Thread: Operation Iraqi Freedom/Multi-National Force

Al-Qaeda cell leader, 17 suspected bombers captured


Saturday, 14 July 2007
MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ
PRESS DESK
BAGHDAD, Iraq
Multi-National Force - Iraq - Home
703.343.8790

July 14, 2007
Release A070714a

Al-Qaeda cell leader, 17 suspected bombers captured

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition Forces detained 18 suspected terrorists during operations in central and northern Iraq Saturday targeting bombing networks and terrorist cell leaders.

One suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq senior leader surrendered to Coalition Forces during a raid in Mosul. The individual is the alleged security emir of Mosul, operating terrorist cells in the area and maintaining connections to other high-level al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders.

Coalition Forces captured a suspected vehicle-borne improvised explosive device cell leader southeast of Baghdad. During the raid, the ground forces also detained eight suspected terrorists tied to the bombing cell.

During a raid southwest of the capital city, Coalition Forces captured an alleged IED operative and two individuals suspected of emplacing IEDs for him.

A Coalition Forces raid northwest of Baghdad netted five suspected terrorists who are allegedly tied to a chlorine VBIED facilitator in Anbar province.

“Combating the bombing networks that conduct vicious attacks against the citizens of Iraq is a high priority for us,” said Maj. Marc Young, an MNF-I spokesperson. “Taking these leaders and operatives off the street brings us a step closer to a peaceful Iraq.”

Multi-National Force - Iraq - Al-Qaeda cell leader, 17 suspected bombers captured

Iraq ‘surge’ taking place in the skies, too
U.S. Air Force quietly ramps up bombing, ground support missions



Updated: 6:22 p.m. CT July 14, 2007
BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq - Away from the headlines and debate over the “surge” in U.S. ground troops, the Air Force has quietly built up its hardware inside Iraq, sharply stepped up bombing and laid a foundation for a sustained air campaign in support of American and Iraqi forces.

Squadrons of attack planes have been added to the in-country fleet. The air reconnaissance arm has almost doubled since last year. The powerful B1-B bomber has been recalled to action over Iraq.

The escalation worries some about an increase in “collateral damage,” casualties among Iraqi civilians. Air Force generals worry about wear and tear on aging aircraft. But ground commanders clearly like what they see.

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“Night before last we had 14 strikes from B-1 bombers. Last night we had 18 strikes by B-1 bombers,” Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch said approvingly of air support his 3rd Infantry Division received in a recent offensive south of Baghdad.

Fivefold increase in bombs
Statistics tell the story: Air Force and Navy aircraft dropped 437 bombs and missiles in Iraq in the first six months of 2007, a fivefold increase over the 86 used in the first half of 2006, and three times more than in the second half of 2006, according to Air Force data. In June, bombs dropped at a rate of more than five a day.

Inside spacious, air-conditioned “Kingpin,” a new air traffic control center at this huge Air Force hub 50 miles north of Baghdad, the expanded commitment can be seen on the central display screen: Small points of light represent more than 100 aircraft crisscrossing Iraqi air space at any one time.

The increased air activity has paralleled the reinforcement of U.S. ground troops, beginning in February, to try to suppress the insurgency and sectarian violence in the Baghdad region. Simply keeping those 30,000 additional troops supplied has added to demands on the Air Force.

“We’re the busiest aerial port in DOD (Department of Defense),” said Col. Dave Reynolds, a mission support commander here. Working 12-hour shifts, his cargo handlers are expected to move 140,000 tons of cargo this year, one-third more than in 2006, he said.

Planes backing up ground troops
The greatest impact of the “air surge” has come in close air support for Army and Marine operations.

Early this year, with little fanfare, the Air Force sent a squadron of A-10 “Warthog” attack planes — a dozen or more aircraft — to be based at Al-Asad Air Base in western Iraq. At the same time it added a squadron of F-16C Fighting Falcons here at Balad. Although some had flown missions over Iraq from elsewhere in the region, the additions doubled to 50 or more the number of workhorse fighter-bomber jets available at bases inside the country, closer to the action.

The reinforcement involved more than numbers. The new F-16Cs were the first of the advanced “Block 50” version to fly in Iraq, an aircraft whose technology includes a cockpit helmet that enables the pilot to aim his weapons at a target simply by turning his head and looking at it
Return of the heavy bombers
The Navy has contributed by stationing a second aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf, and the reintroduction of B1-Bs has added a close-at-hand “platform” capable of carrying 24 tons of bombs.

Those big bombers were moved last year from distant Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean to an undisclosed base in the Persian Gulf. Since February, with the ground offensive, they have gone on Iraq bombing runs for the first time since the 2003 invasion
As chronicled in the Air Force’s daily summaries, more and more pilots are getting the “cleared hot” clearance for bombing runs, usually with 500-pound bombs. In recent Army operations north of Baghdad, for example, Air Force planes have struck “factories” for makeshift bombs, weapons caches uncovered by ground troops and, in one instance, “several houses insurgents were using as fire positions.”

Iraq Body Count, a London-based, anti-war research group that monitors Iraqi war deaths, says the step-up in air attacks appears to have been accompanied by an increase in Iraqi civilian casualties from air strikes. Based on media reports, it counts a recent average of 50 such deaths per month.

The Air Force itself does not maintain such data.



More from MSNBC.com

Surge progress may lead to troop reductions in northern Iraq, general says

Sunday, 15 July 2007


U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Christopher Kluser, machine gunner with Battalion Landing Team 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, stays alert while on the up gun in the turret located in a 7-ton truck in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, July 9, 2007. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Timothy M. Stewman.

BAGHDAD — Now at full strength, the U.S. troop surge in Iraq is showing “definitive progress” and the number of forces serving in Iraq’s Multi-National Division-North could be halved by summer 2009, U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin R. Mixon said.
A reduction of U.S. forces under the general’s command could begin as early as January 2008, he told Pentagon reporters via videoconference.

Mixon, commander of both Multi-National Division-North and the U.S. Army’s 25th Infantry Division, is responsible for six Iraqi provinces in northern Iraq, including the city of Baqubah -- site of the ongoing Operation Arrowhead Ripper.

He said he has given U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, commander, Multi-National Corps-Iraq, a plan indicating a possible reduction of force in Multi-National Division-North during 2008.

Mixon said the current debate over troop withdrawal should revolve around reaching a strategic “end state.”

“It seems to me that we should first decide what we want the end state to be in Iraq, and how is that end state important to the United States of America, to this region and to the world, and then determine how we can reach that end state, and how much time that will take,” he said. “To me, that seems to be the most important thing, because there will be consequences of a rapid withdrawal from Iraq.”

“It cannot be a strategy based on, ‘Well, we need to leave,’” he added. “That’s not a strategy, that’s a withdrawal.”

U.S. forces that remain in the region after a reduction could focus on training and assisting their Iraqi counterparts as needed, Mixon said.

“Over time, in a very methodical and well thought out way,” he said, Multi-National Division-North could be drawn down to “a minimum force that would continue to work with the Iraqi forces in a training and assistance mode, have the capability to react and assist the Iraqis if required, and provide them those capabilities that they don’t have, like attack aviation, Air Force fixed-wing support, and medical support,” he said.

Speaking about Iraq’s Nineva province, the general said the provincial government and security forces there continue to grow and improve. Mixon said he has observed the 2nd and 3rd Iraqi Army Division and Iraqi police providing security to provincial residents requiring scant coalition assistance.

“Based on this assessment, I have recommended that Nineva province go to provincial Iraqi control in August,” he said. Though a handover to the provincial government is a sign of progress, Mixon added that it alone won’t usher in a reduction of U.S. troops, who will continue to partner with Iraqi security forces there, he said.

As part of the troop surge, which reached full strength in mid-June, Mixon received two brigades based out of Fort Lewis, Wash. The general credits the additional forces with helping to improve security in Diyala province, and cited Operation Arrowhead Ripper that was launched last month.

“Operation Arrowhead Ripper kicked off on June 19 with the arrival of 3/2 Stryker Brigade and will continue until Baqubah is secure and the government center there is functioning,” he said. “We have had to clear numerous complex obstacles, including 24 houses booby-trapped with explosives … and 100 other types of improvised explosive devices.”

In the ongoing operation, troops are clearing Baqubah’s city blocks in an “intentionally slow” fashion to reduce the number of casualties. To date, Coalition and Iraqi security forces have killed more than 90 al-Qaeda operatives, discovered 45 weapons and munitions caches and detained about 130 suspected al-Qaeda operatives, Mixon said. During raids in Western Baqubah neighborhoods, troops also have uncovered al-Qaeda safe houses, torture houses, medical clinics and bomb-making factories.

Local leaders, tribal sheikhs and the Western Baqubah’s citizens are cooperating with combined forces, providing them valuable information about al-Qaeda, Mixon said.

“These people are coming forward because they have increased confidence in their security forces and they are simply tired of al-Qaeda dominating their lives and terrorizing their neighborhoods, as they have done over the last several months,” he said.

Mixon specified that al-Qaeda operatives in his area of responsibility primarily are Sunni Iraqis, some of whom received weapons and explosives training as members of the former Iraqi regime or army. The 1920s Revolution, composed “principally former Ba'athists” and others who oppose the new Iraqi government, is one of the multiple groups comprising the greater insurgency, he said.

Listing signs of progress in Baqubah, Mixon said Iraqi forces are beginning to take responsibility for security, and that a “small influx” of residents are returning to the city which they had previously fled. The city’s municipal employees also are working to repair the water and power infrastructure, the general said.

“We still have a long way to go in Baqubah and Diyala,” he said, “but with the influence of al-Qaeda diminished, the security situation will now allow Iraqi security forces and government officials to re-establish basic securities for the citizens of Baqubah.”


Multi-National Force - Iraq - Surge progress may lead to troop reductions in northern Iraq, general says

Anbar leaders celebrate awakening



Sunday, 15 July 2007
By Spc. Ricardo Branch and Lance Cpl. Joseph D. Day
7th Marines Public Affairs


Maj. Gen. Walter E. Gaskin Dances with Iraqi citizens during a celebration in Ramadi, Iraq, July 7. The event had speeches, dancing and food for all who were present. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Joseph D. Day.

RAMADI — Along the banks of the Euphrates River, 400 municipal leaders and local professionals gathered July 7 for the “Promise of the People” conference in Ramadi.

“This conference is very important,” said Col. John Charlton, 1st Brigade Combat Team commander. “It’s very important from the standpoint that it shows a continued resolve from the tribal leaders to maintain unity against al-Qaida, support of the Iraqi security forces, and the government of Iraq, as well as support of the efforts of the coalition Forces.”

He said the conference occurred de****e a recent attack against the tribes of al Anbar.

“This conference occurred just a few days after a major al-Qaida attack against the tribes of Ramadi was thwarted by coalition and the Iraqi security forces,” Charlton said.

“Even in the face of recent threats, the people of al Anbar continue to stand united against these threats.”

Attendees included both Shiite and Sunni leaders from across various provinces including Baghdad, Salahuddin and Karbala. The Alwani Tribe of Ramadi planned the conference to build community ties and celebrate the unity with coalition and government forces, while denouncing insurgent activities.

Children waving small Iraqi flags greeted the attendees as they approached the waterfront. Tents were lined with streamers and signs in support of this historic day, with phrases praising the civic progress being made within the city.

“This conference is about Iraqi’s era and fighting insurgents and standing next to each other against this insurgency, which has demolished infrastructure and killed innocent Iraqis,” said Arif Mukhaibir Sayad al Alwanee, assistant chairmen to the Ramadi District council.

Among those present were members of the al Anbar Awakening, which formed in August 2006, by Sunni sheiks who said the group would become a national party. Its platform includes opposition to al-Qaida and cooperation with the Iraqi government in Baghdad.

The al Anbar Awakening is the call to all of Iraq to stand up with people from all tribes, and all religions to stop insurgents from causing fear throughout their land. The speeches asked for everyone to join together and bring peace and prosperity to all of Iraq.

Lt. Col. Salah Arak al Alwani, the al Jameah police station commander, cited the present as the moment for all Iraqi’s to come together. He said, “Catholics, Muslims, Sunnis and Shiites act as one, work as one to rid the country of terror and fear.”

The day was filled with live music, dancing and food. Iraqi police were holding hands and dancing with Marine and Army generals. Col. Ahmed Hamed Sharqi, the Shaheed Salam, police station commander, was carried around the field as the crowd chanted and yelled in celebration of their new beginning, and out of thanks for the security the police provided.

“To all the attendees and by the name of God, the merciful God, it’s an honor and gives me great pride to have the sons of al Anbar gather here today,” said Ma’Mun Sami Rashid, al Anbar provincial governor. “We’re here to defend ourselves against insurgents and bring back the honor and pride of the Iraqi people. Anbarians have established this with God’s blessing and have been defending themselves from the insurgents, who wanted to bring shame to our nation.”

At the end of the meeting, the participants issued a statement stating that they have agreed to “stand in one line against the terrorism and defeat it” and work united to return life to normal in the province, to build the governmental institutions and to provide services to the citizens.

“This conference is going to form councils that are going to lead us and advise us to better improvements,” al Alwanee said. “Everyone is happy with the way this meeting is turning out because it’s going to represent the first results for eliminating this insurgency.”

Coalition forces were also present at the conference and provided exterior security for the event.

“We’ve seen events like this all over the province,” said Brig. Gen. John Allen, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) deputy commanding general. “These are the signals that the people here are beginning to emerge from a period of conflict into a future that has some promise for them. People really do have hope now that we’re emerging … and that the future is wide open to them.”

Multi-National Force - Iraq - Anbar leaders celebrate awakening

Armor, infantry join forces to treat patients

Sunday, 15 July 2007
By Spc. Chris McCann
10th Mountain Division Public Affairs



PATROL BASE BATAAN — One of the many benefits of Gen. David Petraeus’ “hugging” strategy – living close to the Iraqi people – is that U.S. and Iraqi troops can help care for the civilians in their areas.

Soldiers of 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y., treated more than 90 residents of a small village outside Patrol Base Bataan, Iraq, southwest of Baghdad, July 11. Company B, 2nd Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division out of Fort Stewart, Ga., and the 478th Civil Affairs Company out of Miami aided them.

The combined medical engagement began at 8 a.m. and brought many residents suffering from ailments ranging from gastrointestinal to respiratory problems.

About a third of the patients were military-aged males, said Capt. Chris Sanchez, a native of Los Angeles and the battalion’s civil-military operations officer.

The reason many residents reported upset stomachs was probably related to the water, medics said. The village is in a very rural area, where most people depend on irrigation canals for their water.

Sanchez said he hopes to be able to bring portable water filters into the village until water treatment facilities can be repaired.

About half of the patients were children, as parents brought them in to be seen for fevers, colds and other maladies.

Although many people have chronic illnesses, they can’t be treated by the traveling clinics, which medics find frustrating.

However, they were able to significantly help one elderly Iraqi man.

“We gave him a wheelchair,” said Sanchez. “Previously, he had to be carried almost everywhere. I think we made his day with that.”

At the end of the operation, Sanchez said the engagement was a success.

“Overall, it was a good day for the Iraqis in need of basic medical care,” Sanchez said. “It was a smaller area, with no real access to health care. This combined medical engagement made a big impact.”


Multi-National Force - Iraq - Armor, infantry join forces to treat patients

Operation Eagle Ares brings 46 into custody


Sunday, 15 July 2007
Multi-National Corps – Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
APO AE 09342

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20070715-03
July 15, 2007

Operation Eagle Ares brings 46 into custody
2nd BCT, 10th Mountain Division (LI) PAO MND-C

FORWARD OPERATING BASE MAHMUDIYAH, Iraq — Iraqi and U.S. Soldiers nabbed 46 men suspected of involvement with al Qaeda affiliated terror networks July 12 under the cover of darkness, east of Lutifiyah, Iraq.

Troops of the 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division and Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y., air assaulted in the area, and then began searching reeds along canals for weapons caches.

The combined air assault detained 29 men on the Iraqi army’s list of persons of interest, and 14 others who were identified by sources as terrorists. Three other men detained were taken for questioning on suspicion of terrorist activity.

Air assaults are critical in the 2nd BCT, 10th Mtn. Div.’s area of operations, said Maj. Kenny Mintz, a native of San Diego, Calif., and the brigade’s operations officer.

“The terrain here is dominated by canals, which makes it difficult to get around,” explained Mintz. “Some of these canals are more like rivers. An air assault allows us to get around quickly and decisively.

Using helicopters avoids the hazards – both natural and manmade. It’s also faster, and seconds count, said Mintz, when in pursuit of terrorists who can disappear into tall vegetation in the lush Euphrates River valley.

Use of helicopters also allows Soldiers – with their heavy combat loads and armor – to move farther and faster in the summer heat, the San Diego native said. With daytime temperatures that top 110 degrees Fahrenheit, Soldiers rapidly exhaust the supplies of water they can carry. By flying, rather than walking, to an objective, the troops can function much longer, he added.

The detainees were taken to FOB Mahmudiyah for questioning.

Multi-National Force - Iraq - Operation Eagle Ares brings 46 into custody

Coalition Forces detain 13 suspected al-Qaeda operatives


Sunday, 15 July 2007
MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ
PRESS DESK
BAGHDAD, Iraq
Multi-National Force - Iraq
703.343.8790

July 15, 2007
Release A070715a

Coalition Forces detain 13 suspected al-Qaeda operatives

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition Forces detained 13 suspected terrorists during operations around Iraq Saturday and Sunday targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders and suppliers.

Coalition Forces conducted a precision raid Saturday near Samarra and captured an alleged foreign terrorist facilitator and logistician suspected of supplying al-Qaeda cells with operatives and suicide bombers.

After Coalition Forces cornered the targeted individual and two of his associates, the three men fled into a nearby house. Coalition Forces yelled for the house’s occupants to come out, and several women and children exited the building. The ground forces moved the civilians away from danger and entered the house, where they detained the three suspected terrorists.

Coalition Forces captured two suspected terrorists during a Sunday morning operation southwest of Baghdad. One of the men has alleged close ties to the al-Qaeda in Iraq emir of the Southern Belts, and is believed to be involved in kidnappings, attacks against Iraqi and Coalition Forces, and attacks against civilians.

Coalition Forces captured two targeted individuals southwest of Baghdad Sunday. The men, who are brothers, are suspected of involvement with a weapons dealer and foreign terrorist facilitator who supplies al-Qaeda in Iraq with weapons and operatives.

North of Baghdad, Coalition Forces targeted a suspected terrorist involved in planning chlorine vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attacks. The ground forces detained six individuals on the scene for their alleged connections to the bomber.

“We’re continuing to conduct operations that target specific links in the al-Qaeda in Iraq chain, to ultimately destroy the network,” said Maj. Marc Young, an MNF-I spokesperson.
Multi-National Force - Iraq - Coalition Forces detain 13 suspected al-Qaeda operatives

Setback for al-Qaida operatives in Diyala

Sunday, 15 July 2007
Multi-National Corps – Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
APO AE 09342


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20070715-07
July 15, 2007

Setback for al-Qaida operatives in Diyala
Multi-National Division – North PAO

BAQOUBA, Iraq – Iraqi Army and Coalition Forces, using tips from local citizens, targeted al-Qaida operatives outside Diyala’s provincial capital July 11, in a continued effort to deny any safe-haven to the terrorist group.

Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division, and 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, conducted Operation Ithaca, targeting al-Qaida operatives near the villages of Haimer, Abu Nasim, and Jamil, Iraq, resulting in 29 al-Qaida gunmen killed, 23 detained, eight hostages released, two weapons caches discovered and a safe house destroyed.

“This operation was vital as we continue to deny al-Qaida freedom of movement and space,” said Col. David W. Sutherland, 3-1 Cav. commander. “In Diyala, the enemy has no safe haven; and our forces are committed to aid the Iraqi Security Forces in their fight to provide a safe and secure environment for the people.”

25th Combat Aviation Brigade helicopters kicked off the operation early Thursday morning with Soldiers from Company B, 5-73 Cav. conducting an air assault into the objective areas. Throughout the operation, Soldiers identified numerous gunmen moving along the palm groves and water canals attempting to escape.

An al-Qaida safe house was also identified with gunmen moving in and out of the building. 25th CAB attack helicopters engaged and killed the gunmen fleeing the area along canals and palm groves, and helped destroy the safe house with Hellfire missiles.

“The success of this operation would not have been possible without the people of these villages who are now turning against al-Qaida,” Sutherland said. “More and more, the people and tribes are becoming disgusted and disillusioned with what al-Qaida offers. They are forming local resistance groups to guard their neighborhoods and deny the enemy any freedom of movement.”

The caches consisted of small-arms munitions, mortars, improvised explosive device making material and other enemy propaganda.

“This … not only shows that the people are determined to defeat AQIZ, but it is also proof that the people are gaining confidence in the Iraqi and Coalition Forces to provide them a safe and secure environment,” Sutherland added.

While patrolling the Abu Tauma village, eight hostages, who previously suffered severe beatings and lashings, were freed and transferred to a Coalition medical facility for treatment.

Multi-National Force - Iraq - Setback for al-Qaida operatives in Diyala

BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AP) - The airplane is the size of a jet fighter, powered by a turboprop engine, able to fly at 300 mph and reach 50,000 feet. It's outfitted with infrared, laser and radar targeting, and with a ton and a half of guided bombs and missiles.

The Reaper is loaded, but there's no one on board. Its pilot, as it bombs targets in Iraq, will sit at a video console 7,000 miles away in Nevada.

The arrival of these outsized U.S. "hunter-killer" drones, in aviation history's first robot attack squadron, will be a watershed moment even in an Iraq that has seen too many innovative ways to hunt and kill.

That moment, one the Air Force will likely low-key, is expected "soon," says the regional U.S. air commander. How soon? "We're still working that," Lt. Gen. Gary North said in an interview.

The Reaper's first combat deployment is expected in Afghanistan, and senior Air Force officers estimate it will land in Iraq sometime between this fall and next spring. They look forward to it.

"With more Reapers, I could send manned airplanes home," North said.

The Associated Press has learned that the Air Force is building a 400,000-square-foot expansion of the concrete ramp area now used for Predator drones here at Balad, the biggest U.S. air base in Iraq, 50 miles north of Baghdad. That new staging area could be turned over to Reapers.

It's another sign that the Air Force is planning for an extended stay in Iraq, supporting Iraqi government forces in any continuing conflict, even if U.S. ground troops are drawn down in the coming years.

The estimated two dozen or more unmanned MQ-1 Predators now doing surveillance over Iraq, as the 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, have become mainstays of the U.S. war effort, offering round-the-clock airborne "eyes" watching over road convoys, tracking nighttime insurgent movements via infrared sensors, and occasionally unleashing one of their two Hellfire missiles on a target.

From about 36,000 flying hours in 2005, the Predators are expected to log 66,000 hours this year over Iraq and Afghanistan.

The MQ-9 Reaper, when compared with the 1995-vintage Predator, represents a major evolution of the unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV.

At five tons gross weight, the Reaper is four times heavier than the Predator. Its size - 36 feet long, with a 66-foot wingspan - is comparable to the profile of the Air Force's workhorse A-10 attack plane. It can fly twice as fast and twice as high as the Predator. Most significantly, it carries many more weapons.

While the Predator is armed with two Hellfire missiles, the Reaper can carry 14 of the air-to-ground weapons - or four Hellfires and two 500-pound bombs.

"It's not a recon squadron," Col. Joe Guasella, operations chief for the Central Command's air component, said of the Reapers. "It's an attack squadron, with a lot more kinetic ability."

"Kinetic" - Pentagon argot for destructive power - is what the Air Force had in mind when it christened its newest robot plane with a name associated with death.

"The name Reaper captures the lethal nature of this new weapon system," Gen. T. Michael Moseley, Air Force chief of staff, said in announcing the name last September.

General Atomics of San Diego has built at least nine of the MQ-9s thus far, at a cost of $69 million per set of four aircraft, with ground equipment.

The Air Force's 432nd Wing, a UAV unit formally established on May 1, is to eventually fly 60 Reapers and 160 Predators. The numbers to be assigned to Iraq and Afghanistan will be classified.

The Reaper is expected to be flown as the Predator is - by a two-member team of pilot and sensor operator who work at computer control stations and video screens that display what the UAV "sees." Teams at Balad, housed in a hangar beside the runways, perform the takeoffs and landings, and similar teams at Nevada's Creech Air Force Base, linked to the aircraft via satellite, take over for the long hours of overflying the Iraqi landscape.

American ground troops, equipped with laptops that can download real-time video from UAVs overhead, "want more and more of it," said Maj. Chris Snodgrass, the Predator squadron commander here.

The Reaper's speed will help. "Our problem is speed," Snodgrass said of the 140-mph Predator. "If there are troops in contact, we may not get there fast enough. The Reaper will be faster and fly farther."

The new robot plane is expected to be able to stay aloft for 14 hours fully armed, watching an area and waiting for targets to emerge.

"It's going to bring us flexibility, range, speed and persistence," said regional commander North, "such that I will be able to work lots of areas for a long, long time."

The British also are impressed with the Reaper, and are buying three for deployment in Afghanistan later this year. The Royal Air Force version will stick to the "recon" mission, however - no weapons on board.

Car-bomb factory discovered, destroyed in Qanat Banat Al Hasan


Monday, 16 July 2007
Multi-National Corps – Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
APO AE 09342

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20070716-01
July 16, 2007

Car-bomb factory discovered, destroyed in Qanat Banat Al Hasan
By Maj. Randall Baucom
1st BCT, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs
Multi-National Division – Baghdad PAO

CAMP TAJI, Iraq — A vehicle-borne improvised explosive device factory was discovered and destroyed by Coalition Forces in a rural area west of Saab al bor, Iraq July 14.

While conducting a reconnaissance mission in the Qanat Banat Al Hasan area, west of Saab al bor, troopers from Company A, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment discovered a large car bomb factory containing 2,000 lbs. of ammonium nitrate, 1,000 lbs. of nitric acid, 10 large shape charges and two trucks already rigged for detonation.

After cordoning off the area, the Soldiers destroyed the factory using artillery fire. There were no injuries in the destruction of the site. An investigation has been launched to determine who was using the facility.

Multi-National Force - Iraq - Car-bomb factory discovered, destroyed in Qanat Banat Al Hasan