IRAQ WAR ZONE

U.S. hunts for missing personnel in Iraq

2007-05-12T20:02:00.000-07:00

By KIM GAMEL, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 27 minutes ago

BAGHDAD - U.S. and Iraqi troops searched house-to-house and combed fields with their bare hands Saturday after American troops and their Iraqi interpreter came under attack in the notorious "triangle of death" south of Baghdad, leaving five dead and three missing.

The military said the patrol was struck in a pre-dawn explosion near Mahmoudiya, about 20 miles south of Baghdad — an al-Qaida area where two U.S. soldiers were found massacred after disappearing at a checkpoint nearly a year ago.

A nearby unit heard the blast and the search was launched after communication could not be established with the patrol, the military said. Shortly after the blast, a drone observed two burning vehicles.

An emergency response unit arrived at the scene and found five members of the team dead and three others missing.

Checkpoints were established throughout the area, while helicopters and jets buzzed overhead. AP Television News footage showed Iraqi soldiers picking through cattails and other weeds as they searched fields and canals for clues.

Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, a U.S. military spokesman, said the search would continue throughout the night.

"A lot of our vehicles have thermal capabilities, which sometimes work better at night than they do during the day," he said.

The military refused to specify whether the Iraqi interpreter was among those killed or missing and would not give more details about where the bodies were found.

An Iraqi army officer who was familiar with the search said he saw five badly burned bodies inside a Humvee at the site, suggesting the remains may not have been recognizable. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose the information.

He also said joint U.S.-Iraqi forces had sealed off the area and were conducting house-to-house searches, rounding up dozens of suspects. The military declined to comment on detentions but said troops were looking for suspects.

The Iraqi officer said U.S. troops singled out seven suspects out of as many as 50, including a wounded man who was hiding in a house and confessed to participating in the attack. He said most of the houses searched near the attack contained only women and children because the men had fled, fearing arrest.

"I was in my cucumber field when I heard a big explosion followed by shootings. I ran toward my house because I was afraid that I would be arrested if spotted in the field," Mizaal Abdullah, a 37-year-old farmer who was in the custody of the Iraqi army, said by telephone. "This is the third time that I have been arrested. Each time, the real attackers flee the area and innocent people like me get arrested."

The attack occurred at 4:44 a.m. about 12 miles west of Mahmoudiya, a town of about 65,000 in a Sunni area dubbed the "triangle of death" for the frequent attacks against Shiite civilians and U.S. and Iraqi forces.

On June 16, 2006, two American soldiers — Pfc. Kristian Menchaca of Houston and Pfc. Thomas Tucker of Madras, Ore. — went missing after their Humvee was ambushed at a checkpoint near Youssifiyah, north of Mahmoudiya.

Their bodies were found days later, tied together with a bomb between one of the victim's legs. But the remains were not recovered until the next morning, after an Iraqi civilian warned that bombs had been planted in the area.

A third soldier, David J. Babineau, 25, of Springfield, Massachusetts, was found dead at the scene of the attack.

Five U.S. soldiers also have been charged in the rape of a 14-year-old Mahmoudiya girl and the killing of her and her entire family, and three have pleaded guilty in the March 12, 2006, attack, which was initially blamed on insurgents.

Also Saturday, the military announced the death of an American soldier from a bomb attack Friday near Iskandariyah, 30 miles south of Baghdad.

At least 30 Iraqis were reported killed or found dead elsewhere in Iraq, including a Sunni physician shot to death on his way home from work in the northern city of Mosul.

Seventeen bullet-riddled bodies showing signs of torture — apparent victims of so-called sectarian death squads usually led by Shiite militias — also turned up on the streets in Baghdad.

All but two were found on the predominantly Sunni western side of the Tigris River that divides the capital where sectarian violence appears to be on the rise.

More than 3,380 members of the U.S. military have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. But few have been kidnapped, due largely to strict military procedures for those on patrol or at checkpoints.

U.S. troops in Iraq travel in groups of armored vehicles, usually Humvees, and procedures are in place to keep track so no one is left behind.

The last U.S. soldier known to have been captured was Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie, whose name is also spelled Ahmed Kousay Altaie, an Iraqi-born reserve soldier from Ann Arbor, Mich., who was abducted while visiting his Iraqi wife on Oct. 23 in Baghdad.

Sgt. Keith M. Maupin of Batavia, Ohio, was taken on April 9, 2004, after insurgents ambushed a fuel convoy. Two months later, a tape on Al-Jazeera purported to show a captive U.S. soldier being shot, but the Army ruled it was inconclusive proof of Maupin's death.

Both are still listed as missing.

Capt. Michael Speicher, a Navy pilot, also has been missing since the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

Violence Kills Fifty More in Iraq

2007-05-08T19:24:00.000-07:00

BAGHDAD: In bomb blasts and other incidents of violence almost 50 people were killed in Iraq on Tuesday.

A powerful car bomb exploded in southern Iraqi city of Kufa on Tuesday, killing 16 people in the attack.

"The final toll of the attack in Kufa is 16 killed and 70 wounded," a spokesman for the provincial health department, told foreign news agency.

The security forces have cordoned off the area and relief operation continued.

On Tuesday, a suicide attack on a police station in Jalawlah, killed two police and wounded 22 others, mostly civilians.

In Baghdad itself, a bomb exploded killing two people and injuring six others, according to medical sources.

Gunmen shot dead a policeman in Diwaniya, while another police official gunned down in southern Iraq city of Ammara.

Meanwhile, a group Islamic State of Iraq has claimed in videotape that it has kidnapped five Iraqi National Guards men and four police officials from Diyala province.

The group has demanded release of all Sunni women prisoners from Iraq jails within 72 hours.

Kufa Car Bombing

According to another report, a car bomb struck a market in the holy city of Kufa on Tuesday, killing at least 10 people and wounding 25,police and hospital officials said.

The explosion occurred at 10 a.m. as the open-air market was packed with shoppers, about 400 meters (yards) from the main mosque in the city, 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of Baghdad.

The 10 killed included women and children, the officials said. A school and the mayor's office also were located in the area.●

Iraq War Footage, US Soldiers in Fire Fight

2007-05-08T15:41:00.000-07:00

Fighting in Baqubah

Soldiers take cover on a rooftop and exchange fire with insurgents

Battle on Haifa Street, Baghdad, Iraq

2007-05-08T15:36:00.000-07:00

American infantry and snipers from the U.S. Army's 3rd Stryker Brigade team up with Iraqi soldiers from the 6th Iraqi Army Division during a firefight on Baghdad's notorious Haifa Street, January 2007

Troops at Baghdad Outposts Seek Safety in Fortifications

2007-05-08T15:29:00.000-07:00

By Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 8, 2007; Page A01

BAGHDAD -- Nearly three months after the U.S. military launched a new strategy to safeguard Baghdad's population by pushing American and Iraqi forces deeper into the city's neighborhoods, defending their small outposts is increasingly requiring heavy bulwarks reminiscent of the fortresslike bases that the U.S. troops left behind.

To guard against bombs, mortar fire and other threats, U.S. commanders are adding fortifications to the outposts, setting them farther back from traffic and arming them with antitank weapons capable of stopping suicide bombers driving armored vehicles. U.S. troops maintain the advantage of living in the neighborhoods they are asked to protect, but the need to safeguard themselves from attack means more walls between them and civilians.

Type rest of the post here

The New Iraq War Strategy 2007

2007-05-08T15:15:00.000-07:00

Helping Iraq's Leaders Secure Their Population

On April 20, 2007, President Bush Updated The American People On His New Iraq Strategy. In January, President Bush and his Administration concluded an extensive review of the situation in Iraq and made major changes to our strategy in Iraq. The President described how this new campaign is unfolding in Baghdad, Anbar Province, and the outskirts of Baghdad where terrorists and extremists are making a stand.

The New Strategy Recognizes That Our Top Priority Must Be To Help Iraq’s Leaders Secure Their Population, Especially In Baghdad. Until the Iraqi people have a basic measure of security, they will not be able to make political and economic progress.

We Are Seeing Positive Indicators Under The New Strategy That We Hope Will Translate Into Positive Trends. General Petraeus has been carrying out this new strategy for just over two months. He reports that it will be later this year before we can judge its potential for success. Yet the first indicators show that the operation is meeting our expectations. While there are still horrific attacks in Iraq, the direction of the fight is beginning to shift.

Iraqi And American Forces Are Making Incremental Gains In The Iraqi Capital.
American and Iraqi forces tracked down and captured the leaders of a major car bomb ring.
We found and cleared a warehouse where terrorists were storing chemicals to make weapons.
We captured members of a death squad that had paralyzed hundreds of residents in a Baghdad neighborhood.
Displaced families are beginning to return home.
The number of sectarian murders in Baghdad has dropped by half since the operation began.

Democrats In Congress Are Pushing Legislation That Would Undercut The Strategy General Petraeus Has Just Started To Pursue.

Democratic leaders need to put politics aside and send the President a bill that funds our troops without artificial deadlines or wasteful spending and without handcuffing our commanders.
It has now been 74 days since the President requested emergency funding. Our men and women in uniform should never be caught in the middle of a debate in Washington.
To cover ongoing Army operations, the Pentagon is being forced to transfer money from military personnel accounts.

The Most Significant Element Of Our New Strategy Is Being Carried Out In Baghdad

Baghdad Was The Site Of Most Of The Sectarian Violence In Iraq And Is The Destination For Most Of Our Reinforcements. Three additional American brigades have reached the Iraqi capital, while another is in Kuwait preparing to deploy to Iraq and one more will arrive next month.

The Iraqi Government Is Meeting Its Pledge To Boost Force Levels In Baghdad. For every American combat soldier deployed to Baghdad, there are now about three members of the Iraqi Security Force.

American Troops Are Now Living And Working Side-By-Side With Iraqi Forces At Small Neighborhood Posts Called Joint Security Stations, And Cooperation And Tips Have Increased.

Late last year, most American troops were at bases on the outskirts of the city. They would move into Baghdad to help Iraqi forces clear neighborhoods during the day and then return to their bases at night, allowing the insurgents and death squads to move back to the neighborhoods. Troops in Baghdad are changing their positions in the city, and today:

There are more than two dozen Joint Security Stations located throughout Baghdad, and more are planned.
Iraqi and American forces are working together to clear out and secure
neighborhoods.
If a heavy fight breaks out, American forces step in and Iraqi forces learn valuable skills fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with our troops.

Iraqi And American Forces Have Received More Tips In The Past Three Months Than During Any Three-Month Period On Record. By living in Baghdad neighborhoods, American forces get to know the culture and concerns of local residents, and local residents get to know them and gain confidence and trust. Many of the tips received in the past three months have led to successful operations against terrorists and insurgents.

U.S. And Iraqi Security Forces Are Carrying Out The New Strategy In Anbar Province

While Anbar Province Is Still Not Safe, Significant Progress Is Occurring. For much of the past four years, insurgents and al Qaeda members terrorized the local population through a ruthless campaign of violence. Now the situation has begun to change:

Tribal sheiks have begun cooperating with American and Iraqi forces to fight al Qaeda by providing highly specific intelligence.
We have sent more troops to Anbar Province.
Significant changes are taking place in Ramadi, where the presence of al Qaeda terrorists in the city has declined substantially in the past six months.

As Al Qaeda Responds To These Changes With Sickening Brutality, Local Sunnis Are Refusing To Be Intimidated And Are Stepping Forward To Drive Out The Terrorists.

We Are Adjusting To Conditions In Other Areas Of Iraq.

We Are Cracking Down On Extremists Gathering In Other Parts Of Iraq.

We are increasing our force levels and carrying out aggressive operations in the “Baghdad belts” – the areas on the outskirts of the capital that have been staging grounds for deadly attacks.
We have moved an additional Stryker battalion to Diyala Province.
We have sent reinforcements to Diwaniyah, where we are working with Iraqi forces to root out militia fighters and other Shia extremists.
Our Enemies Are Fighting Back As American And Iraqi Forces Fight To Clear And Hold Territory The Enemy Considers Its Own, But Our Operations Are Having An Important Impact. As violence increases in these areas, American and Iraqi operations are:

Keeping the pressure on terrorists and insurgents who flee Baghdad and Anbar Province
Helping cut off the supply of weapons and fighters to violent groups inside the Iraqi capital
Showing Iraqi citizens across the country that there will be no sanctuary for killers anywhere in a free Iraq

We Are Working With Iraqis To Make Political And Economic Progress

As We Increase Our Troop Levels, We Are Also Increasing Our Civilian Presence. We are doubling the number of Provincial Reconstruction Teams that help restore basic services, stimulate job creation, and promote reconciliation.

Military Operations Are Beginning To Open Up Breathing Space For Political Progress. Iraq's leaders must take advantage of this space to make further political progress. America’s patience is not unlimited, but we understand that the Iraqi government is working hard in an extremely difficult environment.

Iraq’s Government Is Beginning To Follow Through On Securing The Free And Democratic Future That Nearly Twelve Million Iraqis Voted For.

The Iraqi legislature met a key benchmark by passing a budget that commits 10 billion dollars for reconstruction project.

The Council of Ministers recently approved legislation that would provide a framework for an equitable sharing of oil resources – and now that legislation is going before the Iraqi parliament for its approval

The government has formed a committee to organize provincial elections
The Iraqi cabinet is taking steps to finalize toward agreement on a de-Baathification law.
At a conference in Egypt next month, Prime Minister Maliki will seek increased diplomatic and financial commitments for Iraq’s democracy.

Giving Up In Iraq Would Have Consequences Far Beyond Iraq’s Borders.

It is natural to wish there was an easy way out, yet in Iraq the easy road would be disastrous since Iraq is a battlefront in a much broader struggle. We cannot allow terrorists to gain a safe haven overseas like they had in Afghanistan during the 1990s, especially in a land with vast oil resources that terrorists could use to fund their ambitions.

Withdrawal Is Not A Strategy. Withdrawal would do nothing to prevent violence from spilling out across the country and plunging Iraq into chaos and anarchy. If anything, it would make that more likely.

US Lawmakers Argue Over Iraq Funding Action

2007-05-08T14:42:00.000-07:00

By Dan Robinson
Washington
08 May 2007

Republicans and Democrats in Congress are looking at ways to find a compromise that will provide continued funding for the war in Iraq. President Bush vetoed an earlier $124-billion spending measure because it contained a Democratic-backed timeline for withdrawing U.S. troops. VOA's Dan Robinson reports from Capitol Hill.

The debate is focused on President Bush's military strategy and the the desire of Democratic lawmakers to begin pulling U.S. troops out of the country.

House Democrats confirm they intend to bring to the floor later this week a bill to provide about $30 billion for military operations through July, after which an assessment would be made of the president's military surge in Iraq.

If lawmakers then determine that sufficient progress is or is not being made under the plan being implemented by General David Petraeus, they could provide more than $50 billion in additional funds, or begin legislative steps to cut off funding altogether.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says Democratic leaders are in the process of obtaining support from their members for the approach. "We have to bring members together around a position that we can then discuss with the White House on that, and hopefully that will happen this week," she said.

Republicans reject this approach, insisting General Petraeus should be given all of the resources he needs until September, when he is to provide a formal report to Congress. "The idea that has been floated in the last few days, of not giving the Petraeus plan a chance to work, of having a second vote in July, seems to me to be the ultimate gift to a terrorist effort, the ultimate gift to an insurgent effort," said Congressman Roy Blunt, the Republican House minority whip.

Senate Republicans say they will not support such a method, with minority leader Mitch McConnell urging approval of the full amount. "A four month period [until September] is a pretty short period in any event. To further divide that in half and bring the uncertainty that will be the result of that to the whole funding process would be highly confusing and disruptive," he said.

In the House, minority Republican leader John Boehner has indicated that the president may see weakening support by September if progress is not being made.

Expanding on that, Congressman Blunt said that while Republicans remain united at present on the need for full funding, if the Petraeus plan is not yielding results by September nobody would expect the U.S. to pursue a plan that isn't working.

White House spokesman Tony Snow had this reaction to the Democrat's plan to divide the funding measure. "It is kind of a stop and start measure, it denies commanders and forces the kind of predictability they need to be able to plan effectively," he said.

Back on Capitol Hill Senate Republican Arlen Specter expressed concern not only about efforts to come up with a bipartisan compromise on the supplemental war funding measure, but the task lawmakers face in forging agreement on regular defense spending legislation for 2008. "For certain by September when we face the full $500 billion appropriations bill, there is a very difficult time ahead unless we can see light at the end of the tunnel," he said.

Last week, two Republican senators and one Senate Democrat called for a public hearing in September at which General Petraeus would provide a promised update on the situation in Iraq.

Senators John Warner, Susan Collins, and Ben Nelson say a hearing would enable lawmakers to determine if President Bush's military strategy in Iraq should be continued, altered, or redefined.

National Guard Responds to Kansas Tornado

2007-05-08T14:34:00.000-07:00

May 08, 2007
BY Sgt. Sara Wood

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, May 8, 2007) - More than 300 members of the Kansas National Guard have been activated in response to a powerful tornado that almost destroyed the town of Greensburg, Kan., May 4.

Guard members are assisting in search-and-rescue efforts in the wake of the tornado, which was classified as an F-5, the highest rating given by the National Weather Service.

The tornado wiped out much of the small town, knocking out power, water, natural gas and communications. To date, 10 deaths and more than 100 injuries have been reported.

The Kansas National Guard's 278th Sustainment Brigade has established a joint task force near the incident site. In addition to search-and-rescue efforts, the troops are working on power generation, logistical support, debris clearing, support to law enforcement, supporting establishment of shelters and distribution of food and water.

Currently, the Kansas National Guard has 88 percent of its forces available, 60 percent of its Army Guard dual-use equipment on hand, and more than 85 percent of its Air Guard equipment on hand, said Randal Noller, public affairs officer for the National Guard Bureau. Under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a national partnership agreement that allows state-to-state assistance during governor or federally declared emergencies, Kansas has more than 400,000 Guardsmen available to it, he pointed out. However, Kansas has not yet requested assistance from other states.

The National Guard Bureau has offered liaison, operational, communications, contracting, search-and-rescue, public affairs and community relations support, and is prepared to support the governor in any way possible, Mr. Noller said.

The National Guard also has been activated in response to other severe weather in the Midwest. In South Dakota, 27 Guardsmen were activated in response to severe storms that moved through the region yesterday, destroying high voltage transmission lines and power poles and leaving several thousand customers without electricity. The Guard troops are transporting water pumps and generators and providing sandbags to prevent flooding.

In response to heavy rainfall Sunday night and yesterday, the Iowa National Guard deployed 47 troops in support of local authorities to assist in sandbagging operations in the city of Red Oak, Iowa. Iowa National Guard troops worked with civilian first responders moving sand, filling sand bags and building temporary dams to mitigate the effects of the rising waters.

(Sgt. Sara Wood writes for the American Forces Press Service.)

Iraqi Soldiers Say They Serve for Country, Family

2007-05-08T13:56:00.000-07:00

By Sgt. Michael Tuttle
5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

KIRKUK, Iraq, May 8, 2007 — Looking out the window of his family’s single-story house in central Iraq, the lean and slightly mustached Iraqi soldier said he was surprised to see the American Apache helicopters flying overhead during the initial invasion in April 2003.

Despite being a second-year soldier in the old Iraqi army, Pvt. Najah Hassan Kathim and his fellow troops had no idea that they might be attacked. He deserted the army during the invasion.

Nine weeks ago Kathim resumed his military career in the new Iraqi army, eager to fight for his country and his family. But this time he knew from the first day of basic training that he would be a part of a new brigade whose mission would be to protect the 60-mile stretch from Baghdad to Samarra.

The 1,895 soldiers of the “Samarra brigade” learned together during basic training, graduated April 19, and will soon begin training with their brigade officers and noncommissioned officers before formally standing up as the 4th Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division in late May.

"We are all just a bunch of soldiers – there is no Shia, no Sunni, no Kurd – all of us serve this country.”

Iraqi army Pvt. Muhamed Bakr Muhamed

“These guys are close to my heart, more than my own brothers,” Kathim said about his fellow basic trainees on the morning of their graduation ceremony. “We’ve had enough time to train together, we know each other, and we’ll go to battle together.”

The jondis, or new Iraqi army soldiers, were informed at the start of their basic training in February that they were going to form the foundation of a new brigade in Samarra, according to Lt. Col. Gerald Snell, Coalition Military Assistance Transition Team officer in charge. Soldiers were given the choice to stay with the brigade or return later to begin basic training and be assigned to a different area.

The CMATT advises the Iraqi army leadership at the Regional Training Center in Kirkuk. They have helped to standardize the RTC’s training curriculum and guide them during the transition from the old Iraqi army to the new Iraqi army.

The Samarra brigade will mark the first time that Iraqi soldiers completed basic training as a unit and then gone on to train with their brigade leaders before officially standing up.

“Because of that, the soldiers’ enthusiasm has been greater than normal and we’ve seen a lot better training evolve from this,” Snell said. “By training the whole brigade together … when they leave here they’ll have developed friendships, developed bonds and they will fight that much better.”
The Samarra brigade soldiers come from all over Iraq, including the officers and NCOs. Many spent time in the old army during Saddam Hussein’s regime and will have to adjust to the ways of the new Iraqi army, said Iraqi Command Sgt. Maj. Mubrad Sarheed Abed, RTC command sergeant major.

“The old army was built on many bad things including torture and unfair treatment of soldiers,” Abed said. “The food was bad and the training and equipment was poor. Now you can see a big difference, because there is respect and we treat soldiers as human beings.”

The Iraqi army that Kathim was in for two years is vastly different than the one he’s in now.

“There was no training on weapons,” Kathim said through an interpreter. “When we got to our units, they gave us AK-47s and just told us to shoot.”

He also talked about traveling long distances in broken trucks and eating meals out of their helmets. He said he was afraid of his superiors and couldn’t ask what was going on.

“The basic training here now is first class. The equipment is new and the training is new,” Kathim said.

Basic training was extended from five to eight weeks for the Samarra brigade. The extra time afforded the jondis additional security instruction in checkpoints, cordon and search, and convoy training.

Kathim was living in a small house with 15 family members, including his wife and two kids, his father and his brother’s family, in al Qadisiyah, a province in the center of Iraq. He was considering joining the Iraqi army when he saw one of their commercials on television.

Having to find a way to support his family, the 24 year-old Kathim said the army was his best option.

“My family was living in harsh conditions, and the army provides money,” Kathim said.

His family supported his decision to join the army, and Kathim traveled the 700 kilometers north to Kirkuk on his own, mostly by bus, to begin basic training at the RTC.

The difficulty of finding work to support their families is a large reason many soldiers join the Iraqi army. Still, a strong sense of service to their country pervades the ranks. Many soldiers don’t distinguish between serving in the army to support their families and serving their country.

“My family and the people of Iraq don’t need to see trucks blowing up and their countrymen being killed,” said Pvt. Fadel Ali Kadem. Kadem is an infantryman and has a wife and two-month-old daughter in Baghdad. “Terrorists hurt students and people trying to work. We need to protect Iraq and stop people from doing these things.”

Pvt. Muhamed Bakr Muhamed also had trouble finding a job but needed to support his family in Diwaniyah, including a sick relative. He said that he and his fellow brigade soldiers have come together during their eight weeks of basic training.

“We feel together and we look like one person,” Muhamed said. “We are all just a bunch of soldiers – there is no Shia, no Sunni, no Kurd – all of us serve this country.”

The nearly 2,000 new Iraqi army soldiers helping to form the Samarra brigade are seizing the responsibility for securing their country – for their own families and their fellow Iraqis. They know where their mission will take them and that more training lies ahead – with their unit and with a military transition team from the 82nd Airborne Division.

Kathim has endured life in the old Iraqi army. He says life in the new army is his best chance to take care of his family and to help ensure a better future for Iraq.

“Serving his flag and his country is the best thing a man can do,” Kathim said. “I will serve my country until my last breath.”

Source: http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/may2007/a050807ls1.html

Soldiers Continue To Build Schools, Trust In Iraqi Towns

2007-05-08T13:08:00.000-07:00

IEDs other explosive materials found planted at construction site.
By Spc. Jeffrey Ledesma
1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

CAMP TAJI, Iraq, May 8, 2007 — While insurgents continue attacks near and at construction sites, U.S. soldiers with Multi-National Division-Baghdad this week continue bringing construction supplies for several schools being built north of Baghdad.

“We won’t be deterred in our task to help these people. I think it sends a powerful message to the world.”

U.S. Army Maj. Robert Rodriguez

Soldiers with 2nd “Stallion” Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, escorted local contractors transporting boxes of tiles, doors, windows, bathroom fixtures, ceiling fans and other building supplies for several new schools in two small towns north of the Iraqi capital, Tarmiyah and Musada.

One school under construction is the Huda Girls’ School in Tarmiyah, which was targeted by al-Qaeda extremists in the area twice in the past month using improvised explosive devices. In the most recent attempt by insurgents to halt construction, stallion soldiers discovered five artillery shells, two large explosive-filled propane tanks and numerous projectiles emplaced in and around the all-girls’ school

According to the executive officer of the battalion, Maj. Robert Rodriguez, from Santa Fe, N.M., the Multi-National Division–Baghdad troops will continue to develop projects such as these, despite al-Qaeda’s attempts to stop them. The coalition is determined to show the people of Iraq its commitment to a better Iraq and to the people’s well-being.

“It is ironic that on the same day terrorists were planning to blow up the school, the soldiers of 2-8 Cav., along with local leaders, were making plans to deliver more school construction supplies,” Rodriguez said. “Together with the Iraqi people, the U.S. military makes Iraq a more secure, stable place one day at a time.”

Rodriguez said his unit remains committed to making Iraq a better, safer place to live, despite the terrorists’ efforts to stop them.

“You have al-Qaeda trying to influence even the opening of schools,” he said. “We won’t be deterred in our task to help these people. I think it sends a powerful message to the world.”

Multi-National Force - Iraq establishes YouTube channel

2007-05-08T11:02:00.000-07:00

Multi-National Force - Iraq establishes YouTube channel to give viewers around the world a "boots on the ground" perspective of Operation Iraqi Freedom from those who are fighting it.

Video clips document action as it appeared to personnel on the ground and in the air as it was shot. We will only edit video clips for time, security reasons, and/or overly disturbing or offensive images.

What you will see on this channel in the coming months:
Combat action
Interesting & eye-catching footage
Interaction between Coalition troops and the Iraqi populace.
Teamwork between Coalition and Iraqi troops in the fight against terror.

What we will NOT post on this channel:
Profanity
Sexual content
Overly graphic, disturbing or offensive material
Footage that mocks Coalition Forces, Iraqi Security Forces or the citizens of Iraq.

This YouTube channel is brought to you by http://www.mnf-iraq.com/, the official Web site of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
City: BaghdadCountry:
IraqWebsite: http://www.mnf-iraq.com/

KBR Truck Convoy Ambushed in Iraq

2007-05-08T10:49:00.000-07:00

Preston Wheeler, a truck driver for KBR a subsidiary of Halliburton shot this amazing video of his truck convoy being ambushed in Iraq. The attack occurred after the U.S. military made a wrong turn down a dead-end street. Mr. Wheeler is lucky to be alive. Three KBR truck drivers were killed.

Defense Department Announces Next Iraq Troop Rotation

2007-05-08T10:09:00.000-07:00

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 8, 2007 – Defense Department officials today announced the next 10 Army brigade combat teams to deploy to Iraq to replace units currently operating there.
The announcement affects about 35,000 active-duty troops, who all will deploy between August and the year’s end to serve as replacement forces for those returning home, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters.

The units will deploy for up to 15 months.

Whitman emphasized that the announcement is unrelated to the troop surge under way to increase security in and around Baghdad.

“Let me be real clear about this,” he said. “This deployment … is not a decision with respect to the surge. It is simply identifying the next 10 units that will receive deployment orders and to provide the kind of predictability” they need to prepare.

Any decision regarding the surge will be based “entirely upon the conditions on the ground,” Whitman said

Army Gen. David Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, is expected to assess those conditions later this year and make recommendations regarding the surge to the commander of U.S. Central Command, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, defense secretary and president, Whitman said.

Major Army units receiving deployment orders include:

-- 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas;

-- 1st, 2nd and 3rd Brigades, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.;

-- 4th Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Polk, La.;

-- 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood;

-- 4th Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.;

-- 2nd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii;

-- 2nd Cavalry Regiment (Stryker), Vilseck, Germany; and

-- 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, Baumholder, Germany.