and overcome their rough circumstances.

“I just want to tell them how grateful everyone is over here (for their generosity) and that we all know that there are good-hearted people back home spending the time and money to organize and send the supplies over here so that it can distributed to the children.” Hughes said.

Mayers said she recently sent a truckload of toys to the Basrah Children’s Hospital project. “Actually, I just received an e-mail from our Basrah office requesting more toys be sent to help with the poor children in that area,” she said.

“We will be sending more boxes to them in the near future.”

Mayers said she would like to thank everyone who helps in this mission, from the commander and co-workers to the security teams, and the Iraqi associates who work for the Corps. For her, being able to assist the Iraqis personally makes her mission special.

Reconstruction projects provide Iraqis with improvements to essential services
Friday, 02 March 2007

Spc. Tim J. Smith, a native of Twain-Harte, Calif. and assigned to Company E, 725th Brigade Support Battalion, picks up metal sheets with a fork lift and moving them to another location for stocking of materials. Smith, who is currently a resident of Alaska, is attached to the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment stationed at Forward Operating Base Iskan, Iraq. Photo by Sgt. Marcus Butler, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Public Affairs.BAGHDAD — U.S. reconstruction efforts are providing successful, tangible results in the lives of Iraqis every day, said Brig. Gen. Michael J. Walsh, commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Walsh addressed the media at two press conferences recently at the Combined Press Information Center – one with Adm. Mark I. Fox from Multi-National Force–Iraq, the other with Ambassador Joseph Saloom from the Iraq Reconstruction Management Office.

“Every day in Iraq we see the successes of the U.S. government’s construction program – better essential services where, in many places, there were none; and 75 percent of the country with twice as much power as before the war,” Walsh said. “Many of the services are things Americans take for granted – access to medical facilities, a fire station or school in your neighborhood, a paved road, clean water.”

To date, the United States has contributed almost $22 billion toward Iraq’s rebuilding effort – an effort that was estimated by the World Bank to be an overall $60 billion to $80 billion task in 2004. At the end of Fiscal Year 2006, the Department of Defense had obligated all of its $13.4 billion Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Funds on a broad range of projects throughout the country.

“While our efforts to date have been successful, we should remember the U.S. contribution was intended to “jumpstart” the rebuilding efforts,” Walsh said, “to help the Iraqi government lay a foundation upon which to continue to rebuild of their country.”

As of Feb. 28, 2007, the Department of Defense has:

• Planned 3,832 projects, at a program cost of $12.05 billion.

• Completed 3,183 projects, at a program cost of $8.67 billion.

The projects are being completed throughout the country in the categories of facilities, public works and water, oil and electricity.

“Electrical demand rose 32 percent after 2003, and has risen more than 10 percent every year thereafter. At present, it is estimated that demand for power has increased more than 70 percent since 2003,” Walsh said. “That’s a good sign – it means that people are able to buy more luxury items – washing machines, televisions. However, it means as we add capacity to the Iraqi system, we find ourselves chasing this increasing demand.”

Walsh cited healthcare and potable water as other areas that reconstruction is making a difference in the daily lives of the Iraqi people, and invited media out to his projects to see for themselves.

The Erbil-Ifraz Water Treatment Plant – a $191 million project – is one of the three largest infrastructure projects in Iraq, and provides water to a population of more than 950,000. The Basrah Children’s Hospital, scheduled for completion in late 2008, will bring much needed specialty oncology care to Iraq’s children.

“Certainly, the work in Iraq is challenging and difficult, but reconstruction efforts are a vital component to Iraq’s progress toward democracy,” Walsh said. “Ultimately, it is up to the Iraqi people to rebuild and secure their country. We are giving them the assistance they need to ensure that success.”

(By Gulf Region Division U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20070302-13
March 2, 2997

Golden Dragons discover six more caches in operation
2nd BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. (LI) Public Affairs

YUSUFIYAH, Iraq – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers continue to find
weapons caches along Mullah Fayad Highway during an ongoing operation
southwest of Baghdad, Feb. 28.

As reported earlier, Soldiers from Company A, 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry
Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry)
found a massive cache along the highway as part of Operation Commando
Viper, an operation intended to deny terrorists’ freedom of movement in
southwest Baghdad.

After continuing to scour the area, the ‘Golden Dragons’ found an
additional six caches along the highway, just west of Yusufiyah, March 1.

The first cache consisted of 12 mortar warheads, 28 tear gas grenades,
150 cassette tapes, a 200 round ammunition drum, 20 feet of wire, 29 mortar
charges, three rocket propelled grenade sights, a rifle scope, an AK-47
magazine, four chest-rigged AK-47 kits, four small cloth bags of gun powder, 250
loose 7.62mm rounds, a battery charger, an alternating current adapter, three
rifle slings, and various bomb making materials.

The second cache, smaller than the first, included 22 rocket propelled
grenade rounds, 300 feet of detention cord, a 62mm high-explosive anti-tank
rounds and a 106mm anti-tank round.

The third cache had two unknown aiming tools, three AK-47 magazines
(two full and one empty), 100 7.62mm rounds, a box containing 1,000 7.62mm
rounds, 11 cloth bags filled with gun powder, 20 feet of time fuse, 20 feet of
detonation cord, two RPG-7 rounds, 10 blasting caps, a 57mm warhead, an AK-
47, a bottle of unknown liquid, a spotting scope, four cell phones, two mortar
sights, an RPG sight, an unknown electronic site, various digital and paper
archival equipment, and initiators for improvised explosive devices.

In the fourth cache were four RPG-7 rounds, 22 81mm warhead rounds,
39 60mm warhead rounds, 25 mortar charges, an 81mm mortar round, three
high-explosive assembled warhead rounds, two RPG-9 rounds, 55 various
grenades, 16 blasting caps, five AK-47 chest kits, six AK-47 magazines, a set of
binoculars, an RPG sight box, a machine gun rod, an unknown aiming device, a
mortar sight and a test light.

The fifth cache had three AK-47 magazines, a two-way radio, a plastic
grenade, 300 7.62mm rounds, a spool of wire, a camera bag, a tripod, a hand
drill and an improvised explosive device kit.

The last cache included five RPG-9 rounds, two 81mm mortar rounds,
three blasting caps, a mortar site, a warhead, a homemade rocket launcher, 22
boxes of mortar charges, an 81mm warhead, two 60mm warheads, a
ammunition can, 20 feet of detonation cord, a set of binoculars and a cell phone
battery.

“The Soldiers of 2-14 are putting a huge dent in the terrorists’ capabilities,”
said Maj. Brock Jones, the 2-14 Inf. executive officer and native of Lakewood,
Ohio. “Each large caliber round is one less (improvised explosive device) the
enemy can emplace.”

The Soldiers will continue to search the area in hopes of finding more
caches.

An explosive ordnance detonation team destroyed the contents of the
caches and the operation is still ongoing.

IP bounce back after attack
Friday, 02 March 2007
By Spc. Chris McCann
10th Mountain Division Public Affairs


Ahmed Abdul-Azal (right), an Iraqi national policeman, pounds a new steel post into the ground for concertina wire around Checkpoint 34, an outpost on a major Iraqi highway known as Route Tampa, during reconstruction efforts Feb. 26 after the checkpoint was heavily damaged by a coordinated attack by terrorists two days before. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Chris McCannCAMP STRIKER — A savage attack on an Iraqi National Police checkpoint on the Iraqi highway known as Route Tampa that left eight policemen dead and wounded several others on Feb. 23 left scars on buildings and Iraqis alike, but did not dim the Iraqi’s spirit.

Soldiers of the 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment and the 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, both of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) and U.S. Marines of the 6272 National Police Transition Team reacted swiftly and assembled at the checkpoint Feb. 26 to help with the aftermath of the attack.

Two terrorists were killed in the skirmish with the 2nd Battalion, 72nd National Police Brigade. The attack damaged the building and guard shacks, leaving walls pocked with holes.

“The attackers had very good weapons,” said Sgt. Nadam Na’if. “They wore ammunition under their clothes, so we couldn’t see that they were so well-armed.”

The assault was insulting considering that the police were trying to be receptive to the neighborhood. “We had just gotten an order to be especially kind to civilians,” said Sgt. Ali Jassim. “We said ‘welcome,’ and they started shooting.”

“The soldiers that work here just want to care for their families,” Na’if said. “We’re not out here to hurt anyone. We took fire from everywhere, and there was nowhere to hide. The terrorists are polite to the American soldiers that patrol, because they know they’re outgunned. But on us, they’ll open fire. We want to get this area under control and peaceful, we just need help.”

To provide that help, the U.S. and Iraqi forces combined their efforts to make the post safer and more livable. While the checkpoint was functional even right after the attack, force protection and improvements like showers will make it safer and more comfortable for those who live there.

Several ideas were proposed by Lt. Col. Hassan, the battalion commander for 2/72 NPB, the Marines and the 2nd BSTB engineers. In the end, a mixture of the ideas was adopted.

Huge, steel-wire, fabric-lined cages filled with dirt and rocks and concrete barriers will surround the post and protect the national police inside from small-arms and even rocket-propelled grenade fire. Soldiers of the 2nd BSTB used an M88 Hercules tank recovery vehicle to move the heavy concrete walls into place as Marines fine-tuned the placement of the dangling slabs.

A shower trailer has been ordered for the police as well – many of whom now have to go to battalion headquarters in Baghdad just to shower. The kitchen, destroyed by a grenade, will be restored, and sleeping quarters improved.

“We’re turning this into a combat outpost for housing a battalion of national police,” said U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Gregory Kniell, a native of Baltimore and a radio-telephone operator who works with the transition team. “We’re building an outer wall with concrete barriers. Hopefully, a safer post will help them in their mission.”

The training provided by the transition team should help them recover as well. They are training them on weapons handling and firing.

“We’re training them to be an organized unit,” Kniell said. “They’re getting better. They’ve got more to learn, but that’s always the case with any unit – you can always improve.”

Kniell said he enjoyed spending the day working with soldiers and Iraqis.

“It’s been a really interesting experience, working with the national police and the U.S. Army,” he said.

1st Lt. Wessam Jassim, a platoon leader with the 2/72 NP, brought several of his soldiers to help with the improvements.

“It’s great, I’m very glad,” he said of the work being done. “I’m very happy that the Army and Marines support us so much. This will help; we’ll be much safer here now.”

The policemen seemed to enjoy having the American troops around, laughing and joking in pidgin Arabic and English as they built new guard shacks with re-used lumber and stacked sandbags. Pfc. Chad Davidson, a medic with the 1/89 Cavalry and a native of Sacramento, Calif., spoke at length with some of the Iraqi men through an interpreter while he treated them for wounds received in the attack and illnesses.

“I really like helping the Iraqis and making friends, talking with them. Sometimes it’s not even soldier-to-soldier talk – just person-to-person,” he said.

“It’s a positive development that we as the U.S. can aid in supporting the Iraqis and helping them make their country their own,"said U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Steve Wright, a native of Jacksonville, N.C., and a trainer. “The Army has been treating us very well, and they have more assets as far as the equipment. What we’re doing here is a very positive thing.”

Iraq: Draft Oil Law Aims To Please All Sides
By Kathleen Ridolfo

Oil worker near Kirkuk (file photo)
(AFP)
March 2, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Iraq's cabinet this week endorsed a draft oil and gas law for the management of oil resources and an equitable distribution of revenues. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki hailed the achievement, telling reporters on February 26 that with the endorsement of the draft law, the government "lays the foundation stone for building the state." The law will now be submitted to parliament for ratification before it takes effect later this year.


Seen as a compromise between Sunnis, Shi'a, and Kurds, the law calls for the distribution of oil revenues to the governorates or regions based on population numbers, and grants regional governments or oil companies the right to draw up contracts with foreign companies for the exploration and development of new oil fields.

Regions will be allowed to enter into production-sharing agreements with foreign firms, and a federal Oil And Gas Council will be established to oversee such agreements, holding veto power over the regional governments. See here for a summary of the Iraqi draft oil law


The council will be comprised of the ministers of oil, treasury, planning, and cooperative development; the director of the Central Bank; a minister representing each region; a representative from each governorate not belonging to a region; executive managers from related petroleum companies, including the Iraqi National Oil Company and the Oil Marketing Company; and three or less experts specializing in petroleum, finance, and economics appointed to five-year terms. The council will be responsible for setting oil and gas policy.

The draft law also veers Iraq from its historical state-controlled production path. Like other regional oil producers, oil production in Iraq under Saddam Hussein was nationalized. By allowing for production-sharing agreements, Iraq will break the regional model, a move that could limit state control over resources. But production-sharing agreements will also allow Iraq to rehabilitate its oil sector more quickly -- thereby enriching the national coffers -- than were it to go the nationalization route.

Kurds Support Draft

Proponents of the law say it is a good compromise agreement that represents the interests of all Iraqis. Ashti Hawrami, the Kurdistan Region's minister for Natural Resources, noted on the regional government's website that provisions calling for pooled revenues to be redistributed according to population numbers aim to satisfy the needs of all Iraqis.

Hawrami said the regional government was pleased that it will retain the power to sign contracts for the development of oil and oil resources in the region. Such contracts will still be subject to the approval of the federal Oil and Gas Council.

Hawrami said the five contracts already signed by the Kurdistan Region government and foreign contractors will be reviewed by an independent panel of experts that will be appointed by the Oil and Gas Council following its establishment to ensure that standards set by the draft law are met.

The Kurds have pushed for greater power to sign contracts with oil companies (AFP file photo)Asked about the status of Kirkuk, Hawrami said the draft provides for the Iraqi National Oil Company to manage current producing fields -- no further activities will take place until after the planned referendum on the status of Kirkuk.

He contended that while the regional government is afforded greater powers over oil and gas through the Iraqi Constitution, it chose nonetheless to take a pragmatic approach to accommodate all parties.

With regard to the Kurdistan Region Petroleum Act, Hawrami said the act will be amended to fall in line with the draft federal law and the revenue-sharing law before it is presented to the Kurdistan National Assembly. The Kurdish parliament is expected to vote on it around the same time the federal laws are presented to the Iraqi National Assembly, Hawrami said.

Critics Blast Draft

The draft law has no shortage of critics. The website of the General Union of Oil Employees in Al-Basrah posted a statement by Hasan Jum'ah Awwad al-Asadi, the anti-American head of the Federation of Oil Unions in Al-Basrah, dated February 9 claiming the draft law represents U.S. interests in Iraqi oil.

Al-Asadi criticized production-sharing agreements, saying such contracts threatened Iraq's sovereignty over its natural resources and would only lead to the fleecing of national wealth. He also contended that privatization of the oil industry would not be accepted by the Iraqi "street." The union has called for legislation to reinvigorate the Iraqi National Oil Company and make it responsible for shouldering the responsibility for oil policy.

A recent gathering in Amman of former oil-industry experts from Iraq called for oil and gas contracts concluded with foreign companies to be submitted to parliament for approval. As it stands under the draft law, the Oil and Gas Council has the authority to approve such contracts.

With regard to the council, detractors have said its composition will reflect the sectarian divisions of the Iraqi government, and hence will lead to regional and sectarian agendas negatively influencing national economic policy.

In addition, the ambiguity of some clauses in the draft -- for example, calling for the publishing of the details of contracts of "significant" value -- raises concerns over transparency, critics argue.

Detractors also say the law will diminish central control over the management of natural resources, which could have disastrous consequences. However, the draft law includes several provisions calling for environmental responsibility and respect for natural resources. Companies that damage natural resources will be held to account to both the government and affected citizens.

A Vote Away?

The fact that the draft law was endorsed by the cabinet, which is comprised of representatives of the leading political parties, increases the probability that it will be ratified by parliament, but it is by no means a guarantee.

Political parties -- both Sunni and Shi'ite -- could easily use the draft as a bargaining chip to gain political concessions from the government. The possibility of Sunni opposition to the draft may have been tempered, however, by recent findings that suggest there are immense oil and natural-gas reserves in Sunni-populated areas once thought barren.