Dear Interested Reader,
An important HQ opened for the Dept. of Border Enforcement, while ISOF graduate a public affairs and photojournalism course to combat misinformation. "Phenomenal progress" reported in Rashid district, while officials open water distribution site in eastern Baghdad. Precision operation detains AQI leader in Samarra. More terrorists detained and weapons caches seized.
Joanna
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Multi-National Corps - Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
APO AE 09342
Aug. 6, 2008
Brigade Commander Cites ‘Phenomenal Progress’ in Rashid District
By Jim Garamone
1st Lt. Justin Crawford says hello to a group of young Iraqis, July 26, in the Rashid District of southern Baghdad. The Soldiers conduct daily patrols and assessments within the community to assess the security situation in the area that was once plagued with special groups criminals and terrorist activity.
Photo by Staff Sgt. Brent Williams.
Baghdad — Iraqi SF have made such an improvement that CF in Baghdad’s Rashid district are able to turn their attention to rebuilding the area. Army Col. Ted Martin, cmdr. of the 4th ID’s 1st BCT, said Aug. 4 that he has seen “phenomenal progress” since he was first in Iraq in 2003. “For the first time, I've seen Iraqi SF that can plan, prepare and execute first-class offensive ops,” Martin said via video teleconference from Camp Falcon. “I've also seen a high level of trust and respect by the people of Rashid for their own army and police forces. Together, we conduct relentless offensive ops designed to kill, capture or drive from Rashid anyone who threatens the safety and security of the people we have sworn to protect,” he said.
“I believe this reduction in violence is a direct result of the conditions set by the success of the surge in forces and combat power,” Martin said. “We built on this success and have seen a dramatic reduction in violence in the past four months.”
The biggest change in the region is in the mood of the people of the district, Martin said. Since May, the local population has provided the intel helpful to Coalition and Iraqi forces in taking on the enemy, he said. “There seemed to be a wedge that was placed between the people and the insurgents, and we tried to exploit that,” he added.
Martin said the reduction in violence has allowed him and his soldiers to shift their focus toward improving essential services and helping their Iraqi SF partners. “It is my firm belief that the decisive defeat of the special group criminals and militias in May and June of this year has opened a window of opportunity for us to make substantial and lasting improvements in the Rashid district,” he said.
The Iraqi government is kicking in on the reconstruction effort in the district, contributing $18 million in government funds, and Martin said he expects that amount to rise as the govt becomes more established.
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ISOF soldiers graduate public affairs, photojournalism course to combat misinformation
BALAD - Ten Iraqi SOF soldiers will be able to help combat the insurgency's campaign of misinformation after graduating from a 15-day ISOF Public Affairs and Photojournalism Course in Baghdad, July 31.
During the course, the students wrote stories about activities happening at ISOF headquarters. As part of their coursework, each student wrote a story on a live-fire training exercise, an outing between ISOF and a children's scouting program, a personality feature and a unit feature.
The main goal is for the students to use their new skills to build trust and maintain a positive relationship between ISOF and the people of Iraq. "The most valuable thing is the trust of the people," said an Iraqi Counter Terrorism Forces sgt. "It starts with the truth. Telling the truth was a central theme of the course, which was instructed by a U.S. advisor. The course was adapted from the Basic Public Affairs Specialist - Writer and Public Affairs Qualification Course at the Defense Info School in Fort Meade, Md. It was turned into a 15-day field course to teach the basics of photojournalism and public affairs ops.
"They are the best unit in Iraq's military," the advisor said. "By adding public affairs and photojournalism skills, they can show the Iraqi people what ISOF is doing to bring peace and stability to Iraq. They were able to catch on very quickly and were creative with their stories.In the beginning, some of the training was rough because this is a new subject to them, but that's why we train."
According to the ISOF sgt, the truth builds a trusting relationship between the army and the people. He believes this new skill is a responsibility not to be taken lightly. "Sometimes the people don't know what we are doing in the Army. We can now tell the good things we are doing for the safety and security of our people. We want Iraq to be a safe place."
The ISOF captain, chief of media, agrees with his soldiers and said the days of lying to the public like Saddam Hussein and his regime did are long over. They will use newspapers and the internet to disseminate the truth to the Iraqi people.
Iraq SOF visit children at a village in Baghdad to hand out toys, play soccer and read to the boys and girls. The students of the Iraqi SOF Public Affairs and Photojournalism Course wrote a feature story and took photos of the event as part of their coursework.
(Photo by Iraqi SOF PAO)
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Iraqi Department of Border Enforcement opens
BASRAH - The headquarters for the Dept. of Border Enforcement opened Aug. 4 in Basrah province during a ceremony attended by both Iraqi and British dignitaries.
The British-funded HQ will provide accommodation and administrative facilities for Iraqi border guards stationed in the area. The troops are responsible for the security of the Iraqi border in both Maysan and Basrah provinces and play a vital role in ensuring Iraq's continued progress.
Maj. Gen. Barney White-Spunner, cmdr., MND - South East, stressed that the DBE HQ controlling forces along the border Iraq shares with Iran is important to the long-term security of Iraq. "The past months have seen huge advances in the security and peace of Basrah," said White-Spunner, "But, as the IA and Police consolidate the security of Basrah from within, it is the DBE that will secure it against. This HQ is a fitting and enduring contribution from us to you, and I wish those officers who work in it every success as they protect their country's frontiers."
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Officials Open Water Distribution Site, Fill BWA Trucks for Delivery
By Staff Sgt. Matt Meadows
Hato Hassan, 9th Nissan district council chairman, takes a drink of purified water from a tap at a water distribution site at JSS Al Khansa in eastern Baghdad, Aug. 3.
Photo by Staff Sgt. Matthew Meadows.
FOB LOYALTY — More than 500,000 Iraqi residents have purified water headed to their neighborhoods as Baghdad Water Authority officials, along with Iraqi leaders and leaders from the 4th BCT, 10th Mtn Div, opened a water distribution site at JSS Al Khansa in eastern Baghdad, Aug. 3.
“We are going to double our capacity for the future, and we are going to get over a million people to [receive] distributed water,” said “Sam,” an engineer and bilingual, bicultural advisor working with 4th BCT.
“When I came to this country in 2007, my first dream [was] to give people drinking water because you can provide electricity with generators,” said Sam. “If I give one person drinking water, [then] that is a big bonus.� I’m giving [water to] a million and a half. [For these people], it’s a dream to have drinking water in the desert.”
Sam said he is working on other important projects to serve the people of Baghdad. These projects include installing solar street lights and micro-power generators, which will provide electricity at a cheap price, less than 2,000 dinar per amp each month, in SUJ, Fedaliyah and other neighborhoods.
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IPs kill one Special Groups criminal, wound 2 others in self defense
BAGHDAD - IP reported a drive-by shooting in the Sheikh Umar neighborhood, in the eastern Baghdad district of Rusafa at approx. 12:45 p.m., Aug. 4.
Three Special Groups criminals opened fire on the New Baghdad Police Station from a passing civilian sedan. The vehicle was engaged by the IPs with precision fire and flipped over, resulting in one SG criminal killed and two wounded.
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ISOF detain suspected AQI financier, four others in Diyala
BALAD - Iraqi SOF detained 5 suspected AQI terrorists in Khalis, approximately 13 km north of Baqubah, Aug. 4.
The ISOF conducted the operation pursuant to a Ministry of Interior warrant to detain the cell leader, who is allegedly a financier and intel mgr for AQI, and 4 other members of his cell wanted for IED manufacturing and emplacement.
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MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ
PRESS DESK
BAGHDAD, Iraq
Precision operation detains suspected Samarra AQI leader
BAGHDAD – CF captured 4 wanted men and detained 11 additional suspects during ops in central and northern Iraq August 5, targeting al-Qaeda leaders and their liaisons.
CF conducted a precision op and captured a wanted man near Samarra. The man is believed to oversee attacks in the area and reportedly replaced another AQI suspect who was detained during an op Jul. 22.
CF captured 2 wanted men assessed to be part of the AQI network in Sharqat, south of Mosul. The 2 ops, in Mosul and farther south in Bayji, netted 5 additional suspected terrorists.
In Baghdad, CF captured a wanted man who was reportedly visiting Iraq before departing to conspire with his foreign terrorist facilitation contacts outside the country.� He and an additional suspect were detained in a house that appeared to be set up as a transient location.
CF also targeted members of a car-bombing network in Baghdad and detained a suspected terrorist.
Info from an ope Jul. 31 helped CF target an AQI liaison in Mosul, where they detained 4 suspected terrorists.
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Kids Today
Army 1st Lt. Michael Moore, plt. leader, 3rd Plt, C Co, 1st Bn, 504th Parachute Inf. Regt., walks through a sea of children during a patrol in Rusafa, Baghdad.
Photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Bailey
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Stacked
Army Spc Canales and Sgt. Canada, 3rd Plt., C Co, 1st Bn, 504th Parachute Inf. Regt. provide security during a patrol of Rusafa, Baghdad, Feb. 17.
Photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Bailey
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Diyala Perimeter
IA Soldiers along with the Iraqi NP set up a security perimeter along an undisclosed location to launch Op Benevolent Diyala in the Diyala province, FOB Caldwell, located in Diyala, July 30. The IA and Police are working together, side by side, in order to push any remaining al Qaida members out of Iraq.
Photo by Spc. Opal Vaugh
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