Thread: Operation Iraqi Freedom/Multi-National Force

US claims top Al Qaida man killed in Iraq
Agencies
Published: August 05, 2007, 15:33


Baghdad: US forces said they had killed the top Al Qaida leader in Salahuddin province, Haitham Al Badri, whom they blamed for a 2006 attack on a Shiite shrine in Samarra that was a turning point in the country's sectarian conflict.

They also said a week-long Iraqi police crackdown on Al Qaida in Samarra had netted 80 suspects.

Among the other Al Qaida figures reported captured over the past few days were the group's local leaders for the Salahuddin cities of Samarra and Tikrit, home town of ousted leader Saddam Hussein. The US military said last week it had killed the Al Qaida leader in Mosul in the province further north.

US and Iraqi officials frequently say they have killed or captured leading Al Qaida figures, and the precise role that any particular individual may have played in the shadowy militant group is often difficult to assess.


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But the announcements indicate a push against Al Qaida guerrillas in the large stretch of towns and cities that runs along the fertile Tigris River valley north of Baghdad.

US forces identified the slain Al Qaida provincial chief Badri as the mastermind behind two attacks on the Al Askari mosque, a Shiite shrine in Samarra.

Separately, an Iraqi military officer said troops had captured Al Qaida’s leader for the city of Tikrit, named Talal Al Baazi. US forces said the group's leader for Samarra, whom they did not name, was also caught.

Army engineers near 4,000 complete Iraqi projects
Sunday, 05 August 2007

U.S. Army Pfc. John Winkel assists Pfc. Carlos Smith, both water treatment spe******ts with Company A, 115th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, in placing a filter onto a hose during a humanitarian mission to repair a water pipe at the Karkh Water Treatment Plant in Tarmiyah, Iraq. Courtesy photo.BAGHDAD — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region Division, completed 112 construction projects between June 30 and July 27, 2007 – bringing the total number of completed projects to 3,998.
Currently, there are 576 construction projects ongoing – all funded through the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund, the Development Fund for Iraq, the Commander’s Emergency Response Program, the Economic Support Fund and the Iraq Security Forces Fund.

Water projects that were completed this month include three network projects in Sadr City in Baghdad Province – each totaling $1.9 million. Each potable water project included laying water pipe mains, water service connections, fire hydrants, and feeder pipes and connections, plus all associated facilities for the Baghdad Amanat. The three projects will benefit more than 60,000 Sadr City residents.

Three rural water projects also were completed in Al Anbar Province – Al Kanater, Al Thabtea and Al Sekar. Each project – costing $180,000 each – installed rapid filter systems with a 45-gallon water capacity to each area to provide safe, potable drinking water to more than 12,000 area residents.

Two road construction projects that were completed this month include the Mosul to Baghdad paving project ($1.71 million) in Salah ad Din Province, and the Showairrej to Tak Harb paving project ($1.5 million) in Ninewa Province. Both projects will improve safety travel conditions for residents and contribute to better economic activity.

Other results of GRD’s reconstruction efforts include:

• Added capacity due to normal operation and maintenances of systems, electrical generation is at 4,761 megawatts, with an end goal of 6,000 MW and 1.3 million homes served. Electrical generation megawatts are dynamic, owing to interdiction of lines by insurgents and unscheduled maintenance.

• Potable water is at 540,000 m3/day with 2.3 million people affected with an end goal of 3.1 million m3/day and an end goal of 5.2 million people affected. Harb paving project ($1.5 million) in Ninewa Province. Both projects will improve safety travel conditions for residents and contribute to better economic activity.

• GRD met its end goals set for crude oil production - 3 million barrels per day; LPG production - 3,000 metric tons per day; natural gas production capacity – 800 million standard cubic feet per day.

Throughout Iraq, U.S. government ongoing projects contribute to the ever-improving quality of life and economic stability – helping provide the foundation for the country to build upon as it overcomes a generation of neglect.

(Story by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region Division)

Soldiers learn methods to save trapped troops
Sunday, 05 August 2007
CAMP VICTORY — The personal security detachment for the Multi-National Corps-Iraq command sergeant major conducted rescue training for casualties trapped in battle-damaged humvees July 26 at Victory Base Complex.

“The purpose of this training was to instill confidence into Soldiers by letting them know the Soldiers coming to assist them know how to help, how to utilize the equipment and have confidence the equipment works effectively,” said Army Staff Sgt. David Bryant, NCOIC, command sergeant major’s PSD.

By Army Spc. Stephanie Homan
MNC-I PAO


Staff Sgt. David Bryant, NCOIC, command sergeant major personal security detachment, Multi-National Corps-Iraq, and Spc. Eric Amis, gunner, command sergeant major PSD, MNC-I, hook the Rat Claw to a chassis on one of the team’s M1114 humvees during their training where they perform different combat rescue techniques on July 26 on Victory Base Complex. The Rat Claw, cable with two hooks used as a combat rescue tool, did not prove effective to pull open the doors of M1114 humvee during their combat rescue training. However, it was very effective pulling the doors open on M1151 humvee. U.S. Army photos by Spc. Stephanie Homan, MNC-I PAO.CAMP VICTORY — The personal security detachment for the Multi-National Corps-Iraq command sergeant major conducted rescue training for casualties trapped in battle-damaged humvees July 26 at Victory Base Complex.

“The purpose of this training was to instill confidence into Soldiers by letting them know the Soldiers coming to assist them know how to help, how to utilize the equipment and have confidence the equipment works effectively,” said Army Staff Sgt. David Bryant, NCOIC, command sergeant major’s PSD. “By conducting tough, realistic training, the team was able to gain technical and tactical knowledge and experience that can be utilized on the road.”

The idea came about when the team was introduced to a combat rescue device on FOB Falcon during one of their many trips around Iraq, Bryant said. The rat claw, a cable with two removable hooks, was suggested as a possible rescue device for the team to have while on mission.

The theory is a cable with two hooks could pull the door off of humvees to help trapped casualties escape. Even though suggestions are always welcome to the high-mileage team, before they took this tool out on the road with them, they wanted to test it out for themselves, Bryant said. However, the training evolved into a deeper look at methods to rescue trapped individuals.



One M1151 humvee door is pulled open by Command Sgt. Maj. Neil Ciotola's, command sergeant major, Multi-National Corps-Iraq, personal security detachment vehicle on Victory Base Complex July 26. A Rat Claw, cable with two hooks used as a combat rescue tool, hooks the two humvees together. The team attempted to remove the door three times using this method and was successful each time. The team wanted to gain familiarity with the combat rescue device in case they ever need it on mission where they find a battle damaged M1151. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Stephanie Homan, MNC-I PAO.The Soldiers made three attempts to remove the M-1114 doors and three attempts to remove the M-1151 doors, said Army Staff Sgt. Paul Munro, medic, command sergeant major’s PSD. The rat claw ripped open the M-1151 humvee doors with ease, but the most reliable method during their training for the M-1114 was the manufacturer provided combat lock removal tool.

The training proved beneficial to the team in a couple different ways. Munro said the training and experience gave him peace of mind and helps assure mission readiness.

“It relaxes me to know that if I am trapped in my humvee, my team has the knowledge and means to get me out,” he said. “Plus, the training is part of being mission ready and capable.”

Operation New Blue puts Iraqi police recruits to the test
Saturday, 04 August 2007
By Staff Sgt. Tony M. Lindback
302nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment



Spc. Boyd, a Task Force Marne military policeman in the 23rd Military Police Company, under the control of 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, runs with an Iraqi police recruit during the 100-meter dash portion of Operation New Blue's phase II in Lutifiyah, Iraq, July 29. Photo by Tony Lindback, 302nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.LUTIFIYAH —Communities like Lutifiyah, Yusifyah, Mahmudiyah and Al Rasheed will be getting a little more brotherly love from the boys in blue thanks to a new operation.

An Iraqi police recruiting, dubbed Operation New Blue, is putting residents in police stations to guard their own communities. Iraqi police stations in the area are currently assigned officers from outside communities.

The multi-phased operation began with recruit applications. Recruits filled out applications and had their fingerprints and picture taken and entered into a database to receive a background check during phase one. If the background check was cleared, the applicants were allowed to return for phase two, said Capt. William F. Jennings, commander of 23rd Military Police Company, from Fort Bragg, N.C., currently under tactical control of the 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.

Phase two of the drive took place July 29 and was a day-long event. It consisted of a literacy test and a physical fitness test similar to the Army Physical Fitness Test, or APFT.

“We had a total of 289 that actually came through the gate, but there were a total of 216 that were on our list from the first phase of the recruiting," Jennings said. "The ones who weren’t on the list were escorted outside the gate and told that we would have a future recruiting drive there and they’d have another opportunity.”

The literacy test was more of a reading comprehension test, said Jennings. The recruits were given a paragraph written in Arabic and were then given five questions referencing the who, what, when, where and why of the material.

Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Schaffer, police transition team chief for the Lutifiyah police station, 23rd MP Co., was in charge of the literacy test portion of event.

“They did better than I thought they would,” Schaffer said. “Being this far south of Baghdad, I’ve noticed in the past, the average Iraqi has a tough time reading and writing. Out of the guys we had come in, about 75 percent passed the literacy."

For those who passed the literacy test there were more obstacles to overcome -- 10 push-ups, 10 sit-ups, five pull-ups and a 100-meter dash had sweat pouring from many in the mid-day’s heat. Not all were prepared for the events as some wore sandals. Many sprinted barefoot on jagged rocks to meet the standards.

The guys at the recruiting drive are giving it all they got, said Schaffer. They’re sitting in the sun, 120 degrees in the straight sun, waiting in line all day long, he added.

“It’s determination,” Schaffer said. “Most of them are trying to provide for their families. I commend them for that.”

There hasn’t been a police station in these areas over the past four years, according to Jennings. He said it has been a challenge getting enough police to do democratic policing operations in the urban areas.

Schaffer said, “The residents want to police their own. That’s the best thing about the recruitment we did. The majority of them are from Lutifiyah and they’ll be protecting their own.”

To see the recruits walking the streets, providing a secure community for neighbors and family is the goal. It is hoped by Schaffer and Jennings that people will have the feeling that the local law enforcement is family, and that will inspire them to help clean up their towns and rid them of illegal activity.

Operation Gratitude mails 250,000th package, Soldier receives keys to new car
Sunday, 05 August 2007
By Spc. Beatrice Florescu
MNC-I PAO


Army Spc. Alfonso Sanchez, 16th Military Police Brigade, looks at the Jeep brochure found in the 250,000th care package from Operation Gratitude, July 24.U.S. Army photo by Spc. Beatrice Florescu.CAMP VICTORY — Operation Gratitude celebrated its 250,000th care package in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom with a surprise 2007 Jeep Patriot Limited giveaway for one recipient of the 16th Military Police Brigade during a ceremony at Al Faw Palace July 24.

Army Maj. Kristian Sorensen, civil affairs officer, 16th MP Bde., submitted a roster of Soldiers to Carolyn Blashek, Operation Gratitude’s founder, who coordinated the surprise.

The 250,000th care package was addressed to Sorensen since he submitted the roster. Inside this package was another package with the recipient’s name.

The recipient was Army Spc. Alfonso Sanchez, who initially didn’t sound off when his name was read because he was too surprised, he said. Sanchez opened the box and found a brochure, a letter, a few baseball hats and the keys to the vehicle.

“When they called my name I was shocked, stunned and I froze for a second double-checking that my last name was Sanchez,” he said. “I expected anything else but this vehicle. The first thing I saw when I opened the box was a Jeep brochure, but they give those at the Post Exchange. I was immediately nervous and shaky and couldn’t speak when I saw the keys. I don’t have enough words, but with all my heart thank you for all you do. Thank you.”

Operation Gratitude is not new to OIF or the unit, Sorensen said. He found out about Operation Gratitude in his first deployment and thought he had to share this with his unit in his second tour.

“These are excellent programs; it feels like Christmas every time,” Sorensen said. “It makes everyone feel good. Operation Gratitude, thank you very much. It does make a difference. It means a lot to us to know there are people thinking that we are all in this together. The great thing about this is both the servicemember and the support-letter writer will receive a set of keys.”

A letter from Blashek was enclosed in the package explaining how this initiative was created and coordinated. A partnership between Jeep, the New York Mets Major League Baseball team, a New York television station and New York auto dealers associations helped put both a servicemember and a support-letter writer each behind the wheel of a new vehicle.

“We are proud and humbled to contribute to a great organization like Operation Gratitude that does so much good in support of our troops,” stated Eric Neilsen, president of the New York Dealer Association, Sanchez read from a phamlet. “The Jeep was originally developed to serve our military, and we are very pleased to be able to continue this tradition in a small way.”

Operation Gratitude is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.

Monday 6th August, 2007

US 'Sword' robots make Iraq first remote controlled battlefield in the world
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ANI Monday 6th August, 2007

London, Aug 6 : US forces have deployed robots equipped with automatic weapons in Iraq, making it the first combat zone in the world to witness battlefield use of machines capable of waging war by remote control.

Costing just over 100,000 pounds per unit, the 'Sword' robots - modified versions of track wheeled bomb disposal devices used around the world - come equipped with automatic weapons.

The robots are armed with M240 machine guns or .50 calibre rifles. Soldiers operate the robots with a specially modified laptop, complete with joystick controls and a 'kill button' that terminates its functions if it goes awry.

Commanders have said the robots will prove valuable in situations, which involve a high risk of ambush or booby trap-style explosion, like a raid on suspected enemy compounds.

"Anytime you utilise technology to take a US service member out of harm's way, it is worth every penny. These armed robots can be used as a force multiplier to augment an already significant force in the battle space," said John Saitta, a consultant on the project.

A US division of British defence company QinetiQ has admitted that the 3rd Infantry Division, based south of Baghdad, has purchased three Talon Sword robots for operations in Iraq.

The Telegraph quoted Defence News as saying that the US military has 80 remote controlled armoured robots on order but funding constraints has delayed delivery of all but a fraction of that number.

Air strike kills mastermind behind Iraqi Golden Mosque bombings
Monday, 06 August 2007

Iraqi Air Force Lt. Gen. Kamal, commander, Iraqi Air Force, discusses current operations at a joint press conference held Sunday with Rear Adm. Mark I. Fox, deputy spokesman for Multi-National Force-Iraq, and Brig. Gen. Bob Allardice, commander, Coalition Air Force Transition Team, at the Combined Press Information Center. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Carl N. Hudson, Combined Press Information Center.BAGHDAD — The senior al-Qaeda terrorist believed to be the mastermind behind both bombings of the Golden Mosque in Samarra was killed during a Coalition air strike, a Multi-National Force-Iraq spokesperson told journalists in Baghdad Sunday.
“Yesterday, the government of Iraq announced that the Coalition force killed a senior al Qaeda terrorist, Haitham Sabah al Badri,” said U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Mark Fox, spokesman for Multi-National Force-Iraq. “He was killed east of Samara on August second.”

In addition to both the February 2006 and June 2007 bombings of the Golden Mosque, Al Badri is believed to have been involved in an Aug. 28 attack on a Samara checkpoint that killed 29, as well as the June 23, 2006, bombing of the Kirkuk courthouse. His body was positively identified by family members after the Coalition air strike.

During the operation, Coalition force members raided a series of four buildings associated with al Badri, Multi-National Force-Iraq officials reported. About four armed men moved from the targeted buildings into outdoor tactical fighting positions in what ground forces viewed as a set-up to ambush approaching Coalition force members. Responding to the hostile threat, they called in close-air support.

The strike killed al Badri and three other terrorists, one of them a foreign fighter. Ground forces also found weapons on site and detained seven other suspected terrorists.

Fox called eliminating al Badri, considered al-Qaeda’s emir of greater Samara, another step in breaking the cycle of violence instigated by the attack on Samarra’s holy shine. While this is one more broken link in al-Qaeda’s chain, Fox said the Coalition is not relaxing.

“We’ve always felt that, even in a weakened state, al-Qaeda is very dangerous,” he said. “Our approach to how we handle that is to take down the car-bomb networks, is to go after these different nodes and cells.”

Fox said the Iranian-backed “secret cell” poses another force for Coalition and Iraq forces to turn their attention. “(They) are apparently rogue or splinter, he said. “We’re going after those kinds of rogue elements just like we’re going after al-Qaeda.”

(Story by Samantha L. Quigley, American Forces Press Service)

Concerned citizen leads U.S. Soldiers to cache
Monday, 06 August 2007
Multi National Division-Center
Baghdad



Soldiers of 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y., uncover a weapons cache that buried in the ground along Route Malibu near Rushdi Mullah, Iraq, Aug. 4. A concerned Iraqi citizen led the Soldiers to the cache. U.S. Army photo.RUSHDI MULLAH — A concerned Iraqi citizen led Coalition troops to a weapons and ammunition cache along Route Malibu, near Rushdi Mullah, Aug. 4.

Soldiers of 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum N.Y., followed the man to the cache site, where they uncovered weapons buried in the ground.

The cache consisted of a ZSU-1 anti-aircraft weapon, 200 12.7mm heavy machine gun rounds and four 57mm rockets.

An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the contents of the cache in a controlled detonation.



Pictured are weapons that were found in a cache along Route Malibu near Rushdi Mullah, Iraq, Aug. 4 which consisted of a ZSU-1 anti-aircraft weapon, 200 12.7mm heavy machine gun rounds and four 57mm rockets. A concerned Iraqi citizen led U.S. Soldiers to the cache. U.S. Army photo.

Iraqi police recruit in Salman Pak
Monday, 06 August 2007
By Staff Sgt. Carlos J. Lazo,
MND-C



Pfc. Jeremy Weflen, a medic with Company A, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, takes a retinal picture of an applicant during an Iraqi police recruitment drive at the Salman Pak Police Station, July 30. Photo by Staff Sgt. Carlos J. Lazo, MND-C.COMBAT OUTPOST CLEARY — It began with a bit of confusion and awkwardness.

Superiors were busy ensuring everything was set, and subordinates asked each other if anybody would show up. At first no one did, and a disappointing silence fell over most of the building. Some wondered if the rest of the day would be the same.

Then, through the large metallic gate, with its rusty handles and desert-sand-colored face, they came.

They came throughout the day, local Iraqis wanting to apply for work at the Salman Pak Iraqi police station during a recruitment drive July 30.

Organized by police of the Mada’in district and supported by the 59th Military Police Company, the drive allowed Iraqis in the area to apply to serve as a police officer.

“Right now, we’re just helping them with security,” said Capt. Elizabeth M. Cane, commander, 59th MP Co.

“They (Iraqi police) put the whole drive together,” said Cane, a native of Wynnewood, Pa.

This is the first recruitment drive in Salman Pak in quite some time, Cane said.

Applicants had to be Iraqi and between the ages of 17 and 35.

Police also checked to ensure recruits were healthy and didn’t have a criminal record.

Once they applied, candidates enrolled in a Coalition database and were required to provide their name and contact information to the police station.

Everybody (who applies) is put into the system, said Pfc. Jeremy Weflen, a medic with Company A, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.

Additional requirements include a written exam, physical fitness test and a medical exam, all to be administered at a later screening.

In total, 59 Iraqi men came in and signed up, Cane said.

Although this was the first recruitment drive in some time, Cane said the police will sponsor more drives across the Mada’in Qada.

Infantryman builds for Soldiers, security, morale
Monday, 06 August 2007
By Staff Sgt. Carlos Lazo
302 Mobile Public Affairs Detachment



Sgt. Jorge Sanchez, an infantryman with the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd (Heavy) Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, works on the entrance to the Morale, Welfare and Recreation center he built July 31 at Combat Outpost Cleary. Photo by Carlos Lazo, 302nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.COMBAT OUTPOST CLEARY — It takes a village to raise a child, but only one man to build a combat outpost.

One can see his work throughout Combat Outpost Cleary. Every passing day, more and more of his finished projects spring up; in living quarters, around work areas, sometimes in the middle of open space where the most exciting event of the day was the occasional battle between ant and spider.

Sgt. Jorge Sanchez, an infantryman with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, has had a hand in building almost every piece of COP Cleary. From the six showers and latrines, to the stands for the weapons systems in the guard towers, to the lofts used as living quarters in the main building, the Pine Mountain, Ga., native has built it or had a hand in building it.

“I build everything that is required to get the Soldiers better living conditions in the COPs,” Sanchez said.

Working with 1-15 Inf. Regt. Command Sgt. Maj. Mark Moore, Sanchez has built various projects not only for here but also for Forward Operating Base Hammer and COP Cahill.

“I work directly for Command Sgt. Maj. Moore,” Sanchez said. “He comes up with the plans, tells me, and we discuss whatever situation we have to deal with – if we need wires, security, whatever were going to use for the project.”

Some of his completed projects include a 75-foot-long loft he built in a week at COP Cahill for Soldiers to use as living quarters. Here, in addition to the showers, latrines and lofts, he’s also built 30 benches and tables Soldiers use throughout the COP. He also built walls for the area used as the gym and is currently in the process of building a Morale, Welfare and Recreation tent.

“Once I start building, I build until I run out of supplies or until it’s done,” said Sanchez with a smile.

“He’s doing a great job at everything he’s done so far,” said Pfc. Victor Almodovar, a tanker with Company C, 1-15 Inf. Regt.

Sanchez said he had to talk to the division surgeon to be allowed to come here this time, for this mission, to help the Soldiers living conditions.

His dedication has also attracted volunteers, even if his work style takes some time to get used to.

“He is kind of particular of about how he likes it and I just follow what he tells me to do,” said Capt. Teri Gurrola, physician assistant, Company C, 203rd Brigade Support Battalion, a volunteer helping Sanchez complete the MWR tent. “I enjoy working with him.”

Back home, Sanchez said he’s Army 24/7, but does find time to help as a volunteer firefighter. His wife, director of the botanical gardens in Columbus, Ga., also runs a program for Soldiers called “Dolls from Daddy.” The program sends dolls, provided for free by the manufacturer, to young daughters of Soldiers deployed.

Although everything made of wood here is an indicator of Sanchez’s work, he never was a carpenter.

“My dad, he was an architect. I’m not a carpenter,” Sanchez said. “I just know how to build.”

The 1-15 Inf. Regt. is assigned to the 3rd (Heavy) Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, from Fort Benning, Ga. The 3rd HBCT has been deployed since March.