Navy Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Department of the Navy civilian who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

James W. Coker, 59, of Mount Pleasant, S.C., was pronounced dead Sept. 5 in Kabul, Afghanistan, while on temporary assignment with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  Coker worked for Naval Facilities Engineering Command Atlantic, Norfolk, Va.

The circumstances surrounding his death are under investigation.

For additional information about Coker, contact Naval Facilities Engineering Command Atlantic public affairs office at 757-322-8005.

First Responder: 9/11 Transformed National Guard

9/11 changed everything for the National Guard.  Read these true accounts from the front lines in Afghanistan written by the heroes who were there.

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

FORT MEADE, Md., Sept. 7, 2011 – On Sept. 11, 2001, Army Spc. Qiyu “Steve” Luo was fresh off active duty and preparing for his first weekend drill with the New York Army National Guard.

Hired as a full-time administrative specialist, Luo had some preconceived notions at the time about what he considered to be a club of weekend warriors.

The focus of the upcoming weekend drill was to be civil disturbance training.

What Luo and his fellow 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment soldiers didn’t realize was that they were about to embark on what he called “the ultimate civil disturbance training” as first responders to the 9/11 attack just 40 blocks from their armory.

“I hadn’t seen my first drill yet, but then I guess I had the biggest drill of my life,” he said.

Reflecting back a decade later, Luo said the experience forever changed him, his unit and the National Guard he continues to serve today.

News of the 9/11 attack swept quickly across the unit, with members arriving for duty that morning even before they were called, Luo recalled. Even a couple of the soldiers who had been away without leave appeared, ready to do whatever was needed.

“Just out of nowhere, everyone showed up,” Luo said. “This is where everyone knew they needed to be.”

By the following morning, the guardsmen were on the scene at ground zero, Luo said, setting up a security perimeter around the site and supporting the rescue and recovery effort.

The unit members, many personally affected by the attack, worked tirelessly as they helped fire and police department officials search for victims and doing whatever tasks were required to support the effort.

“Every day we were doing different things,” Luo said. “The first day, I was helping dig out. The next day, I was guarding the mortuary or escorting people who lived in the area” so they could retrieve essentials from their homes.

After the first week, Luo began rotating in and out of the area over the next six months. When not physically on the scene, his focus was on ensuring Guard members who had been called to active duty were getting paid.

Morale was high, Luo recalled, higher than he’d ever anticipated. “Everyone was doing their job, what they had joined to do,” he said. “People felt a calling.”

That calling, the Guard members realized, would extend long beyond the 9/11 response mission. Ultimately, almost all would deploy to combat, either to Afghanistan or, like Luo, to Iraq, from November 2004 to August 2005.

Now a sergeant first class still serving with the 42nd Infantry Division, Luo said 9/11 changed the National Guard in ways he never imagined possible.

“It triggered a dramatic change in the Guard,” he said. “It went from being a ‘frat boy organization’ to a professional fighting force. We went from being a strategic reserve to an operational reserve.”

Since 9/11, the New York Army National Guard has sent almost 8,000 soldiers to Iraq and Afghanistan, noted Army Maj. Gen. Patrick Murphy, New York’s adjutant general. Among those who have deployed are members of the 42nd Infantry Division headquarters, the first Guard division headquarters to deploy to combat since the Korean War.

Today, the New York Guard is preparing to send more than 2,000 soldiers overseas in 2012 and 2013, Murphy said. These include the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team -- the same unit that deployed to Afghanistan in 2008 and will return there next year.

“The 8,000 soldiers and airmen who’ve joined the New York National Guard since the events of Sept. 11, 2001 probably wouldn’t recognize the National Guard that existed on Sept. 10, 2001,” Murphy said in a message to his command. “The National Guard today is a more demanding organization to belong to,” with greater expectations on it from the state and nation.

Luo said his personal role as a 9/11 first responder, and as a soldier in that operational National Guard force has changed his view of the world.

“I went from being there at ground zero picking up body parts to actively engaging in combat in the war on terror,” he said. “For me, being there to witness all that in person, up close and personal, has definitely been a life-changing experience.”

Panetta: al-Qaida Weakened, But Still Poses Threat

Do you remember when the War on Terrorism began?  These people do.  See these Homeland Security books and know their story, and how they fight terrorism at home and abroad.

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

NEW YORK, Sept. 6, 2011 – The terrorist attacks of a decade ago have in some ways strengthened the United States, and operations against al-Qaida have left it much less capable, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said today.

“As tragic as 9/11 was, we have drawn tremendous inspiration [from it],” the secretary told reporters after touring the National September 11 Memorial and Museum site here.

The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, brought the nation together in a commitment that such horror “will never happen again,” Panetta said.

“Since 9/11, we have achieved significant success going after al-Qaida and … [its] leadership,” he said.

Of the top four al-Qaida leaders, three are dead, he said, and many lower-level leaders have been killed or captured.

“I think that has significantly undermined the command and control of al-Qaida, and their ability to plan the kind of 9/11 attacks that occurred here,” he said.

The nation’s domestic security is also stronger than it was 10 years ago, he said, crediting cooperation among intelligence organizations, the Department of Homeland Security and “a number of other agencies” with that improvement.

“Having said that, it’s very important for us to also pledge, not only to the families of those that died but to all Americans, that we will forever remain vigilant,” the secretary said.   

The main threats emerging from al-Qaida now emanate from nodes such as those in Yemen and Somalia, he said.

“They continue to plan attacks, and I don’t think we can take anything for granted,” he said.

Yemen “has risen to the top of the list” of al-Qaida threats, and remains an important counter-terrorism focus for the United States, the secretary said.

The leader of al-Qaida in Yemen, Anwar al-Awlaki, “has continued to urge individuals to attack this country, and continues, himself, to represent a threat to this country,” Panetta said.

On another front, Pakistani forces yesterday announced the capture of Younis al-Mauritani and two other senior al-Qaida operatives in Pakistan.

“This is … particularly encouraging, because we thought [Mauritani] was someone who was a real threat,” the secretary said.

Panetta said he is also encouraged by Pakistan’s role in the capture.

“We have had that kind of cooperation [from Pakistan] in the past,” he said. “We’ve had kind of a rocky relationship of late, but we have continued to urge the Pakistanis to work with us … [against] terrorist targets, and this is an indication that they are cooperating with us in that effort.”

Depsite gains made over the past decade, jihadist ideology remains an attraction to potential terrorists, and al-Qaida is still a threat to U.S. security, Panetta said.

“We have to continue the pressure on al-Qaida, but there is no question … [on] the tenth anniversary of 9/11, that we have made significant progress,” he said.

Share Your September 11 Memory

Ten years ago, we suffered the worst terrorist attack in America's history. Nearly 3,000 innocent men, women, and children – including hundreds of first responders and citizens of more than 90 countries and of many faiths and backgrounds – lost their lives that day. As we approach the 10th anniversary, we remember those we lost and we look how far we have come in securing our nation.

We invite you to share your 9/11 story or memory with others in the comment section of this blog post, on the DHS Facebook page or on twitter using the hashtag #911remembered.

NATO: U.S. Capabilities Vital for Allies

By Cheryl Pellerin

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 6, 2011 – NATO-led operations in Libya show NATO forces are flexible, open and strong, and also demonstrate the need for critical capabilities such as the unmanned aircraft supplied by the United States, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said today.

“This was the first alliance operation where European allies and Canada took the lead, and the alliance got the job done,” Rasmussen told reporters during a briefing in Brussels on what NATO calls Operation Unified Protector.

“European allies and Canada led the air force,” he added, “but this mission could not have been done without capabilities which only the United States can offer. For example, drones, intelligence and refueling aircraft.”

Such capabilities are critical for all NATO allies, Rasmussen said, and include transport and strategic airlift capacity.

“More allies should be willing to obtain [such capabilities] and that is a real challenge,” he added. “We will have to find the solutions at the next NATO summit in Chicago.”

At the Lisbon Summit in Nov. 2010, NATO presented its third Strategic Concept since the end of the Cold War, defining the alliance’s 11 strategic priorities for investment over the next decade, including missile and cyber defense, and counter-IED technology.

From now until the May 2012 summit in Chicago, Rasmussen said, “we will try to identify a number of areas in which a group of countries could pool and share resources.”

Then in Chicago, he said, “hopefully, we can identify a number of elite nations that would carry forward these projects,” building on the priorities named in Lisbon.

“It will be a comprehensive defense package that will contribute to making more efficient use of our resources,” Rasmussen said, “but also aim at narrowing the economic and technological gap between the United States and Europe. That’s my ambition.”

In addition to highlighting such gaps, Operation Unified Protector shows the flexibility, openness and strength of NATO forces, the secretary-general said.

Though the operation is not over, it has an unprecedented United Nations mandate -- the responsibility to protect the Libyan people -- and NATO has implemented the mandate with unprecedented precision, Rasmussen said.

“No comparable air operation in history has been so accurate and so careful in avoiding harm to civilians,” he added, noting that the operation in five months has degraded a war machine that took more than 40 years to build.

“NATO and our partners will be there as long as we are needed but not one minute longer,” he said. “When we assess that the threat is over for good, we will conclude Operation Unified Protector. I cannot give a precise date, but I believe it will come soon.”

NATO began the operation on March 31 with the aim of protecting civilians and civilian-populated areas under attack or threat of attack by Libyan leader Moammar Ghaddafi’s military.

According to NATO, the mission consists of an arms embargo, a no-fly zone and actions to protect civilians. Since the operation’s start, NATO allies have conducted 21,662 sorties, including 8,140 strike sorties.

NATO’s operations commander is Canadian air force Lt. Gen. Charles Bouchard, who operates with his staff from the Allied Joint Force Command in Naples.

To support the arms embargo, 15 ships under NATO command are patrolling the central Mediterranean. They have hailed 2,500 vessels, boarding 258 and denying passage to 11.

Also since March 31, NATO has recorded 949 air, ground and maritime movements by international humanitarian assistance organizations to bring food, water and medical aid to the Libyan people.

“It is now [time] for the Libyan people to shape their future,” the secretary-general said.

Face of Defense: Weightlifter Excels in Iraq

By Army Sgt. Paul Evans

310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq, Sept. 6, 2011 – Kentucky Army National Guard Sgt. Corey Blankenship often spends his time here occupied with very weighty issues.

Blankenship, who hails from Corbin, Ky., is a weightlifter who motivates himself and others to stay in shape through his one-hour, twice-daily workouts.

“You’ve got to make it part of life where you stick to it … but you get lazy sometimes. I’ve always got someone to work out with me for motivation,” said Blankenship, who’s assigned to 1st Battalion, 149th Infantry Regiment, 77th Sustainment Brigade, 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command.

Blankenship is a human resources specialist, and he’s known to lead by example both at his military workplace and in the gym.

“I like to consider Sgt. Blankenship as the backbone of the section. He brings the knowledge and leadership to the section when I can’t and keeps them active in their duties. He’d be tough to replace,” said Army Sgt. 1st Class Terry Roark, Blankenship’s supervisor.

Altogether, Blankenship has some pretty good statistics to show for his exercise regime: he can bench press 455 pounds, bicep-curl a 225-pound-bar and squat about 500 pounds, just to highlight a few of his impressive feats. He also follows a strict, low-carbohydrate diet.

Besides spending two hours in the gym daily, Blankenship tries to include about 30 minutes of cardio work twice a week, either running or bike riding. He said consistency “is about the only way” for people to stay fit in top physical condition.

Blankenship, who’s married with a daughter, joined the Army in November 2006, he said, because he was bored with civilian jobs.

“I had a lot of friends in the Guard pulling me towards joining,” he said, “and the idea of getting college benefits was cool.”

Blankenship has held three jobs during his military service, to include infantryman, diesel generator mechanic and human resources specialist. He also attended schools for air assault and rappelling. This is his first deployment.

Stateside, Blankenship works full-time as the human resources NCO at Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 149th Infantry Regiment, in Barbourville, Ky. Blankenship also attends Columbia Southern University, where he’s working to earn a bachelor’s degree in human resources management.

Serving in the Army offers many rewards, Blankenship said.

“Aside from friends and camaraderie,” he said, “there’s always something new… whether it’s getting to travel, go overseas or attend interesting schools, the opportunity is always there to do something big.”

Combined Forces Kill, Detain Several Insurgents

Get the REAL stories of what happens on the front lines in Afghanistan from veterans who were there.

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, Sept. 6, 2011 – Afghan and coalition forces killed four insurgents, detained six suspects and seized a weapons cache yesterday during separate operations in Regional Command East in Afghanistan, military officials reported.

The weapons cache contained a pistol, a remote-control device, and two grenades.

In Sept. 4 Afghanistan operations:

-- A combined Afghan and coalition security force captured a Taliban facilitator and numerous associates during an operation in the Imam Sahib district of Kunduz province. The man constructed bombs for attacks in the district in support of the Taliban and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.

-- A combined force detained several suspects and confiscated bomb-making materials during a search for a Haqqani network leader in the Khost district of Khost province. The leader coordinated attacks against security forces, and is suspected of trafficking roadside bombs, rockets and suicide bombers.

-- Also in Khost province, a combined force detained multiple insurgents while searching for a Haqqani network leader in the Terayzai district. The leader coordinated attacks against security forces in the region.

-- A combined force detained several suspects while searching for a Taliban leader in the Waghaz district of Ghazni province. The leader managed a large network of fighters and directed attacks against Afghan security forces.

-- A combined force detained a suspect while searching for a Taliban leader in the Tagab district of Kapisa province. The leader organizes ambushes and suicide-bomb attacks against coalition security forces.

-- In the Charkh district of Logar province, a combined force detained numerous suspects while searching for a Taliban leader involved in attacks against coalition forces in the district.

-- Combined forces killed one insurgent and detained nine others during a series of operations conducted in Regional Command East.

-- In the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province, a coalition patrol detained several suspects and found a weapons cache containing one assault rifle, one rocket-propelled grenade launcher, four RPG warheads, 21 RPG propellants and one pineapple grenade.

In Sept. 3 Afghanistan operations:

-- A combined force detained more than 10 suspects while searching for a Haqqani network facilitator in the Nerkh district of Wardak province. The suspect is responsible for car-bomb attacks in the region. The force also recovered improvised explosive device-making materials.

-- A combined patrol detained one suspect while searching for a Taliban leader in the Chimtal district of Balkh province. The leader distributes weapons and conducts attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

-- In the Talah wa Barfak district of Baghlan province, a combined force detained multiple suspects while searching for a Taliban leader.

-- A combined force detained one suspect while searching for a Taliban leader in the Tagab district of Kapisa province. The leader is responsible for small-arms and suicide-bomb attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

-- In the Terayzai district of Khost province, a combined force detained several suspects while searching for a Haqqani network leader responsible for coordinating attacks against local security forces. Some weapons and a grenade were confiscated.

-- Combined forces killed three insurgents and detained one during separate operations across Regional Command East. Also, an unmanned aerial vehicle crashed in the Zormat district of Paktya province due to a computer malfunction. The UAV was recovered and there was no enemy activity in the area prior to the crash.

In Sept. 2 Afghanistan operations:

-- A combined patrol seized an IED cache during an operation to disrupt an insurgent network in the Maiwand district of Kandahar province. The troops seized eight IEDs. The cache was destroyed.

-- A combined patrol detained multiple enemy fighters during an operation targeting an insurgent leader in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province. The leader is responsible for supplying lethal aid for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

-- A combined force discovered an IED cache in the Kandahar district of Kandahar province. The cache included two anti-personnel mines, two homemade mines, two firing mechanisms, 25 blasting caps and various IED-making materials. The cache was destroyed.

-- A combined force killed a key affiliate of the al-Qaida network during a security operation in the Jalalabad district of Nangarhar province. Sabar Lal was an insurgent leader responsible for attacks and financing insurgent operations in the Pech district of Kunar province. He was in contact with several senior al-Qaida members throughout Kunar and Pakistan. The security force located Sabar Lal at a compound in the Jalalabad district thanks to a tip from local residents. The insurgent emerged from the building with an assault rifle and was killed. Several suspects were taken into custody. Coalition security forces have captured or killed more than 40 al-Qaida insurgents in eastern Afghanistan this year.

-- A combined force killed several insurgents and a local woman during an operation in the Chahar Bolak district of Balkh province. Several insurgents, armed with a machine gun and assault rifles, were identified, engaged, and killed by the security force. The force pursued some other suspects to a nearby compound. During a search, the force fired on what appeared to be a hostile person, but was later discovered to be an unarmed woman. International Security Assistance Force representatives notified Afghan officials about the incident and requested an investigation. Members of the security force also conducted a meeting with area leaders. The focus of the operation was to capture a known Taliban leader who distributed weapons, helped suicide bombers, and conducted attacks against coalition and Afghan security forces.

-- In the Nahr-e Saraj district of Hemland province, a combined force detained several insurgents and seized 60 pounds of heroin. The force was searching for a Taliban leader responsible for coordinating attacks against Afghan forces.

-- A combined force detained one suspect while searching for a Haqqani network facilitator in the Nerkh district of Wardak province. The facilitator planned car-bomb attacks in the region.

-- In the Sabari district of Khost province, a combined force detained several insurgents during a search for a Haqqani network leader who directs a roadside-bomb cell, and coordinates attacks against Afghan soldiers. The security force confiscated and destroyed roadside-bomb components and a grenade. No civilians were harmed.

-- A combined force detained several suspects in the Andar district of Ghazni province while searching for a Haqqani network facilitator who was planning a car-bomb attack in Kabul.

-- Combined forces killed three insurgents and detained 11 suspects during separate operations across Regional Command East.

Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Pfc. Christophe J. Marquis, 40, of Tampa, Fla., died Sept. 4 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany,of injuries sustained Aug. 27 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.  He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

For more information the media may contact the U.S. Army Alaska public affairs office at 907-384-1542 or 907-384-2072.

Face of Defense: Medic Saves Boy’s Life in Afghanistan

By Air Force Master Sgt. J. Lavoie

Ghazni Provincial Reconstruction Team

GHAZNI PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Sept. 2, 2011 – An Army medic serving with the Ghazni Provincial Reconstruction Team here saved a young Afghan boy’s life during a routine check of a local district’s medical capabilities.

After inspecting a local clinic and several pharmacies during a patrol in the Quara Baugh district, Sgt. Dennis Magnasco, a medic from East Boston, Mass., heard that two Afghan boys had been injured and were in the local health clinic.

Magnasco discovered one boy had minor injuries, while the other had shrapnel in his abdomen, torso and upper arm.

“The doctor was prepared to let the boy go home, but because he was still bleeding through his bandages, I asked if I could help. The doctor agreed,” Magnasco said.

After getting permission from the local doctor, Magnasco further cleaned the wound, controlled the bleeding and gave the boy antibiotics.

“I was concerned about infection,” he said. “I gave him enough antibiotics to prevent infection for the next 24 hours.”

Magnasco also told the boy’s father how to redress the wound, and provided some gauze.

“At one point [the boy] held his hand out to me and I didn’t know what to do, so I just stood there and held his hand,” Magnasco said. “But, I’m glad I was there, because I feel I significantly increased his chance of survival against infection.”

Meanwhile, one little Afghan boy feels better and is on the road to recovery.

“It hurt a lot when [Magnasco] first saw me, but not so much now,” the boy said. “Thank you.”

U.S. Marines Train Afghan National Police

From the streets of Los Angeles to the sands of Afghanistan, police officers are training to fight terrorism.  Check out these police training articles and learn how to help keep your community safe!

By Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Gino Flores

Regional Command Southwest

HELMAND PROVINCE – Marine Corps instructors at the Joint Sustainment Academy Southwest at Camp Leatherneck here are training an elite group of Afghan police in a first-of-its-kind program.

At the Provincial Response Company Course, or PRC, selected Afghan law enforcement officers are learning the skills required to engage terrorists, conduct hostage rescue operations and fight heavily armed criminals in urban environments.

“The PRC unit’s training gives it the ability to respond at a moment’s notice and to handle situations outside the realm of the regular [Afghan Uniformed Police’s] capabilities,” said Marine Corps 1st Lt. Thomas L. Malone, a JSAS team leader and a native of Glen Burnie, Md.

“They will provide the provincial police chief a quick-reaction force for high-risk situations,” Malone added.

The six-week course reinforces and provides advanced training in shooting, self-defense, first aid, anti-terrorism, riot control, ethics and law.

The training is currently administered by a rotation of eight Marine instructors, 12 interpreters and two AUP class leaders.

“At the end of class there is no final exam,” Malone said. “However, there is a final exercise planned which tests knowledge retention by having students perform through a series of realistic training scenarios.”

The instructors hold students to a high standard from the beginning of class until graduation by testing them regularly on all material presented in the course, said Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Charles Spencer, a PRC course instructor and a native of Binghamton, N.Y.

To help in the urban training missions, the instructors make use of the academy’s “shoot house.” There, students learn to breach a secured compound and maneuver against opponents, clearing rooms in two- and four-man teams.

"Class exercises in finding improvised explosives devices and conducting vehicle [and] personnel searches, along with making arrests, are my favorite parts of the course,” said Abdul Mobin, an Afghan policeman currently attending the PRC course.

The training also stresses the leadership skills required in small teams and police units.

“We will be promoting some of the class non-commissioned officers based on their performance in the course,” said Marine Corps 1st Lt. Joshua Oresko, lead instructor and team mentor for the PRC course and a native of Crown Point, Ind.

Students will be well-trained and prepared to operate in the field when they graduate in September, Spencer said.

Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Spc. Christopher J. Scott, 21, of Tyrone, N.Y., died Sept. 3 at Kandahar province, Afghanistan of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire.  He was assigned to the 716th Military Police Battalion, 101st Sustainment Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

For more information the media may contact the Fort Campbell public affairs office at 270-798-3025.

Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Spc. Dennis James Jr., 21 of Deltona, Fla., died Aug. 31 from wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device in Wardak province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Polk, La.

For more information the media may contact the Fort Drum public affairs office at 315-772-8286.

Woodbridge Man Charged with Providing Material Support to Terrorist Organization

ALEXANDRIA, VA—Jubair Ahmad, 24, a native of Pakistan and resident of Woodbridge, Va., has been arrested on charges in the Eastern District of Virginia of providing material support to Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), a designated foreign terrorist organization, and making false statements in a terrorism investigation.

The charges were announced by Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Lisa Monaco, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; and James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

If convicted, Jubair faces a maximum potential sentence of 15 years in prison on the material support charge and eight years in prison on the charge of making false statements in a terrorism investigation.

According to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, Jubair received religious training from LeT as a teenager in Pakistan and later attended LeT’s basic training camp. Jubair entered the United States in 2007 along with other family members, and in 2009, the FBI launched an investigation after receiving information that Jubair may be associated with LeT.

The affidavit alleges that in September 2010, Jubair produced and uploaded a propaganda video to YouTube on behalf of LeT, after communications with a person named “Talha.” In a subsequent conversation with another person, Jubair identified Talha as Talha Saeed, the son of LeT leader Hafiz Mohammed Saeed. Talha and Jubair allegedly communicated about the images, music and audio that Jubair was to use to make the video. The final video contained images of LeT leader Hafiz Saeed, so-called jihadi martyrs and armored trucks exploding after having been hit by improvised explosive devices.

In October 2010, Talha allegedly contacted Jubair and requested that he revise the LeT propaganda video, giving Jubair specific instructions. Jubair allegedly revised the video and posted it on Oct. 16, 2010. In August 2011, FBI agents interviewed Jubair, where he falsely denied any involvement with the October 2010 video.

This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office. The prosecution is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia with assistance from the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

Criminal complaints are only charges and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Defense Officials Watchful as 9/11 Anniversary Approaches

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 2, 2011 – Defense Department officials are “keenly aware” that terrorist attacks are possible as the 10th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, a department spokesman told Pentagon reporters today.

Marine Corps Col. Dave Lapan also told reporters that DOD’s threat assessment is in line with that of the Department of Homeland Security.

He quoted a statement by DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, released today: “There is no specific or credible intelligence that al-Qaida or its affiliates are plotting attacks in the United States to coincide with the 10-year anniversary of 9/11.”

From the DOD perspective, Lapan said, “We will obviously be … watching closely [and maintaining] increased vigilance. We may take additional security steps based on information.”

There is always a risk of “aspirational” terrorist attacks against the United States from al-Qaida and other groups, he noted.

“After the raid on the bin Laden compound, we turned up information that suggested that attacks around the anniversary of 9/11 is something they were pursuing,” Lapan said.

That information was very general, however, and no specific attack plans have come to light, the colonel added.

Lapan noted that officials at U.S. military installations may increase force protection measures based on information they review regularly.

Napolitano’s statement continued: “Homeland security is a shared responsibility, and everyone plays an important role in helping to keep our communities safe and secure. We remind our federal, state, local partners and the public to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to local law enforcement authorities.”

Commander Says Iraq Transition on Track

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON – As the Dec. 31 departure date approaches for approximately 46,000 U.S. troops remaining in Iraq, Iraqi security forces in the north are prepared to manage internal security and external defense, a U.S. brigade commander posted in Iraq said today.

“It's not the end of something, it's the transition of something,” Army Col. Brian Winski, commander of 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, told Pentagon reporters today during a video briefing from U.S. Division North headquarters at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, near Tikrit.

Since the “Long Knife Brigade” deployed in September 2010, Winski has led the mission to advise, train and assist Iraqi security forces throughout Nineveh province and Mosul.

His forces’ main efforts over the year, the commander said, have been to transition former U.S. bases to Iraqi control, and help the Iraqi army rebuild combat skills that have languished over several years of employing police functions during counterinsurgency operations.

The training emphasized “the ability to conduct an attack and defense [and] employ combined arms, employ artillery, mortars and similar proficiencies that were not typically exercised over the last several years as the Iraqi army forces have been focused on internal security,” he said.

Winski’s brigade partnered with some 60,000 Iraqi security forces, including about 20,000 police, 35,000 soldiers and members of the federal police or a border enforcement brigade, the colonel said.

His troops also monitored Iraqi-Kurdish operations in 15 areas of mutual concern between the Kurdish regional government and the Iraqi central government, Winski said.

“[There is now] a long-term sustainable security solution implemented in all those areas, where the Iraqis and the Kurds are securing it bilaterally now … quite effectively,” he said.

His brigade’s soldiers are in the process of returning to Fort Hood, Texas, Winski said, and will be replaced with a smaller force that will remain focused on completing transition efforts.

Much of that work is complete or nearly so, Winski said.

“At about the midway point of our rotation, we were in 22 bases across the province,” he said, noting that most were in the combined Iraqi-Kurd areas.

“We transitioned all of those to the bilateral security arrangement,” he added.

The training mission for Iraqi forces has also largely shifted to an Iraqi lead, Winski said.

“We are now training and certifying and preparing Iraqi trainers to continue the training that we were doing over the course of this past year,” he said. “So where we had a substantial number of forces committed to training Iraqi army forces on those traditional army tasks I described, we're now assisting their trainers as they conduct that.”

Iraqi forces already are planning and conducting internal security operations with only minimal U.S. support, the colonel said.

He offered as an example an event this morning in Mosul, during which some 35 Iraqi prisoners charged with terrorism-related crimes tried to tunnel out of a detention facility.

“Almost immediately, the Iraqi security forces recaptured the majority of [the prisoners],” Winski said. “They know exactly who it is that's still at large … and [are] preparing to conduct operations to detain them when they surface, wherever that may be.”

U.S. assistance in the capture involved air surveillance via aerial reconnaissance assets and helicopters, he said. Meanwhile, the Iraqi security forces positioned their troops to contain the escapees’ movements and conducted “good, aggressive patrolling actions to pursue where these individuals have likely fled to or are hiding.”

Iraqi security forces are likewise leading the fight against insurgent activity, in many cases eliminating threat cells before they become active, the colonel said.

“Speaking to Nineveh alone, those Iraqi security force actions -- where they're finding and clearing caches, they're finding these [vehicle-borne bombs] before they're employed, they're identifying the enemy cells before they conduct the attacks -- the vast majority of those are unilateral Iraqi security force operations,” he said. “We assist with some intelligence. We assist with some advisory efforts. But that is enhancing. It's not a make-or-break type of assistance effort.”

Insurgent, criminal and extortion activities in the province are all connected, Winski said, and “are being dealt with … very effectively by the Iraqi security forces -- the federal police, the Iraqi army forces and their counterterrorism forces.”

While any extension of U.S. troop presence in Iraq is a policy matter for the Iraqi and U.S. governments to decide, Winski said, transition in his area of operations is proceeding smoothly and according to plan.

“I'm very confident that the Iraqi security forces will continue to prosecute very effective internal security operations,” he said. “I'm likewise confident that they have a foundation for an external defense and they, more importantly, have training systems that will endure past our departure [and they] will continue to build that foundation and capability for external defense.”

Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Pfc. Alberto L. Obod Jr., 26, of Orlando, Fla., died Aug. 28 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered during a vehicle roll-over.  He was assigned to the 391st Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 16th Sustainment Brigade, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, Bamberg, Germany.

For more information the media may contact the 21st Theater Sustainment Command public affairs office at 011-49-0631-413-8184.

Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two Soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.  They died Aug. 25 in Helmand province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle using an improvised explosive device.  The soldiers were assigned to the 546th Transportation Company, 82nd Sustainment Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Killed were:

Sgt. Devin J. Daniels, 22, of Kuna, Idaho; and

Sgt. Colby L. Richmond, 28, of Providence, N.C.

For more information contact the Fort Bragg public affairs office at 910-396-5600 or 910-396-5620.

Face of Defense: Marines Help Deliver Afghan Baby

By Marine Corps Cpl. Colby W. Brown

1st Marine Division Public Affairs

GARMSIR DISTRICT, HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Sept. 1, 2011 – Marine Corps noncommissioned officers Sgt. LaJuanna Baker and Cpl. Andrea Moreira-Rios were in the right place at the right time.

The two Marines departed Combat Outpost Rankel here to travel to a local health clinic to hand out hygiene packets to Afghan women as part of a civilian assistance program sponsored by the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment.

While talking to a group of Afghan women, a midwife asked the two Marines to help her deliver a local woman’s baby.

“We were more excited than some of the people who were there,” said Baker, a female engagement team leader and native of Pensacola, Fla. “It was her first-born, her first child, and we were just happy to help her out.”

The two Marines said they provided encouragement to the mother during the delivery. Baker and Moreira-Rios checked the baby after it was born to make sure it was breathing and provided water to the mother. Both mother and child, they said, were found to be medically sound.

Baker said she was impressed with the Afghan mother.

“This woman didn’t receive any pain medication before or during childbirth,” Baker said.

Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Kimberly Nalepka, the female engagement team’s squad leader, said the event highlights the importance of her unit’s mission in Afghanistan.

“If the FET wasn’t here, then we wouldn’t have been able to engage with the midwife to begin with, let alone help with the birth,” Nalepka said. “As female Marines, we help strengthen relationships in the local communities because we can interact with the women where male Marines can’t. Especially in a case like this, where we helped in the birth of a child.”

Baker said she enjoys her mission in Afghanistan, noting it helps to “spread the word to the local women that females from other countries are here and want to help them.”

The Afghan women she meets, Baker added, are curious and “excited because most of them have never seen American women before.”