Dear Interested Reader,
The 1st Cav. took over responsibility for the 4th ID. Amugaten is being brought back to life thanks to IA and 8th FAR, 25th ID. Army Engr. Corps teaches Iraqi generator operators in Basrah. PM al-Maliki speaks at Cmdr's Conference. Security improves in Iraq's Wasit Province. Suspected criminals continue to be detained, and weapons confiscated. In Afghanistan, NP-led force kills suspected mid-level Taliban cmdr. in Helmand.
Joanna
_____________________________
Feb. 11, 2009
Multi-National Corps - Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
APO AE 09342
1st Cav. takes MND-B reins from 4th Inf.
Maj. Gen. Daniel Bolger (right) and Command Sgt. Maj. Rory Malloy, uncase their div's colors.
(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Whitney Houston)
CAMP LIBERTY - As a hard wind blew through Baghdad, the 1st Cav Div took over responsibility for the MND-Baghdad operational environment from the 4th ID, during a transfer of authority ceremony Feb. 10.
The ceremony honored the multitude of accomplishments, successes and sacrifices of the "Ironhorse" Div. during their past 15 months in Baghdad and looked forward to the continuation of progress by "America's First Team".
Lt. Gen. Lloyd Austin III, comm. gen., MNC-Iraq, presided over the ceremony, saying this past year has truly been historic. The security has greatly improved thanks to incredible efforts of the 4th ID under the superb leadership of Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond. Over the past 12 months, citizens of Baghdad and the surrounding area have seen an 80% decrease in attacks against local civilians, with Iraqi SF becoming more capable of maintaining law and order. "Attacks are at a minimum, reconstruction is taking place and essential services continue to improve. It is undeniable that the 4th ID averted chaos in Sadr City. It was one of the most complex, tactical operational and strategic fights in the history of OIF," said Austin. The relentless pursuit of the enemy resulted in the seizure of more than 2300 weapons caches, and the capture of more than 3000 enemy leaders, facilitators and operators, said Austin. Markets, shops and schools opened; extensive projects started to clean and restore canals and pump stations necessary for irrigating farmlands, and micro-grant programs created over 7,000 Iraqi jobs.
"This is a day to give thanks to the people of Iraq," said Hammond. "Baghdad is better today than yesterday. We are thankful for your patriotism. As a result, we have a great partnership. We share the same goals-protect the people, improve conditions and create opportunities." Hammond then thanked the IA Soldiers and the ISF for their accomplishments and improvements that have brought them to the forefront in the security of Iraq. "I ask you to partner with the 1st Cav. They will remain strong. They are well-led by Maj. Gen. Dan Bolger.," Hammond said.
Maj. Gen. Daniel Bolger, comm. gen. of 1st Cav. Div. uncased his division's colors with Command Sgt. Major Rory Malloy, senior enlisted leader of 1st Cav. Div., assumed command of MND-B and addressed the remaining "Ironhorse" crowd. "Today we salute Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, Command Sgt. Maj. John Gioia and the fighting Soldiers of the great 4th ID," said Bolger. "You are our teammates at Fort Hood and in this war. Our 2 divisions stand together, as you have taught us to be "steadfast and loyal"...like the partnership between our Soldiers, and the Soldiers and police of Iraq."
"Like the color guard we and our Iraqi brothers stand shoulder to shoulder against the winds and the threats of today," said Bolger. "It's all about teamwork-First Team, Team First."
Command Sgt Maj John Gioia (left), senior enlisted leader of 4th ID, and Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, case the div's colors.
(U.S. Army photos by Sgt. Jerry Saslav)
Maj. Gen. Daniel Bolger (right), talks to Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond. This is the third time both Fort Hood, Texas-based units transferred authority as the HQ element of MND-B to each other.
Lt. Gen. Lloyd Austin III (right), says goodbye to Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond.
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Ghost town receives new life
IA soldiers look on from a distance as U.S. forces prepare to destroy a school in Amugaten, Feb. 7. The school is a known house-borne IED.
(Army photos by Spc. Opal Vaughn)
TIKRIT - There are no children playing outside, no animals, no clothing lines hung or even a whisper of voices to acknowledge any sign of life in Amugaten. Only the sound of the whistling wind blowing clouds of dust and dead wood brush down the empty streets. Amugaten would almost seem like a ghost town, except that people do live there.
There is a reason for the stillness; the village is plagued with IEDs. Sprayed on the side of a wall in white paint lettering, both in Arabic and in English, "bombs inside" sends a clear message to anyone passing through the village of Amugaten. No longer wanting to remain in the shadows of impending IED threats, the people are starting to take a stand and want to bring life back into their community.
Amugaten is slowly becoming a safer place to live, thanks to the joint efforts of IA Soldiers, in conjunction with 2nd Bn, 8th FAR, 1st Stryker BCT, 25th ID. By request of village residents, IA and U.S. Forces conducted a joint mission called Op Automatic Pursuit II, to rid the town of several known house-borne IED's which threaten people in the area.
"We're trying to clear out the AQI cells," said Command Sgt. Maj. Wayne La Clair, 2nd Bn., 8th FAR. "We hit another location during Op Automatic Pursuit I, and we believe the insurgents who were left have moved into this town. In order to remove the HBIED threats in the village, IA cleared the entire village, going from house to house to ensure the villagers were moved to a safe location. "We have several joint forces working together on this mission," La Clair said. "It's a pretty complicated mission because we have guys on the ground and guys in the air for support. When U.S. forces came here in 2007, literally some of these towns were completely rigged HBIEDs. Sometimes there would be 10 or 20 structures, and each one of them would be rigged with IEDs."
"Until now, this village has been very dangerous," said Staff Col. Alaa', Iraqi cmdr. "As we went through here, the people asked us to stay and to provide security for their village." In order to facilitate the safe keeping of the Amugaten, Alaa' said IA will maintain a strong presence in the village by constructing a new HQ, and setting up various check points leading up to the village. "There has been no IA presence in this area," Alaa' said. "We held a meeting with the local people and have decided to keep IA troops here, and they have agreed to help us by giving us info. With IA remaining in the area, there will be no more terrorism around."
A cloud of dust and smoke comes from a house as it's demolished. The house is a known house-borne IEDs' carrier.
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U.S. Army Engineer Corps Teaches Iraqi Generator Operators
Army SSgt. Manuel Cervantez III provides info about documenting logbook entries to Iraqi technicians and generator operators.
(Army photo and story by A. Al Bahrani)
BASRAH — Looking ahead to the future, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Gulf Region Div is transitioning much of its focus to ensuring the infrastructure built is sustainable and far outlasts the U.S. presence here. To help Iraqi technicians and generator operators improve their skills, the Basrah PRT and USACE reps held a 4-day generator ops and safety training course at a technical training facility here.
Fifteen Iraqi govt technicians and generator operators from different directorates attended the course, Jan. 25 - 28. They learned about proper use of personal protective equipment, first aid for electrical shock, logbook entries, preventive maintenance and generator ops, Army Maj. Fred Owens, the Basrah PRT engr, said.
“The course was very good and useful,” Mohamed Abdulwahab, generator operator with Basrah’s Education Directorate, said. “We thought we knew a lot about safety and personal protective equipment, but during the course we discovered that our past knowledge about these things was limited, and now we are much better prepared.”
Electricians with the 249th Engr Bn served as instructors. “The aim of the course is to improve upon the generator operation skills the various participants already possessed, and to instill a safety-oriented thought process to all the work they conduct,” Army SSgt. Manuel Cervantez III, the bn’s senior power plant operator, said. He is serving as the electrical technician at the Basrah Children’s Hospital construction project.
This was the first, but it will not be the last generator ops training course, Army Lt. Col. Humberto “Bear” Ramirez, officer in charge for the Basrah Area Office, said.
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PM Speaks at Commander’s Conference
By Van N. Williams
BAGHDAD — In a step toward rebuilding the IA into a strong professional force, the IA Chief of Staff, Gen. Zebari, held a Cmdr’s Conference at the Ministry of Defense, Feb. 8. All of Iraq’s Div cmdrs. attended the event, where they listened to presentations on ethics, logistics and force generation. The leadership also discussed how to best train their Soldiers to maintain an effective fighting force.
Iraqi PM Nori al-Maliki opened the conference and spoke about the recent election. He talked about the role of the Army in protecting the elections and the importance of integrating the Army to protect all Iraqis and Iraq’s borders. “…before, companies did not dare to come to Iraq. Now they are rushing to get contracts to build in Iraq,” Maliki said. “All this was because of the IA and we will keep building and compensating the Iraqi people for what they lost.”
Iraq Minister of Defense Jasim also addressed the group and mentioned how law and order is finding its way into the Army. He also told his cmdrs. to look into recent acts of terrorism against the Iraqi people, and to continue to do large ops to stop the attacks.
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American Forces Press Service
Security Improves in Iraq's Wasit Province, but Long-term Work Remains
By Jim Garamone
The security situation in Iraq’s Wasit province is stable, but still brittle, the cmdr. of American troops in the area said, Feb. 9. “Things are stable, but there are still some bad people out there,” Army Col. Richard Francey, cmdr. of the 41st Fires Bde, told Pentagon reporters in a video teleconference. “We continue to work to kill or capture them every single day. It's an ongoing condition.”
The province, home to about a million Iraqis, runs south of Baghdad to the Iranian border. Security conditions in the province, where Iraqi SF have been in control since Oct. 29, continues to improve, Francey said. The American and Iraqi forces work well together, the col. said, but more importantly, “the people of Wasit rightfully have confidence in their SF.”
The election went smoothly and professionally, and the people believe the election was safe, secure and legitimate, Francey said. “Conditions as a whole are good,” he added. “Security is stable; essential services improving. And with day-to-day freedoms of democracy recognized, a new normal is being embraced.”
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ISF, MND-B Soldiers detained suspected criminals, confiscate weapons and cache in Rashid
BAGHDAD - Iraqi SF partnered with MND-Baghdad Soldiers detained 2 suspected criminals for intimidating an Iraqi citizen, confiscated 16 AK-47 assault rifles, a Browning high-powered pistol and a fully-loaded mag. They also discovered a cache consisting of an RPK machine gun and 2 mags over a 2 day period while conducting ops in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad, Feb 7-9.
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Mutual Admiration
Army Pfc. Toby Barnes, of 1st Sqdrn, 10th Cav. Regt., 2nd BCT, 4th ID, talks to 2 Iraqi girls during a joint patrol with IP, to conduct post election surveys in Al Iman, Feb. 03, 2009.
(Navy Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class James Wagner)
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U.S. Forces - Afghanistan
Afghan NP-led force kills suspected mid-level Taliban cmdr. in Helmand
KABUL - Afghan NP assisted by CF killed a militant and detained 4 others in Washir District, Helmand province, Feb. 7.
The ANP-led force was conducting a search op on a suspected mid-level Taliban cmdr's compound. As the combined force approached the compound, the suspect exited the compound and took up a fighting position in a nearby valley, engaging the ANP with small-arms fire. The combined force responded with small-arms fire, and killed the armed militant. He is suspected of being a key mid-level Taliban cmdr., responsible for several attacks against Afghan National SF and employing IEDs. He is also suspected of providing housing, intel and guidance for suicide bombers planning ops in this area.
ANP also recovered multiple IED making materials inside the compound.
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