Dear Interested Reader,
Micro grants are awarded to deserving Iraqi small business owners. Iraqi SF partnered with Soldiers from 502nd Inf. Regt., continue to deny safe haven to Special Group militants. U.S. Special Forces are training IA Soldiers on controlled detonations. Iraqi Police in Western Baghdad show great progress, and give Iraqi people hope for peace.
Joanna
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Sept. 9, 2008
Blackanthem Military News
Team STEEL pays dividends in northern Baghdad neighborhood
Photo and story by Capt. Clint Rusch
Capt. Clint Rusch shakes hands with Iraqi business owner Ibrahim as he delivers a business assistance payment under the Army's Micro-Grants Program.
BEIDHA'A - Ibrahim's gnarled grip, handicapped by his hard years of living in Baghdad's Beidha'a neighborhood, did not require an interpreter; its meaning was clear to the members of Team STEEL's Red Plt at first glance. His smile, expressed with his whole face, reinforced that he was overjoyed at the assistance the men of Co C, 1st CAB, 68th AR, 3rd BCT, 4th ID, provided him.
In early July, Capt. Todd Allison, led an initiative to reconnoiter the businesses along what the men operating out of COP Ford refer to as the ‘Miller Street Market.' This is a long stretch of loosely organized businesses, often co-located with the owner's homes. The assessments helped determine the suitability of each for a small business assistance payment under the Army's microgrant program.
The long hours of work that he and his men put in, talking with business owners, explaining the process, developing a list of businesses to nominate, and then conducting the nomination process with them would, Allison said, "hopefully pay dividends as we show the Iraqis in the area that we're not just committed to their security. We're committed to long-term, sustainable growth for their businesses and communities."
Ibrahim's shop is where Iraqis can get their rations of food, cooking oil and various household supplies, but it suffered from a lack of safe shelving, fresh paint and accurate weights and measures used for doling out the necessary rations. Ibrahim's wife, an elderly woman who, like her husband, suffered from physical disabilities, was unable to assist him sufficiently to modernize the store. The grant Team STEEL was able to secure for the business will assist not only Ibrahim and his wife, but all Iraqis in the area, as the process of getting rations is now easier, more modern and more convenient.
As the men of Red Platoon moved through the market, looking for Ibrahim, Sgt. Mario Rivera on his second deployment to Iraq, pointed out the number of shopkeepers that responded favorably to the CF presence. "I think they're seeing that we're here to help them, not just do a year and go home," said Rivera, a member of Co. C.
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Multi-National Corps - Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
APO AE 09342
BAGHDAD - Army photos by Spc. Brian Pierce
1st Lt. Tommy Ryan, inf plt leader with Co A, 1st Bn, 27th Inf Regt, 2nd Stryker BCT, 25th ID, and an Iraqi NP officer discuss plans for an op in Istaqlal Qada's Husaniyah town, NE of Baghdad, Sept. 3.
Pvt. Justin Do, an infantryman with Co A, searches the Istaqlal Qada with Iraqi NP, in an effort to locate enemy weapon caches.
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ISF, MND-B Soldiers continue to deny safe haven to SG militants
An IA Soldier hangs a poster while his unit conducts clearing ops in a neighborhood in the Hurriyah district of northwest Baghdad on Sept. 1. Iraqi SF, partnered with Soldiers from 1st Bn, 502nd Inf Regt, 2nd BCT, 101st Abn Div (AASLT), patrol the area and talk with local citizens while posting signs to deny safe haven to Special Groups militants.
(Army photo by Spc. Charles Gill)
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MND-B enforces security of Iraqi population during Ramadan
BAGHDAD -MND - Baghdad Soldiers and Iraqi NP conducted an info distribution op, Sept. 5. Soldiers from 7th Sqdrn, 10th Cav Regt, 1st BCT, 4th ID, and Iraqi NPs conducted the op aimed at keeping criminals out of the Abu T'shir neighborhood of the Rashid district in southern Baghdad.
Combing the area, the NPs passed out more than 4,000 flyers to inform residents of the potential for criminals who may be attempting to move back into the area, said Capt. Kristopher Howell, cmdr. of
Troop C, 7th Sqdn., 10th Cav. Regt., 1st BCT, 4th ID.
"Soldiers from the "Knights Raid" (NP) Bn take the security of Abu T'shir seriously," Howell said. "This op is just one more way for them to convey to the people that criminals and militias are not tolerated and will continue to be targeted." Special groups criminals are responsible for targeting both CF and Iraqi civilians in an attempt to bolster their power and influence in the area, explained Howell.
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Iraqi Army, U.S. Special Forces training in Jalula
IA soldiers prepare unexploded ordnance for disposal near Jalula as U.S. SF give instructions on the proper procedures for controlled detonation, Sept. 1, 2008.
(Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Brian K. Fromal)
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Soldiers discover munitions caches in eastern Diyala
EASTERN DIYALA PROVINCE - Soldiers from the 5th Engr Bn discovered 2 caches while conducting clearing ops on a construction site for a patrol base in eastern Diyala, Sept. 4.
At approx. 9 p.m., Soldiers serving with the 55th Engr Co, 20th Engr Bde, found 4 62 mm and 40 mm mortar rounds and 5 62 mm mortar mechanical fuses.
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Iraqi Police continue to grow in northwest Baghdad
BAGHDAD - During a joint patrol with IP, Aug. 29, Capt. Michael Kolton, with Troop B, 1st Sqdrn, 75th Cav Regt, 2nd BCT, 101st Abn Div (AASLT), stopped to talk with a group of men standing in the shade of a cluster of trees. The conversation went from questions regarding security, to the future of Iraq, elections, and the IP.
"The Iraqi people would rather have Iraqis fix their own problems," said Kolton. "We realize that the Iraqi people need to do this on their own."
Less than a year ago, the IP force was no more than a dream in Ghazaliyah. The police force has academy graduates in January to becoming a force multiplier to the squadron in Ghazaliyah. "They are the symbol for peace," said Ali, a local convenience store owner. "It is much different from a year ago. Back then, there was so much fighting. You did not know where it was safe. Now, I know that if I am threatened that I can go to them."
The success of the police certainly did not come easy. As with any fledgling org., it needed time to develop. Much like the IA, the solution to mentor and foster cooperation was to co-locate the IPs with MND-B Soldiers. Being close neighbors who share the same buildings and living space has brought the two SFs together to accomplish the same mission. "We have developed a good relationship. The officers are very interested in learning," said 1st Lt. Michael Brabner, a plt leader with Troop B. "They have definitely helped out with security and they will continue to grow into bigger missions. Eventually, they will be just like the American police; just cops patrolling the beat."
"The IP have made a lot of improvements," said Pfc. Travis Stender. "Five months ago, they didn't do much. They were late to guard shifts. It was difficult to get them to patrol with us. Now they are on time, and they go out whenever we do."
The fate of the IP lies within the hands of the police themselves. Their willingness to learn and continue to grow and adapt will help mold their future with the Iraqi SF and their credibility with the Iraqi people, said Mustafa, an IP. "There are still some bad people in the police, and it hurts our credibility," he said. "We have to prove to the Iraqi people that we are here to protect and serve them."
Capt. Michael Kolton, with Troop B talks with a local man about the current conditions in the neighborhood of Ghazaliyah during a joint patrol with the IP, Aug. 29.
(Army photo by Sgt. Matthew Vanderboegh)
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Iraqi tip leads to large cache discovery
FOB KALSU - Soldiers from Co B, 2nd Bn, 6th Inf Regt, 4th BCT, 3rd ID acting on a tip from local Iraqi citizens, discovered a cache containing more than 2,500 components, Sep. 6, southeast of Samrah Village in the Babil province. It is believed this discovery will significantly disrupt EFP attacks within central Iraq.
The Soldiers used metal detectors to discover 3 separate locations where parts of the cache were located. The Diwaniyah Peninsula and the Samrah Jungle are known historic weapons trafficking locations in the area. Included in the cache were 414 blocks of Iranian M112 C-4, 860 copper plates, 501 back plates, 529 retaining rings and 157 steel bodies, which were all the type used to make EFPs.
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General Petraeus meets with RCT-5 service members
HUSAYBAH - Army Gen. David Petraeus, comm. gen. of MNF- Iraq and the highest-ranking American officer in Iraq, visited Marines, Soldiers and Sailors assigned to Camp Pendleton-based RCT 5, Sept. 6 as part of an inspection of the Husaybah port of entry on the Iraqi-Syrian border.
"The company is very excited the general is coming," said Capt. Bart Lesniewicz, co. cmdr. for Weapons Co, 2nd Bn, 2nd Marines, RCT-5, just prior to Petraeus' arrival. After touring the port of entry with Iraqi border and governmental officials, Petraeus met with some of the regt's senior officers to discuss an array of issues that ranged from the future operational outlook of western al-Anbar province to the promotion of free trade along the border.
When Lt. Col. Bob McCarthy, EO of RCT-5, briefed Petraeus on the increased troop-to-task ratio along the Euphrates River Valley, Petraeus quipped, "It's a good thing we have American Marines there." Petraeus then spoke to a gathering of service members and distributed souvenir coins to recognize their achievements.
"The fact is because of great actions by Marines, Soldiers and Sailors and very courageous Iraqis, this part of Iraq is much quieter," Petraeus said. "The skill that you all have displayed is very impressive."
Lance Cpl. Michael Jacobs, one of the RCT-5 Marines who received a coin, beamed from ear to ear after the informal ceremony. "This is kind of like my trophy for being here," Jacobs said.
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