Lajes MDSS commander provides update on heroic Airman

by Airman 1st Class Lane T. Plummer
86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

8/26/2015 - RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany -- A press conference was held to discuss the medical condition of Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone at the west gate of Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Aug. 26.

Stone's commanding officer, Lt. Col. Richard Smith, 65th Medical Operations and Support Squadron commander at Lajes Field, Azores, held the conference and spoke on Stone's behalf.

"I am thankful for all the medical care I've been receiving both here and in France. I have nothing but high praise for the occupational therapy staff for the care and treatment they have provided for my thumb. Due to ongoing medical appointments and therapy, I can't be with you today... thank you to everyone who has reached out to wish me and my friends well and who have called us heroes."

Currently, Stone is being treated at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. Military healthcare providers will assess the injuries suffered by Stone during the incident for follow-on care. That care includes treatment for a laceration to his thumb and a non-critical injury to his eye and other minor cuts and abrasions. He is expected to make a full recovery.

During the conference, Smith commended Stone for his valiant actions taken when he and two friends overpowered a gunman on a packed train Aug. 21, in France.

"There are a lot of men and women who got off that train and went home to their friends and families because of the actions they took," said Smith. "He is a hero."

Combined Force Captures Taliban Facilitator

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, Dec. 27, 2011 - An Afghan-led and coalition-supported security force captured a Taliban facilitator during an operation in the Pul-e 'Alam district of Afghanistan's Logar province today, military officials reported.

The facilitator moved weapons and explosives used in attacks against coalition forces. He also allegedly was involved in a car bomb attack in Logar province that killed one civilian and injured nine others.

One additional suspected insurgent was detained during the operation.

In other Afghanistan operations today:

-- An Afghan-led force in Helmand province's Garm Ser district captured a Taliban weapons facilitator who moved weapons throughout the province. No civilians were injured.

-- In the Zharay district of Kandahar province, an Afghan-led force detained two suspects while searching for a Taliban leader who moves supplies, emplaces roadside bombs and coordinates attacks against coalition forces.

In Afghanistan operations yesterday:

-- A coalition patrol discovered one anti-personnel mine, two rocket-propelled grenade warheads, two 82 mm mortar rounds, and homemade bomb-making components in Ghazni province's Andar district.

-- A coalition patrol discovered four 82 mm mortars, one landmine and bomb components in the Now Zad district of Helmand province.

-- A combined force captured a Haqqani network facilitator and two other suspects in the Bak district of Khost province.

The facilitator supplied explosives to insurgents and conducted attacks against coalition forces.

-- A combined force in Baghlan province's Baghlan-e Jadid district detained one suspect while searching for a Taliban leader who plans direct fire and roadside bomb attacks against Afghan forces.

In Dec. 25 Afghanistan operations:

-- International Security Assistance Force Commander Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen traveled across Afghanistan to wish troops a happy holiday. "I know we can't be with our families on Christmas Day, but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, if I can't be with my family, than standing here with you and serving with you," Allen told troops at Forward Operating Base Shindand in Herat province.

"It's not every day you get to see a general come here, especially on Christmas Day, to tell everybody they are doing a good job," Marine Corps Sgt. John Mohlenhoff said.

Allen also visited troops at Camp Stone and FOB Andraskan in Herat province, and Camp Marmal and Camp Spann near Mazar-e-Sharif in Balkh province. "In a very real sense, this is a family you'll never forget because of the things that you have shared, things that you do, and the cause in which we're all engaged," Allen said. "For the rest of your lives, you will share this moment together -- a moment when you were a part of something bigger than yourselves. Every one of you here is contributing to the liberation of a country and giving Afghanistan hope."

-- A coalition force discovered a drug cache containing more than 900 pounds of marijuana in the Panjwa'i district of Kandahar province. All of the drugs were destroyed.

-- A combined force killed two insurgents and seized bomb-making material and grenades during a search for a Taliban leader in the Baghlan-e Jadid district of Baghlan province. A third insurgent died after self-detonating a grenade. The leader trains insurgents to use roadside bombs and provides explosives for use in attacks against Afghan forces.

-- In the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province, a combined force captured a Taliban leader and detained several other suspected insurgents. The insurgent leader provided equipment and trained fighters in the province.

-- A combined force in Kandahar province's Zharay district detained two suspected insurgents and seized about five pounds of black tar heroin while searching for a Taliban facilitator who moves explosives and weapons throughout southern Afghanistan.

-- In the Nadir Shar Kot district of Khost province, a combined force captured a Haqqani network facilitator, detained one other suspect and seized multiple weapons. The facilitator moved and stored weapons throughout the area.

-- A combined force in Nangarhar province's Pachir Wa Agam district captured a Taliban facilitator. who distributed weapons and munitions to insurgents for use in attacks in Jalalabad.

-- Allen, ISAF commander, condemned the suicide attack on a funeral ceremony in Takhar province that reportedly killed numerous civilians, including a member of the Afghan parliament, and wounded many others.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those affected with the loss of life and injuries in today's barbaric attack," the general said. "These attackers are cowards, callously targeting and killing families and friends who had gathered to mourn a loved one. Those responsible for this shameful act must only be interested in destruction, alienating themselves from the Afghan people. They are neither Afghan nor are they true Muslims."

In Dec. 24 Afghanistan operations:

-- –Allen extended his and his command's sincere condolences to the Afghan families who lost loved ones in the Baghlan province mine tragedy.

"Our hearts go out to the families of this tragedy and we will, of course, stand ready to provide any additional assistance necessary if called upon by the Afghan government," the general said.

The collapse of the mine in Nahrin district claimed the lives of 13 Afghans and injured another 12 workers. Provincial Reconstruction Team Pul-E Khumri provided medical and humanitarian support.

-- Combined forces discovered two drug caches in Kandahar province. The first drug cache was found in the Spin Boldak district and contained 11 tons of hashish. All of the drugs were destroyed and one person was detained. The second cache was discovered in the Panjwa'i district and contained about 300 pounds of marijuana. The drugs were destroyed.

-- A combined force seized four rocket-propelled grenades and some small-arms ammunition in Uruzgan province's Tarin Kot district.

In Dec. 23 Afghanistan operations:

-- Afghan soldiers with the 1st Brigade, 205th Afghan National Army Corps completed a week-long independent operation in the Panjwa'i, district of Kandahar province. Operation Hope Hero 58 was the first of its kind in Kandahar province where the Afghan National Army has taken the lead in an operation to include planning, coordinating and executing the mission separately from their U.S. partners. The Afghan army worked closely with Afghan police, Afghan National Civil Order Police and Afghan National Defense Services to conduct clearing operations in the Kenjekak and Zangabad villages of the Panjwa'i district of southern Kandahar province. During the six-day operation, more than 400 Afghan National Security Forces discovered multiple caches containing a large amount of bomb-making material to include ammunitions, more than 10 pressure plates, ignition systems and more than 1,000 pounds of homemade explosives -- enough material to make more than 60 homemade bombs.

In Dec. 22 Afghanistan operations:

-- A combined force seized a drug cache containing 910 pounds of marijuana in the Daman district of Kandahar province. The drugs were destroyed.

-- In the Zurmat district of Paktia province, a combined patrol found 20 anti-personnel mines and 60 blocks of explosives.

-- Also in Zurmat, a combined patrol found five RPGs, three 82 mm rockets, 440 rounds of small-arms ammunition and one radio-controlled receiver. Security forces destroyed all of the items.

Gates, Karzai Discuss Way Ahead in Afghanistan

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 2, 2010 – There are now enough resources in Afghanistan to deliver “tangible and lasting results,” Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said during a joint news conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai here today.

The two leaders had met earlier in the day to discuss issues such as combating corruption in the Afghan government, civilian casualties and the U.S. military’s gradual transition of responsibility for security to Afghan forces beginning in July 2011.

Karzai told reporters his discussions with Gates “detailed the progress we have made so far and what remains to be done.”

Nearly all of the 30,000 U.S. troops President Barack Obama ordered to Afghanistan in December 2009 have arrived, Gates said. The U.S. forces are conducting operations along with 7,000 additional servicemembers sent from NATO and non-NATO allies.

The United States has tripled the number of civilians in Afghanistan and provided many more trainers for Afghan security forces.

But the additional resources for the Afghanistan campaign are not confined to international forces. “The size and capabilities of the Afghan security forces continue to grow in number and in quality,” Gates said. Afghan forces have grown by more than 60,000 in the past nine months, he said, reaching the annual recruiting goal three months early.

Afghan troops are working with the International Security Assistance Force, Gates said, with about 85 percent of the Afghan kandaks, or battalions, partnering with ISAF units. The Afghans and ISAF units are “training together, planning together and fighting together, with Afghan forces increasingly taking the lead,” the secretary said.

Meanwhile, the Taliban, the Haqqani network and their al-Qaida allies have fought back. U.S., coalition and Afghan forces had expected the fighting to intensify, Gates said, as they pushed back to take – and hold – more and more villages and cities.

While there have been more allied casualties, “our enemies are paying a very steep price and feeling more pressure than ever,” the secretary said. “That will only intensify as Afghan and coalition operations expand, bringing security to communities and people the Taliban has terrorized.”

This pressure should lead to reconciliation and reintegration in Afghanistan and there already are small groups that are putting down their arms rather than fight Afghan and coalition forces, Gates said.

Meanwhile, despite increased military operations, the numbers of civilian casualties caused by inadvertent coalition and Afghan actions are dropping, Gates said.

“We will continue to make every effort to avoid harming innocent civilians in our operations altogether,” he said. “However, at the same time the Taliban leadership has undertaken a brutal campaign against Afghan civilians and assassination of Afghan officials.”

The secretary announced that the United States is rewriting the rules for contracting and foreign assistance money to ensure it does not fuel corruption. The U.S. embassy and U.S. Forces Afghanistan are working together to put in place new procedures and controls to ensure this. “We fully support the Afghan government in its own efforts to address corruption,” Gates said.

The Afghan president told reporters his government will fight corruption, but that it must be done in accordance with Afghan law.

“We should fight corruption, but corruption must be fought legally and correctly, not in manner of banditry or a violation of the rights of the people,” Karzai said.

Gates reiterated the U.S. military’s role after July 2011 – the date that Obama set for a conditions-based beginning of transition to the Afghans for security. The coalition’s military role will change over time, but one constant will be the long-term commitment of the United States to the Afghan people, he said.

“President Karzai and I discussed the importance of the strengthened U.S.-Afghan Strategic Partnership Declaration now being developed by our two governments,” the secretary said.

Gates said the U.S. military is not “turning off the lights” in July 2011.

“If the Taliban really do believe that America is heading for the exits next summer in large numbers, they will be deeply disappointed and surprised to find us very much in the fight,” he said.

The United States will have forces in Afghanistan after 2011, the secretary said, noting that America and Afghanistan will continue to have a long-term military, political and economic partnership.

“We learned our lesson in turning our back on Afghanistan in 1989, and we have no intention of doing so again,” Gates said.

The United States, he said, will continue to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaida and its extremist affiliates in Afghanistan, Pakistan and other areas they may try to gather.

“Our success will be critical for the future of the Afghan people, for the stability of the region and for the long-term security interests of the American people and our allies,” Gates said.

Afghan, NATO Troops Disrupt Insurgency in Afghanistan

American Forces Press Service

Sept. 28, 2009 - Afghan and international forces have captured several militant fighters in southern Afghanistan in the past three days, military officials reported. Several other insurgents were killed in firefights with combined Afghan and international forces, they said.

Combined Afghan and NATO International Security Assistance Forces today detained several suspects following a search of an insurgent compound in Wardak province known as a Taliban weapons supply center.

The joint force conducted the search in the Chaki Wardak district without incident. No shots were fired, and no Afghan civilians were harmed.

Yesterday, an Afghan and international security force detained several suspects after searching a compound in Kandahar province known to be used by an insurgent leader and his followers.

The search was conducted near the village of Haji Mohammad Ewaz, southwest of Kandahar City. The joint security force detained four suspected insurgents responsible for financial and logistical support of militant attacks in the region. The operation was conducted without incident, and no Afghan civilians were harmed.

On Sept. 26, a joint force detained several suspected insurgents in three separate operations after searching compounds in Wardak and Helmand provinces known to be used by insurgents.

Joint security forces searched a compound north of Ghazni City in Wardak province after intelligence reports indicated militant activity. The force killed enemy militants when they ignored the force's instruction to comply and demonstrated hostile intent. The force then completed its search and identified one of the killed enemy militants as the Taliban facilitator responsible for financial support of militant attacks and dissemination of anti-government media in the region.

In another operation in Wardak province, the joint security force searched compounds near the village of Mohabbat Kheyl and detained a suspected militant member of a Taliban element responsible for financing, supplying and conducting numerous bombing and small-arms attacks against Afghan civilians and infrastructure.

In Helmand province, a joint security force searched a compound near the village of Ali Khafali, north of Lashkar Gah district, and detained two suspected militants. There were no civilian casualties.

(Compiled from NATO International Security Assistance Force news releases.)

Citizen Survival of Terrorist Attacks

On January 9, 2009, Conversations with Heroes at the Watering Hole will feature a discussion with self-defense expert Jim Wagner on how a citizen non-combatant can best survive a terrorist attack.

Program Date: January 9, 2009
Program Time: 2100 hours, Pacific
Topic: Citizen Survival of Terrorist Attacks
Listen Live: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement/2009/01/10/Citizen-Survival-of-Terrorist-Attacks

About the Guests
At the age of 14, Jim Wagner began to his life long pursuit of self-defense by beginning his study of the marital arts. Four years later he joined the United States Army. In 1991 Jim Wagner, sponsored by the Costa Mesa Police Department, entered the police academy (Orange County Sheriff’s Department Training Academy Class 104). Like his Military training before, Jim Wagner was deeply influenced by the police academy’s realistic conflict scenarios.

During his career with the Costa Mesa Police Department, Jim Wagner earned a place on the SWAT team. It was through this conduit that Jim learned about logistics, command post operations, hostage negotiations, entry team tactics, and sniping. On the job training included courses with LAPD SWAT, the U.S. Army Special Forces, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Tactical Training Center, and from U.S. Marines Division Schools Camp Pendleton (Advanced Sniper Course, Military Operations Urban Terrain, Helicopter Rope Suspension Training, and Range Safety Officer).

While conducting a myriad of courses at Camp Pendleton, both Military units and other law enforcement agencies using the base for their own training discovered Jim Wagner’s unique approach to training and his seamless blending of defensive tactics with edged weapons and firearms skills. Before long he was getting offers from the United States Marine Corps, U.S. Marshals Special Operations Group, Department of Defense police, California Highway Patrol, California Department of Corrections, San Diego Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles Probation Department, U.S. Border Patrol, Immigration & Naturalization Service, U.S. Navy and U.S. Marines Provost Marshal Office, Drug Enforcement Administration. By 1996 Jim found himself being invited by foreign unit to train in their own countries: GermanGSG9, Brazilian G.A.T.E., Argentinean G.O.E., Royal Canadian Mounted Police, London Metropolitan Police, Helsinki Police Department, and various units in Spain, Mexico, and Israel.

The demand on Jim Wagner’s time was overwhelming and in 1999 he decided to resign from the Costa Mesa Police Department and started teaching full time. Not wanting to fully give up his law enforcement career Jim applied as a Reserve Deputy at the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Jim Wagner is the author of Reality Based Personal Protection.

About the Watering Hole
The Watering Hole is police slang for a location cops go off-duty to blow off steam and talk about work and life. Sometimes funny; sometimes serious; but, always interesting.

About the Host
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster was a sworn member of the Los Angeles police Department for 24 years. He retired in 2003 at the rank of Lieutenant. He holds a bachelor’s from the Union Institute and University in Criminal Justice Management and a Master’s Degree in Public Financial Management from California State University, Fullerton; and, has completed his doctoral course work. Raymond E. Foster has been a part-time lecturer at California State University, Fullerton and Fresno; and is currently a Criminal Justice Department chair, faculty advisor and lecturer with the Union Institute and University. He has experience teaching upper division courses in law enforcement, public policy, Criminal Justice technology and leadership. Raymond is an experienced author who has published numerous articles in a wide range of venues including magazines such as Government Technology, Mobile Government, Airborne Law Enforcement Magazine, and Police One. He has appeared on the History Channel and radio programs in the United States and Europe as subject matter expert in technological applications in law enforcement.

Listen, call, join us at the Watering Hole.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement/2009/01/10/Citizen-Survival-of-Terrorist-Attacks

Program Contact Information
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA
editor@police-writers.com
909.599.7530

Air Force Sends Surgeons to Train in Iraq

By Sue Campbell
Special to American Forces Press Service

Texas, Dec. 31, 2008 - Optimally managing the unique head and neck injury patterns seen in Iraq and Afghanistan has led to a successful initiative at Wilford Hall Medical Center here. Hospital officials have developed a program – the first for a military medical facility -- to send surgical fellows to a war zone for a surgical rotation.

In the past, medical and surgical residents and fellows were not deployed to combat zones for hands-on training. Concerns over issues such as preparedness for an intense experience, safety, supervision and work-hour restrictions made this type of experience difficult to plan.

"The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and individual residency review committees have very strict rules regarding a surgical resident and fellow's work hours, time away from work, supervision and fatigue management", said Air Force Col. (Dr.) David Holck, director of the Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship and chairman of the ophthalmology department at Wilford Hall.

"Yet, we realized that some of the best experience a military surgeon can receive is in a combat zone," Holck continued. "They can gain concentrated exposure to head and neck trauma and optimize their skills in the management of unique war-related injury patterns that are not routinely seen in civilian trauma centers. These include blast injuries from improvised explosive devices, burns, multisystem trauma and combinations of these injuries."

Holck initiated this project by taking his fellow, Air Force Maj. (Dr.) Lisa Mihora, to the Air Force theater hospital at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, for a surgical rotation this summer.

Mihora, a board-certified ophthalmologist, is in her second year of a two-year fellowship at Wilford Hall as an oculofacial plastics and reconstructive fellow. This specialized division of ophthalmology involves management of deformities and abnormalities of the eyelids, tear system, orbit -- the bony cavity surrounding the eye -- and surrounding face and neck. Facial trauma management is an important component of this fellowship.

"Many Air Force residents and fellows perform rotations at civilian hospitals to obtain the training they need," Holck said. "We have routinely sent our residents to South America for military-unique training and international ophthalmology. As long as appropriate supervision is available with adherence to work-hour restrictions, there really is no limit to where the training can be conducted."

Mihora spent six weeks at Joint Base Balad, performing more than 130 procedures under the direct supervision of Holck and another oculofacial plastic surgeon, Air Force Col. (Dr.) Randal Beatty.

In Iraq, Mihora said, she participated in more head and neck trauma surgeries than in her entire career. This included craniotomies, facial fractures, complex soft tissue facial injuries and enucleations, or eye removals. She also was a critical member of the head and neck team, operating routinely with neurosurgeons, otolaryngologists, and oral and maxillofacial surgeons. These surgeons treated injured U.S. and allied troops, Iraqi civilians and insurgents, anyone who came through the doors.

"Deploying to Iraq gave me unique exposure to oculoplastics patients," Mihora said. "The extent of the injuries and surgeries that I cared for were unique to a war zone. Most injuries were from explosive devices, so I am now more comfortable treating these injuries on soldiers when they return stateside."

The accreditation council evaluates training programs, residents and staff using core competencies. One of these is systems-based practice, which involves understanding and successfully working in the unique medical system that they will be practicing after graduation.

"If we are going to fully train a military surgeon in systems-based practice, a conflict zone is where they will practice their trade," Holck said. "Taking Doctor Mihora to Balad not only allowed her to gain firsthand experience, but will help her train other surgeons who may have to deploy in the future."

Mihora said one of the most important parts of the experience was the chance to work with other head and neck surgeons in a team effort to help injured troops.

"This was a unique opportunity, only available in a military fellowship program, which has enhanced my comfort and skill level in caring for these trauma patients," she said.

"With the support of the 59th Medical Wing commander, the graduate medical education department and all our staff, this inaugural rotation was a resounding success," Holck said. "This is another example of the military, and specifically Wilford Hall Medical Center, leading the way in surgical management of trauma patients."

(Sue Campbell works in the 59th Medical Wing public affairs office.)

U.S. Seeks More Supply Routes for Afghanistan

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

Dec. 31, 2008 - As Pakistani troops apply renewed pressure on militants who have threatened a major supply line, military transportation officials are seeking alternate routes for supplying U.S. and NATO troops deployed in Afghanistan. Pakistani forces yesterday renewed offensive operations targeting militants who, in recent weeks, have attacked some supply convoys that transit the Khyber Pass.

That supply route runs hundreds of miles from the Pakistani port city of Karachi to Peshawar in northwestern Pakistan and then through the Khyber Pass into Afghanistan. The Khyber Pass route provides about 75 percent of the U.S. supplies to troops in Afghanistan.

The Pakistanis' action, which caused a temporary closure of the Khyber Pass supply route, was hailed in a joint statement issued by NATO's International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces Afghanistan.

"We are pleased with the operation to clear out the insurgents in the areas adjacent to the pass, so that our supplies can get through unhindered," the statement said. "This temporary delay will result in long-term gains for all that use that passage route.

"There is no immediate impact on our ability to provide supplies to the troops," the statement concluded.

Still, military officials have been looking for other options. U.S. Transportation Command's top officer, Air Force Gen. Duncan J. McNabb, traveled to several Central Asian countries in November to explore options for establishing added supply routes for Afghanistan operations, Transcom spokeswoman Cynthia Bauer said today during a telephone interview with American Forces Press Service. Transcom is based at Scott Air Force Base, Ill.

Bauer declined to mention specific countries, but Central Asian nations north of Afghanistan include Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. Kyrgyzstan allows U.S. military cargo flights to use its airfields.

"We've been looking at alternate distribution routes for a while," "[It's] just good business practice and U.S. Transcom's responsibility," Bauer said, especially given the unpredictability of war.

"This is a comprehensive enterprise to bring supplies to the troops in Afghanistan, accomplished through teamwork with commercial partners and working relationships with other governments," Bauer said.

Transcom would use private contractors for supply distribution, Bauer said, noting this process would provide potential economic benefits for Central Asian countries and Eurasia's Caucasus region. Local purchase of supplies needed in Afghanistan is another possibility, she added.

Contractors crossing the Khyber Pass from Pakistan are trucking mostly nonmilitary items such as food and other basic needs to troops in Afghanistan, Bauer said.

"You're not seeing MRAPs" going through the Khyber Pass, she said, referring to the acronym for the mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles used in military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

U.S. forces in Afghanistan also have stockpiled supplies, Bauer pointed out, noting there's no danger they'll run out.

Afghan, Allied Forces Destroy Weapons Cache; Taliban Lose 11 Members

American Forces Press Service

Dec. 28, 2008 - Afghan commandos and coalition forces teamed up to seize enemy weapons and supplies, while the Taliban lost 11 members during separate operations conducted in Afghanistan yesterday, military officials said. An Afghan-coalition air-assault team searched a village in Kandahar province's Ghorak district and found a weapons cache containing an anti-personnel mine, anti-tank mines and a bowl of explosive. All materials were destroyed on site.

"Finding and destroying this weapons cache is another step towards safeguarding Afghanistan's future," said Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, chief spokesperson for the Afghanistan Ministry of Defense. "We are actively reducing the insurgency's ability to harm innocent Afghans along the roads of Kandahar."

Also yesterday, coalition forces killed five militants and detained six suspects during operations targeting Taliban activities in Kabul and Paktika provinces. Multiple AK-47 rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, hand grenades and other military equipment were seized during the operations.

In other news, coalition forces detained five suspected Taliban militants during a Dec. 26 operation conducted to dismantle a roadside-bomb network in Zabul province.

And, on Dec. 25, Afghan and coalition forces killed six militants during a firefight in Helmand province's Nahr Surkh district. An enemy weapons cache was destroyed during the operation.

(Compiled from U.S. Forces Afghanistan news releases.)

Mullen Uses Trip to Assess Situation in Afghanistan

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

Dec. 24, 2008 - The highest-ranking U.S. military officer often says he learns as much from the troops as he does from commanders. The lessons Navy Adm. Mike Mullen learned on a trip that concluded this week came from the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, who serve in Afghanistan's Regional Command West.

Mullen led a USO Holiday trip to Germany, Afghanistan, Iraq and Kosovo. While the performers were entertaining the troops, Mullen was receiving briefings from commanders and discussing the strategies, needs and complications on the ground. He also was meeting troops and gauging morale.

In Kosovo, Mullen broke off from the USO and returned to Afghanistan for meetings with Afghan leaders and an extraordinary day with U.S. servicemembers in Regional Command West. He then met with Pakistani military leaders in Islamabad.

"Finding out what is really going on when you are as senior as I is sometimes a challenge," he said. "One of the main methods for me is to use a trip like this, which is why I see so many troops. I don't get 100 different people standing up and asserting truths that I don't know. In the totality of the trip, there is a lot I learn about what's going on."

On his second run through Afghanistan, Mullen saw how the military has applied lessons learned, particularly with the Marines of 3-8. The unit's predecessor in Regional Command West was the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, and "they had a pretty rough go" when they first moved into the area, Mullen said.

"We needed to adjust, and we've done that," the chairman said.

Mullen said the trip also helped him understand the challenges to provincial reconstruction team commanders after visiting the PRT in Afghanistan's Farah province. The PRTs work to build governance capabilities and infrastructure in the provinces. Team members work daily with local and tribal officials, but they are there for only nine months, because some of the members of the team are National Guardsmen and the department has a policy of not having reserve-component soldiers mobilized for more than a year. Training and transitional tasks upon redeploying take up the other three months of their mobilization.

"Perhaps it's time to look at rotating in components of the team on different schedules," Mullen said.

Today, the teams come together in the United States for training and move to Central Command together. But that means a wholesale replacement of personnel each time a team shifts. In the Middle East and Central Asia, relationships are key. Under the current program, every nine months a new team has to develop those relationships with local leaders, tribal elders and government officials all over again.

The chairman said he also wants to look at how the teams are configured. Shortages in security personnel mean team members are handling guard duty and force-protection aspects of the mission rather than interacting with local people. "So I'll take that back with me and ask how that could happen," Mullen said in an interview on his way back to Washington.

The chairman also discussed other aspects of duty in Afghanistan.

"We're very short of helicopters, and in a conversation I didn't expect to have with a helicopter pilot, I found how we were allocating shortfalls, and I'm not sure we're allocating them as well as we could," he said.

Morale always is a focus when Mullen travels, and he said he was "particularly impressed" with the Marines of 3-8.

"They were all sparkling and proud to be there," he said. "And it is a ways out there -- 75 kilometers from the Iranian border. But they know what they are doing, and they have the equipment and leadership to do it."

In Kabul, Mullen met with President Hamid Karzai and his defense leaders. "I wanted to express our support directly to the president for our desire to eliminate civilian casualties, for putting an Afghan face on operations and our support to the military," Mullen said.

They also spoke about the U.S. troop increase in 2009. The Afghan leaders all want the increase, he said, and they expressed their support to him. The troops will go into Regional Command East and Regional Command South.

"One of the hot topics is the 20,000 to 30,000 U.S. troop increase," the admiral said. "All expressed their support. We know that 2009 is a big year -- the U.S. administration change. Karzai was extremely thankful for all that President [George W.] Bush has done for the Afghan people, but he still looks forward to working with President-elect [Barack] Obama.

"As happens each time I go there," he continued, "all expressed their gratitude to the coalition, and especially the United States."

Enablers -- those capabilities that allow combat troops and governments to perform -- also were discussed. Mullen said Afghanistan needs more intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets. At the same time, a drawdown in Iraq means that ISR assets are needed there as the Iraqis take over more and more of the mission.

"There are competing requirements for ISR," he acknowledged, "and we will generate more over the next 12 months, but it is not going to be a simple swap."

More helicopters, medical support, security forces, police trainers and engineers also are needed, Mullen said, and the Afghan leadership is aware of those shortfalls.

When additional forces arrive in Afghanistan, they will allow commanders to institute the "clear, hold, build" strategy that has worked in Iraq, but there will be differences because they are different countries. The Afghan population is mainly rural. Education levels are lower than in Iraq, and the tribes are stronger. Not enough forces are in Afghanistan to hold an area once it's cleared of insurgents, Mullen said, and a plan is in the works to create holding forces.

The chairman said he knew about these issues before going to the area, but seeing the people charged with carrying these missions out is important and gives him additional insight.

"It is tough sometimes for a senior officer to get a straight answer," Mullen said. "But in the totality of the trip, you are able to understand what's going on and draw data."

Chairman Cites Importance of U.S.-Pakistan Relationship

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

Dec. 23, 2008 - After meeting with top military and intelligence officials yesterday in Islamabad, Pakistan, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff emphasized the importance of U.S.-Pakistan relations in the fight against terrorism. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen met with Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, the chief of the Army Staff, and Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha director-general of Pakistan's interservice intelligence agency, and told reporters traveling with him that he makes it a point to meet with his Pakistani counterpart whenever possible.

"Just about any time I am in the [area of operations], I'll stop by to see him," Mullen said during an interview today on the flight back to Andrews Air Force Base, Md. Yesterday's meeting marked Mullen's seventh visit to Pakistan since he took office in October 2007.

The relationship between the United States and Pakistan is critical, Mullen said. Pakistan borders Afghanistan, and Taliban extremists have been using safe havens in remote areas of the country. Officials believe extremists from the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba used the safe havens to finance, plan and train for the November terror attack against Mumbai, India's financial capital.

The attacks targeted foreigners, but most of the almost 200 people killed were Indian. After the attack, the new Pakistani government moved against Lashkar-e-Taiba, arresting many members, shutting down "charities" that supported the group and shuttering the group's camps.

"It was a good, positive meeting, and it continues our relationship," Mullen said. "I'm not going to get into specifics of what we discussed, but I am encouraged."

Before the attack in Mumbai, the Pakistani government began operations in Baijur on the border with Afghanistan. Mullen and NATO International Security Assistance Force officials said that operation was extremely helpful inside Afghanistan. The Pakistani Army operation, combined with coalition and Afghan military efforts, caused a noticeable drop in Taliban fighters and members of other terror groups trying to cross the border, he added.

Mullen said the NATO and Pakistani operations are coordinated, but aren't synchronized.

The small team of extremists that attacked Mumbai represented a tactical operation that had strategic effects, Mullen said, placing that progress in jeopardy. Indian and Pakistani leaders had been working to lessen tensions between the two countries in a territorial dispute over the state of Kashmir. India and Pakistan have gone to war many times since the partition of the subcontinent in 1947. Today, both countries possess nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them.

The near-term danger is that war might erupt, officials said. A second-order effect is that the dispute may cause Pakistan to concentrate on its border with Kashmir and lessen its commitment to solving the problem of safe havens in the west.

The long-term answer, Mullen told reporters, is a regional strategy that includes Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and other Central Asian nations. The nations must improve relations among one another so attacks like the one in Mumbai don't escalate closer to conflict, he said.

military-to-military contacts can help lessen tensions among the countries of the region and put in place a structure for working out problems, the chairman said.

Mullen is en route home from a week-long trip that also took him to Germany, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. In addition to conducting military business, he brought along a celebrity-laden USO tour to entertain deployed troops.

Face of Defense: Guard Soldier Uses Civilian Skills in Iraq

By Army Staff Sgt. Jason Kendrick
Special to American Forces Press Service

Dec. 23, 2008 - Deployed National Guard soldiers often find themselves doing a job outside of their military occupational specialty. Army Capt. Jaime Hernandez, who serves in Multinational Division Baghdad with the 36th Infantry Division's Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 56th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, is one such soldier.

Hernandez, an armor officer, spent his first deployment -- to Taqqadum, Iraq, in 2005 with the 2nd Battalion, 112th Armored Regiment -- serving primarily as an infantry officer. "We did patrolling, route clearance, quick-reaction force and entry control point missions," he said.

During his current deployment, Hernandez works in the brigade engineer cell. His civilian education and experience were deciding factors for his selection to serve in the section.

"He was hand-picked by me because of his construction experience," explained Army Maj. Robert Crockem, 56th Infantry Brigade Combat Team's engineer officer.

Hernandez is a 2002 graduate of Texas A&M University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in construction science. The Fort Worth, Texas, native now works as a project engineer with a contractor on commercial projects. Prior to his deployment, he worked as a civilian project engineer on the Tarrant County Convention Center parking garage.

His civilian skills have helped him be successful during this deployment, he said, adding that he has used those skills to put together various project proposals. But although there are many skill sets that are the same in his job back home and his mission here in Iraq, Hernandez said, there are some large differences as well.

"Back home, I work for a general contractor, so we basically build off of the plans and specifications," he explained. "Here, we are developing the plan, designing the structure, providing the scope of work and quality control for the military, but I use a lot of the same skills."

His brigade commander noted that National Guard soldiers often bring valuable experience gained outside the military when they deploy.

"When you drop a National Guard soldier on the ground, you're getting more bang for your buck because of the civilian soft skills that they bring," Army Col. Lee Henry, commander of the 56th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, said.

(Army Staff Sgt. Jason Kendrick serves in Multinational Division Baghdad with the 36th Infantry Division's 56th Infantry Brigade Combat Team public affairs office.)

Coalition, Afghans Kill, Capture Taliban Fighters

American Forces Press Service

Dec. 23, 2008 - Coalition and Afghan forces killed eight Taliban fighters in separate operations in Afghanistan yesterday, military officials reported. In the first operation, coalition troops were targeting a Taliban militant's compound about 40 miles northeast of Kabul when they were fired on by insurgents. The troops returned fire, killing six armed men. They detained three other fighters.

The men are suspected of leading terrorist activities, including trafficking foreign fighters, in Kabul, Laghman and Kapisa provinces. The troops protected 21 women and 30 children during the operation, and seized multiple assault rifles and other military equipment.

Earlier in the day, coalition troops and Afghan commandos killed two Taliban fighters in the western province of Herat.

Afghan commandos were conducting an early morning raid on a senior Taliban commander's compound in the Zer-e-Koh Valley when coalition troops identified multiple armed militants maneuvering toward the rear of the compound. As the commandos approached, they were fired on by the militants. The commandos pinpointed, pursued and isolated the fleeing militants in the open. Coalition forces responded with close air-support, resulting in the deaths of two armed insurgents.

The coalition is investigating reports of a noncombatant casualty during the operation.

(Complied from U.S. Forces Afghanistan news releases.)

Coalition, Iraqi Forces Capture Suspect, Seize Weapons

American Forces Press Service

Dec. 23, 2008 - Iraqi and coalition forces in Baghdad yesterday captured a man suspected in a grenade attack against a "Sons of Iraq" civilian security group, military officials said. U.S. soldiers responded with Iraqi National Police to the homemade-grenade attack against a Sons of Iraq combat outpost in Baghdad's Rashid district last night. The soldiers detained one suspect.

In other operations in Iraq:

-- An Iraqi police emergency response battalion discovered about 150 pounds of homemade explosives early today in the Wahda neighborhood of Mosul and removed them from the neighborhood.

-- Coalition and Iraqi forces seized multiple weapons caches in Baghdad in recent days that included an 82 mm mortar system, four 60 mm mortar rounds, a high-explosive projectile, 15 AK-47 assault rifles, a homemade rocket and three fuses.

-- On Dec. 21, Iraqi soldiers discovered and dismantled a homemade explosive known as a "sticky bomb" secured to the door of a Baghdad business.

-- Coalition and Iraqi forces detained four suspects in the Baghdad area Dec. 21 and served court-issued warrants on them.

(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)

Army Chief of Staff Visits Soldiers in Afghanistan

By Army Pfc. Tamara Gabbard
Special to American Forces Press Service

Dec. 22, 2008 - The Army's top officer stopped here Dec. 20 during a trip to visit soldiers around the world during the holiday season to spend some time with the troops and to discuss with them the way forward for the Army. “Ivisited our soldiers in Korea and Japan, and now here in Afghanistan, and it is just remarkable the difference our soldiers make in countries all around the world," Gen. George W. Casey Jr., Army chief of staff, said.

Casey also visited forward operating bases Shank and Airborne while in Afghanistan.

"What I am trying to do is go out, talk to them, and let them know what a magnificent job they are doing and what a difference they are making during a very, very difficult time for our country," Casey said.

"This was a great visit with the soldiers here, and they are just doing magnificent things in a very difficult and complex environment," he added. "I got to re-enlist a soldier today ... who six weeks ago became an American citizen. And that was a very great thing for me to be able to do."

Army Spc. Diana A. Sullivan, a human resources specialist deployed with the 101st Airborne Division's Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Brigade, Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, became a U.S. citizen Nov. 11.

During his lunch with the troops at Shank, Casey discussed ideas on helping the Army's growth and stability, or what he called "balancing the force."

A campaign that started in 2007 centered on four imperatives, the general said: sustaining soldiers and their families, continuing to prepare soldiers for success in the current conflict, "resetting" them effectively when they return, and transforming the Army for an uncertain future.

There's been great progress in all those areas in 2008, Casey said, adding that he expects that progress to continue in 2009.

"I think the most striking progress that we have made is with support to our families," he said. "In 2007, we issued an Army family covenant and have doubled the money we have put forward for soldiers and family programs. And in 2009, I think we can see our families and soldiers expect to see us redouble our efforts to implement that family covenant."

Casey backed his "balancing the force" plans with knowledge of how the growth of the military has moved forward and is helping to achieve goals that originally were planned for 2012, he said.

That growth, he said, should be complete in 2009.

"You might remember that we were originally growing by 75,000, and that [growth expectancy] was going to be completed in 2012, but with the secretary of defense's support, we were able to move that to 2010, and now we will achieve our goals in the next year."

The general noted the success the Army has had in recruiting and retention.

"It is pretty amazing to me that last year, 290,000 men and women enlisted or re-enlisted into the Army, Army Guard and Reserve, and that says an awful lot about the quality of people we are getting in the Army today," he said.

Casey also touched on subjects such as the importance of mental and physical health of soldiers in and out of the combat theater and the progress that has been building over recent months in the war effort.

"The demands of combat over the past seven-plus years are tearing on our force," he said, "and I am seeing the cumulative effects of combat on the men and women of the Army -- and that is nothing to be ashamed of; it is a cost of war."

Casey said taking care of soldiers' mental health is every bit as important as seeing to their physical health.

"[We recognize the] need to raise mental health and mental fitness to go right along with physical fitness, and that is what the Comprehensive Physical Fitness program is all about," Casey said. "[CPF] will focus on education, and not just on what to do after you have identified a problem."

The program works toward building resilience, he noted.

"All our research tells us that the earlier [a problem] is identified, the sooner treatment is sought, and the faster you recover," Casey said. "[CPF] will also look at intervention and finding treatment, but as I said, it is important for us to realize the mental health issues that come from combat are realities of war, and we need to treat them as realities of war. We need to identify and get treatment for these soldiers as rapidly as possible."

November was set aside as Warrior Care Month, he noted, to focus everyone on what is being done in areas of warrior care.

"We have made huge strides at everything from combat lifesaver training in basic training for every soldier going through -- and also improving what we are putting into the first-aid kits to allow that combat lifesaver training soldier to provide the best possible buddy aid -- to the medevac helicopters that are available in theaters to bring our soldiers back to world-class treatment facilities," he said. "That is what warrior care is about, [and] the whole system has brought the survivability rate to levels that are just unheard-of in combat."

One of the most important elements of getting the Army back in balance and continuing this progress is increasing the time soldiers are at home between operations, he said.

"It is not just spending time with family -- which is very important -- but the longer you have home, the longer you have time to also begin training and preparing for other things other than regular warfare," Casey said. "If you hold demand steady about where it is now, and you grow as we are growing, what happens is over time you gradually increase that availability so people don't have to [deploy] as often.

"This is the training guidance that I have given to the Army: if you are home 18 months or less, stay focused on regular warfare," he continued. If soldiers are home 18 months or more, he added, they can take about 90 days and focus on major conventional operations so they can rekindle their conventional warfighting skills.

In reference to this training during longer dwell times, Casey has rolled out with a new Army regulation, 7-0, in accordance with a February 2008 publication of the first Capstone doctrine since Sept. 11, 2001.

"[AR 7-0] is intended to drive a training revolution," Casey said. "We are building an Army that will operate on a rotational cycle, and that will require us to train leaders and train units fundamentally different than we have in the past, [and] this manual is designed to get us thinking in that direction."

Casey also offered words of praise for the Soldiers serving in Afghanistan.

"Sometimes you get out here and you get caught up in the little details of building up a base, or whatever you are doing, and you look at yourself and say, 'Well, I wonder if I am making any difference?,'" he said. "And the answer is you are making a huge difference.

"From when I first came in 2003 until now, the hustle and bustle of the soldiers is phenomenal," he continued. "This is a long-term proposition, there is no doubt about it, and I will tell you everyone is leaning forward to meet [the] requirements."

The U.S. drawdown from Iraq will help to meet the requirements in Afghanistan without adding to the burden that is already on the force, Casey said.

"There is also a huge support in the American public for the men and women of the Army," he added, "and as a result of that, there is a resolve in them that they might be against the war, but they cannot be against the people of the armed forces."

The general repeated his gratitude to the soldiers and offered his best wishes to them and their families for the holidays and the year to come.

"I would just like to thank the men and women of the United States Army that are here in Afghanistan for their service and their sacrifice, and I wish them and their families very happy holidays and a new year," he said.

(Army Pfc. Tamara Gabbard serves with the 382nd Public Affairs Detachment.)

Daily Attacks in Iraq Drop Nearly 95 Percent

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

Dec. 22, 2008 - The number of daily attacks in Iraq has dropped nearly 95 percent since last year, a U.S. military official said yesterday. Iraq suffered an average of 180 attacks per day this time last year. But over the past week, the average number was 10, Army Brig. Gen. David G. Perkins, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, said.

"This is a dramatic improvement of safety throughout the country," Perkins told reporters during a wide-ranging news conference in Baghdad yesterday.

He added that the country's murder rates have dropped below levels that existed before the start of American operations in Iraq. In November, the ratio was 0.9 per 100,000 people.

Perkins said political progress has complemented the reduction in violence, citing the recent passage of two pieces of legislation that will help guide the future security and political relationship between Washington and Baghdad.

A recently concluded status-of-forces agreement stipulates that American combat troops will leave Iraqi cities by the end of June, and will withdraw from Iraq by the end of 2011.

Perkins said the security deal will cause changes to the way the nations plan, coordinate and execute tasks together. "However, our mission, goals and commitments to the Iraqi people remain unchanged," he added.

The other bilateral arrangement signed last week by President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was the Strategic Framework Agreement, which formalizes economic, diplomatic, cultural and security ties between the two nations.

"These agreements signal Iraq's emergence from United Nations Security Council oversight and a return to Iraq's rightful place within the international community," Perkins said.

Providing an update on the changing composition of the multinational force, Perkins said forces from 19 countries have completed their missions serving "side by side" with Iraqi security counterparts and have departed the country in the past four months.
"These nations have accomplished much for the people of Iraq. They have trained and mentored Iraqis in everything from security techniques to literacy and public health," he said. "It has been an honor for us to serve with these great coalition partners."

The nations include Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Georgia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Poland, Tonga and Ukraine.

Iraqi, Coalition Forces Detain Six Terrorist Suspects

American Forces Press Service

Dec. 22, 2008 - Coalition and Iraqi security forces detained six terrorist suspects in operations in recent days, military officials said. Iraqi forces working with coalition troops detained a suspected terrorist Dec. 20 in southern Baghdad's Rashid district. The man was wanted for bomb attacks in the area.

Iraqi national police and the "Sons of Iraq" civilian security group worked with soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division's 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion, in capturing the suspect. They also found a rocket-propelled grenade with wires attached as a makeshift bomb in the Aamel community. The Iraqis transported the munitions to a nearby Iraqi forward operating base for disposal.

Also in Baghdad on Dec. 20, Iraqi police and soldiers with the U.S. 1st Infantry Division's 10th Cavalry Regiment detained a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq cell leader in the Ameriyah district of northwestern Baghdad. The man is suspected of building homemade bombs at a car shop in Yarmouk.

On Dec. 19, Iraqi security forces captured three suspected terrorists in central Iraq in two operations.

Iraqi special operations forces detained two suspected criminal in Baghdad. One of the detainees is suspected in explosives attacks and extortion in Mustansirya.

In a separate operation, emergency response brigade soldiers captured a suspected terrorist in Baghdad. The man is believed to be the leader of a new terrorist group operating in Baghdad and has a high level of influence and ties to a terrorist organization.

Also on Dec. 19, coalition forces apprehended an Iraqi citizen suspected to be an Iranian intelligence agent and an alleged associate during an operation in Qastin, just north of Baghdad.

Acting on intelligence information, coalition forces targeted the man, who allegedly is a commander of Iranian special operations in Iraq. The suspect also is believed to be involved in the training of Iraqi militants at Islamic Republican Guard Corps Quds Force training camps.

In Qastin, coalition forces approached the residence of the wanted man, who identified himself to forces and was apprehended without incident. The suspected criminal then led forces to the location of an associate at a nearby residence. The associate was apprehended without incident.

Iran's Quds Force is believed to provide direct support to multiple extremist groups in Iraq, and to be responsible for weapons being smuggled into Iraq from Iran.

(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)

Cheney Calls Absence of Post-9/11 Attacks 'Remarkable Achievement'

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

Dec. 22, 2008 - The absence of new terrorist attacks on the United States since 9/11 reflects the success of the nation's anti-terror programs and policies, Vice President Richard B. Cheney said yesterday on the "Fox News Sunday" television show. "I think the fact that we were able to protect the nation against further attacks from al-Qaida for seven and a half years is a remarkable achievement," Cheney told interviewer Chris Wallace.

The United States has avoided repetition of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and thwarted follow-on plots directed against other municipalities such as Los Angeles and Chicago, Cheney said, by implementing homeland-defense initiatives, including the terrorist surveillance program, and launching overseas U.S. military operations targeting militants in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Cheney listed some terrorist attacks around the world that followed 9/11:

-- Bombings targeting popular nightclubs on the Indonesian island of Bali in October 2002 killed more than 200 people and injured more than 200.

-- Bombings on commuter trains in Madrid, Spain, in March 2004 killed nearly 200 people and injured nearly 2,000.

-- Suicide bombings targeting London subways and buses in July 2005 killed more than 50 people and injured hundreds.

-- Terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, conducted last month killed more than 150 people and injured hundreds.

"The threat's still out there, and still [is] very real," Cheney said.

To protect America against another terrorist attack, Cheney said, the U.S. government "had to adopt some unpopular policies that have been widely criticized" in recent years.

As the commander in chief of the armed forces, President George W. Bush was compelled and authorized to establish a terror surveillance program that would be used "to intercept the communications of people who are communicating with terrorists outside the United States," Cheney said.

The surveillance program, in conjunction with detentions and interrogations of high-value detainees, has "provided invaluable intelligence, which has been the key to our ability to defeat al-Qaida over these last seven years," Cheney said. Senior-level congressional leaders, he said, were briefed and consulted about the domestic surveillance program, which could involve federal officials listening in on citizens' calls to overseas locales.

It's also necessary for U.S. officials to employ "a robust interrogation program with respect to high-value detainees," Cheney said.

The Geneva Conventions do not apply to enemy combatants seized during the war against global terrorism, Cheney said. Terrorists do not adhere to the laws of war and should therefore be held for the duration of the conflict, he said, noting the terrorists didn't wear uniforms, didn't represent a nation-state, and had "spent all their time trying to kill civilians."

Cheney acknowledged that some of the president's anti-terror programs have touched off sometimes heated public debate over their use.

"But I think that what we've done has been totally consistent with what the Constitution provides for," the vice president said.

Regarding the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden, Cheney told Wallace that the fugitive al-Qaida chieftain apparently has "been holed up in a way where he's not even been communicating." Officials believe bin Laden is hiding somewhere in a remote region of eastern Afghanistan or western Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the United States and its allies have had "major success" against al-Qaida, Cheney said.

"We've captured or killed a lot of al-Qaida members, and, as I say, we've prevented further attacks against the United States," Cheney said. "That's probably the most-important objective."

Afghans, Coalition Respond to Bombs, Drugs in Southern Afghanistan

American Forces Press Service

Dec. 22, 2008 - Afghan and coalition forces traded fire with insurgents in southern Afghanistan yesterday after responding to a roadside bomb explosion, military officials said. Afghan and coalition troops arrived on the scene in the Nahr Surkh district of Helmand province where an Afghan man driving a tractor was seriously wounded when the tractor struck a homemade bomb. Insurgents attacked the combined forces with small-arms fire. The combined forces responded with small arms, killing one insurgent.

Coalition forces evacuated the civilian to a medical facility, where he was reported to be in critical condition. No Afghan or coalition casualties were reported.

Northeast of there a day earlier, coalition forces killed four armed militants and detained five suspects during an operation targeting the Taliban's roadside bomb network in Zabul province.

Coalition forces targeted a Taliban militant known to traffic weapons and coordinate roadside bomb attacks in Qalat district, about 80 miles northeast of Kandahar. Multiple militants armed with AK-47 assault rifles engaged the troops, who returned fire, killing four insurgents.

Also in Afghanistan, Afghan commandos and coalition forces Dec. 19 discovered and destroyed 3,000 pounds of marijuana and marijuana seeds found in a school in the Arghestan district of Kandahar province.

The combined forces were conducting a foot patrol when a commando stopped to search the empty school. The school's furniture had been taken out of the classrooms and left in the courtyard. The amount of rust on the furniture indicated the school may not have been used for its intended purpose for a prolonged period of time, officials said.

With the help of local villagers, the drugs were taken outside of the school and destroyed. The school was not damaged during the destruction of the illegal drugs.

The combined forces also destroyed a homemade bomb and an unexploded mortar round, both located about 100 yards from the school.

"Using drugs to fund insurgent activity is bad enough," Army Col. Jerry O'Hara, U.S. Forces Afghanistan spokesman, said. "Using a school as a drug warehouse is an attack on the future of all Afghanistan."

(Compiled from U.S. Forces Afghanistan news releases.)

Coalition Forces Kill Terrorist, Detain 25 in Iraq Operations

American Forces Press Service

Dec. 21, 2008 - Coalition forces continued to degrade al-Qaida in Iraq networks yesterday and today, killing one terrorist and detaining 25 other suspects during operations throughout the country, military officials reported. Coalition forces killed a terrorist yesterday in Qayyarah, south of Mosul, during an operation targeting an alleged al-Qaida weapons facilitator. Reporting led forces to a residence in the city identified as the location of the wanted man. As coalition forces entered the building, a man inside reached for an AK-47 rifle and attempted to engage them. Perceiving hostile intent, forces engaged and killed the man, later identified as the wanted terrorist. Another suspect believed to be an associate of the wanted man was detained without further incident.

An alleged al-Qaida financier was captured yesterday in Tikrit, north of Baghdad. The wanted man also is reportedly associated with al-Qaida in Iraq's terrorist court system. One additional suspect was detained during the operation.

Coalition forces took aim at al-Qaida's central Iraq networks during an operation late yesterday near Abu Ghraib. There, forces detained five suspects believed to be associates of an alleged suicide bomber and administrative facilitator in the region.

Also yesterday, forces detained one man believed to be associated with Samarra al-Qaida leaders during an operation near Kifri, southeast of Kirkuk.

Forces continued targeting Samarra al-Qaida leaders early today in the Jalam Desert, north of Baghdad. That operation netted three suspects.

Two suspects believed to be associated with a regional al-Qaida leader were detained by coalition forces today in Tarmiyah, north of Baghdad.

Also today in Tarmiyah, forces detained three suspects believed to be associates of a wanted al-Qaida financier.

Coalition and Iraqi forces dealt another blow to al-Qaida's bombing networks in Salahuddin today. The combined force captured an alleged improvised explosive device and suicide bomber facilitator near Hawijah, southwest of Kirkuk. Three suspects believed to be the wanted man's associates also were detained.

Al-Qaida bombing networks in Mosul were also degraded today. There, forces detained four suspects during an operation targeting an alleged IED facilitator.

In other operations yesterday:

-- Coalition forces arrested an alleged Kataib Hezbollah special operations cell leader and detained two other suspects during an operation in Baghdad's Adhamiyah district. Acting with a warrant issued in accordance with Iraqi law, coalition forces targeted the alleged cell leader, believed to be responsible for the July improvised rocket-assisted mortar attack in Adhamiyah. Coalition forces approached the suspected terrorist's residence in Adhamiyah and arrested the wanted man without incident. Forces also detained two of his associates, who are suspected of being Kataib Hezbollah terrorists.

-- Acting on intelligence information, coalition forces targeted an alleged finance manager for several terrorist network cells in Baghdad's Adhamiyah district. Coalition forces approached a residence believed to be the location of the wanted man, where he was apprehended without incident, along with two associates.

-- In a separate operation conducted in Adhamiyah, forces targeted an individual believed to be involved in nefarious activities with leadership from two criminal networks, including special groups. Forces approached the suspect's residence in Adhamiyah and apprehended the suspected terrorist and two associates without incident.

-- Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers detained four suspected "special groups" criminals in Baghdad's Rashid district. Soldiers from Troop C, 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, conducted a combined patrol with Iraqi national Police officers from the 1st Battalion, 6th Brigade, 2nd National Police Division, and detained four individuals after receiving a tip from an Iraqi citizen. The individuals are suspected of murder and roadside bomb attacks.

-- Iraqi security forces, alongside Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers, seized weapons and munitions in the Ghazaliyah and Ameriya districts of northwest Baghdad. During combined combat operations, Iraqi security forces serving with the 4th Battalion, 54th Brigade, and 2nd Battalion, 22nd Brigade, both of the 6th Iraqi Army Division, supported by the 4th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, operationally attached to the 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, the 5th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, and the 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, both of the 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, seized a total of five separate caches of various sizes. The largest cache consisted of 15 various sized mortar rounds, 12 AK-47 assault rifles and a rocket-propelled grenade warhead

In operations Dec. 19:

-- Iraqi security forces arrested two suspected criminals during combat operations in southern Baghdad's Rashid district. Iraqi Army soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 53rd Brigade, 14th Iraqi Army Division, arrested a suspected criminal in accordance with an outstanding warrant. Police officers from the 3rd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 2nd National Police Division, served a warrant for the arrest of a suspected criminal in the Furat community.

-- Soldiers serving with 5th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, seized six AK-47s, a pistol, and a box containing an undetermined amount of ammunition in Baghdad's Ghazaliyah neighborhood.

-- Soldiers serving with Company B, 1st Battalion, 35th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Armor Division, found eight 57 mm projectiles south of Baghdad. An explosives ordnance disposal team responded to the area and destroyed the munitions.

-- Acting on a tip from a concerned citizen, soldiers serving with Company C, 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, discovered a cache north of Baghdad containing eight 125 mm mortars, two 42 mm mortars and five 40 mm high explosive anti-tank rounds. The seized munitions were later destroyed by an EOD team.

-- Soldiers serving with 1st Battalion, 35th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Armor Division, uncovered two buried caches south of Baghdad. The munitions seized included two 100-pound propane tanks, an 80-pound propane tank, a 100-kilogram bomb, a 2.75-inch Flechette rocket, two 125 mm rounds, two mortars and 150 pounds of homemade explosives.

-- Soldiers serving with 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regt., 2nd
Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, found a cache containing a base plate and an anti-aircraft barrel, 570 rounds linked and 1,500 rounds unlinked of .50-caliber ammunition north of Baghdad.

-- Iraqi national Police serving with 2nd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 1st National Police Division, seized five automatic timer mines, two pounds of unknown bulk explosive material, 15 57 mm projectiles, a rifle and eight project boxes used in IEDs near the joint security station Tuwaitha south of Baghdad.

-- Iraqi Police officers from 1st Battalion, 6th Brigade, 2nd National Police Division, patrolling with soldiers from Troop C, 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, responded to a tip and detained a suspected criminal in the Abu T'shir community of Baghdad's Rashid district.

In operations Dec. 18:

-- National Police officers from 1st Battalion, 6th Brigade, 2nd National Police Division, conducting a combined patrol with soldiers from Troop C, 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, found an RPG round in an Abu T'shir neighborhood of Baghdad's Rashid district.

-- Police officers from 2nd Battalion, 7th Brigade, 2nd National Police Division, working with soldiers from Company B, 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, discovered an emplaced roadside bomb consisting of one anti-tank mine and a propane tank in the Masafee community. An Iraqi EOD team dismantled the bomb.

-- Police officers from 2nd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 2nd National Police Division, working with soldiers from Company A, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, responded to a tip and detained a suspected criminal in the Aamel community.

-- Soldiers serving with Company B, 1st Battalion, 35th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armor Division, discovered a cache containing eight propane tanks wrapped in detonation cord.

-- Soldiers serving with Company B, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, discovered a large cache north of Baghdad. The cache included 28 82 mm mortars, seven grenades of various sizes, a 60 mm mortar, an 82 mm mortar tube and stand, 14 high-explosive rockets of various sizes, two 57 mm projectiles, 19 39.5 mm mortar fuses, 2,640 rounds of 12.7 mm ammunition, 20 sticks of TNT, 20 pounds of PE-4 explosive material and various bomb-making materials.

-- Iraqi Army soldiers serving with 4th Battalion, 54th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, and Iraqi Police from Ameriya found a weapons cache. The munitions seized included a 155 mm projectile, three rocket-propelled grenades, 20 blasting caps, six sticks of C-4 explosive, an RPG motor, 100 meters of detonation cord, and a V25 rocket fuse.

-- A suspected terrorist was apprehended and detained by soldiers from1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, in Khan Bani Sab. The individual detained is suspected to be involved in weapons trafficking, indirect fire attacks, and other acts of terrorism.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq news releases.)