Dear Interested Reader,
The 404th CAB conduct a medical outreach. The 4th Sqdrn., 10th Cav. enjoy visiting kinders on a daily basis. Newest IA Bde finishes training rotation to the pride of the 82nd FAR. Hurriyah security improvements will lead to the displaced citizens returning to their homes. Suspected criminals are detained and huge weapons caches seized. The American University of Afghanistan opens new library.
Joanna
___________________________
Dec. 6, 2008
Multi-National Corps - Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
APO AE 09342
MND-B Civil Affairs Soldiers, NPs conduct medical outreach
FOB FALCON -
Maj. Robert Sexton, Co D, 404th CAB, attached to the 1st Special Troops Bn, 1st BCT, 4th ID, reviews a patient's symptoms during a medical outreach op Dec. 2 in southern Baghdad's Aamel community. MND-B Soldiers assisted Iraqi doctors as part of a medical outreach and medicine delivery to Iraqi civilians.
(Navy photos by Petty Officer 2nd Class Todd Frantom)
An Iraqi NP who is also a doctor, performs a stress test on a patient. Soldiers from Co D, 404th CAB, provided security during the event.
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MND-B Soldiers visit school in Ameriyah
BAGHDAD -
Children from the Al-Wafaa Kindergarten gather around a Soldier during a visit on Nov. 28 in northwest Baghdad's Ameriyah district. Soldiers from the 4th Sqdrn, 10th Cav Regt, 3rd Bde, 4th Inf Div, attached to the 2nd HBCT, 1st ID, visited the school. The school borders JSS Ameriyah and the school children get a chance to see the Soldiers on a daily basis.
(Army photos by 1st Lt. Benjamin Dalton)
School children celebrate a visit of U.S. Soldiers bearing school supplies.
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Newest IA brigade finishes training rotation
COB ADDER - The IA's newest brigade completed its latest training rotation at the 10th IA Div's HQ at Camp Dhi Qar, Nov. 26. The graduation marked a key event in the 41st IA Bde's short history. For the first time, Iraqi trainers taught all the classes.
Soldiers with the 5th Bn, 82nd FAR, 4th BCT, 1st Cav Div transitioned from being the primary instructors to a supervisory role. "You could noticeably see the new generation of Iraqi Soldiers eager to take charge and serve their country," said Sgt. Howard Acoff, an Iraqi trainee plt sgt. "Every day the trainees were ready and motivated, which made my job easy."
In addition to conducting vigorous combat-oriented physical training, Acoff led a daily block of instruction on U.S. Army Combatives, which the Iraqi trainees seemed to enjoy most.
"This was especially rewarding for us because it is rare to have the opportunity to train the same Iraqi unit that we will be training with in the near future," said 1st Lt. Dave Collins, the officer-in-charge of the training at Camp Dhi Qar.
Capt. David Kitzman, the cmdr. of Btry A, 5th Bn., 82nd FAR., commended the class on its progress and motivation throughout the training. Upon receiving a certificate and patch of completion, the newly trained Iraqi troops marched back to their temporary quarters with a confident swagger, eager to share this knowledge with the rest of their unit.
The Soldiers of Iraq's newest unit, the 41st IA Bde, hoist up one of their American instructors after completing an obstacle course on their graduation day.
(Army photo by 2nd Lt. Justin Bishop)
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Hurriyah security improvements highlighted in walk through
By Spc. Dustin Roberts
BAGHDAD - More than 30 shaykhs from the Baghdad neighborhoods of Hurriyah and Tarmiyah gathered at a mosque Dec. 3, in a neighborhood once filled with sectarian violence, to see for themselves how the security situation has changed.
The religious leaders from both the Sunni and Shiite tribes met at the al-Farooq Mosque in Hurriyah, where the IA Soldiers with the help of the 1st CAB, 18th Inf Regt, 2nd HBCT, 1st ID, displayed how safe the neighborhood is.
"The shaykhs (from Tarmiyah) were surprised and amazed by the progress that had been made in Hurriyah over the last 2 years," said Maj. John Breland, human terrain team leader, attached to the 2nd HBCT, 1st ID. "They were under the impression that Hurriyah was still a very dangerous place, and as they witnessed for themselves, that is not the case."
IA Maj. Hussein, cmdr, formally welcomed the visitors and spoke of the effectiveness of the bn's tactics against sectarian violence in Hurriyah. After Hussein talked about the security mission, he described the procedures of how Tarmiyah attorneys can come back and work with the IA to help facilitate relocation. He then turned the discussion over to the shaykhs.
Afterwards, the shaykhs were escorted by the IA to Dolai, a neighborhood they were also concerned about. They had felt the IA did not have a strong presence in Dolai, and were now able to see how security has improved there as well.
One of their concerns expressed was that of the Abass Mosque, which they heard was destroyed during the course of the sectarian violence. To their relief, they were able to tour the mosque, touch its walls and see that it was never disturbed.
"This went a long ways toward convincing them that a lot of things they heard about Hurriyah were not correct," Breland said. "Our hopes are that they will carry what they learned to Tarmiyah so the citizens there, who are displaced, will know that it's safe for them to come home."
Col. Joseph Martin, cmdr, 2nd HBCT, speaks with Maj. Hussein prior to a security walkthrough of the Hurriyah neighborhood. The walkthrough gave shaykhs from the Hurriyah and Tarmiyah neighborhoods a chance to see the improved security conditions of the area.
(Army photos by Spc. Dustin Roberts)
Col. Martin greets a shaykh from the Hurriyah neighborhood.
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Tip leads MND-B Soldiers to large cache in Baghdad
BAGHDAD - Dec. 3, Soldiers serving with 5th Sqdrn, 4th Cav Regt, 2nd HBCT, 1st ID, acted on a tip from an Iraqi citizen, leading them to a cache in Kadhamiyah at approx. 11 p.m. The munitions were hidden in the basement of a vacant house and included 75 60 mm mortars, 21 81 mm mortars, 6 130 mm artillery rounds, 4 107 mm rockets, 130 grenades and 2,000 rounds of 7.62 mm and 39 mm ammo.
Earlier in the day at approx. 10 a.m., Soldiers serving with 1st Bn, 27th Inf Regt, 3rd BCT, 4th ID, discovered a RPG launcher, 9 RPGs and a box of unknown ammo, while conducting searches in Hussaniyah.
At approx. the same time south of Baghdad, Soldiers of Co A, 1st CAB, 63rd Armor Regt, 2nd BCT, 1st Armor Div, recovered a stockpile of weapons and munitions collected by IA soldiers during a 2-week period. The munitions included 26 57 mm projectiles, 22 high-explosive anti-tank grenades, 37 RPG rounds, 7 60 mm mortars, a RPG, a 20-pound bag of unknown stick propellant, 20 projectile fuses, 32 23 mm cartridges, six 82 mm mortars, 3 rifle grenades, an 82 mm projectile, a 5-pound bag of unknown bulk explosive, a 57 mm rocket, and 2 60 mm mortars.
Soldiers serving with Co B, 1st Bn, 6th Inf Regt, 2nd BCT, 1st Armor Div, seized a cache south of Baghdad, at approx. 10:30 p.m. The cache consisted of an RPK machinegun, 9 full AK-47 mags, 2 full Glock mags and fake ID cards.
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NP, MND-B Soldiers detain suspected criminals in Baghdad
BAGHDAD - Dec. 4, Soldiers serving with 1st Bn, 22nd Inf Regt, 1st BCT, 4th ID, detained 2 suspected criminals at approx. 7:30 p.m. in West Rashid. During the arrest, Soldiers recovered a weapons cache consisting of 2 AK-47 rifles, a 9 mm pistol, 10 AK-47 mags, a 75-round AK-47 drum, 7,000 loose rounds of 7.62 mm ammo, 100 rounds of 9 mm ammo, three 9mm mags, handcuffs, brass knuckles, 2 night sticks, 2 bayonets, a hatchet, a pistol belt, and 5 timers. Approx. 45 minutes later, Soldiers with 1st CAB, 68th Armor Regt, 3rd BCT, 4th ID, detained 2 more suspected criminals in Adhamiyah.
Iraqi NP, along with Soldiers of 4th Bn, 27th FA, 2nd Bde, 1st Armor Div, arrested a suspected criminal south of Baghdad at approx. 11:30 pm.
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ISF arrests 4 suspected criminals in central Iraq
BALAD - During an op Dec. 2, Iraqi ERB arrested 2 suspected JAM-SG cell members in Baghdad's western Rashid district. One of the individuals is believed to be the leader of the assassination and financing cell. They are allegedly responsible for attacks on CF as well as extra-judicial killings and kidnapping local Iraqi citizens.
In a separate op Dec. 3, Hillah SWAT, serving a Ministry of Interior warrant, arrested 2 suspected JAM-SG criminals in Kifl. The individuals are believed to be members of a cell responsible for numerous kidnapping attempts, assassinations and IED attacks.
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Local community celebrates grand opening of Doura Art Show
FOB FALCON -
Staff Sgt. Emerson Austin, an infantryman assigned to the 2nd Bn, 4th Inf Regt, attached to the 1st BCT, 4th ID, looks at paintings during a grand opening of the Doura Art and Culture Show Nov. 26 in southern Baghdad's Rashid district.
(Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Todd Frantom)
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Communications Office, American University of Afghanistan
Kabul, Afghanistan
AUAF Opens New Library
The American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) inaugurated the Bernice Nachman Marlowe Library on Nov. 10, 2008. The Library and adjoining facilities will allow AUAF to reach its growth projections and further the goal of creating a modern, fully-equipped university able to effectively educate Afghanistan's leaders of tomorrow. Ambassador William B. Wood of the U.S. Embassy spoke at the opening ceremony. "This is a building that will encompass and embrace academic endeavor," he says. "It is an important step towards rebuilding the higher education sector in Afghanistan. By investing in Afghanistan's youth, we are investing in the future," he explains.
Accompanying Ambassador Wood was a letter from U.S. First Lady Laura Bush, who writes, "Today you honor Afghanistan's commitment to education by opening a vital center for learning. Young Afghans, especially women, can come here to study many different subjects and read about the courageous democratic leaders of their country. They may even be inspired to follow in their footsteps."
The Library is named after the mother of a major donor, Ms. Ann Marlowe. Like many AUAF students, Mrs. Bernice Nachman Marlowe first encountered English at school. Despite the linguistic challenges she endured, she went on to graduate near the top of her class from N.Y. University in 1948, a time when few women attended university. Ms. Marlowe draws a parallel between her mother and AUAF students, particularly female students, who are overcoming significant linguistic and other challenges to pursue higher education. She notes the progress in education in Afghanistan, especially by women. "Many girls are accomplishing something that their ancestors never accomplished."
The Library will increase AUAF's book holdings to 6,000 books, boast 60 internet-connected computer work stations, a quiet study area, and four meeting rooms. The adjoining facilities include 6 multimedia-equipped classrooms, a fully-equipped science lab, a state of the art video conference system, and a garden.
AUAF Student Govt Pres., Mr. Ali Babur Ghulam, concluded the ceremony by praising the opportunity that such learning resources symbolize. "Picture the hardships and challenges that an illiterate person faces when trying to feed his family. Education is the path to a better and more fruitful future for Afghanistan."
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