Special to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 28, 2008 - Iraqi officials recently reported that more than 2,000 Iraqi families have returned to their homes in eastern Baghdad this year. The 2,084 returning families left their homes in the districts of Rusafa, Karadah and 9 Nissan due to security concerns. Categorized as Internally Displaced Persons, they have returned to a more secure and safe environment.
The number of returnees in the area is a sign of vastly improved security conditions, said Army Lt. Col. Eric Holliday, deputy team leader of Baghdad-2 embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team.
"The more returnees we get back into the neighborhoods from where they were originally displaced tells us these people feel safe enough to return to those areas and they don't think there is going to be further violence," expressed Holliday. "When we have them return and we don't have any incidents of further violence ... then it has been fairly successful in our area. That is a measure of effectiveness telling us we are doing our job right."
Iraq's Ministry of Migrations and Displaced Persons is responsible for tracking IDPs and IDP returnees. They report the number of Iraqi citizens who register with IDP centers weekly. Holliday said there is an IDP center in Rusafa that issues reports about homeowners returning to eastern Baghdad.
"Their job is to register all IDPs that have displaced into our area and also to register all returnees - those are IDPs that were displaced to other areas that are returning to their homes," explained Holliday of the 308th Civil Affairs Brigade.
"They (returnees) receive a stipend from the government,'" he said. "It's been running somewhere around one million to three million dinars, which equates to about $1,000 to $3,000 per returnee."
To receive stipends and reclaim their homes, IDP returnees must register with the ministry and provide proof of ownership. Other forms of government support also are available to these citizens.
Returning residents are eligible to seek employment through the Government of Iraq's civil service district, even though the governmentI did not specifically create the program to assist displaced persons. In addition, the MOMDP coordinates for ISF to assist homeowners in evicting squatters if they are living in the returnees' homes.
Holliday said the e-PRT and Patriot Brigade Soldiers mostly monitor the IDP situation and track the government of Iraq numbers of IDP returneesin their area . Iraqi officials do a good job of helping IDPs and addressing their concerns, he commented.
"In our area, we have had no incidents of any violence against returnees that I am aware of," he said. "When you move around eastern Baghdad these days, you can see that things are better; there is better security," said Holliday. "People are out shopping; people are out in the parks, and people are moving on with their lives - and they have a better outlook on life."
Soldiers of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, welcome the citizens back to the area as they reclaim their homes, said Maj. Joey Sullinger, a 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division spokesperson.
The Patriot Brigade is reaching the end of its 14-month deployment.
"We are happy to have assisted Iraqi Security Forces while we were here," Sullinger said. We hope these returning residents fully embrace the Iraqi forces truly responsible for providing the safety and security, allowing them to come home to their neighborhoods."
(Multi-National Corps Iraq Press Release)
Showing posts with label leader. Show all posts
Showing posts with label leader. Show all posts
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Floridians Bring Happiness to Christmas Celebration in Iraq
By Army Sgt. Jason Dangel
Special to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 22, 2008 - For the first time in 26 years, Army Capt. Michael Beissinger won't be home for Christmas. The Apache attack helicopter platoon leader, along with 32 other members of the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade's "Peacemakers" Company, will spend their holiday season at this large coalition forces base about 15 miles north of Baghdad and more than 3,500 miles away from the Eastern Seaboard.
For the majority of Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers assigned to the 4th Infantry Division's Company A, 4th Battalion, 4th CAB, this isn't the first time they have celebrated Christmas in Iraq; but in Beissinger's eyes, Christmas is a special time for everyone, no matter where they are in the world.
"Christmas means something different to everybody, and whether it's family-related or not, it brings up a lot of emotions and feelings for different people," he said from his chair in the company's command post, next to the camp's airfield, where he parks his $24 million attack helicopter.
"For a lot of our soldiers," he said, "this is their second or third time over here. But for myself and a lot of other guys, it's our first time being away during the holidays, and I wanted to make something happen to help lift their spirits." That's when parents got involved.
In a massive display of patriotic support, more than 60 families from the Winter Haven, Fla., area donated a myriad of Christmas gifts to Beissinger's company.
"My parents gathered a bunch of people together, and a lot of people from Florida knew I was here, and this is where all this support started," Beissinger said.
In the months leading up to the holiday season, the Apache helicopter pilot his troops call "Captain Beis" was contacted by his parents, Stephen and Chris Beissinger, about possibly organizing an effort to support his soldiers in Iraq. His parents formed a coalition of about 15 families who sent toiletries and decorations for Halloween.
"These 15 families got out there and started spreading the word about us," he said. "Word got out to different schools, to different churches, and basically all these people wanted to jump on the bandwagon and help support us. They wanted to do something for the next go-around."
The "next go-around" was Christmas, and unsure of how much support he could get, Beissinger again contacted his parents, who quickly put a plan into action.
"My parents put their heads together and went from there. They had a big meeting at my house in Florida with all the people that wanted to support us, and they had an overwhelming response. They had cars backed up all the way down the road."
Initially, each family wanted to donate gifts for each soldier, but the platoon leader said he did not want the families to have to limit their own Christmas celebrations. Soon after learning about his parents' success in gathering support for his company, Beissinger compiled a Christmas list from all of his soldiers. He asked them to list five items they wanted for Christmas. The item they wanted the most would be listed first, and the rest would be listed in order of importance.
In the end, Beissinger had formulated a 16-page Christmas "wish list," along with a group photo and individual pictures of each soldier with their names, ages and hometowns.
"All the soldiers were putting down, 'Hey, I want an iPod. Hey, I want this,'" he said. "But some guys said they wanted to donate to charities, and at that point, it went beyond receiving gifts. These guys wanted to give back to the community. It took on a different meaning when all this started happening." He cited Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 William Myrick, an Apache helicopter pilot from Victoria, Texas, as an example.
"He wrote down that he would like to donate to a women's shelter, and he would like to get some stuff for his kids," Beissinger said. "Every single thing he asked for, for his kids, the family went out and bought every single thing on the list and made sure it was fulfilled.
"He e-mailed me when he was home on leave and told me how much that meant to him," Beissinger continued. "His family was able to provide a nice Christmas for his kids, and it all stemmed from the support my parents gathered in Florida."
Army Sgt. Christopher Meno, a senior Apache crew chief from Guam who is on his third combat deployment, described the event as something he has never seen before -- and something he always will remember.
"This is by far the best Christmas I have had in Iraq," he said. "I know for the soldiers, this definitely lifted their spirits to know that somebody actually went out of their way to support them."
Meno received all five items on his wish list, including his No. 1 item: a guitar.
"In my opinion, it's just amazing to know that there are families willing to go that extra mile for our guys serving over here during the holidays." said Army Capt. Michael Shaw, the company's commander, a native of Fremont, Calif. "Now, did this have to be something financial such as gifts? No. All of these families took the time to try to get to know the soldier they were sponsoring just by looking at their pictures, and they gave their best effort to personalize each and every gift. The families looked at the pictures, looked at the soldier's list and then just went to town."
The Peacemakers' official Christmas celebration was held Dec. 15 in a small gravel-strewn area surrounded by concrete barriers, about 100 yards away from their small fleet of Apache helicopters. The celebration was held early because the company's leadership determined that mission requirements made it unlikely that they all could get together on Christmas Day.
"I don't even know who to thank anymore," Beissinger said. "We have stuff coming from all over Florida now. I have been getting stuff from Orlando, Lakeland, Bartow, Clearwater, Tampa. All these people are supporting us, and it all started in Winter Haven. It's just crazy. I just wanted to make sure that everybody had a happy holiday season.
"Small Town USA still loves us," he continued. "They still support us. This is evident by all the caring and generosity these families have shown to my guys. I'm glad these families are responding, because it really drives it home to these guys that there are people back home that care about us."
Even though all the "big" Christmas gifts have been unwrapped and stowed away, all of the soldiers surely will still be talking about the event as they complete their 12-hour workdays on Christmas Day, he added.
(Army Sgt. Jason Dangel serves in Multinational Division Baghdad with the 4th Infantry Division's Combat Aviation Brigade.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 22, 2008 - For the first time in 26 years, Army Capt. Michael Beissinger won't be home for Christmas. The Apache attack helicopter platoon leader, along with 32 other members of the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade's "Peacemakers" Company, will spend their holiday season at this large coalition forces base about 15 miles north of Baghdad and more than 3,500 miles away from the Eastern Seaboard.
For the majority of Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers assigned to the 4th Infantry Division's Company A, 4th Battalion, 4th CAB, this isn't the first time they have celebrated Christmas in Iraq; but in Beissinger's eyes, Christmas is a special time for everyone, no matter where they are in the world.
"Christmas means something different to everybody, and whether it's family-related or not, it brings up a lot of emotions and feelings for different people," he said from his chair in the company's command post, next to the camp's airfield, where he parks his $24 million attack helicopter.
"For a lot of our soldiers," he said, "this is their second or third time over here. But for myself and a lot of other guys, it's our first time being away during the holidays, and I wanted to make something happen to help lift their spirits." That's when parents got involved.
In a massive display of patriotic support, more than 60 families from the Winter Haven, Fla., area donated a myriad of Christmas gifts to Beissinger's company.
"My parents gathered a bunch of people together, and a lot of people from Florida knew I was here, and this is where all this support started," Beissinger said.
In the months leading up to the holiday season, the Apache helicopter pilot his troops call "Captain Beis" was contacted by his parents, Stephen and Chris Beissinger, about possibly organizing an effort to support his soldiers in Iraq. His parents formed a coalition of about 15 families who sent toiletries and decorations for Halloween.
"These 15 families got out there and started spreading the word about us," he said. "Word got out to different schools, to different churches, and basically all these people wanted to jump on the bandwagon and help support us. They wanted to do something for the next go-around."
The "next go-around" was Christmas, and unsure of how much support he could get, Beissinger again contacted his parents, who quickly put a plan into action.
"My parents put their heads together and went from there. They had a big meeting at my house in Florida with all the people that wanted to support us, and they had an overwhelming response. They had cars backed up all the way down the road."
Initially, each family wanted to donate gifts for each soldier, but the platoon leader said he did not want the families to have to limit their own Christmas celebrations. Soon after learning about his parents' success in gathering support for his company, Beissinger compiled a Christmas list from all of his soldiers. He asked them to list five items they wanted for Christmas. The item they wanted the most would be listed first, and the rest would be listed in order of importance.
In the end, Beissinger had formulated a 16-page Christmas "wish list," along with a group photo and individual pictures of each soldier with their names, ages and hometowns.
"All the soldiers were putting down, 'Hey, I want an iPod. Hey, I want this,'" he said. "But some guys said they wanted to donate to charities, and at that point, it went beyond receiving gifts. These guys wanted to give back to the community. It took on a different meaning when all this started happening." He cited Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 William Myrick, an Apache helicopter pilot from Victoria, Texas, as an example.
"He wrote down that he would like to donate to a women's shelter, and he would like to get some stuff for his kids," Beissinger said. "Every single thing he asked for, for his kids, the family went out and bought every single thing on the list and made sure it was fulfilled.
"He e-mailed me when he was home on leave and told me how much that meant to him," Beissinger continued. "His family was able to provide a nice Christmas for his kids, and it all stemmed from the support my parents gathered in Florida."
Army Sgt. Christopher Meno, a senior Apache crew chief from Guam who is on his third combat deployment, described the event as something he has never seen before -- and something he always will remember.
"This is by far the best Christmas I have had in Iraq," he said. "I know for the soldiers, this definitely lifted their spirits to know that somebody actually went out of their way to support them."
Meno received all five items on his wish list, including his No. 1 item: a guitar.
"In my opinion, it's just amazing to know that there are families willing to go that extra mile for our guys serving over here during the holidays." said Army Capt. Michael Shaw, the company's commander, a native of Fremont, Calif. "Now, did this have to be something financial such as gifts? No. All of these families took the time to try to get to know the soldier they were sponsoring just by looking at their pictures, and they gave their best effort to personalize each and every gift. The families looked at the pictures, looked at the soldier's list and then just went to town."
The Peacemakers' official Christmas celebration was held Dec. 15 in a small gravel-strewn area surrounded by concrete barriers, about 100 yards away from their small fleet of Apache helicopters. The celebration was held early because the company's leadership determined that mission requirements made it unlikely that they all could get together on Christmas Day.
"I don't even know who to thank anymore," Beissinger said. "We have stuff coming from all over Florida now. I have been getting stuff from Orlando, Lakeland, Bartow, Clearwater, Tampa. All these people are supporting us, and it all started in Winter Haven. It's just crazy. I just wanted to make sure that everybody had a happy holiday season.
"Small Town USA still loves us," he continued. "They still support us. This is evident by all the caring and generosity these families have shown to my guys. I'm glad these families are responding, because it really drives it home to these guys that there are people back home that care about us."
Even though all the "big" Christmas gifts have been unwrapped and stowed away, all of the soldiers surely will still be talking about the event as they complete their 12-hour workdays on Christmas Day, he added.
(Army Sgt. Jason Dangel serves in Multinational Division Baghdad with the 4th Infantry Division's Combat Aviation Brigade.)
Friday, December 19, 2008
CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- December 19, 2008
[Botswana] Ministry records eight suspected cholera cases
“Botswana has so far recorded eight suspected cases of cholera. Speaking at a media briefing at the Ministry of Health, Mrs Shenaz El- Halabi, Director of Public Health said of the eight, only three have been confirmed to be cholera not four as reported in the media. […] All three cholera victims are from neighbouring Zimbabwe. […] The cholera epidemic that has killed 877 people in Zimbabwe and infected 17,908 people has sparked new calls from governments within the SADC region and international solidarity organisations to take stock of cases of infection as they happen. The outbreak has been fuelled by the collapse of Zimbabwe’s health services, sanitation systems and water supply. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe leader Mr Robert Mugabe last week sparked uproar by claiming the cholera outbreak was over, while Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu said the outbreak was the result of biological warfare launched by former colonial power Britain against Zimbabwe.” (Botswana Press Agency; 18Dec08) http://www.gov.bw/cgi-bin/news.cgi?d=20081218&i=Ministry_records_eight_suspected_cholera_cases
John Powell, ‘seditious’ journalist, dies
“U.S. journalist John W. Powell, whose 1950s articles alleging American use of germ warfare in Korea sparked sedition charges, has died at 89, his son says. […] U.S. prosecutors put Powell on trial in 1959 on a rare charge of sedition, after he authored articles for his Shanghai publication The China Monthly Review asserting that U.S. Military had employed germ warfare against North Korea, using methods they had allegedly learned from the defeated Japanese army. Powell wrote that a secret unit of the occupying Japanese army known as Unit 731 had carried out large-scale biological warfare attacks on Chinese soldiers and civilians during World War II, killing hundreds of thousands.” (United Press International; 17Dec08) http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/12/17/John_Powell_seditious_journalist_dies/UPI-89391229533936/
Protecting hospitals during disasters [training exercise in San Diego, California]
“Emergency training event brings hospital, public agencies shoulder to shoulder […] Historically in a disaster, as many as 80% of patients will take themselves directly to the hospital and bypass the prehospital provider system. The Golden Phoenix ‘08 exercise was specifically designed to test the operations, communications and security capabilities of multiple agencies and Scripps working together in an emergency on a major hospital campus. It served as a bellwether for future emergency and disaster-training efforts by breaking through old assumptions that hospitals are self-sufficient during disasters—somehow fortified against a public surge and the disruption to care this would cause.” (EMS Responder; 17Dec08; Chris Van Gorder)
http://www.emsresponder.com/publication/article.jsp?pubId=1&id=8685
Three new technologies now available for licensing from MSU [Montana State University]
“The first technology, a nucleic acid assay that distinguishes between living and dead cells, helps eliminate the false-positives caused by detecting non-viable cells. The method detects only the active-cell portion of a microbial sample, something current molecular methods cannot do. The new method works with established protocols and other nucleic acid-based diagnostics. It applies to a range of bacterial species, including gram-positive bacteria, and it requires no specialized expertise to perform. Possible applications include food and water safety monitoring, clinical diagnostics, bioterrorism assays, testing for sterility in pharmaceuticals and personal care products and further microbial research.” (MSU News; 18Dec08)
http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=6657
Military [Maj. Gen. Robert Lennox]: repeat of anthrax attacks harder today
“Tighter background checks and improved security would help prevent a repeat of the deadly 2001 anthrax attacks, Military officials said Thursday, while acknowledging there are no guarantees. […] ‘I can’t say for certain it could not happen today,’ army Maj. Gen. Robert Lennox, assistant deputy chief of staff for operations and training, told reporters. ‘But it would be much more difficult.’ He said there are more hurdles now before someone could remove a biological agent or toxin from a lab and seek to use it. Lennox said Military safety reviews in recent months endorsed many of the security changes already made, from improved cameras and lights to satellite surveillance. But other changes were deemed not workable or too expensive, including limits on scientists’ hours or a system that would prohibit workers from being alone with a toxin.” (Associated Press; 18Dec08; Lolita C. Baldor)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jiuMej-NB_uebx5yj1Ytq4PKIMWQD955EN3G1
A germ warfare guru [Yazid Sufaat] goes free
“A U.S.-trained Al Qaeda microbiologist has been released from jail by the Malaysian government, prompting alarm among American counterterrorism officials. ‘This individual is considered dangerous,’ said one official, referring to the recent decision to free Yazid Sufaat, a notorious Qaeda operative who once oversaw the group’s germ-warfare efforts. […] Malaysia privately informed the Bush administration that its legal authority to detain Sufaat had expired but promised Washington that he would be kept under close observation, the U.S. official indicated. But counterterror officials here expressed doubt that Sufaat has abandoned his radical Qaeda views or his desire to attack the United States with biological weapons. They also point out that Sufaat played an assisting role in planning the 9/11 attacks. He hosted two of the hijackers along with two other veteran Al Qaeda operatives at a terror ‘summit’ in Kuala Lumpur in January 2000.” (Newsweek; 17Dec08; Mark Hosenball & Michael Isikoff)
http://www.newsweek.com/id/175679
Non-scientist gets a top spot [at the Israel Institute for Biological Research in Nes Tziona] [Second section in an article titled, ‘Israel bites back at UN watchdog over alleged strike on Syria reactor’]
“For the first time in the history of the Israel Institute for Biological Research in Nes Tziona, the position of deputy director has been filled by a candidate with no background in science through what employees have called a ‘fixed tender.’ The institute recently issued an internal tender for the position of deputy and acting director. The head of human resources, Natan Rosenbaum, was the sole applicant for the position and was awarded the tender. […] The institute conducts medical, environmental and Military research and development for Israel’s Military establishment and for foreign clients, including the U.S. army. Most of the institute’s work is classified but according to foreign publications it develops chemical and biological weapons and means for defending against such weapons. It is under the administrative purview of the Prime Minister’s Office, but in effect it answers to the Defense Ministry. Most of its 300 employees have a background in the natural sciences.” (Haaretz; 18Dec08; Yossi Melman) http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1047640.html
Magic bug busting wand uses [ultra violet] light to fight virus spread
“Earlier in 2008 almost 200,000 people a week were being struck down with the norovirus. This week the winter vomiting virus was back, closing hospital wards and causing pre-Christmas misery to families. A new product called Purelight XD harnesses the anti-microbial properties of Ultra Violet -C light, used since the 1930’s to kill germs, in a portable and safe product that can destroy norovirus. […] Although invisible to the human eye, UV-C can kill most of the germs and viruses responsible for causing disease. For noroviruses, exposure for no more than twenty seconds to UV-C light will result in 99.9 percent sterilization. ‘Areas like doors and handles carry viruses about 40 percent of the time, and the bugs will survive in a room for a day or more after a sick person has left, waiting to be picked up by someone else,’ said Andy Felton, Director, PureLightUK.” (Response Source; 17Dec08) http://www.responsesource.com/releases/rel_display.php?relid=44232&hilite=
Bioterrorism - a preventable catastrophe [Editorial]
“In May 2002, I visited Pokrov, a largely abandoned Soviet-era agricultural research center east of Moscow. Originally established to produce vaccines for animals, Pokrov became a laboratory for biological weapons, especially anthrax, in the final years of the Cold War. […] The security alarm to the main entrance had been turned off and the door was ajar. Up two flights of steel-grate stairs were the storage rooms, two tennis court-sized rooms filled with commercial refrigerators. Several refrigerators had two common features: note cards listing the materials inside, and flimsy strings encircling them. Our hosts explained that a broken string would indicate that someone had possibly opened the refrigerator and stolen the materials inside.” (Boston Globe; 18Dec08; Bob Graham)
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/12/18/bioterrorism___a_preventable_catastrophe/
army finishes neutralizing sarin containers
“The army says it has completed the process of neutralizing sarin found inside three deteriorating containers at Blue Grass army Depot in Richmond. Although the liquid nerve agent has been drained, a news release sent Thursday says the containers themselves and the wastewater that came from the drainage still must be destroyed and trucked to a site in Texas.” (army Times; 18Dec08; Source: AP)
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/12/ap_chemicalweapons_121808/
Texas man who tried to sell cyanide gets 70 months
“Federal officials say a Texas Panhandle man who tried to sell a 25-gallon drum of cyanide to an FBI informant will serve nearly six years in prison. […] An FBI affidavit showed agents taped conversations with an informant in which Detrixhe offered to sell 62 pounds of cyanide earlier this year for $10,000, a thermal imager and an assault rifle.” (Associated Press; 18Dec08)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jmLCToNQSZtMxpj3BtomVICLRVMAD954N03O1
NY man enters plea in food poison video case
“Anton Dunn appeared in federal court in Manhattan on Thursday and pleaded guilty to a single charge of transmitting threats in interstate commerce. He could face up to five years in prison at his sentencing, which is set for March 20. Dunn was arrested earlier this year after Gerber Products Co. received complaints from consumers who wanted to know if Dunn’s threats were true. Prosecutors said Dunn claimed in a hoax that he had poisoned millions of bottles of baby food, some with cyanide or rat poison.” (Newsday; 18Dec08) http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--babyfoodhoax1218dec18,0,4126727.story
Public safety: inmate sentenced in cyanide threat
“Hugh L. Riley, Jr., 35, an inmate at the Jefferson City Correctional Center, pleaded guilty in June to writing a letter saying he would poison food at the Wal-Mart near Bannister Road if the company did not give him $200,000. Riley couldn’t have picked up the money. He was confined to a cell for 23 hours a day, serving a sentence for assault and armed criminal action.” (Kansas City Star; 17Dec08) http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/942103.html
Seized uranium in ‘special room’
“Experts have kept uranium seized by the police in a special room after initial tests showed it was highly radioactive. It has been placed in a one-metre-thick concrete wall room at the National Radiation Protective Board. Deputy head of the board Arthur Koteng said final results would be ready on Friday. […] The uranium, smuggled from the Democratic Republic of Congo, was seized by Flying Squad officers. Uranium is used in the production of atomic bombs. Besides being used as nuclear fuel, its compound - uranium hexafluoride - is used to strengthen armour. Uganda Bwambale Nason Ndyambo and Congolese David Juma Osoma have been charged with being in possession of uranium. […] The substance is packed in a 20-centimetre-high metal cylinder that weighs about nine kilogrammes. […]police have since found out that the uranium was bought from DRC in October for Sh3.9 million, which was paid in two installments. The suspects had hoped to sell it in Nairobi for $1.2 million (Sh100 million).” (Daily Nation, Kenya; 17Dec08; Fred Mukinda) http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/503650/-/u0mhoi/-/index.html
Radioactive bomb-detection system installed in Haifa port
“A unique device designed to detect radioactive material has been installed in the Haifa port, Channel 2 news reported Thursday. The device will scan all the containers that enter Haifa via the port, some 1.5 million containers per year, in search of radiation, according to the report. […] The Haifa facility is part of a project that spans the globe, with American satellites monitoring suspicious vessels and containers holding delicate materials. […] A radioactive bomb detection system is also in the works for Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport.” (Haaretz; 18Dec08)
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1047985.html
NNSA [Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration], DTRA [Defense Threat Reduction Agency] partner on nuclear research
“A deal was signed by two U.S. government agencies Wednesday to conduct new research on the effects of a dirty-bomb explosion in the United States. The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration and the Defense Department’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency have agreed to partner on a nuclear research project addressing ongoing security challenges in the United States, the NNSA reported. Officials say chief among the research objectives between the NNSA and the DTRA is to study the likely fallout if a terrorist detonated a nuclear device in the United States.” (Middle East Times; 18Dec08; Source: United Press International) http://www.metimes.com/Security/2008/12/18/nnsa_dtra_partner_on_nuclear_research/2039/
On disaster planning, Indiana ranks near top
“The report was released last week by a non-profit organization and a health care foundation. Indiana scored 9 out of 10 in the report titled ‘Ready or Not?’ that was put together by the non-partisan Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The average score among all states, graded by 10 criteria chosen by researchers, was 7 out of 10. […] Only five states scored a perfect 10 in the report. Indiana was one of seven, including northern neighbor Michigan, to score a 9. Indiana, like 25 other states, lost a point for not having an intrastate courier system operating 24 hours for specimen pickup and delivery. Serena Vinter, senior research associate for Trust for America’s Health and the lead author of the study, said having such a courier system is important for timeliness.” (Fort Wayne Journal Gazette; 18Dec08; Jeff Wiehe)
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081218/LOCAL/812180312/1043/LOCAL07
State hazmat grants under scrutiny
“‘Gross mismanagement and waste’ undermine a Department of Transportation grant program that gives states millions of dollars to improve responses to hazardous materials spills, according to a senior official’s request for an inspector general’s investigation. The request raises concerns about insufficient oversight of the Hazardous Materials and Emergency Preparedness (HMEP) grants program, which is set to double its spending this year after disbursing more than $175 million since 1993 to help states and communities prepare and implement emergency response plans. An internal memo seeking the investigation, obtained by USA TODAY, says the program fails to follow guidelines for how grants are to be awarded and used.” (USA Today; 18Dec08; Peter Eisler) http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-12-18-hazmatgrants_N.htm
Anthrax threat evacuates courthouse [Paradise, California]
“A letter sent to the Butte County Courthouse in Paradise with a white powder in it suspected to be anthrax was examined and determined to be a harmless food product - possibly rice, wheat, flour or starch. Butte Interagency Hazardous Materials Team leader and Battalion Chief Mike Brown said the material was a 93 to 94 percent match to a food-based product like bread crumbs but also an 80 percent match to Metamucil. ‘It’s a good match - could be corn starch,’ Brown told the five women who had possibly come into contact with the substance. […] Two hazmat specialists in full firefighter gear and oxygen masks entered the courthouse at Elliot Road and Skyway and retrieved the letter and envelope in question. They also retrieved some wipes from the quarantined courthouse that a clerk used to clean up the powder that fell from the envelope when she opened it.” (Paradise Post; 18Dec08; Paul Wellersdick)
http://www.paradisepost.com/ci_11258477
Test results of powder found at capital negative [Juneau, Alaska]
“Initial tests performed on the white powder discovered Dec. 9 in a state office building were negative for a variety of biological and toxic substances, according to the Department of Heath and Social Services. The sample of the unidentified white power was tested for anthrax, plague, smallpox and other biological and toxic agents at the Department of Health and Social Service’s public health laboratory in Anchorage. All tests performed by the end of Wednesday evening were negative.” (Capital City Weekly; 17Dec08) http://www.capitalcityweekly.com/stories/121708/new_368667982.shtml
Garda [Irish police force] station in anthrax alert
“The army was called into Mountjoy Garda Station after an envelope containing the powder was brought to the station by two women. One of them brought the package to the gardai after reading a note accompanying it, which warned that anyone coming in contact with it would be ‘dead within hours.’ […] Gardai alerted the army and the station was evacuated at around 3pm yesterday. People who had come in contact with the material were traced as army experts checked the powder on site. They established last night that it was not anthrax.” (Herald, Ireland; 18Dec08) http://www.herald.ie/national-news/city-news/garda-station-in-anthrax-alert-1579317.html
Spain: Suspicious envelope at U.S. embassy a hoax
“The U.S. Embassy said it received a suspicious envelope Wednesday but Spanish police said they believed it was a hoax. U.S. Embassy spokesman William Ostick said the letter resembled others sent Tuesday to other U.S. embassies in Europe, several of which turned out to contain flour. He said the letter had been placed in the embassy’s isolated mail room and that six people who had come into contact with it had been checked and cleared. […] Spain’s National police sent in explosive and chemical experts to check the envelope, but a police official later said officials think the substance is harmless.” (Associated Press; 18Dec08; Ciaran Giles) http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hcJiC4fmi1LwmY-p5M8UMl3FDW3AD954I8KG0
U.S. embassies in Prague [Czech Republic], Tokyo [Japan] get white powder mail
“The U.S. embassies in Prague and Tokyo received envelopes with white powder that is being tested for toxins, the U.S. State Department said on Thursday, one day after it disclosed receiving similar letters at 16 missions in Europe that were later found to be harmless. […] He declined comment on who may have sent the letters, noting a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe was underway. U.S. authorities have been on alert for such letters since 2001, when envelopes laced with anthrax were sent to media outlets and to U.S. lawmakers, killing five people.” (Reuters; 18Dec08; Arshad Mohammed)
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsMaps/idUSTRE4BH6CR20081218
CNS ChemBio-WMD Terrorism News is prepared by the Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Program of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in order to bring timely and focused information to researchers and policymakers interested in the fields of chemical, biological, and radiological weapons nonproliferation and WMD Terrorism.
“Botswana has so far recorded eight suspected cases of cholera. Speaking at a media briefing at the Ministry of Health, Mrs Shenaz El- Halabi, Director of Public Health said of the eight, only three have been confirmed to be cholera not four as reported in the media. […] All three cholera victims are from neighbouring Zimbabwe. […] The cholera epidemic that has killed 877 people in Zimbabwe and infected 17,908 people has sparked new calls from governments within the SADC region and international solidarity organisations to take stock of cases of infection as they happen. The outbreak has been fuelled by the collapse of Zimbabwe’s health services, sanitation systems and water supply. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe leader Mr Robert Mugabe last week sparked uproar by claiming the cholera outbreak was over, while Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu said the outbreak was the result of biological warfare launched by former colonial power Britain against Zimbabwe.” (Botswana Press Agency; 18Dec08) http://www.gov.bw/cgi-bin/news.cgi?d=20081218&i=Ministry_records_eight_suspected_cholera_cases
John Powell, ‘seditious’ journalist, dies
“U.S. journalist John W. Powell, whose 1950s articles alleging American use of germ warfare in Korea sparked sedition charges, has died at 89, his son says. […] U.S. prosecutors put Powell on trial in 1959 on a rare charge of sedition, after he authored articles for his Shanghai publication The China Monthly Review asserting that U.S. Military had employed germ warfare against North Korea, using methods they had allegedly learned from the defeated Japanese army. Powell wrote that a secret unit of the occupying Japanese army known as Unit 731 had carried out large-scale biological warfare attacks on Chinese soldiers and civilians during World War II, killing hundreds of thousands.” (United Press International; 17Dec08) http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/12/17/John_Powell_seditious_journalist_dies/UPI-89391229533936/
Protecting hospitals during disasters [training exercise in San Diego, California]
“Emergency training event brings hospital, public agencies shoulder to shoulder […] Historically in a disaster, as many as 80% of patients will take themselves directly to the hospital and bypass the prehospital provider system. The Golden Phoenix ‘08 exercise was specifically designed to test the operations, communications and security capabilities of multiple agencies and Scripps working together in an emergency on a major hospital campus. It served as a bellwether for future emergency and disaster-training efforts by breaking through old assumptions that hospitals are self-sufficient during disasters—somehow fortified against a public surge and the disruption to care this would cause.” (EMS Responder; 17Dec08; Chris Van Gorder)
http://www.emsresponder.com/publication/article.jsp?pubId=1&id=8685
Three new technologies now available for licensing from MSU [Montana State University]
“The first technology, a nucleic acid assay that distinguishes between living and dead cells, helps eliminate the false-positives caused by detecting non-viable cells. The method detects only the active-cell portion of a microbial sample, something current molecular methods cannot do. The new method works with established protocols and other nucleic acid-based diagnostics. It applies to a range of bacterial species, including gram-positive bacteria, and it requires no specialized expertise to perform. Possible applications include food and water safety monitoring, clinical diagnostics, bioterrorism assays, testing for sterility in pharmaceuticals and personal care products and further microbial research.” (MSU News; 18Dec08)
http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=6657
Military [Maj. Gen. Robert Lennox]: repeat of anthrax attacks harder today
“Tighter background checks and improved security would help prevent a repeat of the deadly 2001 anthrax attacks, Military officials said Thursday, while acknowledging there are no guarantees. […] ‘I can’t say for certain it could not happen today,’ army Maj. Gen. Robert Lennox, assistant deputy chief of staff for operations and training, told reporters. ‘But it would be much more difficult.’ He said there are more hurdles now before someone could remove a biological agent or toxin from a lab and seek to use it. Lennox said Military safety reviews in recent months endorsed many of the security changes already made, from improved cameras and lights to satellite surveillance. But other changes were deemed not workable or too expensive, including limits on scientists’ hours or a system that would prohibit workers from being alone with a toxin.” (Associated Press; 18Dec08; Lolita C. Baldor)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jiuMej-NB_uebx5yj1Ytq4PKIMWQD955EN3G1
A germ warfare guru [Yazid Sufaat] goes free
“A U.S.-trained Al Qaeda microbiologist has been released from jail by the Malaysian government, prompting alarm among American counterterrorism officials. ‘This individual is considered dangerous,’ said one official, referring to the recent decision to free Yazid Sufaat, a notorious Qaeda operative who once oversaw the group’s germ-warfare efforts. […] Malaysia privately informed the Bush administration that its legal authority to detain Sufaat had expired but promised Washington that he would be kept under close observation, the U.S. official indicated. But counterterror officials here expressed doubt that Sufaat has abandoned his radical Qaeda views or his desire to attack the United States with biological weapons. They also point out that Sufaat played an assisting role in planning the 9/11 attacks. He hosted two of the hijackers along with two other veteran Al Qaeda operatives at a terror ‘summit’ in Kuala Lumpur in January 2000.” (Newsweek; 17Dec08; Mark Hosenball & Michael Isikoff)
http://www.newsweek.com/id/175679
Non-scientist gets a top spot [at the Israel Institute for Biological Research in Nes Tziona] [Second section in an article titled, ‘Israel bites back at UN watchdog over alleged strike on Syria reactor’]
“For the first time in the history of the Israel Institute for Biological Research in Nes Tziona, the position of deputy director has been filled by a candidate with no background in science through what employees have called a ‘fixed tender.’ The institute recently issued an internal tender for the position of deputy and acting director. The head of human resources, Natan Rosenbaum, was the sole applicant for the position and was awarded the tender. […] The institute conducts medical, environmental and Military research and development for Israel’s Military establishment and for foreign clients, including the U.S. army. Most of the institute’s work is classified but according to foreign publications it develops chemical and biological weapons and means for defending against such weapons. It is under the administrative purview of the Prime Minister’s Office, but in effect it answers to the Defense Ministry. Most of its 300 employees have a background in the natural sciences.” (Haaretz; 18Dec08; Yossi Melman) http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1047640.html
Magic bug busting wand uses [ultra violet] light to fight virus spread
“Earlier in 2008 almost 200,000 people a week were being struck down with the norovirus. This week the winter vomiting virus was back, closing hospital wards and causing pre-Christmas misery to families. A new product called Purelight XD harnesses the anti-microbial properties of Ultra Violet -C light, used since the 1930’s to kill germs, in a portable and safe product that can destroy norovirus. […] Although invisible to the human eye, UV-C can kill most of the germs and viruses responsible for causing disease. For noroviruses, exposure for no more than twenty seconds to UV-C light will result in 99.9 percent sterilization. ‘Areas like doors and handles carry viruses about 40 percent of the time, and the bugs will survive in a room for a day or more after a sick person has left, waiting to be picked up by someone else,’ said Andy Felton, Director, PureLightUK.” (Response Source; 17Dec08) http://www.responsesource.com/releases/rel_display.php?relid=44232&hilite=
Bioterrorism - a preventable catastrophe [Editorial]
“In May 2002, I visited Pokrov, a largely abandoned Soviet-era agricultural research center east of Moscow. Originally established to produce vaccines for animals, Pokrov became a laboratory for biological weapons, especially anthrax, in the final years of the Cold War. […] The security alarm to the main entrance had been turned off and the door was ajar. Up two flights of steel-grate stairs were the storage rooms, two tennis court-sized rooms filled with commercial refrigerators. Several refrigerators had two common features: note cards listing the materials inside, and flimsy strings encircling them. Our hosts explained that a broken string would indicate that someone had possibly opened the refrigerator and stolen the materials inside.” (Boston Globe; 18Dec08; Bob Graham)
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/12/18/bioterrorism___a_preventable_catastrophe/
army finishes neutralizing sarin containers
“The army says it has completed the process of neutralizing sarin found inside three deteriorating containers at Blue Grass army Depot in Richmond. Although the liquid nerve agent has been drained, a news release sent Thursday says the containers themselves and the wastewater that came from the drainage still must be destroyed and trucked to a site in Texas.” (army Times; 18Dec08; Source: AP)
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/12/ap_chemicalweapons_121808/
Texas man who tried to sell cyanide gets 70 months
“Federal officials say a Texas Panhandle man who tried to sell a 25-gallon drum of cyanide to an FBI informant will serve nearly six years in prison. […] An FBI affidavit showed agents taped conversations with an informant in which Detrixhe offered to sell 62 pounds of cyanide earlier this year for $10,000, a thermal imager and an assault rifle.” (Associated Press; 18Dec08)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jmLCToNQSZtMxpj3BtomVICLRVMAD954N03O1
NY man enters plea in food poison video case
“Anton Dunn appeared in federal court in Manhattan on Thursday and pleaded guilty to a single charge of transmitting threats in interstate commerce. He could face up to five years in prison at his sentencing, which is set for March 20. Dunn was arrested earlier this year after Gerber Products Co. received complaints from consumers who wanted to know if Dunn’s threats were true. Prosecutors said Dunn claimed in a hoax that he had poisoned millions of bottles of baby food, some with cyanide or rat poison.” (Newsday; 18Dec08) http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--babyfoodhoax1218dec18,0,4126727.story
Public safety: inmate sentenced in cyanide threat
“Hugh L. Riley, Jr., 35, an inmate at the Jefferson City Correctional Center, pleaded guilty in June to writing a letter saying he would poison food at the Wal-Mart near Bannister Road if the company did not give him $200,000. Riley couldn’t have picked up the money. He was confined to a cell for 23 hours a day, serving a sentence for assault and armed criminal action.” (Kansas City Star; 17Dec08) http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/942103.html
Seized uranium in ‘special room’
“Experts have kept uranium seized by the police in a special room after initial tests showed it was highly radioactive. It has been placed in a one-metre-thick concrete wall room at the National Radiation Protective Board. Deputy head of the board Arthur Koteng said final results would be ready on Friday. […] The uranium, smuggled from the Democratic Republic of Congo, was seized by Flying Squad officers. Uranium is used in the production of atomic bombs. Besides being used as nuclear fuel, its compound - uranium hexafluoride - is used to strengthen armour. Uganda Bwambale Nason Ndyambo and Congolese David Juma Osoma have been charged with being in possession of uranium. […] The substance is packed in a 20-centimetre-high metal cylinder that weighs about nine kilogrammes. […]police have since found out that the uranium was bought from DRC in October for Sh3.9 million, which was paid in two installments. The suspects had hoped to sell it in Nairobi for $1.2 million (Sh100 million).” (Daily Nation, Kenya; 17Dec08; Fred Mukinda) http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/503650/-/u0mhoi/-/index.html
Radioactive bomb-detection system installed in Haifa port
“A unique device designed to detect radioactive material has been installed in the Haifa port, Channel 2 news reported Thursday. The device will scan all the containers that enter Haifa via the port, some 1.5 million containers per year, in search of radiation, according to the report. […] The Haifa facility is part of a project that spans the globe, with American satellites monitoring suspicious vessels and containers holding delicate materials. […] A radioactive bomb detection system is also in the works for Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport.” (Haaretz; 18Dec08)
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1047985.html
NNSA [Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration], DTRA [Defense Threat Reduction Agency] partner on nuclear research
“A deal was signed by two U.S. government agencies Wednesday to conduct new research on the effects of a dirty-bomb explosion in the United States. The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration and the Defense Department’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency have agreed to partner on a nuclear research project addressing ongoing security challenges in the United States, the NNSA reported. Officials say chief among the research objectives between the NNSA and the DTRA is to study the likely fallout if a terrorist detonated a nuclear device in the United States.” (Middle East Times; 18Dec08; Source: United Press International) http://www.metimes.com/Security/2008/12/18/nnsa_dtra_partner_on_nuclear_research/2039/
On disaster planning, Indiana ranks near top
“The report was released last week by a non-profit organization and a health care foundation. Indiana scored 9 out of 10 in the report titled ‘Ready or Not?’ that was put together by the non-partisan Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The average score among all states, graded by 10 criteria chosen by researchers, was 7 out of 10. […] Only five states scored a perfect 10 in the report. Indiana was one of seven, including northern neighbor Michigan, to score a 9. Indiana, like 25 other states, lost a point for not having an intrastate courier system operating 24 hours for specimen pickup and delivery. Serena Vinter, senior research associate for Trust for America’s Health and the lead author of the study, said having such a courier system is important for timeliness.” (Fort Wayne Journal Gazette; 18Dec08; Jeff Wiehe)
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081218/LOCAL/812180312/1043/LOCAL07
State hazmat grants under scrutiny
“‘Gross mismanagement and waste’ undermine a Department of Transportation grant program that gives states millions of dollars to improve responses to hazardous materials spills, according to a senior official’s request for an inspector general’s investigation. The request raises concerns about insufficient oversight of the Hazardous Materials and Emergency Preparedness (HMEP) grants program, which is set to double its spending this year after disbursing more than $175 million since 1993 to help states and communities prepare and implement emergency response plans. An internal memo seeking the investigation, obtained by USA TODAY, says the program fails to follow guidelines for how grants are to be awarded and used.” (USA Today; 18Dec08; Peter Eisler) http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-12-18-hazmatgrants_N.htm
Anthrax threat evacuates courthouse [Paradise, California]
“A letter sent to the Butte County Courthouse in Paradise with a white powder in it suspected to be anthrax was examined and determined to be a harmless food product - possibly rice, wheat, flour or starch. Butte Interagency Hazardous Materials Team leader and Battalion Chief Mike Brown said the material was a 93 to 94 percent match to a food-based product like bread crumbs but also an 80 percent match to Metamucil. ‘It’s a good match - could be corn starch,’ Brown told the five women who had possibly come into contact with the substance. […] Two hazmat specialists in full firefighter gear and oxygen masks entered the courthouse at Elliot Road and Skyway and retrieved the letter and envelope in question. They also retrieved some wipes from the quarantined courthouse that a clerk used to clean up the powder that fell from the envelope when she opened it.” (Paradise Post; 18Dec08; Paul Wellersdick)
http://www.paradisepost.com/ci_11258477
Test results of powder found at capital negative [Juneau, Alaska]
“Initial tests performed on the white powder discovered Dec. 9 in a state office building were negative for a variety of biological and toxic substances, according to the Department of Heath and Social Services. The sample of the unidentified white power was tested for anthrax, plague, smallpox and other biological and toxic agents at the Department of Health and Social Service’s public health laboratory in Anchorage. All tests performed by the end of Wednesday evening were negative.” (Capital City Weekly; 17Dec08) http://www.capitalcityweekly.com/stories/121708/new_368667982.shtml
Garda [Irish police force] station in anthrax alert
“The army was called into Mountjoy Garda Station after an envelope containing the powder was brought to the station by two women. One of them brought the package to the gardai after reading a note accompanying it, which warned that anyone coming in contact with it would be ‘dead within hours.’ […] Gardai alerted the army and the station was evacuated at around 3pm yesterday. People who had come in contact with the material were traced as army experts checked the powder on site. They established last night that it was not anthrax.” (Herald, Ireland; 18Dec08) http://www.herald.ie/national-news/city-news/garda-station-in-anthrax-alert-1579317.html
Spain: Suspicious envelope at U.S. embassy a hoax
“The U.S. Embassy said it received a suspicious envelope Wednesday but Spanish police said they believed it was a hoax. U.S. Embassy spokesman William Ostick said the letter resembled others sent Tuesday to other U.S. embassies in Europe, several of which turned out to contain flour. He said the letter had been placed in the embassy’s isolated mail room and that six people who had come into contact with it had been checked and cleared. […] Spain’s National police sent in explosive and chemical experts to check the envelope, but a police official later said officials think the substance is harmless.” (Associated Press; 18Dec08; Ciaran Giles) http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hcJiC4fmi1LwmY-p5M8UMl3FDW3AD954I8KG0
U.S. embassies in Prague [Czech Republic], Tokyo [Japan] get white powder mail
“The U.S. embassies in Prague and Tokyo received envelopes with white powder that is being tested for toxins, the U.S. State Department said on Thursday, one day after it disclosed receiving similar letters at 16 missions in Europe that were later found to be harmless. […] He declined comment on who may have sent the letters, noting a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe was underway. U.S. authorities have been on alert for such letters since 2001, when envelopes laced with anthrax were sent to media outlets and to U.S. lawmakers, killing five people.” (Reuters; 18Dec08; Arshad Mohammed)
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsMaps/idUSTRE4BH6CR20081218
CNS ChemBio-WMD Terrorism News is prepared by the Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Program of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in order to bring timely and focused information to researchers and policymakers interested in the fields of chemical, biological, and radiological weapons nonproliferation and WMD Terrorism.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Face of Defense: Refugee Survives War, Becomes U.S. Soldier
By Army Sgt. David Hodge
Special to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 17, 2008 - A former war refugee traveled across countries and continents in search of a better life -- a remarkable journey that ended in the United States when he became a U.S. citizen and a soldier. Army Spc. Samuel Ladu, 20, a translator with the 4th Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team, grew up in Sudan during the country's second civil war, and vividly remembers his life during that time.
"It was miserable because of the war," Ladu said. "We were living to survive. From day to day, if we woke up in the morning, we thanked God."
Ladu called a small farming community on the fringes of Juba, Sudan, his home for about 20 years. Ladu and his family were surrounded by two fighting factions.
"In the city, there were bombings every day," Ladu said.
Ladu's father died when he was 6. Soon after, his older brother, Charles, developed glaucoma. Two unsuccessful surgeries by underqualified doctors left Charles blind for life, Ladu said.
This left Ladu and his mother to care for Charles in a war-torn area with scarce food and money. His opportunity to leave Sudan came shortly after receiving a blessing from his mother to move away and search for a better life.
Ladu led Charles and his cousin to neighboring Ethiopia in search of treatments and an education. He continued his high school education there while living on rations of beans and corn provided by shelters and refugee camps. Surviving in Ethiopia became more difficult as time passed.
"While I was in Ethiopia, I considered going back to Sudan," he explained. "I couldn't go through with it, though. In Ethiopia, I didn't talk to anyone, and I didn't have any food to eat, so life became so difficult."
At one point, he said, he realized anything could happen to him and his family while at the camp, so he took a chance and went to Kenya with a small amount of money.
"When I went to Kenya, I assumed a refugee status at a camp on the Kenya and Somalia border," Ladu said.
Disease and famine plagued the camp. Ladu said he believes he was lucky to have stayed only four months before his processing became complete, and he boarded an aircraft to the United States.
"Some people stay for years in the camps, and even die there waiting to get out," he said.
Arriving in New York in 1994, Ladu immediately became eligible for work and other benefits, and he moved across the country to San Diego. He struggled to find steady work there, often spending up to 80 percent of his wages toward rent.
While he was working at a convenience store as a cashier, armed criminals robbed Ladu at gunpoint on three separate occasions. The local police caught the criminals each time. His employer offered him an additional $4 an hour to remain with the store, but he decided against the raise.
"I decided I had better move on before I ended up getting hurt," Ladu said.
He moved to Rochester, Minn., in 1996, where he attended welding school and worked as a welder at a factory. He eventually flew his girlfriend and brother to the United States to live with him.
Ladu said that since he was a child, he often envisioned becoming a soldier to serve his country. In fact, he attempted to join the Army three times, but was not proficient enough in the English language.
In March 2007, he received his chance when he enlisted in the Army Reserve and attended advanced individual training at Fort Jackson, S.C., to become a translator.
"When I look at my life, I see that the U.S. has done a lot for me," Ladu said. "They brought me from Africa and gave me many opportunities. I asked myself what I could do to pay the government back, so I decided to join the Army."
Upon completion of AIT, he immediately deployed to Iraq and arrived here in early August. Shortly after his arrival, he bumped into Bol Madut, a linguist with 4th Infantry Division's Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 1st Brigade Combat Team. The two immediately recognized each other from middle school in Sudan.
Madut said he heard that a person from Sudan was coming to work, and he was surprised to find out it was his childhood friend.
"In Sudan, Ladu was a very religious man," Madut said. "He carried a Bible around with him all the time, trying to spread the word of Christianity. When I saw him in Iraq, I asked him where his Bible was."
Ladu currently translates for Army Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Bobb, the senior enlisted leader for the 1st BCT. His duties include providing assessments on culture, politics and significant information released by the Iraqi media before each patrol.
"Ladu is very informative, and he isn't from Iraq, so we know his assessment is impartial to the different religious groups," said Army Spc. Sam Krasnican, an infantryman from Bloomington, Ill., assigned to the personnel security detachment. "He is a major asset to the Army and the unit."
Following his deployment, Ladu said, he plans to spend time with his wife, six children and his brother, Charles, who went on to earn bachelor's degrees in international relations and political science.
He also plans to fly his ill mother to the United States for treatment.
"When I was younger, I would point out airplanes flying in the sky and tell my mother that someday she will be sitting next to me flying to the U.S.," Ladu said.
(Army Sgt. David Hodge serves in the 4th Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team public affairs office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 17, 2008 - A former war refugee traveled across countries and continents in search of a better life -- a remarkable journey that ended in the United States when he became a U.S. citizen and a soldier. Army Spc. Samuel Ladu, 20, a translator with the 4th Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team, grew up in Sudan during the country's second civil war, and vividly remembers his life during that time.
"It was miserable because of the war," Ladu said. "We were living to survive. From day to day, if we woke up in the morning, we thanked God."
Ladu called a small farming community on the fringes of Juba, Sudan, his home for about 20 years. Ladu and his family were surrounded by two fighting factions.
"In the city, there were bombings every day," Ladu said.
Ladu's father died when he was 6. Soon after, his older brother, Charles, developed glaucoma. Two unsuccessful surgeries by underqualified doctors left Charles blind for life, Ladu said.
This left Ladu and his mother to care for Charles in a war-torn area with scarce food and money. His opportunity to leave Sudan came shortly after receiving a blessing from his mother to move away and search for a better life.
Ladu led Charles and his cousin to neighboring Ethiopia in search of treatments and an education. He continued his high school education there while living on rations of beans and corn provided by shelters and refugee camps. Surviving in Ethiopia became more difficult as time passed.
"While I was in Ethiopia, I considered going back to Sudan," he explained. "I couldn't go through with it, though. In Ethiopia, I didn't talk to anyone, and I didn't have any food to eat, so life became so difficult."
At one point, he said, he realized anything could happen to him and his family while at the camp, so he took a chance and went to Kenya with a small amount of money.
"When I went to Kenya, I assumed a refugee status at a camp on the Kenya and Somalia border," Ladu said.
Disease and famine plagued the camp. Ladu said he believes he was lucky to have stayed only four months before his processing became complete, and he boarded an aircraft to the United States.
"Some people stay for years in the camps, and even die there waiting to get out," he said.
Arriving in New York in 1994, Ladu immediately became eligible for work and other benefits, and he moved across the country to San Diego. He struggled to find steady work there, often spending up to 80 percent of his wages toward rent.
While he was working at a convenience store as a cashier, armed criminals robbed Ladu at gunpoint on three separate occasions. The local police caught the criminals each time. His employer offered him an additional $4 an hour to remain with the store, but he decided against the raise.
"I decided I had better move on before I ended up getting hurt," Ladu said.
He moved to Rochester, Minn., in 1996, where he attended welding school and worked as a welder at a factory. He eventually flew his girlfriend and brother to the United States to live with him.
Ladu said that since he was a child, he often envisioned becoming a soldier to serve his country. In fact, he attempted to join the Army three times, but was not proficient enough in the English language.
In March 2007, he received his chance when he enlisted in the Army Reserve and attended advanced individual training at Fort Jackson, S.C., to become a translator.
"When I look at my life, I see that the U.S. has done a lot for me," Ladu said. "They brought me from Africa and gave me many opportunities. I asked myself what I could do to pay the government back, so I decided to join the Army."
Upon completion of AIT, he immediately deployed to Iraq and arrived here in early August. Shortly after his arrival, he bumped into Bol Madut, a linguist with 4th Infantry Division's Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 1st Brigade Combat Team. The two immediately recognized each other from middle school in Sudan.
Madut said he heard that a person from Sudan was coming to work, and he was surprised to find out it was his childhood friend.
"In Sudan, Ladu was a very religious man," Madut said. "He carried a Bible around with him all the time, trying to spread the word of Christianity. When I saw him in Iraq, I asked him where his Bible was."
Ladu currently translates for Army Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Bobb, the senior enlisted leader for the 1st BCT. His duties include providing assessments on culture, politics and significant information released by the Iraqi media before each patrol.
"Ladu is very informative, and he isn't from Iraq, so we know his assessment is impartial to the different religious groups," said Army Spc. Sam Krasnican, an infantryman from Bloomington, Ill., assigned to the personnel security detachment. "He is a major asset to the Army and the unit."
Following his deployment, Ladu said, he plans to spend time with his wife, six children and his brother, Charles, who went on to earn bachelor's degrees in international relations and political science.
He also plans to fly his ill mother to the United States for treatment.
"When I was younger, I would point out airplanes flying in the sky and tell my mother that someday she will be sitting next to me flying to the U.S.," Ladu said.
(Army Sgt. David Hodge serves in the 4th Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team public affairs office.)
Friday, December 05, 2008
U.S. Army Medals Recognize Afghan Soldiers' Improvement
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 5, 2008 - A battalion, or "kandak," of Afghan soldiers celebrated a milestone Dec. 4 when the U.S. Army decorated them for their military achievements. U.S. Army Maj. Brian Gary, an embedded training team leader, presented medals to more than 30 soldiers with the Afghan National Army's 1st Kandak, 2nd Brigade, 207th Corps, during a ceremony held at Camp Zafar in Afghanistan's western province of Herat.
The Army Commendation Medal was awarded to nine members of the unit, including the kandak's commander, Lt. Col. Raheem Khan of Khowst province. Khan has commanded the unit for the past 11 months and has seen many improvements during his tenure.
The ceremony was the first of its kind at the 207th Corps, and officials said it helped to recognize the outstanding performance of unit members and increased pride and motivation within the ranks.
"The reasons we are decorating these soldiers are the same reasons we recognize U.S. soldiers: to build up their confidence [and] show them they achieved something," Gary said. "This kandak is above and beyond their sister kandaks in this corps. They are the youngest kandak; they haven't even been on the ground for a full year. They are the best, in my opinion."
Khan said the U.S. Army awards will be a morale booster to encourage the troops to continue to work hard.
"With the cooperation of the ETTs and the corps, we stood up this kandak on its feet and they are doing well in many areas," Khan said. "Receiving these awards has a lot of value. The guys have been working really hard. Based on their performance, they are getting those certificates. This will encourage them to do better, and better in the future."
The unit has 627 members, with 250 deployed to operations in the southern region of western Afghanistan. They have performed two operations and provided security for Herat and voter registration throughout the region.
"Compared to the other kandaks in the corps, our kandak has a very high morale," said Sgt. Mahmood Mohammadi, fuel tanker driver from Baghalan. He has been in the Army for 18 months and with the unit since its inception.
"I was on a mission in Bala Murghab when we got ambushed by the Taliban," he said. "My truck was shot, but we didn't lose our morale."
(From a NATO International Security Assistance Force news release.)
Dec. 5, 2008 - A battalion, or "kandak," of Afghan soldiers celebrated a milestone Dec. 4 when the U.S. Army decorated them for their military achievements. U.S. Army Maj. Brian Gary, an embedded training team leader, presented medals to more than 30 soldiers with the Afghan National Army's 1st Kandak, 2nd Brigade, 207th Corps, during a ceremony held at Camp Zafar in Afghanistan's western province of Herat.
The Army Commendation Medal was awarded to nine members of the unit, including the kandak's commander, Lt. Col. Raheem Khan of Khowst province. Khan has commanded the unit for the past 11 months and has seen many improvements during his tenure.
The ceremony was the first of its kind at the 207th Corps, and officials said it helped to recognize the outstanding performance of unit members and increased pride and motivation within the ranks.
"The reasons we are decorating these soldiers are the same reasons we recognize U.S. soldiers: to build up their confidence [and] show them they achieved something," Gary said. "This kandak is above and beyond their sister kandaks in this corps. They are the youngest kandak; they haven't even been on the ground for a full year. They are the best, in my opinion."
Khan said the U.S. Army awards will be a morale booster to encourage the troops to continue to work hard.
"With the cooperation of the ETTs and the corps, we stood up this kandak on its feet and they are doing well in many areas," Khan said. "Receiving these awards has a lot of value. The guys have been working really hard. Based on their performance, they are getting those certificates. This will encourage them to do better, and better in the future."
The unit has 627 members, with 250 deployed to operations in the southern region of western Afghanistan. They have performed two operations and provided security for Herat and voter registration throughout the region.
"Compared to the other kandaks in the corps, our kandak has a very high morale," said Sgt. Mahmood Mohammadi, fuel tanker driver from Baghalan. He has been in the Army for 18 months and with the unit since its inception.
"I was on a mission in Bala Murghab when we got ambushed by the Taliban," he said. "My truck was shot, but we didn't lose our morale."
(From a NATO International Security Assistance Force news release.)
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Project Advances Women's Progress in Afghanistan
By Army 1st Lt. Lory Stevens
Special to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 2, 2008 - More than two years of work on the part of a cultural leader in Afghanistan's Panjshir province is coming to fruition with the completion of a chicken coop. The project in the province's Anaba district was one of the main topics when the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team's new women's affairs team met with Brishna Yaftali, director of the Marwa Cultural Development Organization, to discuss ways to improve the lives of Afghan women.
When the Panjshir PRT provided funding two months ago, Yaftali was able to take chicken coops to villages in the district. She brought in female teachers to train 150 families, and she has regularly checked in on the progress herself.
Yaftali said she has been working for more than two years to get the chicken coop project funded and accepted by the local villages of Anaba. She said it was difficult to gain the support of villagers, and that the original attempts were turned down because they were led by men. Yaftali said she revisited the villages numerous times, promoting the project and hitting new hurdles with each encounter.
"Out of respect, I would wear a burqa and try to show the people that being an educated female won't hurt your women or children, but help the family," she said.
The chicken coops are made from concrete, brick, wood and chicken wire, and are strategically placed in individual compounds. Each family received 13 hens and two roosters, as well as instructions on how to care for them.
"Families keep half of the eggs and sell the rest," Army Spc. Amanda Cutler, a member of the women's affairs team, explained.
Yaftali said she hopes this is just the beginning of women's projects in Panjshir and throughout Afghanistan. In the spring, the U.S. Agency for International Development plans to fund additional chicken coop projects for Panjshir in the districts of Khenj, Dara and Paryan.
(Army 1st Lt. Lory Stevens serves in the Task Force Warrior Public Affairs Office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 2, 2008 - More than two years of work on the part of a cultural leader in Afghanistan's Panjshir province is coming to fruition with the completion of a chicken coop. The project in the province's Anaba district was one of the main topics when the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team's new women's affairs team met with Brishna Yaftali, director of the Marwa Cultural Development Organization, to discuss ways to improve the lives of Afghan women.
When the Panjshir PRT provided funding two months ago, Yaftali was able to take chicken coops to villages in the district. She brought in female teachers to train 150 families, and she has regularly checked in on the progress herself.
Yaftali said she has been working for more than two years to get the chicken coop project funded and accepted by the local villages of Anaba. She said it was difficult to gain the support of villagers, and that the original attempts were turned down because they were led by men. Yaftali said she revisited the villages numerous times, promoting the project and hitting new hurdles with each encounter.
"Out of respect, I would wear a burqa and try to show the people that being an educated female won't hurt your women or children, but help the family," she said.
The chicken coops are made from concrete, brick, wood and chicken wire, and are strategically placed in individual compounds. Each family received 13 hens and two roosters, as well as instructions on how to care for them.
"Families keep half of the eggs and sell the rest," Army Spc. Amanda Cutler, a member of the women's affairs team, explained.
Yaftali said she hopes this is just the beginning of women's projects in Panjshir and throughout Afghanistan. In the spring, the U.S. Agency for International Development plans to fund additional chicken coop projects for Panjshir in the districts of Khenj, Dara and Paryan.
(Army 1st Lt. Lory Stevens serves in the Task Force Warrior Public Affairs Office.)
Monday, December 01, 2008
Colonel Notes Absence of Tensions as Iraqi Elections Near
By Army Staff Sgt. Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 1, 2008 - Coalition forces officials in Iraq's Babil and Karbala provinces have not seen tensions rise among political groups vying for power as elections approach next month, a senior U.S. military officer posted in Iraq said today. "What I'm seeing right now is a very positive situation in both provinces, and anticipation of those elections," Army Col. Tom James, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team, said from Iraq during a video news conference with Pentagon reporters. "I have not seen any clear activity or any jockeying in some form of extremist-type activity related to the elections at this point."
Iraq's provincial elections scheduled Jan. 31 are the first in a series of elections scheduled for the legislature throughout the year. The election season's security plans in the area were established and will be maintained by local army and police forces, with coalition forces in reserve, James said.
"The Iraqi security forces established a great plan in securing the registration sites in preparation for the voting and in the elections that are upcoming," he said. "That was an extremely successful security mission for them. So we're seeing that as working, and a very positive thing."
U.S. officials in central Iraq are confident in the Iraqi forces' ability to secure the elections, as the region has expressed a great deal of anticipation, Howard Van Vranken, leader of the embedded provincial reconstruction team there, told reporters.
"We expect that [the elections] will be conducted in a way that's perceived to be free and fair and transparent to the population," Van Vranken said. "Our contacts locally tell us that the perception of fairness is almost as important as the outcome and the results of the elections."
Although precautions are being taken throughout the country, forces in Babil and Karbala are encouraged by the resolve of the local populace to engage and be active in the political process, he said.
"I think it's going to be what I would call a vigorous campaign," he said. "It's an extremely encouraging sign that [the Iraqis] recognize the credibility of the elections and understand the importance of engaging in it."
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 1, 2008 - Coalition forces officials in Iraq's Babil and Karbala provinces have not seen tensions rise among political groups vying for power as elections approach next month, a senior U.S. military officer posted in Iraq said today. "What I'm seeing right now is a very positive situation in both provinces, and anticipation of those elections," Army Col. Tom James, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team, said from Iraq during a video news conference with Pentagon reporters. "I have not seen any clear activity or any jockeying in some form of extremist-type activity related to the elections at this point."
Iraq's provincial elections scheduled Jan. 31 are the first in a series of elections scheduled for the legislature throughout the year. The election season's security plans in the area were established and will be maintained by local army and police forces, with coalition forces in reserve, James said.
"The Iraqi security forces established a great plan in securing the registration sites in preparation for the voting and in the elections that are upcoming," he said. "That was an extremely successful security mission for them. So we're seeing that as working, and a very positive thing."
U.S. officials in central Iraq are confident in the Iraqi forces' ability to secure the elections, as the region has expressed a great deal of anticipation, Howard Van Vranken, leader of the embedded provincial reconstruction team there, told reporters.
"We expect that [the elections] will be conducted in a way that's perceived to be free and fair and transparent to the population," Van Vranken said. "Our contacts locally tell us that the perception of fairness is almost as important as the outcome and the results of the elections."
Although precautions are being taken throughout the country, forces in Babil and Karbala are encouraged by the resolve of the local populace to engage and be active in the political process, he said.
"I think it's going to be what I would call a vigorous campaign," he said. "It's an extremely encouraging sign that [the Iraqis] recognize the credibility of the elections and understand the importance of engaging in it."
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Iraqis, Coalition Kill al-Qaida in Iraq Leaders
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 20, 2008 - Iraqi and coalition forces have struck a severe blow against al-Qaida in Iraq, a senior coalition spokesman said in Baghdad today. Army Brig. Gen. David Perkins, a spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq, said one al-Qaida leader killed was responsible for the abduction and murder of Army Staff Sgt. Keith "Matt" Maupin in June 2004.
The blows against al-Qaida will have significant effects on the terrorist network, he said.
"In the last two months, coalition and Iraqi forces have detained 136 people who played key roles in al-Qaida in Iraq, along with taking part in the network structures throughout Iraq and having links to other places throughout the world," Perkins said during a news conference.
Coalition and Iraqi forces combined to kill Haji Hammadi, one of the founders of al-Qaida in Iraq, who was the terror organization's leader in Karmah and Abu Ghraib, an area west of Baghdad. "Hammadi was responsible for planning and conducting attacks against coalition forces, Iraqi forces, government officials and Iraqi citizens," Perkins said.
The terror leader most recently was responsible for a June 26 attack in Karmah. Hammadi escorted a suicide bomber disguised as an Iraqi police officer to the attack location and then videotaped the attack, Perkins said. The attack killed 20 Iraqis, including the mayor of Karmah and several sheiks. The attack also killed U.S. Marines.
Hammadi also was responsible for the abduction and murder of Maupin in 2004, Perkins said. Maupin, an Army reservist with the 724th Transportation Company, was kidnapped April 9, 2004. His status was missing/captured until March 28 of this year, when officials at Dover Air Force Base, Del., identified remains as his.
"The removal of a cold-blooded killer of innocent Iraqis and coalition personnel will further degrade the ability of al-Qaida to carry out these attacks," Perkins said.
The killing of another al-Qaida leader shows the growth of cooperation among coalition forces, the Iraqi military and the "Sons of Iraq" citizen security groups, said Army Col. Todd McCaffrey, commander of the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. A Sons of Iraq tip to the Iraqi army led to the death of Abu Ghazwan, a senior al-Qaida leader in the northern belt of Baghdad.
McCaffrey, who also spoke during the news conference, said the operation strengthened ties between the Sons of Iraq and the Iraqi security forces. Ghazwan was the leader of the terror organization in Baghdad's northern belt, and he was killed in the village of Tarmiyah, where he had operated for the last two years.
"The Sons of Iraq actually killed Abu Ghazwan and brought his body back for identification," McCaffrey said. "This renewed confidence on the part of the Sons of Iraq and the Iraqi Army. We're very positive about the cooperation between the two groups, and look forward to more in the future."
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 20, 2008 - Iraqi and coalition forces have struck a severe blow against al-Qaida in Iraq, a senior coalition spokesman said in Baghdad today. Army Brig. Gen. David Perkins, a spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq, said one al-Qaida leader killed was responsible for the abduction and murder of Army Staff Sgt. Keith "Matt" Maupin in June 2004.
The blows against al-Qaida will have significant effects on the terrorist network, he said.
"In the last two months, coalition and Iraqi forces have detained 136 people who played key roles in al-Qaida in Iraq, along with taking part in the network structures throughout Iraq and having links to other places throughout the world," Perkins said during a news conference.
Coalition and Iraqi forces combined to kill Haji Hammadi, one of the founders of al-Qaida in Iraq, who was the terror organization's leader in Karmah and Abu Ghraib, an area west of Baghdad. "Hammadi was responsible for planning and conducting attacks against coalition forces, Iraqi forces, government officials and Iraqi citizens," Perkins said.
The terror leader most recently was responsible for a June 26 attack in Karmah. Hammadi escorted a suicide bomber disguised as an Iraqi police officer to the attack location and then videotaped the attack, Perkins said. The attack killed 20 Iraqis, including the mayor of Karmah and several sheiks. The attack also killed U.S. Marines.
Hammadi also was responsible for the abduction and murder of Maupin in 2004, Perkins said. Maupin, an Army reservist with the 724th Transportation Company, was kidnapped April 9, 2004. His status was missing/captured until March 28 of this year, when officials at Dover Air Force Base, Del., identified remains as his.
"The removal of a cold-blooded killer of innocent Iraqis and coalition personnel will further degrade the ability of al-Qaida to carry out these attacks," Perkins said.
The killing of another al-Qaida leader shows the growth of cooperation among coalition forces, the Iraqi military and the "Sons of Iraq" citizen security groups, said Army Col. Todd McCaffrey, commander of the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. A Sons of Iraq tip to the Iraqi army led to the death of Abu Ghazwan, a senior al-Qaida leader in the northern belt of Baghdad.
McCaffrey, who also spoke during the news conference, said the operation strengthened ties between the Sons of Iraq and the Iraqi security forces. Ghazwan was the leader of the terror organization in Baghdad's northern belt, and he was killed in the village of Tarmiyah, where he had operated for the last two years.
"The Sons of Iraq actually killed Abu Ghazwan and brought his body back for identification," McCaffrey said. "This renewed confidence on the part of the Sons of Iraq and the Iraqi Army. We're very positive about the cooperation between the two groups, and look forward to more in the future."
Monday, November 10, 2008
Coalition Dismantles Bomb Networks in Iraq, Captures 11
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 10, 2008 - Coalition forces in Iraq today captured 11 suspects in operations aimed at dismantling Baghdad's car-bomb networks, military officials reported. Troops captured a man early this morning in Baghdad's Karkh neighborhood who was wanted as a suspect in an Oct. 12 car-bomb attack that killed five civilians and wounded 12 others in the Rasheed area of the city, officials said. They detained seven additional suspects during a search of the home where the man was found.
During a separate operation in Baghdad's Mansour neighborhood, coalition forces captured another man wanted in connection with the city's al-Qaida in Iraq car-bomb network. Reports suggest the man has connections to an alleged car-bomb leader who was captured Nov. 8, officials said. Two additional suspects were detained during the operation.
In other news from Iraq:
-- Troops captured a wanted man today in Mahmudiyah, about 15 miles south of Baghdad, who is a suspect in terrorist operations there.
-- Coalition forces captured a wanted man in the Mosul area yesterday who is believed to be an al-Qaida in Iraq leader and weapons smuggler.
-- In Tuz Khurmatu, about 45 miles southeast of Kirkuk, an operation targeting al-Qaida in Iraq regional leadership netted one suspect.
-- Iraqi and coalition forces disposed of a weapons cache yesterday in Baghdad's Mansour area that included an homemade bomb consisting of a black can with 10 pounds of explosives, two AK-47 assault rifles, a rocket-propelled grenade, a rifle, seven 82 mm high-explosive mortars and an 82 mm white-phosphorous mortar.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Nov. 10, 2008 - Coalition forces in Iraq today captured 11 suspects in operations aimed at dismantling Baghdad's car-bomb networks, military officials reported. Troops captured a man early this morning in Baghdad's Karkh neighborhood who was wanted as a suspect in an Oct. 12 car-bomb attack that killed five civilians and wounded 12 others in the Rasheed area of the city, officials said. They detained seven additional suspects during a search of the home where the man was found.
During a separate operation in Baghdad's Mansour neighborhood, coalition forces captured another man wanted in connection with the city's al-Qaida in Iraq car-bomb network. Reports suggest the man has connections to an alleged car-bomb leader who was captured Nov. 8, officials said. Two additional suspects were detained during the operation.
In other news from Iraq:
-- Troops captured a wanted man today in Mahmudiyah, about 15 miles south of Baghdad, who is a suspect in terrorist operations there.
-- Coalition forces captured a wanted man in the Mosul area yesterday who is believed to be an al-Qaida in Iraq leader and weapons smuggler.
-- In Tuz Khurmatu, about 45 miles southeast of Kirkuk, an operation targeting al-Qaida in Iraq regional leadership netted one suspect.
-- Iraqi and coalition forces disposed of a weapons cache yesterday in Baghdad's Mansour area that included an homemade bomb consisting of a black can with 10 pounds of explosives, two AK-47 assault rifles, a rocket-propelled grenade, a rifle, seven 82 mm high-explosive mortars and an 82 mm white-phosphorous mortar.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Residents See 'Light at End of Tunnel' in Iraqi City
By Ken Griffin
Special to American Forces Press Service
Nov. 10, 2008 - Only a year ago, reliable electricity in Sab al Bour, Iraq, was just a dream. The city, just north of Baghdad along the Grand Canal, was practically deserted, with only diehard residents and pockets of insurgents sticking around in the dark. As of Nov. 8, residents in this small agricultural city are literally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, according to Sheik Nadeem Hatem al-Tamimi, an influential leader in the area. Outside the city's new electrical substation, the sheik spoke, both literally and metaphorically, about the town's emergence from darkness.
"We had evil forces trying to kill Iraqis, ... and they destroyed all essential services," he said, describing insurgent attempts to control the city and population. "Today, we are calling for unity between all people of Iraq."
The top coalition forces leader in the Taji area said he believes peace and stability start with electricity, and he was at the event to congratulate Sab al Bour on its achievement.
"Reliable and sustainable access to power allows businesses to flourish, water to crops, schools to educate our children and light on the dark nights of the Iraqi winter" said Army Col. Todd McCaffrey, commander of the 25th Infantry Division's 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. "Sab al Bour is now postured to accept the return of its rightful residents."
The rightful residents McCaffrey referred to are the large portion of Sab al Bour's citizens who fled due to violence and lack of essential services. The internally displaced people now are returning at a rate of up to 50 families per week.
If the substation opening meant only more electricity, it would be meaningful enough. But the impact of this substation doesn't stop with keeping the lights on. It will have a direct and immediate positive effect on other essential services in the area.
First, there'll be more drinkable water. Purification stations rely on electricity to produce potable water.
Even more significantly, irrigation pumps in the area will work harder and longer. Soon, passing helicopters will notice large swaths of farmland turn from a dirty brown to a lush green, all thanks to the substation, said Army Capt. Mark Gillman, the brigade's engineer in charge of electrical reconstruction.
"The pump station, due to power improvements, will irrigate thousands of acres of farmland with little interruption from blackouts," said Gillman, who provided oversight and expertise for the otherwise Iraqi-run project.
Because the Sab al Bour area depends heavily on agriculture, the local economy should get a noticeable boost. Gillman, who is from Las Vegas, explained how all of the intertwined projects, which depend on electricity, are part of a "tailored network."
"It started with the Ministry of Electricity, which brought up to 30 people in here at a time. They really set the pace for the other ministries," Gillman said. "There was a lot of government of Iraq support for this small, mostly Sunni community."
Attendees marked the substation's opening with a ribbon cutting, a tour, and then singing and dancing. As they celebrated their victory and announced the lights were on to stay, they proclaimed they could move on to other goals.
"Now we will ask for other things – forgiveness and unity," said the last speaker at the event. "Let's now bring together all Sunni and Shiia in Iraq."
(Ken Griffin works in Multinational Division Baghdad with the 25th Infantry Division's 2nd SBCT Stryker Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Nov. 10, 2008 - Only a year ago, reliable electricity in Sab al Bour, Iraq, was just a dream. The city, just north of Baghdad along the Grand Canal, was practically deserted, with only diehard residents and pockets of insurgents sticking around in the dark. As of Nov. 8, residents in this small agricultural city are literally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, according to Sheik Nadeem Hatem al-Tamimi, an influential leader in the area. Outside the city's new electrical substation, the sheik spoke, both literally and metaphorically, about the town's emergence from darkness.
"We had evil forces trying to kill Iraqis, ... and they destroyed all essential services," he said, describing insurgent attempts to control the city and population. "Today, we are calling for unity between all people of Iraq."
The top coalition forces leader in the Taji area said he believes peace and stability start with electricity, and he was at the event to congratulate Sab al Bour on its achievement.
"Reliable and sustainable access to power allows businesses to flourish, water to crops, schools to educate our children and light on the dark nights of the Iraqi winter" said Army Col. Todd McCaffrey, commander of the 25th Infantry Division's 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. "Sab al Bour is now postured to accept the return of its rightful residents."
The rightful residents McCaffrey referred to are the large portion of Sab al Bour's citizens who fled due to violence and lack of essential services. The internally displaced people now are returning at a rate of up to 50 families per week.
If the substation opening meant only more electricity, it would be meaningful enough. But the impact of this substation doesn't stop with keeping the lights on. It will have a direct and immediate positive effect on other essential services in the area.
First, there'll be more drinkable water. Purification stations rely on electricity to produce potable water.
Even more significantly, irrigation pumps in the area will work harder and longer. Soon, passing helicopters will notice large swaths of farmland turn from a dirty brown to a lush green, all thanks to the substation, said Army Capt. Mark Gillman, the brigade's engineer in charge of electrical reconstruction.
"The pump station, due to power improvements, will irrigate thousands of acres of farmland with little interruption from blackouts," said Gillman, who provided oversight and expertise for the otherwise Iraqi-run project.
Because the Sab al Bour area depends heavily on agriculture, the local economy should get a noticeable boost. Gillman, who is from Las Vegas, explained how all of the intertwined projects, which depend on electricity, are part of a "tailored network."
"It started with the Ministry of Electricity, which brought up to 30 people in here at a time. They really set the pace for the other ministries," Gillman said. "There was a lot of government of Iraq support for this small, mostly Sunni community."
Attendees marked the substation's opening with a ribbon cutting, a tour, and then singing and dancing. As they celebrated their victory and announced the lights were on to stay, they proclaimed they could move on to other goals.
"Now we will ask for other things – forgiveness and unity," said the last speaker at the event. "Let's now bring together all Sunni and Shiia in Iraq."
(Ken Griffin works in Multinational Division Baghdad with the 25th Infantry Division's 2nd SBCT Stryker Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office.)
Coalition Forces Remove Eight Suspects from Terrorist Networks
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 9, 2008 - Two suspected terrorists were captured and six others were detained as coalition forces continued to systematically dismantle terrorist networks in Iraq during operations yesterday and today, military officials reported. Forces operating in Baghdad yesterday captured a suspect who is believed to be a financier for a terrorist group. He and one additional suspect were detained without incident.
Coalition forces detained three suspects during an operation in Mosul yesterday targeting an alleged foreign terrorist involved in roadside-bomb operations.
In Tikrit today, coalition forces dealt a blow to terrorist communication networks when they captured a suspect who reports suggest is a courier for terrorists in the region. The suspected terrorist surrendered himself to ground forces during the operation, and two men believed to be his associates were detained for further questioning.
In other operations yesterday:
-- Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers discovered munitions in two separate areas – Saydiyah and Aamel -- in southern Baghdad's Rashid district.
-- Acting on a tip from a local citizen, soldiers serving with the 101st Airborne Division's Troop C, 4th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, seized a cache in Baghdad's Mansour district. The munitions included a Dragonov rifle with scope, nine sticks of explosives, five 82 mm mortars, five Dragonov magazines, seven rocket-propelled grenade propellants, an 82 mm illumination round, a rocket, 10 artillery fuses, three canisters of C4 explosive, seven rifle grenade rods, four grenade fuses, 21 MP5 magazines, three belts of ammunition, five M-203 rounds, 125 sniper rounds, an M-19 round, three project boxes, 100 feet of detonation cord, a spool of wire, a periscope, an RPG site, a potential pipe bomb, a washing machine timer with blasting cap and two wireless doorbell clickers.
-- During an operation outside of Mosul, coalition forces captured a suspected terrorist who reports suggest smuggles foreign terrorists and weapons into Iraq. Two additional suspects were detained for further questioning.
-- In Yusifiyah, southwest of Baghdad, coalition forces targeted and captured a suspected terrorist believed to be associated with car-bomb terrorists. Four additional suspects were detained during the operation.
-- Forces captured two suspected al-Qaida operatives in Baghdad who reportedly are involved in the city's suicide-bomber operations. Three more suspects were detained for further questioning.
In operations Nov. 7:
-- Iraqi police on a joint mission with the 25th Infantry Division's 411th Military police Company, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, discovered a cache north of Baghdad. The items included 1,280 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, two AK-47s, a .22-caliber pistol and a pair of binoculars.
-- A tip from a concerned citizen led to the seizure of a 120 mm mortar round and an oxygen tank by Iraqi police north of Baghdad.
-- A local citizen turned in seven fragmentary hand grenades he found in an open field to Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers at Joint Security Station Ameriyah in Baghdad's Mansour district.
-- Coalition forces operating near Tikrit, north of Baghdad, targeted terrorist networks in the Tigris River Valley. One man believed to be associated with a local terrorist leader was detained for additional questioning.
-- In Kirkuk, coalition forces captured a wanted man believed to have ties with al-Qaida leaders in the region. Four additional suspects were detained during the operation.
-- South of Mosul in the village of Beiji, forces detained three men believed to have connections to a suspected terrorist associated with the city's roadside-bomb networks.
-- Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers detained a known leader ofIranian-backed enemy fighters in southern Baghdad's Rashid district. Soldiers from Company B, 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, attached to the 4th Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team, detained the man while conducting a combat patrol in the Risalah community. The patrol returned to the combat outpost with the detainee to conduct additional questioning.
In operations Nov. 6:
-- In Mosul, Iraqi soldiers captured a suspected roadside-bomb cell leader and three more individuals. The cell is allegedly responsible for manufacturing and emplacing bombs targeting civilians as well as Iraqi and coalition forces.
-- During a separate operation in Tal Uwaynat in northwest Iraq, Iraqi soldiers captured five suspected al-Qaida weapons facilitators. The cell members were believed to be supplying weapons to terrorists throughout Ninevah province.
-- In the Jedaydah Village of Diyala province, Iraq's Baqouba special weapons and tactics team captured a suspected al-Qaida cell leader and four cell members. The individuals are believed to be responsible for providing logistical support and safe housing for terrorists in the Bani Sayd area. The cell leader also is believed to be the leader of a sniper cell.
--An Iraqi army unit received information about a possible car bomb, but instead discovered a rolling cache containing 14 82 mm mortars. The Iraqi soldiers received a tip about a car bomb that had been parked in the Al Islah Al Zarai neighborhood of Mosul for a couple of days. After setting up a cordon, the unit investigated the vehicle and determined it was used to store explosives and weapons and was not a car bomb. The explosives were removed from the neighborhood without incident.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Nov. 9, 2008 - Two suspected terrorists were captured and six others were detained as coalition forces continued to systematically dismantle terrorist networks in Iraq during operations yesterday and today, military officials reported. Forces operating in Baghdad yesterday captured a suspect who is believed to be a financier for a terrorist group. He and one additional suspect were detained without incident.
Coalition forces detained three suspects during an operation in Mosul yesterday targeting an alleged foreign terrorist involved in roadside-bomb operations.
In Tikrit today, coalition forces dealt a blow to terrorist communication networks when they captured a suspect who reports suggest is a courier for terrorists in the region. The suspected terrorist surrendered himself to ground forces during the operation, and two men believed to be his associates were detained for further questioning.
In other operations yesterday:
-- Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers discovered munitions in two separate areas – Saydiyah and Aamel -- in southern Baghdad's Rashid district.
-- Acting on a tip from a local citizen, soldiers serving with the 101st Airborne Division's Troop C, 4th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, seized a cache in Baghdad's Mansour district. The munitions included a Dragonov rifle with scope, nine sticks of explosives, five 82 mm mortars, five Dragonov magazines, seven rocket-propelled grenade propellants, an 82 mm illumination round, a rocket, 10 artillery fuses, three canisters of C4 explosive, seven rifle grenade rods, four grenade fuses, 21 MP5 magazines, three belts of ammunition, five M-203 rounds, 125 sniper rounds, an M-19 round, three project boxes, 100 feet of detonation cord, a spool of wire, a periscope, an RPG site, a potential pipe bomb, a washing machine timer with blasting cap and two wireless doorbell clickers.
-- During an operation outside of Mosul, coalition forces captured a suspected terrorist who reports suggest smuggles foreign terrorists and weapons into Iraq. Two additional suspects were detained for further questioning.
-- In Yusifiyah, southwest of Baghdad, coalition forces targeted and captured a suspected terrorist believed to be associated with car-bomb terrorists. Four additional suspects were detained during the operation.
-- Forces captured two suspected al-Qaida operatives in Baghdad who reportedly are involved in the city's suicide-bomber operations. Three more suspects were detained for further questioning.
In operations Nov. 7:
-- Iraqi police on a joint mission with the 25th Infantry Division's 411th Military police Company, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, discovered a cache north of Baghdad. The items included 1,280 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, two AK-47s, a .22-caliber pistol and a pair of binoculars.
-- A tip from a concerned citizen led to the seizure of a 120 mm mortar round and an oxygen tank by Iraqi police north of Baghdad.
-- A local citizen turned in seven fragmentary hand grenades he found in an open field to Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers at Joint Security Station Ameriyah in Baghdad's Mansour district.
-- Coalition forces operating near Tikrit, north of Baghdad, targeted terrorist networks in the Tigris River Valley. One man believed to be associated with a local terrorist leader was detained for additional questioning.
-- In Kirkuk, coalition forces captured a wanted man believed to have ties with al-Qaida leaders in the region. Four additional suspects were detained during the operation.
-- South of Mosul in the village of Beiji, forces detained three men believed to have connections to a suspected terrorist associated with the city's roadside-bomb networks.
-- Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers detained a known leader ofIranian-backed enemy fighters in southern Baghdad's Rashid district. Soldiers from Company B, 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, attached to the 4th Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team, detained the man while conducting a combat patrol in the Risalah community. The patrol returned to the combat outpost with the detainee to conduct additional questioning.
In operations Nov. 6:
-- In Mosul, Iraqi soldiers captured a suspected roadside-bomb cell leader and three more individuals. The cell is allegedly responsible for manufacturing and emplacing bombs targeting civilians as well as Iraqi and coalition forces.
-- During a separate operation in Tal Uwaynat in northwest Iraq, Iraqi soldiers captured five suspected al-Qaida weapons facilitators. The cell members were believed to be supplying weapons to terrorists throughout Ninevah province.
-- In the Jedaydah Village of Diyala province, Iraq's Baqouba special weapons and tactics team captured a suspected al-Qaida cell leader and four cell members. The individuals are believed to be responsible for providing logistical support and safe housing for terrorists in the Bani Sayd area. The cell leader also is believed to be the leader of a sniper cell.
--An Iraqi army unit received information about a possible car bomb, but instead discovered a rolling cache containing 14 82 mm mortars. The Iraqi soldiers received a tip about a car bomb that had been parked in the Al Islah Al Zarai neighborhood of Mosul for a couple of days. After setting up a cordon, the unit investigated the vehicle and determined it was used to store explosives and weapons and was not a car bomb. The explosives were removed from the neighborhood without incident.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Sheiks Pursue Peaceful Solutions in Iraq
By Army Sgt. Jerry Saslav
Special to American Forces Press Service
Nov. 4, 2008 - Though official invitations went out to only about 100 people, word of mouth caused more than 300 people to show up Nov. 1 for a tribal council meeting in Baghdad's Adhamiyah district. "About 75 percent of the sheiks in the room were guys in the past who had not supported coalition forces or the Iraqi government," said Army Lt. Col. Michael Pappal, who serves in Multinational Division Baghdad as commander of the 4th Infantry Division's 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team.
The sheiks met to find peaceful solutions for their differences, Pappal said.
"People used to be scared to come to large meetings in Adhamiyah," Brig. Gen. Hussein Mutlaq Saleh al-Dleme, the district police commander, said. "This is a big sign of security improving."
Sheiks representing Adhamiyah's 15 tribes, as well as Sunni and Shiia tribal sheiks from Kadhamiyah, Zafroniyah, Dora, Shaab, Basateen, Latifiyah, Mahmoudiyah, Muckdadiyah, Djal and Saladin crowded into the room. Also in attendance were a representative of Prime Minister Nouri al- Maliki, the imam of the Abu Hanifa Mosque, an Islamic Party parliament member, a representative of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's organization, Adhamiyah's city manager and Brig. Gen. Tariq Abdul Kareem, commander of the 11th Iraqi Army Division's 42nd Brigade.
The meeting opened with a passage from the Koran that stressed unity. "We should all get along with no racism, no sectarianism -- one tribe, one family, all brothers," was the passage's message. Messages supporting the overall progress in Adhamiyah from the prime minister's office and the Islamic Party were read to the audience.
The tribal council and a group representing middle-class Adhamiyah residents addressed the assembled audience. They urged their fellow Iraqis to choose qualified people in the upcoming elections and continue reconciliation efforts. They asked the Iraqi government and coalition forces to accelerate the pace at which detainees are being released and to help displaced residents returning to the area find homes. They also asked the Iraqi government to help to create jobs for the people and to provide financial restitution for the 3,000 Adhamiyah families who lost family members to violence.
An indication of how the mood of the area has changed, officials said, was when the Sadr organization's representative addressed the group. After speaking of the need for Sunni and Shiia Muslims to work together, he began to blame coalition forces for sectarian violence and indicated that if the Iraqi government was not up to the task of keeping the peace, then the Sadr organization would handle the job.
When the speaker noticed that his last statements were not well received, officials said, he went back to his previous comments about the need for Sunni and Shiia to work together, and that dialogue with coalition forces was needed.
Gov. Husayn Mohammed Ali al-Tahan of Iraq's Baghdad province, said that although physical and sectarian barriers had allowed security to develop, the time has come to remove those barriers. He pointed out that meetings like this one were once held only in the International Zone, and now they can be held anywhere.
He added that sheiks from Dubai have contacted him about investing in Baghdad, and that he had asked them to build apartments for 100,000 people near Gaziliyah. It takes security for these kinds of investors to be interested, the governor said.
"We need to be one, or we will fall," he said.
Sabar Abu Firas, a sheik who is a leader in the local "Sons of Iraq" citizen security group, ended the ceremony with a message to Maliki: "Adhamiyah is with the prime minister and the government of Iraq."
(Army Sgt. Jerry Saslav serves in Multinational Division Baghdad with the 4th Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Nov. 4, 2008 - Though official invitations went out to only about 100 people, word of mouth caused more than 300 people to show up Nov. 1 for a tribal council meeting in Baghdad's Adhamiyah district. "About 75 percent of the sheiks in the room were guys in the past who had not supported coalition forces or the Iraqi government," said Army Lt. Col. Michael Pappal, who serves in Multinational Division Baghdad as commander of the 4th Infantry Division's 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team.
The sheiks met to find peaceful solutions for their differences, Pappal said.
"People used to be scared to come to large meetings in Adhamiyah," Brig. Gen. Hussein Mutlaq Saleh al-Dleme, the district police commander, said. "This is a big sign of security improving."
Sheiks representing Adhamiyah's 15 tribes, as well as Sunni and Shiia tribal sheiks from Kadhamiyah, Zafroniyah, Dora, Shaab, Basateen, Latifiyah, Mahmoudiyah, Muckdadiyah, Djal and Saladin crowded into the room. Also in attendance were a representative of Prime Minister Nouri al- Maliki, the imam of the Abu Hanifa Mosque, an Islamic Party parliament member, a representative of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's organization, Adhamiyah's city manager and Brig. Gen. Tariq Abdul Kareem, commander of the 11th Iraqi Army Division's 42nd Brigade.
The meeting opened with a passage from the Koran that stressed unity. "We should all get along with no racism, no sectarianism -- one tribe, one family, all brothers," was the passage's message. Messages supporting the overall progress in Adhamiyah from the prime minister's office and the Islamic Party were read to the audience.
The tribal council and a group representing middle-class Adhamiyah residents addressed the assembled audience. They urged their fellow Iraqis to choose qualified people in the upcoming elections and continue reconciliation efforts. They asked the Iraqi government and coalition forces to accelerate the pace at which detainees are being released and to help displaced residents returning to the area find homes. They also asked the Iraqi government to help to create jobs for the people and to provide financial restitution for the 3,000 Adhamiyah families who lost family members to violence.
An indication of how the mood of the area has changed, officials said, was when the Sadr organization's representative addressed the group. After speaking of the need for Sunni and Shiia Muslims to work together, he began to blame coalition forces for sectarian violence and indicated that if the Iraqi government was not up to the task of keeping the peace, then the Sadr organization would handle the job.
When the speaker noticed that his last statements were not well received, officials said, he went back to his previous comments about the need for Sunni and Shiia to work together, and that dialogue with coalition forces was needed.
Gov. Husayn Mohammed Ali al-Tahan of Iraq's Baghdad province, said that although physical and sectarian barriers had allowed security to develop, the time has come to remove those barriers. He pointed out that meetings like this one were once held only in the International Zone, and now they can be held anywhere.
He added that sheiks from Dubai have contacted him about investing in Baghdad, and that he had asked them to build apartments for 100,000 people near Gaziliyah. It takes security for these kinds of investors to be interested, the governor said.
"We need to be one, or we will fall," he said.
Sabar Abu Firas, a sheik who is a leader in the local "Sons of Iraq" citizen security group, ended the ceremony with a message to Maliki: "Adhamiyah is with the prime minister and the government of Iraq."
(Army Sgt. Jerry Saslav serves in Multinational Division Baghdad with the 4th Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office.)
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Coalition Troops Kill 19 Militants, Detain 3 in Eastern Afghanistan
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 2, 2008 - Coalition forces killed 19 armed militants and detained three suspects Oct. 31 during multiple operations to disrupt the Haqqani, Taliban, and al-Qaida homemade-bomb and foreign-fighter networks in eastern Afghanistan. In Dara Noor District, coalition forces targeted a known al-Qaida leader believed to facilitate the movement of foreign fighters and weapons into Konar province. The leader also is believed to be in contact with other militants in the region, coordinating attacks against coalition forces and civilians.
As the forces began a search of the targeted compound they were immediately engaged by two armed militants inside the first building. Coalition forces responded with small-arms fire, killing both militants.
Following the engagement, the forces moved to a second building in the compound. As they approached the building multiple armed militants exited the building, attempting to maneuver on the forces and engaging them with small-arms fire.
Coalition forces returned fire, killing five armed militants, including one armed female. One suspect was detained during the operation.
A second operation, in Nadar Shahkot District, targeted a militant known to have ties to both the Taliban and Haqqani terrorist networks. The target also is known to coordinate and direct bomb attacks in the region.
As the troops approached the vehicle the target was in, he and another militant inside reached for AK-47s. Faced with the hostile intent, the forces engaged both small-arms fire, killing them.
Upon a search of the vehicle, coalition forces discovered explosives. The vehicle was destroyed because of the threat it presented to both the forces and local civilians.
Also in Nader Shah Kowt, Coalition forces killed 10 armed militants and detained two suspects during an operation directed at a known Haqqani facilitator of homemade bombs and suicide bombers.
As the forces attempted to search the compound they were engaged by several groups of armed militants with AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades. Coalition forces responded with small-arms fire, killing six, including the targeted Haqqani militant.
A search of the compound revealed multiple AK-47s, an RPG, RPG rounds, a pistol and other military style equipment.
As the forces attempted to leave the compound they took heavy fire from militants inside a building. Coalition forces engaged the militants with precision, close-air support to neutralize the threat.
(From a U.S. Forces Afghanistan news release.)
Nov. 2, 2008 - Coalition forces killed 19 armed militants and detained three suspects Oct. 31 during multiple operations to disrupt the Haqqani, Taliban, and al-Qaida homemade-bomb and foreign-fighter networks in eastern Afghanistan. In Dara Noor District, coalition forces targeted a known al-Qaida leader believed to facilitate the movement of foreign fighters and weapons into Konar province. The leader also is believed to be in contact with other militants in the region, coordinating attacks against coalition forces and civilians.
As the forces began a search of the targeted compound they were immediately engaged by two armed militants inside the first building. Coalition forces responded with small-arms fire, killing both militants.
Following the engagement, the forces moved to a second building in the compound. As they approached the building multiple armed militants exited the building, attempting to maneuver on the forces and engaging them with small-arms fire.
Coalition forces returned fire, killing five armed militants, including one armed female. One suspect was detained during the operation.
A second operation, in Nadar Shahkot District, targeted a militant known to have ties to both the Taliban and Haqqani terrorist networks. The target also is known to coordinate and direct bomb attacks in the region.
As the troops approached the vehicle the target was in, he and another militant inside reached for AK-47s. Faced with the hostile intent, the forces engaged both small-arms fire, killing them.
Upon a search of the vehicle, coalition forces discovered explosives. The vehicle was destroyed because of the threat it presented to both the forces and local civilians.
Also in Nader Shah Kowt, Coalition forces killed 10 armed militants and detained two suspects during an operation directed at a known Haqqani facilitator of homemade bombs and suicide bombers.
As the forces attempted to search the compound they were engaged by several groups of armed militants with AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades. Coalition forces responded with small-arms fire, killing six, including the targeted Haqqani militant.
A search of the compound revealed multiple AK-47s, an RPG, RPG rounds, a pistol and other military style equipment.
As the forces attempted to leave the compound they took heavy fire from militants inside a building. Coalition forces engaged the militants with precision, close-air support to neutralize the threat.
(From a U.S. Forces Afghanistan news release.)
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Coalition Kills Terrorist Leader, Captures Suspects
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 31, 2008 - Coalition forces in Iraq killed a terrorist leader and captured 10 suspects today and yesterday in their ongoing effort to break up terrorist groups across the country, military officials said. In one of the captures, coalition troops nabbed a key member of the Iranian-sponsored Asaib Ahl al-Haq terrorist network today in the New Baghdad area of the capital city, officials said.
Acting on intelligence information, troops targeted the man believed responsible for financing militant operations against Iraqi and coalition forces. The troops moved in on the wanted man's location where he identified himself to them. He and an associate were apprehended without incident.
The coalition continued to derail al-Qaida in Iraq's car- and roadside-bomb networks, killing one man and detaining nine suspects in the past two days, officials said.
In Mosul yesterday, troops targeted an alleged bomb facilitator. When forces entered the building believed to house the suspect, a man engaged them with a pistol, officials said, and coalition forces killed him in self-defense. Three suspects were detained during the operation.
A man believed to be a regional al-Qaida in Iraq leader, whose operatives conducted roadside-bomb and rocket attacks against coalition forces, was captured today near Tikrit, about 100 miles north of Baghdad, officials said. During the operation, forces discovered multiple mortar rounds, explosive materials, trigger devices and other supplies. The suspected terrorist and four men believed to be his associates were detained, they said.
Forces operating in Sulayman Bak, about 52 miles southeast of Mosul, captured a man believed to be a bomb facilitator, officials said.
This week's captures are the latest in ongoing efforts to break up bomb networks in the country. This month alone, coalition forces apprehended 39 Iranian-sponsored militants and seized nearly $500,000 for support of terrorism in Iraq, officials said.
Also in Iraq this week:
-- Coalition soldiers detained two suspected terrorists Oct. 29 and yesterday in southern Baghdad's Rashid district.
-- Residents' tips Oct. 29 led Iraqi National Police and coalition soldiers to weapons caches in Baghdad that included a 122 mm artillery round and a 120 mm mortar round in the West Rashid district.
-- A sheik with the "Sons of Iraq" citizen security group turned in a 160 mm high explosive round with a bag of bomb components to U.S. soldiers.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Oct. 31, 2008 - Coalition forces in Iraq killed a terrorist leader and captured 10 suspects today and yesterday in their ongoing effort to break up terrorist groups across the country, military officials said. In one of the captures, coalition troops nabbed a key member of the Iranian-sponsored Asaib Ahl al-Haq terrorist network today in the New Baghdad area of the capital city, officials said.
Acting on intelligence information, troops targeted the man believed responsible for financing militant operations against Iraqi and coalition forces. The troops moved in on the wanted man's location where he identified himself to them. He and an associate were apprehended without incident.
The coalition continued to derail al-Qaida in Iraq's car- and roadside-bomb networks, killing one man and detaining nine suspects in the past two days, officials said.
In Mosul yesterday, troops targeted an alleged bomb facilitator. When forces entered the building believed to house the suspect, a man engaged them with a pistol, officials said, and coalition forces killed him in self-defense. Three suspects were detained during the operation.
A man believed to be a regional al-Qaida in Iraq leader, whose operatives conducted roadside-bomb and rocket attacks against coalition forces, was captured today near Tikrit, about 100 miles north of Baghdad, officials said. During the operation, forces discovered multiple mortar rounds, explosive materials, trigger devices and other supplies. The suspected terrorist and four men believed to be his associates were detained, they said.
Forces operating in Sulayman Bak, about 52 miles southeast of Mosul, captured a man believed to be a bomb facilitator, officials said.
This week's captures are the latest in ongoing efforts to break up bomb networks in the country. This month alone, coalition forces apprehended 39 Iranian-sponsored militants and seized nearly $500,000 for support of terrorism in Iraq, officials said.
Also in Iraq this week:
-- Coalition soldiers detained two suspected terrorists Oct. 29 and yesterday in southern Baghdad's Rashid district.
-- Residents' tips Oct. 29 led Iraqi National Police and coalition soldiers to weapons caches in Baghdad that included a 122 mm artillery round and a 120 mm mortar round in the West Rashid district.
-- A sheik with the "Sons of Iraq" citizen security group turned in a 160 mm high explosive round with a bag of bomb components to U.S. soldiers.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Monday, October 27, 2008
Coalition Troops Kill Militants in Baghdad Raid
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 27, 2008 - Coalition forces in Iraq killed five militants early today after a small-arms attack in Baghdad's New Baghdad security district, military officials reported. Coalition troops were attacked about 1:20 a.m. with small-arms fire at a joint security station, officials said. The soldiers identified the attackers and returned fire. A total of five attackers were killed with no U.S. casualties, they said.
In another operation today, coalition forces killed three terrorism suspects during operations near Tikrit, about 100 miles north of Baghdad. Ground forces had surrounded a building in an effort to apprehend a man believed to facilitate suicide-vest and roadside bombings in the Tigris River Valley.
Soldiers called for the occupants to surrender, then were fired upon by a man running from the house. Acting in self defense, coalition forces engaged the man, killing him. Another man then began firing at the team. They returned fire and killed the man. Coalition forces killed a third man inside the building when he picked up a rifle from one of the dead terrorists and engaged the forces, officials said.
Two other suspects were detained. A third suspect was injured and was treated by coalition forces before being taken to a nearby base for additional care. One of the dead terrorists later was identified as the wanted man, they said.
Also today, coalition forces in Mosul killed a man wanted for terrorist acts committed as an al-Qaida in Iraq leader in the area, officials said. Upon arriving at the target location, coalition forces entered a building intelligence reports indicated was an al-Qaida in Iraq hideout. The wanted man engaged forces with a pistol as they entered the building. The troops returned fire, killing him.
In Baghdad today, coalition forces captured a wanted man known to be an al-Qaida in Iraq courier.
In weekend operations:
-- Coalition forces captured a wanted man yesterday who intelligence reports suggest is connected to an al-Qaida in Iraq bombing network. The suspect is believed to have been planning attacks against troops in the region, officials said.
-- In southern Baghdad's Rashid district Oct. 25 and yesterday, coalition troops working with Iraqi security forces discovered an improvised explosive device and detained a member of an Iranian-backed terrorist group.
-- Soldiers assigned to the 4th Infantry Division's Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, contacted a coalition explosives ordnance disposal unit to pick up a 155 mm artillery round prepared to be used as a roadside bomb. The device had no initiator and was discovered in an abandoned house in West Rashid. The EOD unit safely recovered the IED.
-- In a targeted raid early yesterday in the Aamel community, soldiers from the 1st Battalion's Company A detained a suspected Iranian-backed terrorist group member wanted for weapons trafficking, murder, and roadside-bomb attacks.
-- Iraqi and coalition soldiers seized weapons caches in the greater Baghdad area yesterday afternoon, based on citizens' tips. The seized items included a 57mm rocket and improvised launching tube, 15 glass beakers, 5 pounds of ammonium perchlorate, 5 pounds of propellant and four five-gallon jugs of nitric acid.
-- Iraqi police and soldiers and coalition forces seized a weapons cache Oct. 25 north of Baghdad. Soldiers with the 25th Infantry Division's Company C, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, seized 10 rocket-propelled grenades. An explosive ordnance detachment team destroyed the weapons in a controlled detonation.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Oct. 27, 2008 - Coalition forces in Iraq killed five militants early today after a small-arms attack in Baghdad's New Baghdad security district, military officials reported. Coalition troops were attacked about 1:20 a.m. with small-arms fire at a joint security station, officials said. The soldiers identified the attackers and returned fire. A total of five attackers were killed with no U.S. casualties, they said.
In another operation today, coalition forces killed three terrorism suspects during operations near Tikrit, about 100 miles north of Baghdad. Ground forces had surrounded a building in an effort to apprehend a man believed to facilitate suicide-vest and roadside bombings in the Tigris River Valley.
Soldiers called for the occupants to surrender, then were fired upon by a man running from the house. Acting in self defense, coalition forces engaged the man, killing him. Another man then began firing at the team. They returned fire and killed the man. Coalition forces killed a third man inside the building when he picked up a rifle from one of the dead terrorists and engaged the forces, officials said.
Two other suspects were detained. A third suspect was injured and was treated by coalition forces before being taken to a nearby base for additional care. One of the dead terrorists later was identified as the wanted man, they said.
Also today, coalition forces in Mosul killed a man wanted for terrorist acts committed as an al-Qaida in Iraq leader in the area, officials said. Upon arriving at the target location, coalition forces entered a building intelligence reports indicated was an al-Qaida in Iraq hideout. The wanted man engaged forces with a pistol as they entered the building. The troops returned fire, killing him.
In Baghdad today, coalition forces captured a wanted man known to be an al-Qaida in Iraq courier.
In weekend operations:
-- Coalition forces captured a wanted man yesterday who intelligence reports suggest is connected to an al-Qaida in Iraq bombing network. The suspect is believed to have been planning attacks against troops in the region, officials said.
-- In southern Baghdad's Rashid district Oct. 25 and yesterday, coalition troops working with Iraqi security forces discovered an improvised explosive device and detained a member of an Iranian-backed terrorist group.
-- Soldiers assigned to the 4th Infantry Division's Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, contacted a coalition explosives ordnance disposal unit to pick up a 155 mm artillery round prepared to be used as a roadside bomb. The device had no initiator and was discovered in an abandoned house in West Rashid. The EOD unit safely recovered the IED.
-- In a targeted raid early yesterday in the Aamel community, soldiers from the 1st Battalion's Company A detained a suspected Iranian-backed terrorist group member wanted for weapons trafficking, murder, and roadside-bomb attacks.
-- Iraqi and coalition soldiers seized weapons caches in the greater Baghdad area yesterday afternoon, based on citizens' tips. The seized items included a 57mm rocket and improvised launching tube, 15 glass beakers, 5 pounds of ammonium perchlorate, 5 pounds of propellant and four five-gallon jugs of nitric acid.
-- Iraqi police and soldiers and coalition forces seized a weapons cache Oct. 25 north of Baghdad. Soldiers with the 25th Infantry Division's Company C, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, seized 10 rocket-propelled grenades. An explosive ordnance detachment team destroyed the weapons in a controlled detonation.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Friday, October 24, 2008
Forces Capture Suspected Terrorists, Discover Weapons Caches
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 24, 2008 - Coalition forces continued efforts to disrupt al-Qaida in Iraq car bomb networks, capturing eight suspected terrorists during operations today and yesterday in central Iraq, military officials said. Forces operating in Baghdad Thursday night captured a wanted man believed to be associated with one of the city's terrorist car bomb cells. He and another suspect were detained without incident during the operation, officials said.
Coalition forces also took aim at terrorist car bomb networks during two related operations today outside of Fallujah, about 35 miles west of Baghdad, officials said.
During the first operation, forces captured a wanted man who intelligence reports suggest is a car bomb facilitator in Fallujah with multiple connections to other facilitators throughout the region. Two men believed to be associates of the wanted man were also detained for questioning, they said.
During a subsequent operation in the area, forces nabbed another wanted man believed to be associated with area car bomb networks. The man, who is also assessed to be an Al-Qaida weapons facilitator, was detained with two other suspected terrorists.
Additional terrorists were captured during other recent operations in Iraq:
- Coalition troops detained five suspected members of Iranian-based terrorist groups yesterday in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad. The soldiers were with the 4th Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 7th Squadron.
- On Wednesday in Tikrit, Salah ad Din Special Weapons and Tactics captured a suspected terrorist cell leader. The cell leader is believed to be responsible for emplacing improvised explosive devices, torturing innocent civilians to death, and providing early warning to insurgents regarding coalition and Iraqi forces operations.
- In an operation Tuesday in western Mosul, Iraqi Special Operations Forces captured four suspected terrorist cell members operating in the Hay Al Tinek neighborhood. The cell members are believed to be responsible for conducting assassinations, kidnappings for ransom, and IED attacks.
- During a separate operation Tuesday, Iraqi soldiers captured three suspected Al-Qaida terrorists in eastern Mosul responsible for IED and vehicle-borne IED attacks. One man is believed to have conducted more than 12 attacks since July.
- Coalition soldiers captured an Iranian-based terrorist group member yesterday in the Aamel community of southern Baghdad.
- U.S. soldiers arrested two suspected terrorists Wednesday and Thursday while conducting early morning raids in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad.
At about 3 a.m. Wednesday, soldiers from 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, detained a suspected criminal in connection with a car bomb attack on Oct. 10 in the Abu T'shir community.
Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div. detained a suspected special group criminal Thursday at about 2 a.m. in the Aamel community. The patrol returned to a combat outpost with the suspect wanted for weapons trafficking.
In other reports out of Iraq, a local citizen led coalition troops yesterday to a cache of over 5,000 pounds of munitions in the town of al-Harij in northern Babil province, officials said.
Soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division's 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team uncovered the buried cache that contained 34 bags of home-made explosives weighing 154 pounds each, more than 500 cylinders of explosives, 30 RPG rounds, 100 mortar rounds, two 5-pound bags of explosives, 23 hand grenades, two 80-mm mortars, two 4-foot rockets, four 60-mm rounds, four mortar sights, three anti-personnel grenade rounds, one bag of loose AK-47 rounds, 15 magazines for 7.62-caliber rounds as well a other bomb-making materials, they said.
An explosive ordnance disposal team rendered the cache items safe for removal, officials said.
Lt. Col. Timothy Newsome, commander of the 3rd Battalion, credited the coalition's improved relationships with Iraqis in allowing them to make such finds.
"Though we have a relatively peaceful and stable environment in the Jurf As Sakhr region, the astounding size of this cache, the variety of munitions that are in it and the indicators that it is a relatively new cache all serve to demonstrate the very tenuous nature of the hard fought peace that is currently in place," Newsome said. "Discoveries of this magnitude would not be possible without the close working relationships we have fostered over the past 11 months with the honest, hard-working citizens of the region."
In other weapons seizures this week:
- U.S. troops seized bomb-making materials yesterday during a security patrol in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad. Responding to a citizen's tip, soldiers with the 4th Infantry Division's 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team patrolled the Aamel community and seized 27 copper plates suspected to be used for explosively formed projectiles. An explosives ordnance disposal team responded to handle the bomb-making materials.
- Coalition troops secured a weapons cache Wednesday just west of Suwayrah. Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 41st Fires Brigade received a tip from an Iraqi citizen of the location of the cache which included seven copper discs and PVC cases used to manufacture explosively-formed penetrators, four rocket-propelled grenades, four blocks of C4, two 120 mm mortar rounds and one 60 mm mortar round.
- The Muthanna Province's Iraqi Police were tipped off about a weapon cache near al Khidr, a town southwest of Samawah, Tuesday and found 1,100 pounds of TNT dynamite in a concrete plant. The police also discovered 110 fuses at the site.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Oct. 24, 2008 - Coalition forces continued efforts to disrupt al-Qaida in Iraq car bomb networks, capturing eight suspected terrorists during operations today and yesterday in central Iraq, military officials said. Forces operating in Baghdad Thursday night captured a wanted man believed to be associated with one of the city's terrorist car bomb cells. He and another suspect were detained without incident during the operation, officials said.
Coalition forces also took aim at terrorist car bomb networks during two related operations today outside of Fallujah, about 35 miles west of Baghdad, officials said.
During the first operation, forces captured a wanted man who intelligence reports suggest is a car bomb facilitator in Fallujah with multiple connections to other facilitators throughout the region. Two men believed to be associates of the wanted man were also detained for questioning, they said.
During a subsequent operation in the area, forces nabbed another wanted man believed to be associated with area car bomb networks. The man, who is also assessed to be an Al-Qaida weapons facilitator, was detained with two other suspected terrorists.
Additional terrorists were captured during other recent operations in Iraq:
- Coalition troops detained five suspected members of Iranian-based terrorist groups yesterday in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad. The soldiers were with the 4th Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 7th Squadron.
- On Wednesday in Tikrit, Salah ad Din Special Weapons and Tactics captured a suspected terrorist cell leader. The cell leader is believed to be responsible for emplacing improvised explosive devices, torturing innocent civilians to death, and providing early warning to insurgents regarding coalition and Iraqi forces operations.
- In an operation Tuesday in western Mosul, Iraqi Special Operations Forces captured four suspected terrorist cell members operating in the Hay Al Tinek neighborhood. The cell members are believed to be responsible for conducting assassinations, kidnappings for ransom, and IED attacks.
- During a separate operation Tuesday, Iraqi soldiers captured three suspected Al-Qaida terrorists in eastern Mosul responsible for IED and vehicle-borne IED attacks. One man is believed to have conducted more than 12 attacks since July.
- Coalition soldiers captured an Iranian-based terrorist group member yesterday in the Aamel community of southern Baghdad.
- U.S. soldiers arrested two suspected terrorists Wednesday and Thursday while conducting early morning raids in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad.
At about 3 a.m. Wednesday, soldiers from 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, detained a suspected criminal in connection with a car bomb attack on Oct. 10 in the Abu T'shir community.
Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div. detained a suspected special group criminal Thursday at about 2 a.m. in the Aamel community. The patrol returned to a combat outpost with the suspect wanted for weapons trafficking.
In other reports out of Iraq, a local citizen led coalition troops yesterday to a cache of over 5,000 pounds of munitions in the town of al-Harij in northern Babil province, officials said.
Soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division's 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team uncovered the buried cache that contained 34 bags of home-made explosives weighing 154 pounds each, more than 500 cylinders of explosives, 30 RPG rounds, 100 mortar rounds, two 5-pound bags of explosives, 23 hand grenades, two 80-mm mortars, two 4-foot rockets, four 60-mm rounds, four mortar sights, three anti-personnel grenade rounds, one bag of loose AK-47 rounds, 15 magazines for 7.62-caliber rounds as well a other bomb-making materials, they said.
An explosive ordnance disposal team rendered the cache items safe for removal, officials said.
Lt. Col. Timothy Newsome, commander of the 3rd Battalion, credited the coalition's improved relationships with Iraqis in allowing them to make such finds.
"Though we have a relatively peaceful and stable environment in the Jurf As Sakhr region, the astounding size of this cache, the variety of munitions that are in it and the indicators that it is a relatively new cache all serve to demonstrate the very tenuous nature of the hard fought peace that is currently in place," Newsome said. "Discoveries of this magnitude would not be possible without the close working relationships we have fostered over the past 11 months with the honest, hard-working citizens of the region."
In other weapons seizures this week:
- U.S. troops seized bomb-making materials yesterday during a security patrol in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad. Responding to a citizen's tip, soldiers with the 4th Infantry Division's 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team patrolled the Aamel community and seized 27 copper plates suspected to be used for explosively formed projectiles. An explosives ordnance disposal team responded to handle the bomb-making materials.
- Coalition troops secured a weapons cache Wednesday just west of Suwayrah. Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 41st Fires Brigade received a tip from an Iraqi citizen of the location of the cache which included seven copper discs and PVC cases used to manufacture explosively-formed penetrators, four rocket-propelled grenades, four blocks of C4, two 120 mm mortar rounds and one 60 mm mortar round.
- The Muthanna Province's Iraqi Police were tipped off about a weapon cache near al Khidr, a town southwest of Samawah, Tuesday and found 1,100 pounds of TNT dynamite in a concrete plant. The police also discovered 110 fuses at the site.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Coalition Forces Capture Suspects, Weapons Caches in Iraq
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 23, 2008 - Coalition forces captured five terrorism suspects today during separate operations in and around Baghdad, military officials reported. Acting on intelligence information, coalition forces targeted suspected Iranian-trained enemy fighters believed to have conducted attacks on Iraqi and coalition forces, specializing in armor-piercing projectiles, sniper attacks and intelligence collection.
During the first operation, forces moved in on the target area, where they detained one of the suspects. In the second operation, coalition forces detained two others without incident.
In central Iraq, coalition forces detained two suspected terrorists, one of them a wanted man. Acting on intelligence reports, forces operating near Habbaniyah, west of Baghdad, targeted a man believed to secure materials and finances for roadside bombs used by al-Qaida to attack coalition forces. The suspected terrorist, who is believed to have ties to regional al-Qaida leaders, was captured without incident. Another suspected terrorist believed to be an associate of the wanted man was detained during the operation.
In operations yesterday:
-- Iraqi soldiers found a 105 mm artillery round, 12 60 mm mortars and 150 .50-caliber rounds of ammunition while patrolling in Baghdad's Kadhamiyah area. Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division's Company C, 1st Battalion, 75th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, provided support for the Iraqi unit.
-- A Multinational Division Baghdad military transition team working with 3rd Battalion, 54th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, found a hidden cache containing 11 57-120 mm mortar rounds, homemade explosive material, C-4 plastic explosive material, ball bearings and a fire extinguisher filled with homemade explosives in a house in Baghdad's Mansour area.
-- Soldiers with the 10th Mountain Division's Company B, 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, found 24 new 107 mm rocket fuses still in their packaging in Baghdad's New Baghdad area.
-- Soldiers with the 25th Infantry Division's Company B, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, found 1,500 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, four 85 mm rockets, a 75 mm rocket, a machine gun and two washing machine timers north of Baghdad.
-- Soldiers with the 25th Infantry Division's Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, found two 57 mm rockets with wires, and a spool with about 1,000 yards of copper wire in Baghdad's Abu Ghraib district.
-- Soldiers of Company D, 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 4th Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team, conducted a target raid in Rashid's Aamel community, capturing a suspected militia leader responsible for operating militia safe houses and a bomb-making cell in southern Baghdad.
In operations Oct. 21:
-- Soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division's Troop C, 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, conducting a target raid, detained a suspected member of an Iranian-backed group believed to have conducted roadside-bomb attacks and stockpiled weapons in southern Baghdad's Abu Tshir community.
-- Ground forces caught a suspected terrorist in Tikrit after intelligence reports suggested he was an al-Qaida bombing cell leader. The man, who is believed to have ties to regional al-Qaida leaders, surrendered himself to coalition forces during the operation.
-- Iraqi soldiers seized a huge weapons and munitions cache believed to have been abandoned by Iranian-backed enemy fighters in Baghdad's Sadr City district. The cache consisted of 61 rockets of various sizes, 15 of which were Iranian-manufactured; 351 mortar rounds of various sizes, including 36 that were Iranian-made; more than 32,000 rounds of ammunition; 17 Iranian-manufactured fuse mortar rounds; 263 different sizes of mortar tubes, two of them Iranian-manufactured; various sizes of projectiles; rocket-propelled grenades; a remote car bomb, a remote RPG launcher; shaped charges; TNT primers; armor plates; handheld radios; homemade silencers; and seven machine guns.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Oct. 23, 2008 - Coalition forces captured five terrorism suspects today during separate operations in and around Baghdad, military officials reported. Acting on intelligence information, coalition forces targeted suspected Iranian-trained enemy fighters believed to have conducted attacks on Iraqi and coalition forces, specializing in armor-piercing projectiles, sniper attacks and intelligence collection.
During the first operation, forces moved in on the target area, where they detained one of the suspects. In the second operation, coalition forces detained two others without incident.
In central Iraq, coalition forces detained two suspected terrorists, one of them a wanted man. Acting on intelligence reports, forces operating near Habbaniyah, west of Baghdad, targeted a man believed to secure materials and finances for roadside bombs used by al-Qaida to attack coalition forces. The suspected terrorist, who is believed to have ties to regional al-Qaida leaders, was captured without incident. Another suspected terrorist believed to be an associate of the wanted man was detained during the operation.
In operations yesterday:
-- Iraqi soldiers found a 105 mm artillery round, 12 60 mm mortars and 150 .50-caliber rounds of ammunition while patrolling in Baghdad's Kadhamiyah area. Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division's Company C, 1st Battalion, 75th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, provided support for the Iraqi unit.
-- A Multinational Division Baghdad military transition team working with 3rd Battalion, 54th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, found a hidden cache containing 11 57-120 mm mortar rounds, homemade explosive material, C-4 plastic explosive material, ball bearings and a fire extinguisher filled with homemade explosives in a house in Baghdad's Mansour area.
-- Soldiers with the 10th Mountain Division's Company B, 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, found 24 new 107 mm rocket fuses still in their packaging in Baghdad's New Baghdad area.
-- Soldiers with the 25th Infantry Division's Company B, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, found 1,500 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, four 85 mm rockets, a 75 mm rocket, a machine gun and two washing machine timers north of Baghdad.
-- Soldiers with the 25th Infantry Division's Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, found two 57 mm rockets with wires, and a spool with about 1,000 yards of copper wire in Baghdad's Abu Ghraib district.
-- Soldiers of Company D, 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 4th Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team, conducted a target raid in Rashid's Aamel community, capturing a suspected militia leader responsible for operating militia safe houses and a bomb-making cell in southern Baghdad.
In operations Oct. 21:
-- Soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division's Troop C, 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, conducting a target raid, detained a suspected member of an Iranian-backed group believed to have conducted roadside-bomb attacks and stockpiled weapons in southern Baghdad's Abu Tshir community.
-- Ground forces caught a suspected terrorist in Tikrit after intelligence reports suggested he was an al-Qaida bombing cell leader. The man, who is believed to have ties to regional al-Qaida leaders, surrendered himself to coalition forces during the operation.
-- Iraqi soldiers seized a huge weapons and munitions cache believed to have been abandoned by Iranian-backed enemy fighters in Baghdad's Sadr City district. The cache consisted of 61 rockets of various sizes, 15 of which were Iranian-manufactured; 351 mortar rounds of various sizes, including 36 that were Iranian-made; more than 32,000 rounds of ammunition; 17 Iranian-manufactured fuse mortar rounds; 263 different sizes of mortar tubes, two of them Iranian-manufactured; various sizes of projectiles; rocket-propelled grenades; a remote car bomb, a remote RPG launcher; shaped charges; TNT primers; armor plates; handheld radios; homemade silencers; and seven machine guns.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
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