By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 22, 2008 - The tables have turned for al Qaeda in northern Iraq, as a surge of operations there in the new year has put terrorists on the run looking for new places to hide, a commander in the region said today. Army Maj. Gen. Mark Hertling, commander of Multinational Division North, briefed Pentagon reporters today from Iraq.
Operation Iron Harvest, part of the larger countrywide Operation Phantom Phoenix launched just before Christmas, has pounded parts of four northern provinces that have, for the most part, afforded the group safe haven, Hertling said. The operation's main effort has been in Diyala, specifically the area called the "breadbasket," near Muqdadiyah, in eastern Diyala province, although it includes Multinational Division North's other provinces of Salahuddin, Ninevah, and Tamim.
Early intelligence reports say al Qaeda operatives are still looking for a place to hide, the general said. "And that's what we're attempting to do," he added.
"A year ago, we were often reacting to al Qaeda and what they were going to do," Hertling said. "Now, I think the tables have turned a little bit, and they are attempting to react to where we're going to go next. And that's a critical difference."
Tired of al Qaeda's torturous reign of terror in the region, local citizens are turning over weapons caches, hideouts, names and even drawing maps to where terrorists still hiding in the area could be found, Hertling said.
"They are trying to get away or find new safe havens. And every time they think they have them, we attack there," Hertling said.
In 40 operations, many alongside the Iraqi security forces in the region, coalition forces have captured or killed 40 terrorists marked as "high-value individuals" by military officials. Forces killed another 130 enemy fighters, and nearly 374 have been detained.
Forces have cleared 386 roadside bombs, 28 car bombs and 38 house bombs. They have uncovered 127 weapons cache sites storing 2,100 rockets and mortars, 6,900 pounds of military-grade explosives and 30,000 pounds of homemade explosives, and they've destroyed a couple of bomb-making factories. Fifteen coalition force soldiers have died in the operations, Hertling said.
During the operations, coalition forces found a torture chamber and rescued two civilians still alive there. The two said 11 were being held there the day before. They had been held and tortured for nearly two weeks for working as contractors and running new electric power lines to the area, Hertling said.
The commander said that the insurgents would use torture to terrorize local citizens into allowing them free rein.
Terrorists would behead local citizens and carry the heads down the streets of town as part of what Hertling called their "very brutal and violent tactics."
"And what you would see as a result of that is (that) people were afraid to either go to the police or stand up against these people," the general said. "If you don't have weapons or you don't have security forces to counter that kind of action, it's kind of difficult to push back against these violent and barbarous criminals."
Hertling said al Qaeda's heavy activity in the area for the past several months has damaged not only the infrastructure, but also the people's psyche. Now, though, stores are reopening and people are starting to go out into the towns.
"We are all seeing the hope on the faces of the Iraqis as they see a more secure future in some of these towns we have not been to recently," Hertling said.
Operations north of Baghdad previously had used more of an "economy of force" approach, Hertling said. Security in the region was difficult to maintain because of a limited number of both coalition and Iraqi security forces operating there. After coalition forces would clear an area and move on, al Qaeda would simply come back and reoccupy it. But now, four divisions of Iraq forces operate there, and the country's forces are growing in both numbers and capabilities, Hertling said. These additional forces will help hold the recent gains in security.
"Where we can't be, they can be," the commander said of the Iraqi forces. "It's continuing to improve the situation on the ground in all the communities."
About 15,000 local people have signed up as concerned local citizens under a program that allows them to assist with the security effort. Of those, about 2,000 want to transition into the permanent Iraqi security forces, Hertling said. As long as they pass the screening process, all should be able to join, he said. Most want to join the local police.
Coalition forces also are building joint security stations in the towns.
"As things begin to develop and we get more and more into the 'hold' and the eventual 'build' stage, coalition forces will begin to leave," the general said. "As the Iraqi police stand up more and more capability, the Iraqi army will begin to leave and the police will be left, along with local citizens, in securing the inside of town."
Smallpox vaccine alternative identified
“University of California, Irvine, infectious disease researchers have shown the effectiveness of a potential alternative to the existing smallpox vaccine that can replace the current biodefense stockpile for this lethal virus. Philip Felgner and Huw Davies with the Department of Medicine found that the modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) produced the same antiviral response in human and animal studies as the current smallpox vaccine, Dryvax. The study is part of a national effort to develop a replacement for the Dryvax vaccine, which causes serious complications in some people. The results are published in the Journal of Virology.” (Physorg.com, 07Jan08, UC Irvine) http://www.physorg.com/news118922860.html
Firefighters Contain Biolab Fire
“Boston firefighters easily contained a small fire at a controversial research laboratory under construction that is being designed to study some of the world's most dangerous germs and viruses. The small fire inside a construction waste cart on the fifth floor of Boston University's National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories on Saturday afternoon was probably caused by careless disposal of a cigarette, fire department spokesman Steve MacDonald said.” (TheBostonChannel.com, 05Jan08, AP) http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/14987099/detail.html
El Pasoans Could Wait Weeks For Medicine In Bioterrorism Attack
“If something like an anthrax attack or the [p]andemic flu hits El Paso [Texas], El Paso’s Bioterrorism Pandemic Flu Preparedness Program said it will be mass chaos. The city's department of health will have enough medicine to treat people, but the department said it needs more than 2,000 extra volunteers to give out medicine. As of now the department has about 450 volunteers. At that rate people will be waiting for a long time to get medicine they need.” (KFOXtv.com, 04Jan08) http://www.kfoxtv.com/news/14981114/detail.html
Arsenal destroys 10,000th nerve-agent rocket
“Pine Bluff Arsenal [Arkansas] officials announced Friday that the facility has destroyed the 10,000th rocket filled with nerve gas that had been stored at the chemical weapons depot. The milestone, reached Thursday evening, came a day after the facility moved beyond the 50 percent mark in its disposal of VX nerve-agent filled rockets.” (Arkansas Democrat Gazette, 05Jan08, AP) http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/212760/
Army: More chemical weapons destroyed
“The Army says its making progress in destroying thousands of chemical weapons stored at the Anniston Army Depot [Alabama]. Since December 26th, workers have incinerated 3,846 VX-filled 155 millimeter artillery shells and 2,454 gallons of liquid VX. More than 76,000 of the shells and almost 47,000 gallons of the nerve agent have been destroyed since June. Officials say that all munitions filled with nerve agent GB have been eliminated.” (al.com, 03Jan08, AP) http://www.al.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-33/1199368793270280.xml&storylist=alabamanews
Agent spill under control
“There have not been any repercussions from the state and federal governments as of yet concerning a one-gallon spill of chemical nerve agent GB, or ‘sarin’ that occurred at the Blue Grass Army Depot [Kentucky] in August of last year. Mere vapors were detected Aug. 27, when Dick Sloan, public affairs for the Blue Grass Chemical Activity, issued a press release. However, it was not until the next day that the spill was located, Sloan said. Since the incident, the Kentucky Division of Waste Management has been spending most of their efforts on working with the Army to make sure the agent release was not harmful to people off post. The Army has presented the Division of Waste Management with a ‘real time’ model that tracks the potential travel path of nerve agent vapors based on numbers from actual monitor readings, including the vapor’s concentration and the current wind direction.” (Richmond Register, 05Jan08, Ronica Shannon)
http://www.richmondregister.com/localnews/local_story_005000532.html
Baltic Sea pipeline consortium confident of Swedish approval
“A consortium that plans to build an underwater Baltic Sea gas pipeline from Russia to Germany was confident it would get approval from Sweden, the group said Monday. Nord Stream, the Russian-German joint venture, in December submitted an application for the construction of the pipeline as well as an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report. […] Critics have cited potential hazards posed by chemical weapons dumped in the sea after World War II, but […] surveys of the sea bottom along the planned route suggested fewer finds of ammunition ‘likely due to trawling in the past.’”
(Earthtimes.org, 07Jan08, DPA)
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/170212.html
Policy Changes In Budget Bill
“When President George W. Bush signed the huge 2008 omnibus federal spending bill late last month, it included several non-budget-related provisions that will impact the chemical enterprise. The last-minute appropriations measure gave members of Congress the opportunity to insert many unrelated measures into the law, including chemical plant security rules, restrictions on chemical fertilizers, and mandatory access to NIH [national Institutes of Health] research results. […] To allay concerns about chemical plant security regulations, a provision authored by Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-N.J.) was included in the bill that stops the federal government from preempting state laws on chemical security if they are stricter than the federal rules. This has been sought by many state governments but opposed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the chemical industry, which view it as unnecessary.” (Chemical & Engineering News; 07Jan08; David Hanson, Glenn Hess, Cheryl Hogue, and Susan Morrissey) http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/86/i01/8601notw4.html
Iran museum on war horrors to project need for peace
“In the soil of an Islamic state long defined by war and martyrdom, some Iranians are planting a new seed of peace, by opening a museum that showcases the horrors of war. In Iran, countless acres are dedicated to cemeteries for soldiers killed in the 1980s Iran-Iraq war. Tehran's Peace Museum, dedicated in June and set to open soon, aims to adjust a mindset that has prevailed since the 1979 Islamic revolution. […] The Peace Museum's volunteers are hardly typical peaceniks. They are former soldiers who have been subjected to Iraqi chemical weapons attack, and many remain as committed as ever to the defence of their homeland. They are building an interactive museum with workshops for children, students, and the public to learn about the suffering caused by war and chemical weapons.” (Gulf News; 04Jan08; Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor) http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/08/01/05/10179507.html
Subregional Workshop on Assistance and Protection against Chemical Weapons Held in Malaysia
“A subregional workshop on assistance and protection against chemical weapons for the Member States of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in Southeast Asia was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 3 to 5 December 2007. This workshop was jointly organised by the Government of Malaysia and the OPCW. Seventy-five representatives from the following 10 States Parties participated: Brunei Darussalam, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Palau, Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The aim of this workshop was to provide information to managers and planners who are involved in the protection of their civilian populations against chemical weapons, or who would be responsible for the provision of emergency assistance under Article X of the Chemical Weapons Convention. During this meeting, participants discussed a subregional plan for assistance and protection in the event of an emergency caused by the use of chemical weapons. In addition, during the workshop, an exhibition was held on assistance and protection against chemical weapons.” (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, 07Jan08)
http://www.opcw.org/pressreleases/2007/PR126_2007.html
Inquiry spurs changes in way nuke regulator tracks devices
“Canada’s nuclear regulator is changing the way it tracks lost, stolen and missing nuclear devices following a pointed inquiry about inconsistent reporting from the International Atomic Energy Agency. Newly disclosed internal e-mails show the Vienna-based agency contacted officials in Ottawa after a Canadian Press investigation raised serious questions in July about how closely the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission monitors devices that could be used in a crude ‘dirty bomb.’” (The Chronicle Herald, 07Jan08, The Canadian Press) http://thechronicleherald.ca/Canada/1002130.html
How the U.S. seeks to avert nuclear terror
“About every three days, unknown to most Americans, an elite team of federal scientists hits the streets in the fight against nuclear terrorism. The deployments are part of an effort since 2001 to ratchet up the nation's defenses. More than two dozen specialized teams have been positioned across the nation to respond to threats of nuclear terrorism, and as many 2,000 scientists and bomb experts participate in the effort. Spending on the program has more than doubled since it was launched. And an evolving national policy aims to create a system of nuclear forensics, in which scientific analysis could quickly identify the source of a nuclear attack or attempted attack. A key report on nuclear forensics is due next month.” (Los Angeles Times, 06Jan08, Ralph Vartabedian) http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-nuke6jan06,0,4219937.story?coll=la-home-center
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.
CNS presents these keywords and links for the convenience of the recipients of ChemBio-WMD Terrorism News, but CNS does not endorse these sites or the veracity of their information and cannot be responsible for the maintenance of the links listed here. For a searchable archive of the CBR-WMD Terrorism News listserv, please visit the Nuclear Threat Initiative's website, at http://www.nti.org/db/cbw/index.htm
Washington D.C., December 21, 2007 - On the fifteenth anniversary of the discovery of the Archive of Terror in Paraguay, the National Security Archive posted Spanish-language documents that reveal new details of how the Southern Cone military regimes collaborated in hunting down, interrogating, and disappearing hundreds of Latin Americans during the 1970s and 1980s.
The collaboration, which became officially known as "Operation Condor," drew on cross-border kidnapping, secret detention centers, torture, and disappearance of prisoners—rendition, interrogation and detention techniques that some human rights advocates are comparing to those used today in the Bush administration's counter terrorism campaign.
"These documents provide a historic passkey into the horror chambers of the Southern Cone military regimes," said Carlos Osorio, who directs the Southern Cone Documentation Project at the National Security Archive. "The atrocities they record from the past remain relevant to the debate over the conduct of counter terrorism operations today, and in the future."
The National Security Archive also posted a series of other records from the Paraguayan archive to inaugurate a new website of 60,000 records of repression [ http://test.aladin.wrlc.org/gsdl/collect/terror/terror_e.shtml]. The website, created in collaboration with the Paraguayan Supreme Court, and the George Washington University, is believed to be the largest internet site of Spanish-language military and secret police records relating to abuses that took place during the military regime in Paraguay and elsewhere in the Southern Cone. It is designed to facilitate research and international legal efforts to prosecute human rights violators.
http://www.nsarchive.org
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 8, 2007 - The case against a Canadian detainee accused of killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan and supporting al Qaeda took another strange twist today when the judge delayed the proceedings to give the defense team time to review last-minute evidence likely to favor the defendant. Army Col. Peter Brownback arraigned Omar Ahmed Khadr here today on charges of murder, attempted murder, conspiracy, supporting terrorism and spying. Khadr, who sat in the courtroom in a white detainee uniform with his hair tucked up under a black skull cap, waived the right to raise motions or enter a plea to the allegations.
Brownback had been expected to rule today on Khadr's status -- specifically, to determine if he is considered an "unlawful enemy combatant." As Marine Corps Maj. Jeffrey Groharing, the lead prosecutor, pushed Brownback to make that ruling, the defense team urged a delay until after legal challenges to the military commission's legitimacy are resolved.
Brownback said that unless the defense makes a motion to dismiss the case, proceedings against Khadr will continue. But instead of moving forward today, he gave the defense team more time to review the new evidence. He set Dec. 7 and Jan. 11 deadlines for filing new motions and recessed the proceeding just over two hours after beginning today's session.
The judge and lawyers are expected to meet tomorrow to set a trial date, but Navy Lt. Cmdr. William Kuebler, the lead defense attorney, said it's still far too soon to set that timetable. "We're not at a point today that we can seriously talk about a trial date," he said.
The big issue today -- one that wasn't shared with reporters until the defense team talked with them after today's session -- is that the defense received potentially exculpatory evidence just two days ago. Exculpatory evidence is considered favorable to the defendant in a criminal trial.
Kuebler told reporters a U.S. government employee was an eyewitness to events that could prove Khadr isn't an unlawful enemy combatant. Kuebler declined to share more specifics, saying he hadn't had the opportunity to talk with the eyewitness himself or even to see the evidence firsthand.
Another complicating factor is that the eyewitness is not here in Guantanamo Bay and that the evidence involved is still under review to determine if it's classified.
Kuebler expressed dismay today that the prosecution had provided the information only after arriving here at Guantanamo Bay late Nov. 6. However, he said he has no reason to believe the prosecution team had previous knowledge of the eyewitness or had intentionally waited until the 11th hour to share that information.
His bigger objection was the fact that the judge and the prosecution wanted to move forward with Khadr's case without giving the defense team time to review the new evidence.
Kuebler said it demonstrates the political pressure the Defense Department is under to move on with the commission process. "It's a sign of the desperation," he said.
Kuebler opened today's proceedings by challenging Brownback's suitability to oversee the case, claiming the judge is "too personally invested" in the commission process and his personal reputation is too pinned to its outcome. Brownback dismissed Kuebler's challenges and continued with the proceedings.
The issue of Khadr's status has been in question since a combatant status review tribunal concluded in September 2004 that he was an "enemy combatant" without designating him an "unlawful enemy combatant."
Brownback noted the discrepancy in June during what was expected to be a routine arraignment and threw out all charges against Khadr on the basis that the commission had no authority to try him. Brownback argued that the Military Commissions Act makes strict distinctions between enemy combatants who fight for legitimate armed forces, and unlawful enemy combatants, who don't.
Today Brownback said the U.S. Court of Military Commission Review's September 2007 decision that reversed his June ruling and reinstated charges against Khadr means the case can move forward.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit made a similar finding, rejected Khadr's appeal.
Kuebler said today he agrees with Brownback's initial finding and disagrees with the appellate court's decision to overturn it.
Kuebler said he wouldn't be doing his job if he didn't fight to ensure his client gets a fair trial. "We're not saying set Omar free," he said. "But we're saying, 'Give him a fair trial.'"
Khadr is accused of lobbing a grenade during a firefight near Khost, Afghanistan, in July 2002 that killed Army Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Speer and cost former Army Sgt. Lane Morris an eye. Khadr, now 21, was 15 at the time.
He was captured during the firefight at an al Qaeda compound and has been detained at Guantanamo Bay since late 2003. Khadr was born in Toronto, the youngest in a family that has been called "Canada's family of terror" and allegedly had close personal ties to al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.
His father, Ahmad Khadr, moved the family in 1990 to Pakistan, where he rose to become a senior al Qaeda lieutenant, according to background information included in the charges filed against Omar Khadr. The senior Khadr was imprisoned in Pakistan for providing funds to support the bombing of the Egyptian Embassy in Pakistan and moved the family to Afghanistan in 1996 after his release, documents show.
The Khadr family allegedly traveled extensively through Afghanistan and Pakistan through 2001. Documents reveal that their travels gave Omar Khadr the opportunity to meet bin Laden and other key al Qaeda leaders at bin Laden's compound, as well as al Qaeda training camps and guest houses.
The senior Khadr died during a 2003 shootout with Pakistani forces, an incident that put another son operating with him for al Qaeda in a wheelchair. But before his death, he put his son Omar on the path to follow in his footsteps.
Charges against Omar Khadr allege he began his own al Qaeda training in the summer of 2002, getting private instruction in the use of rocket-propelled grenades, rifles, pistols, grenades and explosives. He joined a team of other al Qaeda operatives to apply his new knowledge converting landmines into remotely detonated improvised explosive devices and planting them where U.S. forces were known to travel.
Groharing told the court today the prosecution plans to include in its evidence against Khadr a videotape showing him making and planting mines.
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 7, 2007 - A combination of unceasing pressure by U.S. and Iraqi security forces and citizens' anger at al Qaeda in Iraq's brutal tactics have put the terror group "on the run," a senior U.S. military officer said today. "The surge in operations centered in Baghdad and the surrounding belts and up in the Diyala River Valley have driven much of al Qaeda into the rural areas and has caused them to flee northward," Navy Rear Adm. Gregory J. Smith, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, told reporters at a Baghdad news conference.
The recently launched Operation Iron Hammer is designed to prevent fleeing al Qaeda operatives from re-establishing safe havens and networks, Smith said. Three U.S. brigade combat teams and three Iraqi army divisions are participating in the large-scale offensive, which stretches across four provinces in northern Iraq, he said.
Previous operations resulted in the capture of 35 al Qaeda in Iraq insurgents in October, Smith reported, noting six of those detainees are senior terrorist leaders.
"The targeting of (al Qaeda in Iraq) leadership and their networks has contributed to the downward trend in violence we are seeing across Iraq," the admiral said.
Iraqi security forces are gaining in numbers and effectiveness and are increasingly taking the lead during anti-insurgent operations, Smith said. Iraqi commandos recently captured an entire group of terrorists during a raid west of Ramadi, he said. "The precision operation captured all four primary targets in this cell and four other suspects," Smith reported.
More than 67,000 concerned Iraqi citizen-volunteers also are contributing in the fight against the terrorists, Smith said. In October, he said, troops from Multinational Division North found and cleared 72 weapons caches, 40 of which were discovered by concerned local citizens.
Ordnance confiscated in these caches "are no longer in the hands of al Qaeda and will not kill innocent civilians or be used to attack security forces," Smith said.
Iraqi citizens are fed up with al Qaeda-committed murders, beatings, kidnappings and other outrages, the admiral said. "The combination of al Qaeda's barbaric behavior of torture, execution and car bombings, as well as their extreme Taliban-like doctrine, has persuaded Iraqi citizens to join the fight and defeat these terrorists," he said.
As the security situation improves, coalition forces continue to assist Iraqi reconstruction efforts, Smith said. Coalition forces invested more than $2.6 million in grants to Iraqi businesses so far this year, he said.
However, al Qaeda in Iraq will continue attempts to commit high-profile attacks against Iraqi citizens and coalition and Iraqi forces, Smith cautioned. The terror group, he added, is attempting to replace its lost leadership.
Meanwhile, U.S., coalition and Iraqi forces are keeping up the pressure on al Qaeda and their networks in Iraq, Smith said, noting there's still a lot of work to do.
Al Qaeda in Iraq now realizes that it does not have freedom of movement in Iraq, Smith said. The terror group also "knows that the Iraqi people do not trust them," he added.
As a result, al Qaeda operatives in Iraq are "on the run," Smith observed. The insurgents realize they have dwindling maneuvering room, he said, and "the Iraqi people are just not going to put up" with them.
By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 20, 2007 - Attacks in Iraq are at their lowest level since before the February 2006 bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra, a top U.S. commander in Iraq said today. In addition to a decrease in attacks, the number of civilian casualties is decreasing, car bomb and suicide attacks are at their lowest levels in a year, and Iraqi and coalition forces have found more weapons caches in the first nine months of 2007 than they did in all of 2006, Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, commander of Multinational Corps Iraq, told reporters in Baghdad.
"Coalition and Iraqi forces continue to keep the pressure on extremists, and I believe we will be able to continue to improve security in Baghdad and across Iraq," he said.
Iraqi security forces continue to improve daily, Odierno said, and are taking more responsibility from coalition forces when possible. He stressed that the transfer of responsibility to Iraqi forces is a deliberate process and is not done lightly.
"We go through this very carefully to ensure that we're able to maintain the security for the Iraqi people," Odierno said. "We will not give back any of the hard-fought gains because we tried to rush this process."
As security gains are made, life is returning to normal for citizens around Iraq, the general said. Commerce is flourishing; more schools are opening; and people are returning to the streets, he said. This year, more than $589 million has been spent on reconstruction, $414 million on humanitarian assistance, and almost $200 million on improving the Iraqi security forces.
"We continue to work hard to move forward economically and improve the essential services, working with the government of Iraq," Odierno said. "This is what the Iraqi people deserve and expect."
He noted that security gains by coalition and Iraqi forces, in combination with reconciliation at the local level, have kept al Qaeda off balance and driven them from much of Baghdad. As insurgents flee, the coalition will keep pressure on them and pursue them, he said.
Iraqi Lt. Gen. Qanbar Abud, commander of Baghdad Operations Command, who also spoke at the news conference, agreed that al Qaeda is now on the run and life is returning to normal for the Iraqi people. Iraqi forces are gaining experience every day and are persistent in their fight against terror, he said.
Odierno closed by emphasizing that the coalition understands the hardships the Iraqi people have endured and admires their courage. "We join you in wanting the violence and unnecessary loss of life to stop here in Iraq, and that's our common goal," he said.
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 17, 2007 - There is evil in the world, and the United States military stands ready to take on that evil, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told Families United for a Strong America here today. Many members of the group lost family members in Iraq and Afghanistan. They invited Marine Gen. Peter Pace to help them place a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns here and then to address their rededication ceremony at the Memorial Amphitheater.
"Gatherings like this are the most meaningful and the most difficult," Pace told the crowd of between 450 and 500 members. "They are the most meaningful because we actually get a chance to stop and think about the incredible gift that our most loved ones have given us. They are the most difficult because somehow – at least for me – the English language does not properly express what is in our hearts."
Pace, accompanied by his wife, Lynne, thanked the group for inviting him and for another chance "to pay our respects, and to reflect on the incredible 231 years of our nation."
He said ceremonies like this give all Americans the chance to think about the history of the nation and what it means to be free. Those who fought for liberty and freedom made it possible for the United States to be born and to endure. The thousands of tombstones in this national cemetery give reality to that sacrifice, he said.
"Those of us who have the privilege of wearing the uniform today know fear," he said. "When we're in combat we know fear for sure. But what we fear more than physical danger is that somehow we'll let down those who went before us. That somehow the sacrifice of your loved ones and so many other who have served this nation honorably for so long, that somehow our performance will not measure up to theirs."
The incredible legacy and heritage their sacrifices bought Americans "instills in us an understanding of what is right to do, when it is right to do it, and the determination to follow through," the chairman told the audience.
Evil still lives in the world, Pace said. "Like so many times in our nation's history, there is evil that wants to change the way we live," he said. "(It is an evil) that wants to prevent ... us from meeting like this and praying the way you want to or not."
Those who have died or been wounded in the fight against terror "have made it possible for us to gather here today," he said. "All of us who wear the uniform promise you that as long as we can draw a breath ourselves that we will make it possible for us to meet like this tomorrow and the day after for as long as we please in this incredible nation we call home."
Pace said that he hopes his and his wife's attendance at the ceremony "can convey to you what an incredible honor it has been to serve this nation for some 40 years, standing side by side with your sons and your daughters and your husbands and your wives. No one can ask for more than that."
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 13, 2007 - In addition to a drawdown of surge forces in Iraq, President Bush said tonight that he also had accepted Army Gen. David H. Petraeus' recommendation to begin transitioning to the next phase of the U.S. strategy in Iraq in December. "As terrorists are defeated, civil society takes root, and the Iraqis assume more control over their own security, our mission in Iraq will evolve," the president said during a televised address from the Oval Office.
"Over time, our troops will shift from leading operations, to partnering with Iraqi forces, and eventually to overwatching those forces," he said.
Bush said this mission transition will enable U.S. troops to focus more on a limited set of critical tasks: counter terrorism operations, and training, equipping and supporting Iraqi forces.
After consulting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other members of his national security team, Bush said, he agreed to this mission shift and directed Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker to update their joint campaign plan for Iraq. This, the president said, will provide a basis for adjusting the military and civilian resources it requires.
Bush said he also directed Petraeus and Crocker to deliver another report to Congress in March. "At that time, they will provide a fresh assessment of the situation in Iraq and of the troop levels and resources we need to meet our national security objectives," he said.
The president announced tonight that he also had approved Petraeus' recommendation to begin reducing the U.S. troop strength in Iraq, based on progress being made.
"Because of this success, General Petraeus believes we have now reached the point where we can maintain our security gains with fewer American forces," the president said. "He has recommended that we not replace about 2,200 Marines scheduled to leave Anbar province later this month. In addition, he says it will soon be possible to bring home an Army combat brigade, for a total force reduction of 5,700 troops by Christmas. And he expects that by July, we will be able to reduce our troop levels in Iraq from 20 combat brigades to 15."
Bush said he based his decisions on troop levels in Iraq to "return on success" and said that the more success that takes place, the more U.S. troops can return home.
"And in all we do, I will ensure that our commanders on the ground have the troops and flexibility they need to defeat the enemy," he said.
Bush extended praise to all servicemembers, who -- along with intelligence officers, diplomats and civilians serving in Iraq -- have made a difference in Iraq.
"The progress I have reported tonight is in large part because of your courage and hard effort," he said. "You are serving far from home. Our nation is grateful for your sacrifices, and the sacrifices of your families."
Bush noted that he had received an e-mail earlier this year from the family of a National Guard soldier killed in Baghdad, Army Spec. Brandon Stout of Michigan. "His family has suffered greatly," the president said. "Yet in their sorrow, they see larger purpose."
Stout's widow, Audrey, wrote that her husband felt called to serve and knew what he was fighting for, and his parents, Tracy and Jeff, said they believe in the cause he gave his life for, Bush said. "We believe this is a war of good and evil, and we must win even if it cost the life of our own son," Bush said they wrote. "Freedom is not free."
"This country is blessed to have Americans like Brandon Stout, who make extraordinary sacrifices to keep us safe from harm," the president said. "They are doing so in a fight that is just and right and necessary. And now it falls to us to finish the work they have begun."
Bush said the success of a free Iraq is critical to U.S. security. A free Iraq will deny al Qaeda a safe haven and become an anchor of stability in the region "A free Iraq will be our partner in the fight against terror,- and that will make us safer here at home," he said.
In contrast, if the United States were driven from Iraq, it would embolden extremists and set up a chain of events that would be catastrophic to the United States, Bush said.
"We would leave our children to face a far more dangerous world," he said. "And as we saw on September the 11th, 2001, those dangers can reach our cities and kill our people."
Bush said he disagrees with those who say gains being made in Iraq are too little, too late.
"It is never too late to deal a blow to al Qaeda. It is never too late to advance freedom," he said. "And it is never too late to support our troops in a fight they can win."
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 3, 2007 - Afghan national security forces, advised by coalition soldiers, conducted a cordon and search operation of an insurgent headquarters southwest of Kandahar City yesterday leading to the deaths of 25 insurgents and the discovery of a weapons cache. Intelligence reports led the Afghan and coalition forces to two compounds in Ashoqeh Village, southwest of Kandahar City. Intelligence suggested that the compounds, comprised of seven buildings, contained multiple insurgent leaders responsible for the deaths of Afghan and coalition forces during bombings and ambushes along Highway 1, west of Sanjaray. One of the insurgents is suspected of being a Taliban leader who has facilitated attacks against Afghan and coalition forces in the Kandahar City area.
The operation started with Afghan forces attempting to search the first of the two compounds. Insurgents attacked the force with small-arms and machine gun fire as they prepared to enter the first compound. Forces returned fire and called for coalition close air support. An initial assessment revealed that 11 insurgents were killed in this compound from both small-arms fire and the close air support.
Also found in the compound was bomb making material, including TNT, several heavy machine guns, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and rounds, small arms ammunition and three video cameras. In addition, during the initial engagement a suicide bomber blew himself up, causing no coalition injuries.
The ground force then moved toward the second compound when they were engaged again by machine gun fire. Because of the volume of fire from this compound, the ground forces directed close air support to engage the compound. Massive secondary explosions were observed after the aircraft engaged the compound.
Fourteen enemy fighters were estimated killed in the second compound. A total of 25 insurgents were estimated killed during the course of the evening's operations.
No non-combatants were reported killed or wounded during this engagement.
The ground forces also reported no non-combatant activity prior to beginning their operation.
"The death of these enemies of peace and stability, and the destruction of their infrastructure, will disrupt the current assassination and terror campaign the insurgents are conducting against the (Islamic Republic of Afghanistan) government and coalition forces in Kandahar City," said Army Maj. Chris Belcher, a Combined Joint Task Force 82 spokesman. "The ground forces in this operation were extremely careful and precise in their application of force. The enemy was staging to kill and displace Afghan civilians, but, again, they were unsuccessful."
In other operations yesterday:
-- Afghan National Police, advised by coalition forces, detained a Taliban leader and 10 other insurgents in the Sabari District, Khowst Province during an early-morning operation. The combined force air assaulted into three separate locations from a nearby coalition forces base and conducted cordon and search operations. The primary target was detained at his home while police arrested 10 other suspected insurgents before heading back to their base.
"The Afghan National Police have brought justice to another criminal enemy of the Afghan people," said Belcher. "The ANP's peaceful capture of Mohammed Ali Jan is another example of the level of competence of the ANP. It should also be noted that the Afghan National Police and their coalition forces partners remain committed to finding and eliminating al Qaeda and Taliban extremist fighters who would deny peace and stability to all Afghans."
-- Afghan National Police officers, advised by coalition forces, defeated an attempted ambush by insurgents while conducting a combat patrol in Province. The Afghan-led force was patrolling north of Kandahar when they were attacked by a small Taliban force. The police repelled the ambush with small arms and crew-served weapons and pursued the enemy fighters attempting to flee in two vehicles. As the police continued their patrol through the village, they came under additional fire from insurgents located within the village. An estimated half-dozen insurgents were engaged and eliminated with small arms and crew-served weapons.
-- Afghan and coalition forces killed one suspected militant during an operation targeting militants associated with the al Qaeda network in Paktika Province. The militant was shot and killed after attempting to engage the force. Some damage was done to buildings during the course of operations.
-- Afghan national security forces detained a Taliban leader in the Dowlat Sha District, Nangahar Province. The Taliban sub-commander was detained by the Afghan forces and provided no resistance during his arrest. Intelligence from various sources suggests the captured leader was responsible for facilitating attacks on ANSF and coalition troops in the area.
"The ANSF have time and again proven their ability to act on intelligence to effectively remove Taliban fighters and leadership," said Belcher. "The capture of Zar Jan will inevitably lead to information that the ANSF will use to further the eliminate Taliban leadership in the Nangahar Province."
(Compiled from Combined Joint Task Force 82 news releases.)
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 22, 2007 - Iraqi army scouts accompanied by U.S. special operations forces destroyed a suspected weapons cache and insurgent safe house yesterday in a helicopter assault. Other operations across Iraq have led to the capture of enemy fighters and weapons caches. Yesterday's raid targeted a residence near Karmah suspected of being used by foreign fighters and al Qaeda in Iraq terrorists. Multiple secondary explosions indicated munitions were stored there.
"The destruction of this target and weapons cache will send a clear message to insurgents that Iraqi army and coalition forces are intent on preventing any safe havens for insurgents or foreign fighters in the Karmah region," a U.S. special operations forces commander said.
In operations Aug. 20:
-- U.S. soldiers found a car bomb and three weapons caches during operations in southwestern Baghdad. One cache contained 94 mortar rounds, two 107 mm rockets, two rocket-propelled-grenade launchers, four Iranian-made RPGs, a rifle, a sniper rifle, four hand-held radios and battery chargers, and an anti-aircraft sight. Another cache yielded several thousand rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition. The third cache contained an AK-47 rifle with two 30-round magazines and one set of Russian-made body armor.
-- U.S. forces detained 13 men, one dressed as a pregnant woman, during an air-assault mission along the Euphrates River. The operation, dubbed "Crimson Shogun," targeted al Qaeda-allied terror networks in the Owesat and Fetoah areas.
-- Iraq security forces detained a person linked to al Qaeda in Iraq during an operation in Mosul. The individual is believed to be the security chief for a suspected front organization for al Qaeda in Iraq. He also is suspected of ordering kidnappings and murders, as well as heading an extortion ring. Another person, military equipment and documents also were seized during the raid.
In other news from Iraq, U.S. soldiers acting on tips found weapons and materials used for making improvised explosive devices inside a residence in Khadra, on the western outskirts of Baghdad, on Aug. 19. The cache contained seven artillery rounds, two mortar rounds, two recoilless rifles, two hand grenades, and 15 pounds of homemade explosive material.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq, Multinational Corps Iraq and Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force Arabian Peninsula news releases.)
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 16, 2007 - Coalition forces captured a highly sought "special groups" weapons facilitator before dawn today northeast of Baghdad. In other operations this week, coalition forces captured 54 suspected terrorists and killed 19 terrorists. Coalition forces conducted a raid to capture a known weapons smuggler and distributor connected to various special groups today. The captured high-priority individual was responsible for smuggling explosively formed penetrators, Katusha rockets and other weapons from Iran into Iraq, military officials said. The target was also responsible for distributing those weapons to special groups and extremist militants operating throughout Baghdad. The weapons smuggler had direct ties to senior militant leaders and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force.
On the approach to the objective, coalition forces were fired upon by three armed gunmen. Coalition forces returned fire, killing the three gunmen.
Five others detained during the raid are suspected of distributing weapons smuggled into Iraq from Iran. Four of the detainees tested positive for explosives residue. One of the buildings searched during the raid produced money and "questionable documents" that were confiscated for analysis and evaluation, U.S. officials reported.
"Coalition troops continue to target terrorists who bring weapons and explosives, especially explosively formed penetrators, and other aid into Iraq," said Army Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman. "Coalition forces will continue their focused operations against unhelpful Iranian influence interfering in Iraq. We remain committed to dismantling terror networks that seek to kill innocent Iraqis and the security forces that protect them."
In other Iraq operations this week:
-- Coalition forces killed seven terrorists and detained 11 suspected terrorists during three coordinated operations yesterday and today east of Samarra.
-- North of Muqdadiyah today, coalition forces targeted a weapons facilitator believed to operate a safe house for al Qaeda in Iraq's foreign terrorist network in the area. Coalition forces engaged and killed one armed terrorist who showed an intent to engage the ground forces as they approached the targeted buildings and five armed men who attempted to elude the force. Coalition forces detained one suspect during the operation.
-- Coalition forces in southern Baghdad today captured a suspected weapons facilitator who also is an explosives expert and has ties to the city's car-bombing network.
-- Iraqi forces with U.S. Special Forces advisors targeted al Qaeda in Iraq and Islamic Army of Iraq terrorist operations in two intelligence-driven operations yesterday across northern Iraq. The forces detained eight suspected terrorists, including the leader of a sniper cell in western Mosul.
-- Soldiers from 3rd Brigade, 3rd Iraqi Army Division, with U.S. Special Forces advisors, conducted a cordon-and-search operation in the village of Abu Bareyj, near Bulayj, and detained seven suspected terrorists Aug. 14. One of the alleged terrorists is a suspected cell leader and is believed to be operating a safe house used by insurgents to conduct attacks in the Bulayj area.
-- Coalition forces killed six terrorists and detained 26 suspected terrorists linked to al Qaeda in Iraq during coordinated operations east of Balad the week of Aug. 9 to 14.
"Terrorists cannot conceal themselves in small villages, disrupting the lives of Iraqi citizens," Garver said. "There are no safe havens for terrorists here; we will continue to seek them out wherever they hide."
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 10, 2007 - Getting Iraqis back to work is critical to Iraq's future as a stable, secure and prosperous country that can stand up to terrorists, the Defense Department official overseeing that effort said today. Iraq's long-term security depends on a strong economic climate, Paul Brinkley, deputy undersecretary for business transformation, told online journalists and "bloggers" during a conference call from Baghdad.
More than 50 percent of the Iraqi population is out of work or underemployed, a statistic Brinkley said would create unrest anywhere, including the United States.
"Terrorist networks are preying on this economic distress" in Iraq, he said.
He cited Army Gen. David H. Petraeus' counterinsurgency vision for Iraq: a security establishment augmented by rapid economic development and restoration of employment and hope to the Iraqi people.
This two-pronged approach "directly undermines the ability of terror networks and insurgents to gain sympathy from local populations and makes the job of securing this country vastly easier," Brinkley said.
As director of the Task Force to Improve Business and Stability Operations (in) Iraq, Brinkley is working to ensure the economic side of Petraeus' equation keeps pace with security progress.
The task force's No. 1 focus is Iraq's idle industrial base, which fell into distress after 2003 and left many Iraqis out of work. Congress recently appropriated $50 million to the task force to speed up the restart of Iraqi industries, Brinkley said.
The first step to getting Iraq's factories up and running is to ensure they have the sewer, water, electrical and telecommunications services they need to operate, he said. As the U.S. reconstruction effort brings Iraq's neglected infrastructure up to speed, it's laying the foundation for Iraq's economic development.
Brinkley cited several recent and upcoming milestones that mark progress:
- More factories are reopening. These factories, to be announced Aug. 13 during a joint news conference with Iraqi officials, will join six Iraqi factories already operational throughout Iraq.
- A reopened Iraqi clothing factory announced its first orders for export. Major U.S. retailers are involved, and some Iraq-made clothes are expected to be on U.S. shelves in time for Christmas.
- Executives from major U.S. corporations recently visited Iraq to explore ways to put Iraqis back to work manufacturing vehicles and heavy equipment for the Iraqi government and Iraq's private transportation infrastructure.
- More than 30 plant managers from around Iraq attended a session last week to discuss efforts to reemploy Iraq's skilled workforce and the need for financial transparency in spending funds allocated toward this effort.
Brinkley said this kind of success breeds more success and gives the Iraqi people hope for the future. He expressed confidence that these and other efforts under way will help Iraq regain its past reputation for having "one of the most skilled and educated workforces in the Middle East."
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 5, 2007 - Beginning a two-day meeting today with President Bush at Camp David, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said he's ready to roll up his sleeves and talk about security concerns affecting his country. "(We will discuss) issues of concern to Afghanistan with the construction, with the fight against narcotics, civilian casualties, (and) the strengthening of Afghan security forces," Karzai said during a taped interview with CNN's "Late Edition" that aired this morning.
Karzai cited civilian casualties as a major concern with the fight against terrorism in its fifth year in Afghanistan. "The Afghan people have been steadfast helpers providing assistance to the international coalition against terror," he said. "The Afghan people have suffered as a result of terrorist activity in Afghanistan, and also as a result of the fight against terror."
He expressed concern that civilian deaths have resulted from allied actions as well as from terrorists. "We have to do everything ... that we can to reduce civilian casualties," he said. "They are allies in the fight against terror and allies have to be protected."
Unlike many of its neighbors in the region that consider Iran a major threat to stability there, Karzai said it's been supportive of Afghanistan as it deals with its problems. "We've had very, very good, very, very close relations," he said. "So far, Iraq has been a helper and a solution."
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, also interviewed today on CNN "Late Edition," expressed skepticism about Iran's assistance.
"I think Iran is playing both sides of the street in Afghanistan," the secretary said. "I think they are doing some things to help the Afghan government. I think they are also doing some things to help the Taliban, including providing weapons."
Karzai told CNN he believes everything possible is being done to ensure safe release of South Korean Christian missionaries kidnapped by Taliban militants. The group of 23 missionaries was taken July 19 in the central Ghanzi province. Since then, two of the hostages have been killed. Of the 21 remaining hostages, 18 are women.
"We want the safe release of the Koreans taken hostage by terrorists in Afghanistan. These terrorists, as you know, mostly have a foreign origin," Karzai said.
The Afghan government has refused to agree to a trade that would free Taliban militants being detained for the South Korean hostages. "We will do everything, other than encouraging hostage-taking and terrorism, to have them released," Karzai said.
The increase in the number of foreign fighters crossing the border from Pakistan – thought to be 50 to 60 percent greater than it was at this time last year -- is at least partly to blame, Karzai said. He said he won't discuss this problem with Bush, but will save it for an upcoming session with Pakistani President Perev Musharraf.
"(Terrorists) have burned our schools. They've killed international helpers of Afghanistan, aid workers. They've kidnapped people," Karzai said. "That is exactly what we are trying to prevent. That is exactly what we are trying to, together with Pakistan, reduce, so that ultimately we have a complete defeat of terrorism in this part of the world."
Karzai said more than his own country has a stake in this effort. "It's not only the security of Afghanistan. It's how we deal with the international terrorism altogether," he said.
Bush and Karzai are scheduled to hold a news conference as their meeting wraps up tomorrow.
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
July 27, 2007 - Iraqi and coalition forces are consolidating gains they have made in Iraq's Anbar province, the coalition's ground commander in the region said today. "A gunshot heard right now in the city of Ramadi is a rare thing," Marine Brig. Gen. Mark Gurganus said during a phone interview.
Ramadi was the site of pitched fighting between Sunni insurgents and coalition forces. Al Qaeda in Iraq directed the fighting, and thousands of innocent Iraqis paid the price. Today, Ramadi is safe enough to bring the U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff into downtown for a walkabout. Marine Gen. Peter Pace visited the region last week.
This week, there were 96 "incidents" in all of Anbar province. Coalition officials define an incident as any report of contact with the enemy, a car-bomb attack, a cache find, etc. Last year at this time, there were well over 400 incidents a week in the province. And the trend continues downward, Gurganus said.
Most of the contact with the enemy occurs in the eastern portion of the province, where Multinational Force West's area of responsibility abuts that of Multinational Division Baghdad.
Al Qaeda is entrenched in the region around Karma. That allows the terror group to get operatives into Ramadi, Fallujah, Baghdad and the northern part of the country, Gurganus said.
Coalition forces divide the province into three areas. The western part of the province is called Area of Operations Denver. Marine Regimental Combat Team 2 commands the area and is supported by an Army battalion. In a major desert operation, Marines and soldiers are looking for insurgents attempting to establish training camps and trying to exploit the system of wadis, deep waterways that are dry except during the rainy season, to insinuate their way back into the cities, Gurganus said.
Area of Operations Topeka centers on the provincial capital of Ramadi. U.S. and Iraqi army forces are turning areas there over to Iraqi police for security responsibility, but U.S. forces will continue to work to build Iraqi security capacity in the region, the general said.
Area of Operations Raleigh in the east is the one area where there is still fighting going on, Gurganus said. He noted that Multinational Force West and Multinational Division Baghdad are working together to close the "seam" between the commands at Karma. Sixty-nine of the 96 incidents in the province this week were in and around Karma. Marine Regimental Combat Team 6 is augmented by an Army battalion in this region.
Iraqi army forces in the province have made tremendous gains, Gurganus said. The 1st Iraqi Division is under command of the Iraqi Ground Forces Command. The 7th Iraqi Division in the west remains under coalition command but will soon be at full strength, Gurganus said.
"We are still partnered with them, and this will continue even when they are completely under Iraqi control," he said. "(This is) because our goal out here is not necessarily the building of numbers, but of capacity within these forces."
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
July 20, 2007 – President Bush today praised the work the troops are doing in Iraq and urged Congress to pass a defense spending bill to support them before starting its August recess. Those funds are critical to upgrade equipment for deployed troops and provide them the pay raise they deserve, the president said. He charged that debate about withdrawing from Iraq has overshadowed focus on passing a spending bill to support them.
Bush expressed concern about Congress waiting until after Labor Day, less than a month before the fiscal year ends and Defense Department funds run out, to pass a spending bill. He called on Congress to pass a bill now.
In the meantime, Bush also urged Congress to give troops in Iraq the time they need to carry out the new strategy there. He emphasized that the troop surge in Iraq, a key component of the new strategy, became full strength just over a month ago.
"Like all wars, the fight in Iraq has had frustrating setbacks," he acknowledged. But he also cited "important successes."
Bush pointed to "dramatic turnarounds" in Anbar province and other parts of Iraq once considered lost to insurgents. He also noted the capture this week of Khaled Abdul-Fattah Dawoud Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, also known as Abu Shahid, the highest-ranking Iraqi in the leadership of al Qaeda in Iraq.
"These successes demonstrate the gains our troops are making in Iraq, and the importance of giving our military the time they need to give their new strategy a chance to work," he said.
The outcome of the conflict will have "enormous consequences for our country," he said. Failure in Iraq would allow terrorists to operate from an oil-rich safe haven. It would set the stage for a likely future U.S. troop intervention there to face a far more dangerous and entrenched enemy. It also would signal America's enemies that the country can be "bullied into retreat," Bush said.
The war in Iraq doesn't have to end that way, he said. "A free and stable Iraq is still in reach." Reaching that goal "has the potential to transform the region and lay the groundwork for a peaceful future, he said.
Bush repeated the words of one of his visitors, Eric Egland, founder of "Troops Need You," a group that sends resources and supplies to troops in Iraq so they can help improve local Iraqis' quality of life. "We live in the world's oldest democracy and have been blessed with the strength to protect our freedoms and to help others who seek the same," Bush said Egland told him today.
"This has always been America's mission, and today that mission is being carried out by brave men and women who have stepped forward to keep our country secure," the president said. "I thank them and I thank their families for the sacrifices they're making. And I thank you all for supporting them."
Bush's statement followed his meeting with Egland and nine other members of military support organizations to discuss the surge in Iraq and the recent efforts by servicemembers deployed there. In addition to Troops Need You, they represented "Families United for Our Troops and Their Mission," "Military Families Voice of Victory" and "Vets for Freedom."
Families United for Our Troops and Their Mission is a coalition of families with deployed loved ones, veterans of the terror war, Blue Star and Gold Star families and community leaders. Group members who met with Bush today were chairwoman Merrilee Carlson, Ron Griffin, retired Navy Chief Warrant Officer Pat Ivory and retired Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Terri Ivory.
Military Families Voice of Victory provides support to the troops as well as their mission. President Becky Davis represented the group today.
Vets for Freedom was established by combat veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan to educate Americans about the importance of success in Iraq. Group representatives at today's meeting were Pete Hegseth, executive director, and retired Marine Capt. Knox Nunnally, retired Army Sgt. Mark Seavey, and retired Marine Lt. Wade Zirkle.
By Melinda L. Larson
American Forces Press Service
July 21, 2007 - Success on the ground in Iraq is being overshadowed by spectacular attacks designed to draw attention from good things that are happening there, a U. S. Central Command officer told online journalists and bloggers in a July 19 conference call. "What we see is this violent and desperate enemy, as it will do these singular and very spectacular acts of violence in order to derail or to take the focus off of the good things that are happening," Air Force Brig. Gen. Robert H. Holmes, deputy director of operations for U.S. Central Command, said.
Holmes explained that spectacular acts by al Qaeda and extremists present a paradox.
"The more successful you are, the more spectacular the events," Holmes said. "The spectacular attacks are what I call attacks using weapons for mass effect. And they're designed, in my mind, to do just that, to create this mass effect for spectacular coverage in the media, to create spectacular terror in the mind of a population, to create chasms in national wills, (and) to create doubt in military forces."
For Holmes, there is no doubt that it's an asymmetric battle coalition forces are fighting because there's more than one enemy. He explained to the bloggers that the battlefield contains a combination of resistance, insurgent and terrorist fighters.
"It's a combination of all three -- resistance fighters, insurgents and terrorists -- because in my mind it's threaded through many interest groups that range from, in some cases, organized crime, to ethnic and tribal interest groups, to some external-actor interest groups, to the terrorists. And they're all in a feeding frenzy to have this terrain."
While the principles of war apply, fighting a variety of enemies is a new concept for military leaders, Holmes explained.
"This is a fight where all of the metrics and rules for conventional, linear warfare don't necessarily apply. Many of the principles apply, the principles of war apply, but the metrics that we've been comfortable with for so many years don't necessarily apply in this kind of warfare," the general said.
As the paradigm shifts from linear to asymmetrical warfare, coalition forces on the ground have to remain vigilant and anticipate an enemy's next move, Holmes said.
"The nature of the enemy is to adapt, to flex and to move somewhere else. So we've got to go, 'OK, we're being successful here, but now what does this mean elsewhere so that we don't lose our guard?' And those 'elsewheres' might even be outside of Iraq," Holmes said.
Holmes added that it's the nature of al Qaeda to proliferate.
"In addition to being very violent and very adaptive with its violence, it's very creative; it's very adaptive with regard to its transnational means to proliferate itself and to communicate across the Internet with itself, to train across the Internet and to recruit across the Internet."
While al Qaeda may be signing up new recruits, its leadership has taken a hit in Iraq, Holmes said.
"In some cases we've stripped through the leadership of that, whereas before a cell would have a leader taken out and another person was ready to step up and fill the gap," he said. "What we see in some cases, I think, is that it's becoming more difficult for certain cells to repair."
While al Qaeda in Iraq leadership may be faltering, Holmes said, tribal leaders within the country are stepping up. Holmes acknowledged that some are doubtful of tribal leaders entering the fight, but he said he is hopeful and sees it as a positive sign.
"The tribal leaders are taking up arms, working with the coalition forces, because they hate al Qaeda more than they hate the U.S. and the coalition forces," he said. "That may be, but you know what? If Iraqis are fighting for Iraq, that's OK."
Part of the fight and key to its success is not on the battleground, Holmes said.
"So we are engaged in a hearts-and-minds (struggle). That's clearly important in this kind of endeavor. It's what I like to call a guns-and-roses campaign. And while you've got the guns to do what has to be done to the bad guys, you've got to accompany that with roses that do go out to the hearts and minds," Holmes explained.
The roses Holmes hopes to deliver to the people of Iraq are cultivated from within.
"The majority of us all as people share the same kind of hopes and dreams and desires to have a peaceful and prosperous life. And that's very important," he said.
Holmes was quick to point out to the journalists that the guns-and-roses campaign is not about propaganda, but rather about sharing a common goal.
"I want to be very clear in this. It is not a propaganda campaign to go in and say, 'Made in the U.S.A.; do it our way.' It's to have an international community that shares hopes and desires and prosperity so that we live peacefully."
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
July 19, 2007 – Winning the war against terrorism requires warriors with multiple skills who can adapt to changing circumstances, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here last night. Today's anti-terror war is unlike any other conflict the United States has fought before, Gates told Marine Corps Association members.
In Afghanistan and Iraq, "the men and women wearing our nation's uniform have assumed the roles of warrior, diplomat, humanitarian, and development expert," Gates pointed out, noting ruthless extremists employ roadside bombs and guerilla-style hit-and-run attacks to kill or wound U.S. and coalition forces, host-nation troops and innocent civilians.
It's certain the United States and its allies "will continue to be threatened by violent extremist networks, mostly operating in countries with whom we are not at war," Gates said. "The ambition of these networks to acquire chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons is real, as is their desire to launch more attacks on our country and on our interests around the world."
Many people believe the war on terror began when terrorists attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, Gates said. However, the conflict actually began much earlier, he pointed out, when Hezbollah-linked terrorists killed hundreds of Americans during 1983 bombings of the Marine barracks and U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon.
"It is important to remember that until the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Hezbollah had been responsible for the deaths of more Americans than any other terrorist group in the world," Gates said.
Almost six years after 9/11, U.S. servicemembers are deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq to deter al Qaeda, a terrorist organization that now constitutes the most deadly threat to America, Gates said.
The U.S. military removed repressive regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq, Gates noted, and it is now engaged in "protracted stability and reconstruction campaigns against brutal and adaptive insurgencies" operating in those countries.
The conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq "will not last indefinitely in their current form and scale," Gates predicted, but he added that the U.S. military likely will be called to participate in other irregular campaigns in the future.
"What we now call 'asymmetric war' has become a mainstay of the contemporary battlefield, if not its centerpiece," Gates said. The overwhelming power and success of U.S. military might demonstrated during the Gulf War, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom has left potential enemies leery of openly confronting America on a conventional battlefield, he said.
Consequently, "it is hard to conceive any country challenging us using conventional ground forces, at least for some time," Gates said.
Yet, history amply demonstrates that smaller, irregular guerrilla forces and terrorist groups have "found ways to harass and frustrate larger, regular armies and sow chaos," the secretary said.
U.S. forces in Iraq have been involved in dangerous, block-to-block searches of houses for small groups of insurgents, he noted. "In these situations, America's traditional edge in technology, firepower, and logistics provides important tactical advantages, but not necessarily strategic success," Gates said.
Though direct force can be a useful tactic during asymmetrical military operations, Gates said, "it is also clear that in these kinds of operations, we are not going to kill or capture our way to victory."
Gates ticked off what he believes the U.S. military must do in light of lessons-learned from ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq and forecasts of threats in coming decades:
-- "Our military must be prepared to undertake the full spectrum of operations, including unconventional or irregular campaigns, for the foreseeable future."
-- "The non-military instruments of America's national power need to be rebuilt, modernized, and committed to the fight."
-- "We must think about, envision, and plan for the world, the future, 2020 and beyond."
Army Gen. David W. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker are implementing a multi-pronged strategy, Gates said, that targets al Qaeda extremists, seeks to exploit divisions within insurgent ranks, and provides basic security and improved quality of life for the Iraqi people.
Achieving victory against insurgents in Iraq "will take patience and persistence, and some level of American force and assistance for some time," Gates observed.
U.S. forces deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan have assumed roles and duties that formerly were Special Forces areas of expertise, such as learning foreign languages, reviving public services and promoting good governance, Gates said. Such skills, he said, "have moved from the margins to the mainstream of military thinking, planning, and personnel policies, where they must stay."
Deep budget cuts made across the U.S. government in the 1990s slashed such nation-building capability within the U.S. State Department and other non-defense federal agencies, Gates pointed out. Now, America needs to pledge the necessary resources and enact legislation as part of an integrated effort to re-establish such skills and capabilities across the government, he said.
"I believe we have little choice if we are to secure our nation and our freedoms in the years ahead," Gates said.
However, throughout history, aggressors have sought to dominate others by force, Gates pointed out. Therefore, training and sustaining a force of warriors that has mastered traditional military arts will remain a key priority in the years ahead, Gates asserted.
"Thus, we should never lose sight of the ethos that has made the Marine Corps -- where every Marine is a rifleman -- one of America's most cherished institutions and one of the world's most feared and respected fighting forces," the secretary said.
Gates pointed to the exploits of fallen Marine Maj. Douglas A. Zembiec, the renowned "Lion of Fallujah," who as a captain had fought with flair in Iraq against insurgents during the battle of Fallujah in April 2004.
Zembiec "was an unabashed and unashamed warrior, telling one reporter that 'killing is not wrong if it's for a purpose, if it's to keep your nation free or to protect your buddy,'" Gates recalled. During the fury of battle at Fallujah, Zembiec at one point braved enemy fire to climb onto a tank to personally direct the gunner's fire against insurgents.
After earning a Bronze Star for valor for his tenacity at Fallujah, Zembiec was promoted to major and took a desk job at the Pentagon, Gates said. Zembiec soon grew bored and requested another overseas assignment.
Zembiec completed a tour in Afghanistan and then returned to Iraq, Gates said. Zembiec was killed in action in Baghdad on May 11, 2007. The valiant Marine was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
"Every evening, I write notes to the families of young Americans like Doug Zembiec," Gates said in a breaking voice. "For you, and for me, they are not names on a press release, or numbers updated on a Web site. They are our country's sons and daughters."
Such selfless military heroes have performed "a tradition of service that includes you and your forbears going back to the earliest days of the republic," Gates said.
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
July 19, 2007 – Al Qaeda bombings and other acts of violence conducted across Iraq are designed to incite sectarian strife and create enough chaos and instability to bring down the country's central government, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq told a panel of U.S. legislators here today. "I have seen attacks from al Qaeda that have been aimed at virtually every community in Iraq," Ryan C. Crocker, who is now about four months into his tour as the top U.S. diplomat in Iraq, told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Deadly al Qaeda-mounted attacks in Iraq have targeted Sunnis, Shiites, Arabs, Turkmen, and Kurds in an attempt to provoke ethnic or tribal retaliations, said Crocker, who spoke to the legislators via satellite from Baghdad.
The Feb. 22, 2006, bombing of the Shiite Golden Mosque in Samarra touched off sectarian violence across Iraq. Terrorism experts point to the Samarra bombing as a classic example taken out of al Qaeda's playbook. The terrorists returned June 13, 2007, to blow up the mosques' two minarets, or praying towers.
Fortunately, he said, al Qaeda "has had fairly limited success in re-igniting" large-scale sectarian violence as was experienced in the immediate aftermath of the first Samarra mosque bombing.
The terror group also targets coalition troops, as well as members of Iraq's military and police forces, which are important symbols of the Iraqi government, Crocker said.
Al Qaeda also has targeted a number of Baghdad's bridges and other civic infrastructure, Crocker said. In addition, al Qaeda is responsible for a recent suicide-vest attack on the Iraqi parliament, he said.
Yet, things are looking up, Crocker said, noting many Sunni tribes in Anbar province now are rejecting al Qaeda and cooperating with the Iraqi government.
Iraq's neighbors can play an important role in lessening al Qaeda's influence in the region, Crocker said, especially in regard to the situation where foreign fighters and ordnance are entering Iraq from Syria and Iran.
Recently initiated regional conferences are promising mechanisms where Iraq and its neighbors can discuss issues of mutual concern, Crocker noted. One such conference, on border security, is slated to be held in Damascus, Syria, in early August, he said.
"This is an opportunity to get all of Iraq's neighbors engaged" in discussions about regional security, Crocker said.
He added that al Qaeda has targeted Saudi Arabia and Egypt for regime change, in addition to its designs on Iraq.
"They have all suffered losses among their citizens from al Qaeda attacks, so they have common cause here, and they need to move forward in that way," Crocker said.
It's paramount, he said, for countries like Saudi Arabia and Egypt to ensure their young men don't fall under al Qaeda's spell.
Therefore, continued regional talks are useful tools that will be employed as part of diplomatic efforts to diminish and eliminate al Qaeda's influence in the area, Crocker said.
In mid-September, Crocker and Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, are to present their assessment of the effectiveness of the troop surge and the overall situation in Iraq to President Bush, Congress, and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates.
Also today, Crocker and Petraeus held a secure video teleconference with 50 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and 40 U.S. senators during a White House-sponsored meeting at the Pentagon. The conference was held at the Pentagon, a defense official noted, because it possessed a large-enough facility to accommodate it.
Gates and Navy Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, greeted the members of Congress and welcomed them to the Pentagon on behalf of all the men and women in uniform. They then turned the event over to the White House.
Afterward, members of both houses of Congress came away with a good sense of Crocker's and Petraeus' opinions of the current situation in Iraq, the defense official said.
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