By Army Sgt. Jon E. Dougherty
Special to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 23, 2009 - As our families and friends back home celebrate the holidays, those of us on the ground in Afghanistan are continuing the fight against extremism. Because our enemy is relentless, we must also be as relentless. We know that in war, there are no holidays. For the "Houn' Dawgs" of the Missouri National Guard's 203rd Engineer Battalion, to which I am attached, our operational tempo will remain high. Our combat logistics personnel will still be out on Afghanistan's dangerous roads, delivering critically needed fuel and other supplies to regional forward and combat operating bases.
They will be accompanied by their brothers and sisters in arms who will be manning the route-clearance packages, whose mission is to clear those same dangerous roads of improvised explosive devices and defend against ambushes and small-arms fire. Their schedule will carry them through Christmas and, most likely, New Year's Day as well.
But the combat engineers of the 203rd won't be the only unit still in action. So many others – military and civilian alike – still have responsibilities that don't end because of a date on the calendar.
Guard towers must still be manned, and medical care still provided. Mail delivery – so important, especially during this time of year – must go on.
Troops must be fed, and latrines, showers and common areas will still need to be kept clean and functioning. Laundry facilities must remain operational, and other basic base services such as security and flight operations continue. Also, training – which is so important to overall readiness – will continue unabated.
When troops are fortunate enough to have a few hours of leisure time, they will use it in various ways. Some will celebrate the holidays in small groups, opening presents and packages sent thousands of miles to them by friends and family back home who are trying their best to give us a taste of the holiday season and some semblance of normalcy in this foreign land. Others will simply spend time alone, in solace and reflection, thankful to get a few moments' peace. Still others will catch up on sleep, on laundry, on writing letters and e-mails, and other personal business. Some will be preparing for their inevitable next mission.
Not all is lost in the foggy pace of war. Soldiers are doing what they can to add their own touch of home to the season.
In the chow halls and tactical operations centers, in the office hallways and post exchanges, in the mine-resistant, armor-protected vehicles and on the doors of living quarters there are signs of the season and expressions of faith. Strings of lights – even on blacked-out bases – have popped up, and sparkling trees, tinsel, bulbs and streamers can be seen wherever I go.
In the morale, welfare and recreation centers, personnel wait patiently for a telephone or computer so they can communicate with wives, husbands, children, mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters a world away. Seasonal programming, along with the customary sporting events for this time of year, filters through televisions via the American Forces Network. There is foosball and pingpong, popcorn and card games.
And though we worry about how our loved ones are managing back home – even as they worry about us – we are strengthened in the knowledge that while this may be our lives right now, it will not be our lives forever. Someday – sooner for some, longer for others – we are secure in the knowledge that we will return to that "other world" thousands of miles away to embrace our families and friends and resume our lives in peace.
Still, there are sacrifices. For me, personally, I will miss the tradition of going to Mass prior to getting together with my family on Christmas Eve to share stories, laughs and memories. I will miss the dinner Christmas Day with my extended family. And I will miss, especially, spending time with my small grandchildren, who I am sure do not fully understand why Grandpa isn't able to be with them this year.
I will miss counting down the moments until the New Year with friends, and I will miss the sense of community I always get this time of year from the people of my hometown of Jefferson City, Mo.
I will miss things that, I am sure, many other serving military personnel also are going to miss. But that's what is good about traditions -- they don't vanish when there are loved ones who remain behind to carry them on in our absence.
Despite our temporary hardships, for now our families and friends continue to depend on us to keep them safe and to do our part to protect our country against hate, extremism and terror. We know they understand, as we do, that while we would prefer to be back home sharing gifts and smiles, our presence here and throughout the world is necessary as a bulwark against violence and terror, in order to maintain the freedom and security all of them have come to expect.
That we could possibly bring such freedom and security to a people who have never known it makes this journey – and those who support us in it – that much more special this holiday season.
(Army Sgt. Jon E. Dougherty serves with the Missouri National Guard's 203rd Engineer Battalion.)
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Soldiers Work Toward Iraqi Province's Future
By Army 1st Lt. Chad Cooper
Special to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 23, 2009 - The soldiers of "A" Company, 1st Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment, are leading the way in the "advise and assist" mission of the 1st Armored Division's 4th Brigade. The company's mission is to assist the State Department's provincial reconstruction team in building a better future for the people of Iraq's Muthanna province.
The soldiers provide military movement teams to protect the provincial reconstruction team members as they go about their daily tasks. They also manage the Commander's Emergency Relief Program, which funds construction projects, and provide a purchasing officer and pay agent to manage projects and pay local contractors.
A light week for the company's 2nd Platoon started with a mission to visit the site for a new school and to make a payment to the contractor for another school that's scheduled to be rebuilt.
The next day, the platoon visited another project that's providing electrical capabilities for a school.
A change of pace and scenery came the following day, when the soldiers went to the Muthanna College of Agriculture to check on equipment that was purchased for them.
"The soldiers of 2nd Platoon enjoy these missions," said Army 1st Lt. Dale Cox, "because it allows them to see how their work is improving the people of Iraq's lives now, and in the future when our mission is complete and we return to our families and friends."
(Army 1st Lt. Chad Cooper serves with the 1st Armored Division's 4th Brigade.)
Homeland Security Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report for 23 December 2009
Top Stories
KRQE 13 Albuquerque reports that Interstate 40 in western New Mexico reopened Monday after being closed for 13 hours due to a crash near Gallup that flipped a 9,000-gallon propane tanker. About 1,000 gallons of the compressed gas leaked after the crash. (See item 1)
According to the Wall Street Journal, U.S. authorities are investigating the theft of an estimated tens of millions of dollars from Citibank by hackers partly using Russian software tailored for the attack. (See item 14)
More Information
http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/DHS_Daily_Report_2009-12-23.pdf
KRQE 13 Albuquerque reports that Interstate 40 in western New Mexico reopened Monday after being closed for 13 hours due to a crash near Gallup that flipped a 9,000-gallon propane tanker. About 1,000 gallons of the compressed gas leaked after the crash. (See item 1)
According to the Wall Street Journal, U.S. authorities are investigating the theft of an estimated tens of millions of dollars from Citibank by hackers partly using Russian software tailored for the attack. (See item 14)
More Information
http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/DHS_Daily_Report_2009-12-23.pdf
Soldiers Work With Afghan Border Police
By Air Force Staff Sgt. Stephen Otero
Special to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 23, 2009 - On a rugged mountaintop bordering Pakistan, less than two miles from Northern Waziristan, sits Combat Outpost Chergotah in Afghanistan's Khost province. Here, U.S. Army soldiers work with Afghan border policemen to sustain border security and maintain peace among local people.
The soldiers and policemen secure the area with a fierce drive and a wealth of firepower.
"At Chergotah, we help provide security for Afghan contractors building the [combat outpost], and my duty as a gunner is to make sure that if we are attacked, I gain fire superiority as quick as possible to eliminate the threat, using heavy weaponry," said Army Spc. Ryan Harris.
Harris serves as a heavy weapons gunner with Company D, 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 25th Infantry Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team out of Fort Richardson, Alaska.
Mine-resistant, ambush -protected vehicles with common remotely operated weapons stations are a vital piece of weaponry to keep security within the area. Heavy-weapons platforms such as .50-caliber machine guns and Mark 19 grenade launchers are combined with precision computer video targeting systems controlled from behind a 10-inch screen that the gunner observes while tucked inside the vehicle.
While the advanced weaponry gives the soldiers the advantage against insurgents, they routinely leave the protection of their MRAP vehicles to connect with the local people. The unit conducts daily, dismounted security patrols led by the platoon sergeant and platoon leader.
"My duty as a platoon sergeant is to take care of my men," said Army Sgt. 1st Class Joseph De Lage, a platoon sergeant with Company D. "I do this by resupplying them with food, water, ammo, and by ensuring they have a good security plan in place to protect themselves and their Afghan counterparts."
While the platoon sergeant works to ensure the safety of his soldiers and the Afghan border policemen, the impact the servicemembers have on the area's civilian population is not lost.
"I believe our presence makes a difference locally," De Lage said.
Army 1st Lt. Jason Cumiford, a platoon leader in Company D, said the soldiers and policemen must find the best way to secure the trust of local residents. They find the enemy, separate them from residents, and defeat them.
However, Cumiford added, the U.S. soldiers' most important task is to ensure the Afghan border police are competent, well trained and able to defeat the enemy by themselves, and that they are trusted by the Afghan people.
(Air Force Staff Sgt. Stephen Otero serves with the provincial reconstruction team public affairs office in Afghanistan's Khost province.)
Iraqi Forces Arrest 7 Terrorism Suspects
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 23, 2009 - Iraqi security forces working with U.S. advisors arrested seven terrorism suspects today during two security operations, military officials reported. Four suspects were arrested in Rashidiyah, north of Mosul, during an operation conducted to arrest a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq member believed responsible for suicide-vest attacks in Balad and Muqdadiyah.
Evidence collected at the scene led Iraqi forces to arrest four suspected criminal associates of the al-Qaida in Iraq member without incident.
In southern Baghdad, Iraqi forces arrested a suspected member of a Kataib Hezbollah explosives cell believed to be responsible for mortar attacks conducted in September against security forces and civilians in the Basra region and two suspected accomplices.
After conducting preliminary questioning and examining evidence at the scene, Iraqi forces arrested the alleged Kataib Hezbollah member and his accomplices without incident.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq news releases.)
Dec. 23, 2009 - Iraqi security forces working with U.S. advisors arrested seven terrorism suspects today during two security operations, military officials reported. Four suspects were arrested in Rashidiyah, north of Mosul, during an operation conducted to arrest a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq member believed responsible for suicide-vest attacks in Balad and Muqdadiyah.
Evidence collected at the scene led Iraqi forces to arrest four suspected criminal associates of the al-Qaida in Iraq member without incident.
In southern Baghdad, Iraqi forces arrested a suspected member of a Kataib Hezbollah explosives cell believed to be responsible for mortar attacks conducted in September against security forces and civilians in the Basra region and two suspected accomplices.
After conducting preliminary questioning and examining evidence at the scene, Iraqi forces arrested the alleged Kataib Hezbollah member and his accomplices without incident.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq news releases.)
Forces in Afghanistan Kill, Detain Militants
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 23, 2009 - Afghan and international forces in Afghanistan killed or detained numerous militants today in various operations, military officials reported. In an operation led by the Afghan general directorate of special operations, several known instigators of a kidnapping group were detained.
The Afghan force, supported by International Security Assistance Force troops, detained the men after a search in Police District 5 of the Afghan capital. The suspects are linked to kidnappings in and around the city.
In other operations, a combined Afghan-international force in Paktia killed several militants, including a Taliban commander responsible for several bombing attacks. The force also detained two other militants.
The force moved to a compound west of the village of Goldad Kheyl in the Zurmat district after intelligence confirmed militant activity in the area. The security force encountered resistance and killed the Taliban commander and the militants.
In Zabul province, a combined security force killed a militant, wounded another and captured a third after intelligence sources indicated a Taliban target was in the Jeldak district near the village of Fuladgay.
Another Afghan-international force in Nangarhar province captured two suspected militants, including a Taliban weapons trafficker responsible for several attacks.
The force searched a compound north of the village of Dag Kalay in the Acheen district after intelligence detected militant activities. After an extensive search, the combined force found rocket-propelled grenade propellants, then detained the militants. In Wardak province, a combined security force apprehended several suspected militants in the village of Zamooch in the Sayed Abad district after intelligence sources reported militant activities.
(From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news release.)
Dec. 23, 2009 - Afghan and international forces in Afghanistan killed or detained numerous militants today in various operations, military officials reported. In an operation led by the Afghan general directorate of special operations, several known instigators of a kidnapping group were detained.
The Afghan force, supported by International Security Assistance Force troops, detained the men after a search in Police District 5 of the Afghan capital. The suspects are linked to kidnappings in and around the city.
In other operations, a combined Afghan-international force in Paktia killed several militants, including a Taliban commander responsible for several bombing attacks. The force also detained two other militants.
The force moved to a compound west of the village of Goldad Kheyl in the Zurmat district after intelligence confirmed militant activity in the area. The security force encountered resistance and killed the Taliban commander and the militants.
In Zabul province, a combined security force killed a militant, wounded another and captured a third after intelligence sources indicated a Taliban target was in the Jeldak district near the village of Fuladgay.
Another Afghan-international force in Nangarhar province captured two suspected militants, including a Taliban weapons trafficker responsible for several attacks.
The force searched a compound north of the village of Dag Kalay in the Acheen district after intelligence detected militant activities. After an extensive search, the combined force found rocket-propelled grenade propellants, then detained the militants. In Wardak province, a combined security force apprehended several suspected militants in the village of Zamooch in the Sayed Abad district after intelligence sources reported militant activities.
(From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news release.)
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Iraqi Forces Arrest Terrorism Suspects
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 22, 2009 - Iraq security forces, working with U.S. advisors, arrested 15 terrorism suspects, some of them cell leaders, in Iraq in recent days, military officials reported. Iraqi forces arrested eight suspected terrorists today in three combined operations conducted to arrest terrorism suspects wanted on warrants in northern Iraq.
In western Mosul, Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors searched a home for a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq member who coordinates funding, weapons and equipment for a bombing cell in the region. After examining evidence at the scene, Iraqi forces arrested three suspected criminal associates of the warranted al-Qaida in Iraq member without incident.
In Beiji, southwest of Kirkuk, Iraqi police and U.S. advisors conducted traffic stops of two vehicles to arrest a wanted al-Qaida in Iraq member suspected of staging deadly bombing and rocket attacks in Mosul and participating in kidnappings of Iraqi civilians.
Security forces stopped two minibuses in southern Beiji based on credible reports that the wanted man was a passenger on one of the buses. Following preliminary questioning and examination of evidence at the scene, Iraqi police arrested four suspected criminal associates of the wanted man without incident.
Also in Beiji today, an Iraqi emergency services unit arrested a man during an operation targeting a suspected member of an al-Qaida in Iraq cell. Iraqi police and U.S. advisors searched several buildings with a warrant for the alleged al-Qaida in Iraq member, who is believed to be responsible for multiple kidnappings and bombing attacks in the region. Following a preliminary examination of evidence at the scene, Iraqi police arrested a suspected criminal associate of the warranted al-Qaida in Iraq member.
In northeastern Baghdad today, Iraqi forces arrested four suspected terrorists during a combined operation to arrest a suspected member of the Kataib Hezbollah terrorist network. Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors searched several homes for the wanted suspect, who acquires and distributes weapons and bombs to terrorist members who conduct attacks in the Iraqi capital.
In other recent operations in Iraq:
-- Iraqi forces and U.S. soldiers arrested a man Dec. 19 on charges of being involved with terrorist groups in the Baghdad area. Based on a warrant issued by an Iraqi judge in Bayaa, U.S. troops of the 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team and Bayaa police apprehended Sayf Ali Abbas, believed to be responsible for kidnapping and planting roadside bombs.
-- Elements of a northern Iraq emergency response battalion, working with U.S. forces, arrested Aqil Jabar al-Tamimi on terrorism charges Dec. 17 near Tikrit by the authority of a warrant issued by the Central Investigative Court of Karkh. Aqil, a suspected Jaysh al-Madhi insurgent force cell leader, allegedly is responsible for the kidnapping of Iraqi civilians. He also is a suspected bombing cell leader believed to be responsible for multiple attacks on Iraqi security forces and other terrorist activities throughout Diyala province through financing and recruiting new members.
-- Iraqi and U.S. forces arrested Ali Hussein Hassan Farhat on a warrant for terrorism in northern Iraq, Dec. 15. Farhat, a member of the Islamic State of Iraq terrorist group, was wanted by authorities for his alleged role in multiple assassinations and vehicle-borne bomb attacks in Mosul and throughout Ninevah province.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Dec. 22, 2009 - Iraq security forces, working with U.S. advisors, arrested 15 terrorism suspects, some of them cell leaders, in Iraq in recent days, military officials reported. Iraqi forces arrested eight suspected terrorists today in three combined operations conducted to arrest terrorism suspects wanted on warrants in northern Iraq.
In western Mosul, Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors searched a home for a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq member who coordinates funding, weapons and equipment for a bombing cell in the region. After examining evidence at the scene, Iraqi forces arrested three suspected criminal associates of the warranted al-Qaida in Iraq member without incident.
In Beiji, southwest of Kirkuk, Iraqi police and U.S. advisors conducted traffic stops of two vehicles to arrest a wanted al-Qaida in Iraq member suspected of staging deadly bombing and rocket attacks in Mosul and participating in kidnappings of Iraqi civilians.
Security forces stopped two minibuses in southern Beiji based on credible reports that the wanted man was a passenger on one of the buses. Following preliminary questioning and examination of evidence at the scene, Iraqi police arrested four suspected criminal associates of the wanted man without incident.
Also in Beiji today, an Iraqi emergency services unit arrested a man during an operation targeting a suspected member of an al-Qaida in Iraq cell. Iraqi police and U.S. advisors searched several buildings with a warrant for the alleged al-Qaida in Iraq member, who is believed to be responsible for multiple kidnappings and bombing attacks in the region. Following a preliminary examination of evidence at the scene, Iraqi police arrested a suspected criminal associate of the warranted al-Qaida in Iraq member.
In northeastern Baghdad today, Iraqi forces arrested four suspected terrorists during a combined operation to arrest a suspected member of the Kataib Hezbollah terrorist network. Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors searched several homes for the wanted suspect, who acquires and distributes weapons and bombs to terrorist members who conduct attacks in the Iraqi capital.
In other recent operations in Iraq:
-- Iraqi forces and U.S. soldiers arrested a man Dec. 19 on charges of being involved with terrorist groups in the Baghdad area. Based on a warrant issued by an Iraqi judge in Bayaa, U.S. troops of the 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team and Bayaa police apprehended Sayf Ali Abbas, believed to be responsible for kidnapping and planting roadside bombs.
-- Elements of a northern Iraq emergency response battalion, working with U.S. forces, arrested Aqil Jabar al-Tamimi on terrorism charges Dec. 17 near Tikrit by the authority of a warrant issued by the Central Investigative Court of Karkh. Aqil, a suspected Jaysh al-Madhi insurgent force cell leader, allegedly is responsible for the kidnapping of Iraqi civilians. He also is a suspected bombing cell leader believed to be responsible for multiple attacks on Iraqi security forces and other terrorist activities throughout Diyala province through financing and recruiting new members.
-- Iraqi and U.S. forces arrested Ali Hussein Hassan Farhat on a warrant for terrorism in northern Iraq, Dec. 15. Farhat, a member of the Islamic State of Iraq terrorist group, was wanted by authorities for his alleged role in multiple assassinations and vehicle-borne bomb attacks in Mosul and throughout Ninevah province.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Pentagon Officials Identify Troops for Afghanistan
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 22, 2009 - Defense Department officials today identified 6,000 servicemembers to deploy in 2010 as part of President Barack Obama's order to increase the U.S. footprint in Afghanistan.
About 3,400 soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team are headed to Afghanistan in early summer, according to a statement released by the Pentagon. The soldiers are based out of Fort Campbell, Ky.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates also approved deployment orders for about 2,600 support forces who will begin deploying to various locations at staggered times in the spring.
The president announced Dec. 1 that the United States would send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan. Some already have arrived. The majority of the surge forces will operate in southern Afghanistan, and are expected to arrive by summer's end. Some 3,000 to 4,000 troops will arrive sometime in the fall to complete the plus-up, Pentagon officials said.
The surge augments the international mission to train Afghan security forces and expel insurgent strongholds. White House and Pentagon officials anticipate the Afghan troop surge to last until July 2011, when U.S. and NATO forces are expected to begin handing over security responsibility to the Afghans.
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 22, 2009 - Defense Department officials today identified 6,000 servicemembers to deploy in 2010 as part of President Barack Obama's order to increase the U.S. footprint in Afghanistan.
About 3,400 soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team are headed to Afghanistan in early summer, according to a statement released by the Pentagon. The soldiers are based out of Fort Campbell, Ky.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates also approved deployment orders for about 2,600 support forces who will begin deploying to various locations at staggered times in the spring.
The president announced Dec. 1 that the United States would send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan. Some already have arrived. The majority of the surge forces will operate in southern Afghanistan, and are expected to arrive by summer's end. Some 3,000 to 4,000 troops will arrive sometime in the fall to complete the plus-up, Pentagon officials said.
The surge augments the international mission to train Afghan security forces and expel insurgent strongholds. White House and Pentagon officials anticipate the Afghan troop surge to last until July 2011, when U.S. and NATO forces are expected to begin handing over security responsibility to the Afghans.
Forces Kill, Capture Militants in Afghanistan
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 22, 2009 - Combined international and Afghan forces conducted multiple operations in southern and eastern Afghanistan today, killing and capturing numerous insurgents, military officials reported. In two operations in Kandahar province today, combined forces killed several militants and detained others while pursuing two Taliban commanders -- one in the Shah Wali Kot district, the other in the Zhari district -- after intelligence sources reported militant activity.
In Zhari, as the security force moved toward a compound, several militants left the area. Later, the security force killed several militants after receiving hostile fire and detained two others.
In Wardak province today, a combined force detained several suspected militants, including a Taliban leader. The combined force moved to the Sayyidabad district after intelligence sources suspected militant activity in a compound there. After searching the compound, the force detained several suspects, including the targeted man.
In Khost province, a combined force detained a group of suspected militants while searching for a Haqqani terrorist network commander. The force closed in on a rural area of the Sabari district after intelligence indicated militant activity in a compound. The militants were detained following an extensive search.
In a combined operation last night, an Afghan-international security force killed several militants and detained another in Ghazni province. The force went to a series of compounds in the Andar district after intelligence sources confirmed militant activities there. The security force killed several armed enemy fighters who resisted.
Several weapons were found, including assault rifles, grenades, 40 mm rounds and an anti-personnel mine.
Eight women and 16 children were protected during the operation, officials said.
Numerous weapons were found in Afghanistan today. Afghan civilians in Paktika province led Afghan National Police to a 107 mm rocket that the police then diffused. In Ghazni province, coalition forces found a 107 mm rocket that Polish engineers helped to destroy. In Helmand province, a combined force found a cache of bomb-making materials that contained six 60 mm mortar rounds and other components. In Herat province, coalition forces found unexploded ordnance in two locations, including a 107 mm rocket, three 82 mm mortars, an 81 mm mortar and a hand grenade.
In operations yesterday:
-- A combined force killed two militants in Wardak province while pursuing a small group of Taliban. The force searched a compound near the village of Andar in the Nerkh district after intelligence sources determined the location of militant activities. The security force came under fire, returned fire and killed the militants.
-- In Helmand province, a combined force detained a small group of militants, including a Taliban weapons and narcotics trafficker believed to help carry out attacks in his district.
On Dec. 19, an Afghan-led unit discovered a large weapons cache in Kandahar province's Panjwa district. The unit discovered about 140 pounds of homemade explosives, including 6 pounds of ammonium nitrate, materials for a pressure plate and detonation cord. The material was impounded for evidence. No one was injured in the operation.
In Dec. 18 operations:
-- An international security force air strike killed several militants at a mountaintop fighting position in Paktika province during pursuit of a Haqqani commander responsible for attacks in the area. A security detachment searched the fighting position after the strike to assess damage and recovered a machine gun, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher with rounds, an assault rifle and a pistol.
-- A combined force detained two suspected militants in Kandahar province while pursuing a Taliban commander responsible for attacks in the area.
(Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news releases.)
Dec. 22, 2009 - Combined international and Afghan forces conducted multiple operations in southern and eastern Afghanistan today, killing and capturing numerous insurgents, military officials reported. In two operations in Kandahar province today, combined forces killed several militants and detained others while pursuing two Taliban commanders -- one in the Shah Wali Kot district, the other in the Zhari district -- after intelligence sources reported militant activity.
In Zhari, as the security force moved toward a compound, several militants left the area. Later, the security force killed several militants after receiving hostile fire and detained two others.
In Wardak province today, a combined force detained several suspected militants, including a Taliban leader. The combined force moved to the Sayyidabad district after intelligence sources suspected militant activity in a compound there. After searching the compound, the force detained several suspects, including the targeted man.
In Khost province, a combined force detained a group of suspected militants while searching for a Haqqani terrorist network commander. The force closed in on a rural area of the Sabari district after intelligence indicated militant activity in a compound. The militants were detained following an extensive search.
In a combined operation last night, an Afghan-international security force killed several militants and detained another in Ghazni province. The force went to a series of compounds in the Andar district after intelligence sources confirmed militant activities there. The security force killed several armed enemy fighters who resisted.
Several weapons were found, including assault rifles, grenades, 40 mm rounds and an anti-personnel mine.
Eight women and 16 children were protected during the operation, officials said.
Numerous weapons were found in Afghanistan today. Afghan civilians in Paktika province led Afghan National Police to a 107 mm rocket that the police then diffused. In Ghazni province, coalition forces found a 107 mm rocket that Polish engineers helped to destroy. In Helmand province, a combined force found a cache of bomb-making materials that contained six 60 mm mortar rounds and other components. In Herat province, coalition forces found unexploded ordnance in two locations, including a 107 mm rocket, three 82 mm mortars, an 81 mm mortar and a hand grenade.
In operations yesterday:
-- A combined force killed two militants in Wardak province while pursuing a small group of Taliban. The force searched a compound near the village of Andar in the Nerkh district after intelligence sources determined the location of militant activities. The security force came under fire, returned fire and killed the militants.
-- In Helmand province, a combined force detained a small group of militants, including a Taliban weapons and narcotics trafficker believed to help carry out attacks in his district.
On Dec. 19, an Afghan-led unit discovered a large weapons cache in Kandahar province's Panjwa district. The unit discovered about 140 pounds of homemade explosives, including 6 pounds of ammonium nitrate, materials for a pressure plate and detonation cord. The material was impounded for evidence. No one was injured in the operation.
In Dec. 18 operations:
-- An international security force air strike killed several militants at a mountaintop fighting position in Paktika province during pursuit of a Haqqani commander responsible for attacks in the area. A security detachment searched the fighting position after the strike to assess damage and recovered a machine gun, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher with rounds, an assault rifle and a pistol.
-- A combined force detained two suspected militants in Kandahar province while pursuing a Taliban commander responsible for attacks in the area.
(Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news releases.)
Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Sgt. Albert D. Ware, 27, of Chicago, Ill., died Dec. 18 in Arghandab River Valley, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 782nd Combat Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
For more information the media may contact the 82nd Airborne Division public affairs office at 910-432-0661 or 910-432-0662.
Sgt. Albert D. Ware, 27, of Chicago, Ill., died Dec. 18 in Arghandab River Valley, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 782nd Combat Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
For more information the media may contact the 82nd Airborne Division public affairs office at 910-432-0661 or 910-432-0662.
Forces Kill, Capture Militants in Afghanistan
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 22, 2009 - Combined international and Afghan forces conducted multiple operations in southern and eastern Afghanistan today, killing and capturing numerous insurgents, military officials reported. In two operations in Kandahar province today, combined forces killed several militants and detained others while pursuing two Taliban commanders -- one in the Shah Wali Kot district, the other in the Zhari district -- after intelligence sources reported militant activity.
In Zhari, as the security force moved toward a compound, several militants left the area. Later, the security force killed several militants after receiving hostile fire and detained two others.
In Wardak province today, a combined force detained several suspected militants, including a Taliban leader. The combined force moved to the Sayyidabad district after intelligence sources suspected militant activity in a compound there. After searching the compound, the force detained several suspects, including the targeted man.
In Khost province, a combined force detained a group of suspected militants while searching for a Haqqani terrorist network commander. The force closed in on a rural area of the Sabari district after intelligence indicated militant activity in a compound. The militants were detained following an extensive search.
In a combined operation last night, an Afghan-international security force killed several militants and detained another in Ghazni province. The force went to a series of compounds in the Andar district after intelligence sources confirmed militant activities there. The security force killed several armed enemy fighters who resisted.
Several weapons were found, including assault rifles, grenades, 40 mm rounds and an anti-personnel mine.
Eight women and 16 children were protected during the operation, officials said.
Numerous weapons were found in Afghanistan today. Afghan civilians in Paktika province led Afghan National Police to a 107 mm rocket that the police then diffused. In Ghazni province, coalition forces found a 107 mm rocket that Polish engineers helped to destroy. In Helmand province, a combined force found a cache of bomb-making materials that contained six 60 mm mortar rounds and other components. In Herat province, coalition forces found unexploded ordnance in two locations, including a 107 mm rocket, three 82 mm mortars, an 81 mm mortar and a hand grenade.
In operations yesterday:
-- A combined force killed two militants in Wardak province while pursuing a small group of Taliban. The force searched a compound near the village of Andar in the Nerkh district after intelligence sources determined the location of militant activities. The security force came under fire, returned fire and killed the militants.
-- In Helmand province, a combined force detained a small group of militants, including a Taliban weapons and narcotics trafficker believed to help carry out attacks in his district.
On Dec. 19, an Afghan-led unit discovered a large weapons cache in Kandahar province's Panjwa district. The unit discovered about 140 pounds of homemade explosives, including 6 pounds of ammonium nitrate, materials for a pressure plate and detonation cord. The material was impounded for evidence. No one was injured in the operation.
In Dec. 18 operations:
-- An international security force air strike killed several militants at a mountaintop fighting position in Paktika province during pursuit of a Haqqani commander responsible for attacks in the area. A security detachment searched the fighting position after the strike to assess damage and recovered a machine gun, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher with rounds, an assault rifle and a pistol.
-- A combined force detained two suspected militants in Kandahar province while pursuing a Taliban commander responsible for attacks in the area.
(Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news releases.)
Dec. 22, 2009 - Combined international and Afghan forces conducted multiple operations in southern and eastern Afghanistan today, killing and capturing numerous insurgents, military officials reported. In two operations in Kandahar province today, combined forces killed several militants and detained others while pursuing two Taliban commanders -- one in the Shah Wali Kot district, the other in the Zhari district -- after intelligence sources reported militant activity.
In Zhari, as the security force moved toward a compound, several militants left the area. Later, the security force killed several militants after receiving hostile fire and detained two others.
In Wardak province today, a combined force detained several suspected militants, including a Taliban leader. The combined force moved to the Sayyidabad district after intelligence sources suspected militant activity in a compound there. After searching the compound, the force detained several suspects, including the targeted man.
In Khost province, a combined force detained a group of suspected militants while searching for a Haqqani terrorist network commander. The force closed in on a rural area of the Sabari district after intelligence indicated militant activity in a compound. The militants were detained following an extensive search.
In a combined operation last night, an Afghan-international security force killed several militants and detained another in Ghazni province. The force went to a series of compounds in the Andar district after intelligence sources confirmed militant activities there. The security force killed several armed enemy fighters who resisted.
Several weapons were found, including assault rifles, grenades, 40 mm rounds and an anti-personnel mine.
Eight women and 16 children were protected during the operation, officials said.
Numerous weapons were found in Afghanistan today. Afghan civilians in Paktika province led Afghan National Police to a 107 mm rocket that the police then diffused. In Ghazni province, coalition forces found a 107 mm rocket that Polish engineers helped to destroy. In Helmand province, a combined force found a cache of bomb-making materials that contained six 60 mm mortar rounds and other components. In Herat province, coalition forces found unexploded ordnance in two locations, including a 107 mm rocket, three 82 mm mortars, an 81 mm mortar and a hand grenade.
In operations yesterday:
-- A combined force killed two militants in Wardak province while pursuing a small group of Taliban. The force searched a compound near the village of Andar in the Nerkh district after intelligence sources determined the location of militant activities. The security force came under fire, returned fire and killed the militants.
-- In Helmand province, a combined force detained a small group of militants, including a Taliban weapons and narcotics trafficker believed to help carry out attacks in his district.
On Dec. 19, an Afghan-led unit discovered a large weapons cache in Kandahar province's Panjwa district. The unit discovered about 140 pounds of homemade explosives, including 6 pounds of ammonium nitrate, materials for a pressure plate and detonation cord. The material was impounded for evidence. No one was injured in the operation.
In Dec. 18 operations:
-- An international security force air strike killed several militants at a mountaintop fighting position in Paktika province during pursuit of a Haqqani commander responsible for attacks in the area. A security detachment searched the fighting position after the strike to assess damage and recovered a machine gun, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher with rounds, an assault rifle and a pistol.
-- A combined force detained two suspected militants in Kandahar province while pursuing a Taliban commander responsible for attacks in the area.
(Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news releases.)
Marine Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Pfc. Serge Kropov, 21, of Hawley, Pa., died Dec. 20 as a result of a non-hostile incident in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif.
This incident is under investigation.
For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing Public Affairs Office at 858-577-6000.
Pfc. Serge Kropov, 21, of Hawley, Pa., died Dec. 20 as a result of a non-hostile incident in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif.
This incident is under investigation.
For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing Public Affairs Office at 858-577-6000.
Carolers Spread Cheer at Bagram
By Army Sgt. Maj. Cecil Edwards and Army Maj. Doug McInvale
Special to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 22, 2009 - Army soldiers and civilians serving in Afghanistan spread good cheer this holiday season to U.S., coalition and Afghan audiences, in what they have dubbed "Operation Caroling." Henry McEnery, an Army civilian employee who hails from New Orleans and bears a striking resemblance to Kris Kringle; Maj. Jeff Boldt from Pittsburgh; Maj. Doug McInvale, from Birmingham, Ala.; and Sgt. Maj. Cecil Edwards, a resident of Yorba Linda, Calif., joined together to sing as a quartet for this spirited mission.
One evening while the four men were attending the Counterinsurgency Leaders Course near Kabul, they discovered something they all had in common: making music.
"I suggested we blend our voices together and sing some familiar tunes," McEnery said.
They discovered that the best combination of their talents was delivered when McEnery and Boldt sang the melody, McInvale contributed lower-octave harmonies, and Edwards completed the sound with his tenor tone.
Before retiring to their bunks, the musical combo decided to take the act on the road and spread holiday cheer to U.S., coalition and Afghan friends and colleagues here.
For the military members of this foursome, getting together was easy – all three soldiers are stationed at Bagram. McInvale serves as an assessment and special projects officer with Combined Joint Task Force 82. Boldt also serves with the task force as a civil affairs officer in the stability operations section. Edwards belongs to the 82nd Airborne Division and is assigned to Task Force Cyclone as a research manager on a human terrain team.
But linking up with McEnery, a human terrain team research manager attached to the Marines in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province, posed a challenge. But he obtained permission from his unit to join the group here, and like their music, everything else fell into place.
A few days later, in early December, the musical experience that began on a remote Afghan base camp was now being shared all across the airfield. Throughout the week, the quartet known as the "COIN Carolers" – in honor of having met during counterinsurgency training -- sang for a variety of venues and audiences: chapel services, hospitals, parties, post office patrons, mess hall diners, and many others.
"Our visit to Craig Hospital was a particularly uplifting event," Boldt said, due in part to the efforts of Michelle Ufner, a human terrain team social scientist with Combined Joint Task Force 82, who assisted in Operation Caroling.
Ufner had been commissioned by U.S. school children to deliver 80 dozen cookies to support the troops.
"As the carolers sang and encouraged those recovering from war wounds and illnesses, I distributed the students' baked treats and communicated their well-wishes to the soldiers," Ufner said.
Meanwhile, Afghan children, some of whom were patients in the hospital, heard the reverberating melodies and asked if the carolers could sing in their wing, too. The group shared songs, laughs, cookies and goodwill with the patients and their families.
"It was a moment with our Afghan friends that underscores a core COIN principle — the people truly are the prize," McInvale said.
The COIN carolers were warmly received wherever they performed. One lady at a dining facility, after hearing the group, declared, "I started out feeling blue this morning, but you just made my day!"
Yet, as enthusiastic as audiences were about their musical line-up, their version of "Winter Wonderland" was an especially rousing crowd-pleaser. In its finale, the men joined arm-in-arm and kicked up their heels like a chorus line, inciting cheers and laughter.
The COIN Carolers said they are grateful for having had the opportunity to share the spirit of Christmas, particularly with soldiers and civilians separated from their loved ones during this holiday season. One U.S. soldier who helped to coordinate the group's appearances, Army Chief Warrant Officer Steven Mehl, summed up their experience succinctly.
"Seeing the audiences' faces light up made it all worthwhile," Mehl said.
(Army Sgt. Maj. Cecil Edwards and Army Maj. Doug McInvale serve at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.)
Homeland Security Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report for 22 December 2009
Top Stories
CNN reports that a major snowstorm slammed the East Coast and snarled the busy holiday travel season Saturday as airports shut down runways, rail service slowed, and bus routes were suspended. The Examiner reports that hundreds of thousands of customers in several States lost power during the storm. (See items 1 and 18)
According to the Arizona Republic, a strong metallic odor at the Scottsdale Galleria Corporate Center forced the evacuation of about 1,200 office workers and sent 21 people to the hospital with breathing difficulties Friday afternoon. (See item 47)
More Information
http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/DHS_Daily_Report_2009-12-22.pdf
CNN reports that a major snowstorm slammed the East Coast and snarled the busy holiday travel season Saturday as airports shut down runways, rail service slowed, and bus routes were suspended. The Examiner reports that hundreds of thousands of customers in several States lost power during the storm. (See items 1 and 18)
According to the Arizona Republic, a strong metallic odor at the Scottsdale Galleria Corporate Center forced the evacuation of about 1,200 office workers and sent 21 people to the hospital with breathing difficulties Friday afternoon. (See item 47)
More Information
http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/DHS_Daily_Report_2009-12-22.pdf
Monday, December 21, 2009
Homeland Security Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report for 21 December 2009
Top Stories
KWTX 10 Waco reports that fire departments responded Thursday afternoon to the report of a possible chlorine fire in a building owned by the Downsville Water Department in McLennan County, Texas. A 3-mile radius was evacuated during the fire. (See item 25)
According to the Associated Press, South Korea’s military said Friday it was investigating a hacking attack that netted secret defense plans with the United States and may have been carried out by North Korea. The suspected hacking occurred late last month and involved a USB device. (See item 31)
More Information
http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/DHS_Daily_Report_2009-12-21.pdf
KWTX 10 Waco reports that fire departments responded Thursday afternoon to the report of a possible chlorine fire in a building owned by the Downsville Water Department in McLennan County, Texas. A 3-mile radius was evacuated during the fire. (See item 25)
According to the Associated Press, South Korea’s military said Friday it was investigating a hacking attack that netted secret defense plans with the United States and may have been carried out by North Korea. The suspected hacking occurred late last month and involved a USB device. (See item 31)
More Information
http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/DHS_Daily_Report_2009-12-21.pdf
Saturday, December 19, 2009
New Afghan Road Benefits Families, Commerce
By Air Force Capt. Tony Wickman
Special to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 18, 2009 - Getting through downtown Asadabad, Afghanistan, has become easier for hundreds of Afghan families, thanks to two and a half miles of new roads that were completed Dec. 13. Provincial reconstruction team engineers completed their final quality-assurance check just before a dedication ceremony with Kunar Gov. Fazlullah Wahidi and village elders on a clear, warm day.
The roads, worth $935,000, will benefit hundreds of families and businesses in the city and is a welcome improvement, several residents and shopkeepers said.
Sherzada, a general store owner who has been in business for three years, said the new roads make a difference in the lives of the people working and living in Dam Kalay village and Asadabad.
"Before, the road was all muddy and wasn't good for my business," he said. The people of this village and [I] were getting our clothes dirty while walking here. Whenever we were doing shopping downtown, it would take more time for us to come here. But the new road now makes us feel safer and cleaner. It also makes the trip shorter, and it's a benefit for everyone in the village."
Navy Lt. Derek Elling, provincial reconstruction team engineer, said the road was a good project, with only minor issues. Unlike many other road projects, this wasn't a continuous road, but rather is smaller segments of roads linking different parts of the city.
"The overall quality of the road is good," said Elling, a native of Norwood Young America, Minn. "There was a 700-meter section of road that wasn't complete when we got here [in July] that we had to decide whether it was going to be [paved with double-bituminous surface treatment] or concrete, because it is in a washout area." The surface treatment, he said, was the reason for the final quality-assurance check before the dedication ceremony.
"There were minor things that need to be addressed — a small section of the road broke off, and a culvert needs to be repaired — but overall, it is good road."
Elling said a positive sight while conducting the quality assessment patrol was seeing local people who had been hired by a nongovernmental group cleaning the new streets.
"The [nongovernmental organization] is doing some good work and are on the frontline of things," he said. "They pay people directly to go out and do jobs like clean the street, which eliminates the threat of corruption and graft."
In his remarks to more than 50 provincial leaders and tribal elders at the dedication site, Army Lt. Col. Joseph Cantlin, the provincial reconstruction team's chief of military-civilian operations, praised the local construction and engineering company for its efforts.
"This morning, [we] walked up and down the road to see that the contractor did a good job and built a good road for the city of Asadabad," said Cantlin, of Fort Belvoir, Va.
Cantlin expressed the hope that the road will improve governance and development in the area.
"As you know, Asadabad is the capital and center of governance and economic development for the entire province," he said. "Our hope is that this new road will help to continue economic development and bring new jobs to the people of Asadabad."
(Air Force Capt. Tony Wickman serves in the provincial reconstruction team public affairs office in Afghanistan's Kunar province.)
Contractor Keeps Lights on at Iraq Base
By Army Sgt. Benjamin R Kibbey
Special to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 18, 2009 - Soldiers who haven't deployed before or who only recently arrived here may not give much thought to the constant electricity, hot showers and well-lit avenues. But that kind of thing doesn't happen easily, and it is thanks in no small part to an Iraqi company, Al Harith, that Contingency Operating Base Basra hums along so smoothly. Ismael Shaker, a petrochemical engineer by training, has been running Al Harith since he and his partner founded it 18 years ago.
Shaker started the business with his friend of 32 years when Iraq was rebuilding after the Gulf War. Like many Iraqis, he said, he sees opportunity and hope this time around that never existed before. Looking at the projects he and the engineers and technicians of Al Harith have completed here, it's easy to see the promise for the future of the country that they embody.
The power plant that supplies the Viking and Sandstorm living-support areas was inherited from the British. Its eight generators were at three different locations when the British owned them, including the old British headquarters at the airport hotel.
But because of technical problems, the British couldn't get them to work properly. The computerized system that synchronizes the generators required a password, and the Italian company that sold them the units wasn't cooperative.
When Al Harith first took over the generators at Camp Abunaji, Shaker saw an additional problem. When the Al Harith engineers looked at the system, they realized the generators had no manifolds to prevent air bubbles in the fuel line. So Shaker had the manifolds created in one of his workshops. It didn't solve the entire problem, but may have prevented quite a few future ones, he said.
When it came time to install the generators near Logistics Support Area Viking, Al Harith was able to contact the Italian company and found out the agreement necessitating the password had expired. So, with a little technical acumen, Al Harith's engineers cracked the system and were able to set it up to operate as intended.
"This was a big challenge for us, because when you are dealing with software, you must have the know-how and you must have the software," said Mundir Muhammad, chief engineer for the power station. "But fortunately, we can deal with this."
Al Harith employs electrical and mechanical engineers and technicians at the site 24 hours a day to monitor the power output.
With one day off a week and their bunks a few feet from where they work, they have a similar life to the military personnel on the base. Crews of eight to 10 engineers and technicians live at each logistics support area on the base, Shaker said. A support crew from the company headquarters is available for pumping, carpentry and steelwork, Muhammad said.
"I have 30 years experience in power generation in the government and private sector," he said, "so I am familiar with this kind of generator, steam generators, gas turbine: all kinds of power generation types." Still, he added, operating a computerized station of this size was a new experience for some of the engineers.
"[In Iraq], we deal with mainly non-computerized power stations," Muhammad said. "Of course, we have individual diesel generators, computerized also, outside the camp."
Most generators that Jafar Abdullah, an electrical engineer from Basra, has worked on were single generators, though often much larger than the eight that make up the power station here, he said, so the issue of synchronizing generators was a new one for him.
However, the reliance on computers to synchronize and monitor the generators actually simplifies much of the work.
"The design of these generators makes it simpler to get better performance out of them," Abdullah said. The system is almost maintenance-free, Muhammad pointed out. Still, it's important to stay on top of draining water from the system and checking the clarity of the oil.
"We perform preventive maintenance every 250 operating hours," he said. "We stop the generator, change the filter, check the oil and all the other preventive-maintenance items."
If the regularly scheduled service is delayed even a little, it can do irreparable damage to the generators, said Army Staff Sgt. Kris Lemm, contracting office representative of the base mayor's cell, from Browerville, Minn. This is true especially since the base switched to the much less clean-burning JP8 diesel fuel, which can take years off of the projected lifespan of the equipment. The Al Harith engineers take the maintenance schedule very seriously, and the computerized system simplifies this.
"If we need to make service on one of these generators, we don't have to separate the power," Abdullah explained. "It's much simpler."
It doesn't hurt that one of the eight generators by itself can produce more power than is needed for the current load. This means that only two generators are required – the second to keep power going while the other is serviced.
Now that the generators are set up and functioning, plans are in the works to power additional parts of the base from the one station, Muhammad said. Even when the area powered by the generators is expanded to include the nearby post exchange complex, he said, the one generator still won't pass 40 percent.
"We now have steady power, and we made the calculations, and I think we will achieve it," he said.
Lemm, who has spent 15 of his 22 years in the military as an instructor at the regional training site for maintenance at Camp Ripley, Minn., has high praise for the work Al Harith does.
"I taught [ranging from] small-arms to rebuilding engines to rebuilding tanks to doing fire-control systems repair," Lemm said, "and none of that helped me as much as these guys did on teaching me on what they do." Lemm represents Al Harith's contract through the joint contracting command for Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Water, power and fuel covers a lot of work all over this [base]," he said. "On average, I get a list of about 50 different things that they have fixed for Task Force Safe every day."
The difference Shaker has made here is obvious at every turn, Lemm said, noting that the base used to be very dark.
"Now, he takes care of putting light everywhere," Lem said. "This was a very unorganized and unsafe [base], and they go every single place and rewire all the unsafe things.
"It's a long list of everything they do," he continued. "Where there is no heat, they put heat; where there is no air conditioning, they put air conditioning; where there is need of more fuel tanks because they have added more stuff, he has his welding team making more fuel tanks every day."
With years of experience behind him and years of work ahead of him, Shaker takes all the compliments with an easy smile.
He said he expects things to truly stabilize in Iraq in three years, and his fatigued, but calm, eyes lighted up when Lemm mentioned how many Iraqis Al Harith employs here.
"Over 460 workers are busy all the day," Shaker said with a smile. "And that's good. That's very good."
(Army Sgt. Benjamin R Kibbey serves in Multinational Division South.)
Friday, December 18, 2009
Iraqi Forces Target Assassination Cell
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 18, 2009 - Iraqi security forces arrested two suspected members of an al-Qaida in Iraq cell responsible for making bombs and attacking government officials during a combined security operation today in western Baghdad. Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors searched a building for a suspected terrorist who allegedly is part of a cell that manufactures magnetic bombs and attaches them to vehicles to kill government officials and those who oppose al-Qaida in Iraq. The security team found a fully assembled bomb, several bomb components and a weapon equipped with a suppressor.
Following a preliminary examination of the evidence at the scene, Iraqi forces arrested two suspected criminal associates of the warranted al-Qaida in Iraq member without incident.
(From a Multinational Force Iraq news release.)
Dec. 18, 2009 - Iraqi security forces arrested two suspected members of an al-Qaida in Iraq cell responsible for making bombs and attacking government officials during a combined security operation today in western Baghdad. Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors searched a building for a suspected terrorist who allegedly is part of a cell that manufactures magnetic bombs and attaches them to vehicles to kill government officials and those who oppose al-Qaida in Iraq. The security team found a fully assembled bomb, several bomb components and a weapon equipped with a suppressor.
Following a preliminary examination of the evidence at the scene, Iraqi forces arrested two suspected criminal associates of the warranted al-Qaida in Iraq member without incident.
(From a Multinational Force Iraq news release.)
ISAF Officials Investigate Civilian Casualty Claims
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 18, 2009 - The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force is sending a team to work with Afghan officials in assessing reports of civilian casualties as a result of an operation in the Shah Wali Kot district of Afghanistan's Kandahar province yesterday.
Initial operational reports indicate that men were planting a bomb next to the road. After firing on the men from a helicopter, ISAF forces discovered civilians in a car adjacent to the site, officials said.
In a written statement, ISAF officials said the command goes to great lengths to avoid, and deeply regrets, any harm to civilians.
In other news from Afghanistan, a combined Afghan-international security force today detained a few suspected militants in the Nerkh district of Wardak province while pursuing a Taliban suspect linked to several local militant leaders and commanders.
In another operation today, a combined force detained a sought-after bomb-attack suspect for the Haqqani terrorist group along with a few other militants in the Sabari district of Khost province after searching suspected compounds.
The suspect is heavily involved with distributing weapons to other militant elements and increasing the bombing network in the area, officials said.
In a separate operation today, a combined force detained a few suspected militants in the Arghandab district of Kandahar province while pursuing a Taliban commander responsible for manufacturing bombs and conducting several attacks in the area.
No shots were fired, and no one was harmed during these operations, officials said.
In an operation yesterday, a joint security force engaged militants in the Shah Wali Kot district of Kandahar province while pursuing a Taliban commander.
During a search, members of the combined force saw a group of suspected militants maneuvering around a nearby ridgeline. As the force departed the area after their search, the suspected militants fired on them from the ridgeline. The force returned fire and left the area without further incident.
No civilians or members of the joint force were injured during the operation, officials said.
(From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news release.)
Dec. 18, 2009 - The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force is sending a team to work with Afghan officials in assessing reports of civilian casualties as a result of an operation in the Shah Wali Kot district of Afghanistan's Kandahar province yesterday.
Initial operational reports indicate that men were planting a bomb next to the road. After firing on the men from a helicopter, ISAF forces discovered civilians in a car adjacent to the site, officials said.
In a written statement, ISAF officials said the command goes to great lengths to avoid, and deeply regrets, any harm to civilians.
In other news from Afghanistan, a combined Afghan-international security force today detained a few suspected militants in the Nerkh district of Wardak province while pursuing a Taliban suspect linked to several local militant leaders and commanders.
In another operation today, a combined force detained a sought-after bomb-attack suspect for the Haqqani terrorist group along with a few other militants in the Sabari district of Khost province after searching suspected compounds.
The suspect is heavily involved with distributing weapons to other militant elements and increasing the bombing network in the area, officials said.
In a separate operation today, a combined force detained a few suspected militants in the Arghandab district of Kandahar province while pursuing a Taliban commander responsible for manufacturing bombs and conducting several attacks in the area.
No shots were fired, and no one was harmed during these operations, officials said.
In an operation yesterday, a joint security force engaged militants in the Shah Wali Kot district of Kandahar province while pursuing a Taliban commander.
During a search, members of the combined force saw a group of suspected militants maneuvering around a nearby ridgeline. As the force departed the area after their search, the suspected militants fired on them from the ridgeline. The force returned fire and left the area without further incident.
No civilians or members of the joint force were injured during the operation, officials said.
(From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news release.)
Afghan Town's Progress Provides Encouragement
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 18, 2009 - An irrigation ditch bisects the main thoroughfare of this town in Helmand province, and shops line each side of the street. The shops sell everything from fresh vegetables to livestock to snack foods and transistor radios.
The town looks like nothing special, but it is. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff showed just how special it is when he walked down the street here yesterday, speaking with shop owners and officials and meeting children.
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen's four stars were on his soft cap, not a helmet. And he was not wearing his flak jacket – none of the party with him needed to.
When the Marines went into Nawa on July 2, it was a Taliban stronghold. The town is a market center, so few people actually live there. But it is an important town for the prosperity of the region; there is a government center, and in better days, thousands went to Nawa to buy goods, meet friends, see the doctor and exchange gossip.
Under Taliban control, Nawa was the scene of daily gunfights, said Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson, the commander in Helmand province. Only one or two shops were open when the Marines came into the town. The irrigation ditch in the middle of town, roughly 20 feet deep, was choked with weeds. Stagnant water oozed through the town.
But since then, Nawa has become a secure island in a province once dominated by the Taliban and serves as an example that the counterinsurgency strategy can work.
The big market day is Friday, when 1,500 to 2,000 people come to the town. But even Thursday was busy this week as the chairman walked down the street. He saw open shops and spoke with residents through a translator about how things have changed. Children flocked around the party, and some of the Marines in the group handed out pencils and notebooks. Others gave the boys puppets. Mullen saw a weed-free irrigation ditch that had water flowing through it to the farmlands beyond the village.
District Gov. Abdul Manaf accompanied the admiral on his walk. The governor was beaming with pride at the change in the village. He pointed out how the government buildings were being renovated and showed the chairman a rebuilt clinic that is due to open in the next few days.
After his walk, Mullen spoke with the Marines. "One of the folks I was walking with told me about the kids who keep coming up to you," he said. The fact that they are doing this shows they and their families feel it is safe, he noted.
"You represent the best of what we are, and that connection," he said. "The people are coming back [to Nawa]. I'm proud of you. You've made a big difference, and you will continue to do that."
This was Mullen's second visit to the area. When he visited a week after the Marines went into the area, he had to wear full "battle rattle."
"Now there are four towns like this where we can walk around and the insurgents are essentially gone," he told the Marines. "That's to your great credit, and the sacrifices that it takes to make that happen."
Mullen told the Marines their work and their partnership with Afghan soldiers and police have been revolutionary. "It's changed lives," he said. "You're a great example of this strategy, and that this will succeed."
The strategy that worked in Nawa and Garmsir and other areas of the province will be expanded, Nicholson said. He stressed that the Marines have been in the area for only five months, yet have accomplished a lot. Creating security has allowed projects to start and the economy to move, he said, and most of the people who fled the Taliban are back. "That's a good metric to measure success," he said.
In any new operation, Nicholson said, the Marines are going to go in big. That may not mean gun battles, he said, but the troops will be ready for anything.
More Marines are flowing into the region now – half of the battalion ordered in under President Barack Obama's new strategy has arrived, and another 29,000 American troops will surge in to Afghanistan in the first part of 2010.
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