Dear Interested Reader,
Newly elected SaD Provincial Council members are awed by their visit to COB Speicher. Iraqi Brig. Gen. visits Sustainers at Joint Base Balad. Hit SWAT nets multiple suspected terrorists. IP and Medical Civil Military op visits Anbar. 1st Cav Div soldiers of Charlie Co. help to keep Sadr City safe.
In Afghanistan, COP Deysie gives a list of undaunted challenges. Combined forces have successful op in Helmand. Troops give Afghan baby boy second chance at life.
Joanna
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April 28, 2009
Multi-National Corps - Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
APO AE 09342
Newly elected SaD Provincial Council members visit 3rd IBCT
Sgt. Christopher Coffman, tactical security plt, 3rd IBCT, hands a helmet equipped with night vision optics to Mahdi Hassan, Salah ad Din Provincial Council member.
(Army photo by Sgt. Sean Lee.)
COB SPEICHER, TIKRIT - Salah ad-Din Province deputy governors and more than 30 newly-elected members of the Provincial Council and their guests learned how U.S. Soldiers and Iraqis are working together for peace and prosperity in the province, on COB Speicher, April 20.
The visit included a tour of the Iraqi Based Industrial Zone, the Joint Expeditionary Forensic Facility, and the HQ of the 3rd IBCT, 25th ID. Coalition personnel showcased the progressive development of the province through the partnership of CF and the Provincial Govt.
The day was designed to open the 3rd IBCT's door to the new leaders of the Salah ad-Din province, and to establish a good working relationship between CF and the newly elected legislators. "The program here brings in local Iraqi workers from the community to a safe environment to learn, work and be taught carpentry, plumbing, electrical systems, welding, heating and a/c repair during their 6 month time here, while being paid as apprentices," said Capt. Adam McCombs, officer in charge of the IBIZ , 25th Special Troops Bn, 25th ID.
"This is a great program that provides necessary skills for the Iraqi men in rebuilding their towns, villages, Salah ad-Din Province and eventually all of Iraq," said Lt. Col. Eric Angeli, cmdr, STB, 25th ID. "Eventually these skills will enable them to open up businesses throughout all Salah ad-Din, and provide essential services to the people of Iraq," he continued.
The tour groups experienced a brief, advanced forensic technique session at the JEFF Lab 4, where the Iraqi Police Colonel who processes forensic evidence for Salah ad Din explained the training IP are receiving in using fingerprints to convict criminals in Iraqi courts.
The anticipation continued to build as the tour transitioned to the bde HQ where Soldiers explained different weapon systems displayed for the guests. Two mine resistant ambush protected vehicles were also on hand for the visitors to learn about, and experience being inside with the help of U.S. Soldiers.
Council members appreciated the access granted by the bde as Soldiers explained their mission to the local leaders. The council was so impressed by the forensic lab that they are researching options to create one in the province, said a council leader.
Capt. Adam McCombs, 25th STB, officer-in-charge of the Iraqi Based Industrial Zone, explains through an interpreter how local Iraqis are learning job skills and receive paid employment.
(Army photo by SSgt. Tim Meyer.)
Salah ad-Din Provincial Council members observe local Iraqi workers.
(Army photo by Spc. Jazz Burney)
Capt. Justin King, Cmdr's Emergency Response Program mgr, 3rd IBCT, explains through an interpreter reconstruction projects in Salah ad Din Province, including schools, medical clinics and water purification systems.
(Army photo by Lt. Col. David Johnson.)
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Multi-National Corps - Iraq
Iraqi General visits Sustainers at Joint Base Balad
Brig. Gen. Kathem reviews shipping info on munitions supply crates.
(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Alex Snyder)
JOINT BASE BALAD - Brig. Gen. Mohammedali Kathem, dir. of ammo for the IA, met with Sustainers from the 3d Sust Command (Expeditionary), April 20.
Brig. Gen. Michael J. Lally, comm. gen., 3d ESC, led Kathem on a tour of the corps storage area, where various types of' munitions are stored and processed. Kathem also toured the ammo turn-in area, an area within the CSA, where munitions are inspected for serviceability, and then stored or destroyed. Lally explained how the Army uses radio frequency tags to track and ship munitions. 3d ESC personnel explained to Kathem how the U.S. assigns batches of munitions lot numbers, which makes it easier to differentiate and remove munitions that have been found to be defective or potentially dangerous.
"Our automation system allows us to look over all of Iraq," Lally said. At the 3d ESC HQ, Kathem was briefed on the step-by-step process of moving munitions, beginning at the ammo factory in the U.S. and ending in the hands of the warfighter overseas.
Kathem explained that he is developing a new 8-month course for his officers and enlisted Soldiers on munitions ops.
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Multi-National Corps - Iraq PAO
Hit SWAT nets multiple suspected terrorists
AL ASAD - Hit SWAT worked with U.S. SOF on a mission to serve multiple warrants issued by the Hit district court system, April 16.
The arrests of these 2 individuals, performed in conjunction with the Hit National Info and Investigations Agency (NIIA) and the Hit Counter-Terrorism Unit, were conducted in order to disrupt criminal and terrorist activities in the area. The insurgents' cells located in the area are suspected of launching attacks against IP and CF in Hit and throughout the Al Anbar province.
After their arrest, the 2 suspects and evidence were turned over to the Hit agency. They are currently being processed through the local judicial system.
"The operation was developed, planned, coordinated and commanded by ISF," said the detachment cmdr. "Tonight demonstrated the ability of the ISF to work through the full mission profile on a large-scale op that resulted in a great success that will certainly bolster the local populace's confidence in the ability of the ISF."
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Multi-National Corps - Iraq PAO
Iraqi Police and Medical Civil Military Operation
AR-RUTBAH -
An Iraqi girl explains recent stomach pains to interpreters during a medical visit in Anbar, April 12. The day's visit was part of a Medical Civil Military Op set up to assist local Iraqi villagers in need of medical attention.
(Photos by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Kevin Clark)
An Iraqi police officer teaches a young boy how to get his temperature.
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Special to American Forces Press Service
Soldiers Help to Keep Sadr City Safe
By Army Sgt. Joshua Risner
Army 1st Lt. Mark Reinke, left, followed by an interpreter and an Iraqi soldier, patrol a neighborhood in Baghdad’s Sadr City neighborhood, April 19, 2009.
BAGHDAD – As sunlight faded in Baghdad’s Sadr City neighborhood, 1st Cav Div soldiers of Charlie Co, 2nd Bn, 5th Cav Regt, 1st BCT, along with IA soldiers, moved down streets lined with houses in an effort to keep the city safer. “We’re essentially trying to hit target houses and known bed-down locations of bad guys,” said Army 1st Lt. Mark Reinke, a plt leader with Charlie Co.
The soldiers knocked on doors and entered with the permission of the inhabitants to look for contraband, intel and people of interest. “We … try to get all the weapons out of the area, because Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki said that no weapons are allowed in Sadr City,” Reinke said. “So by taking the weapons, we’re trying to keep the streets safer.” Taking weapons off the streets has more value to security than just keeping them out of insurgents’ hands, Reinke explained. “In the past, we’ve had family feuds spill onto the streets, which sometimes involved shooting,” he said.
The search yielded some promising leads and positive results. “We found a photo album with pictures we believe to be of a bad guy we are looking for,” he said. “Now we have his picture, so maybe we can get a better positive ID of him. We also found a weapon on a guy who claimed to be an IP, who is believed to be working with a target we are trying to find, so we’re using that to help build a case.”
The searches also have positive effects on the community, Reinke said. “We provide a presence both night and day in the area to hopefully deter anybody from doing something they would really regret in the future,” he said.
Soldiers of 2-5th Cav, most of whom are tankers by trade, have largely abandoned their tanks in favor of using mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles, and their feet to get them where they need to go. “These guys are tankers, but to operate in these conditions, you have to be on the ground, and that’s what they do,” Army 1st Sgt. Glenn Aldrich said. “I’ve been in the Army for 21 years, and I’ve never had a group of soldiers as good as the ones I have right now, … to be doing what they’re doing the way they’re doing it.”
For the troops of C Co, the missions in Sadr City may not be the kind they're accustomed to, but they take to it with determination and excellence, Army Spc. Jimmy Howard, said. “We, and pretty much all combat-arms soldiers, are doing the job of an infantryman and a MP, because that’s what the mission requires,” he said. “Whatever it takes to get the mission done, we’ll do it.”
The sun had set as C Co troops made it back to JSS Comanche, their home away from home in the Iraqi urban jungle. They were sweaty and tired, but they had accomplished their mission for the day, and prepared to get some sleep for the next opportunity to keep their sector safe.
Army Spc. Jimmy Howard adjusts the antenna of his radio.
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American Forces Press Service
Outpost Gives Hint of Challenges in Afghanistan
By Jim Garamone
COP DEYSIE, April 23, 2009 – Nothing illustrates the difficulties of combat in Afghanistan’s Regional Command Eas,t like this base on the Gardez-Khowst road. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited the base yesterday to hear from the soldiers on the ground what life is like in Afghanistan. He flew from Kabul to FOB Airborne, and then to this COP.
The area is “geographically challenging,” said Army Brig. Gen. Mark Milley, dep. cmdr for ops of Combined Joint TF 101. The camp guards what will become a macadamized road. The right of way is marked, and construction equipment soon will move in. The outpost is more than 8,000 feet above sea level, and lowlanders can feel the lack of oxygen. Mountains surround the camp, and the soldiers of the recon troop of the 25th ID’s 4th BCT work with Afghan soldiers to ensure the safety of local people who are building the road.
Roads are important in Afghanistan – and almost nonexistent. One soldier spoke of driving along what he thought was a road, but it turned out to be a dry stream bed. Because roads represent the good intentions of govt, they have become a way for federal and provincial officials to show they are trying to improve the lives of average Afghans. But roads also become targets that the Taliban and other enemy groups attack, Milley said. Without roads, goods cannot get to market, medical care is limited, and tribes and families become isolated. U.S. and Afghan soldiers provide security, so progress can continue. The Taliban and their allies kill innocent people and intimidate road crews as a last-gasp measure to show the govt is ineffective, Milley said. “They will not be successful,” he added.
Follow-through is almost a mantra to the general, who said finishing the road will demonstrate the govt’s commitment to the tribes and families. American and Afghan troops being in the area also represent commitment and follow-through to the people, he noted.
Regional Command East has twice the number of combat bdes that it had this time last year. All are in tough battle spaces, Milley said. In the north, the 1st ID’s 3rd BCT operates in the Hindu Kush mountains, which top 16,000 feet in some places. “It's some of the toughest infantry fighting country in the world, and those soldiers are doing a great job in a very tough fight,” Milley said.
An enhanced bde out of Fort Polk, La., operates with a French bn in Parawan province; and a Polish bde operates in Ghazni province. The 10th Mtn Div’s 3rd BCT is the newest bde in the area, brings about 3,500 additional soldiers into the region south of Kabul, the Afghan capital.
Operating in the southern portion of Regional Command East is the 25th ID’s 4th BCT out of Alaska. In addition, Regional Command East has an aviation bde, engrs and logisticians, as well as the intel, surveillance and recon assets, and medical facilities needed to maintain the force in the field. Essentially, 5 bdes are responsible for security in an area about the size of North and South Carolina, Milley said.
The enemy is as varied as the topography. Terror groups in the region are fractious, with no single unifying philosophy or goal, the gen. said. “They're murderous groups who want nothing but power for themselves,” he said. “They have no vision for the future, and the Afghan people understand this. Still, they intimidate the population and think nothing of killing innocent men, women and children to further their sick ambitions.”
Westerners talk about the Taliban, but the enemies are varied, though their tactics are similar. The Hakkani network, an extremist group led by Hekmatyar Gulbaddin, Taliban groups dedicated to the overthrow of the Pakistani govt, and local groups that simply want power, all are part of the mix. “They distrust each other, but can sometimes come together with commonality of purpose,” Milley said.
The gen. said he does not like to attach a number to the enemy presence, but when pressed, he said the various groups have between 7,000 and 11,000 combatants. But then, he added, the discussion becomes “Who is a combatant? Is an Afghan who joins a raid to feed his family because there is no work in his village a combatant or just someone being used?” Separating the enemy from the people is the key to winning in Afghanistan, Milley said, and the enemy has 4 options. “They can fight and die, they can surrender, they can throw their weapons away and run, or they can reconcile,” he said.
The American effort in the nation is built around classic counterinsurgency strategy. U.S. forces aim to provide security for the people. Once they establish security, they need to hold the area to prevent the enemy from moving back in. There must be development to provide jobs and opportunities for the people. Building governance at local, provincial and federal levels is vital. “The people must see the govt as a benefit to them,” Milley said. “They must turn to the govt for help, rather than the enemy.”
However, the most important portion of the counterinsurgency strategy is training Afghans to take on the security challenge. “The best counterinsurgency fighter is an indigenous fighter,” Milley said. “If a stranger comes into a village, a local Afghan will notice in ways that we can’t. They’ll know if the man is trouble or not. SF must be the face of the govt. If so, people will turn to them.” The Afghan NA is the most respected institution in the country, Milley said. “The Afghan soldiers can whip the enemy’s butt every time, but there are not enough of them, with 82,000 in the service. The Afghan army must be a bigger factor,” the gen. said. In Regional Command East, 2 Afghan army corps work with Combined Joint TF 101. More kandaks – Afghan bns – are scheduled to join the fight in the region.
Ultimately, part of the solution in the country is a professional police force. Training the Afghan police has been a problem, but it is proceeding, Milley said. Police live among the people, he explained, and are best suited to understand local concerns and -- more importantly -- to know those in the area who cause trouble.
Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan runs 450 miles down the eastern portion of Regional Command East’s area. It has a mountainous terrain, and the people of the border area have tribal and family ties on both sides. At least 2,000 footpaths run across the border in the Regional Command East area alone, Milley said, and another 200 paths can handle at least burros. The Afghan Border Police have been receiving training and equipment. They are becoming more effective, the gen. said, but more needs to happen.
On the Pakistan side of the border, the Frontier Corps has made strides in combating Taliban fighters who use the region as a safe haven. “What has to happen now is coordinating our ops,” Milley said. U.S., Afghan and Pakistani officials sit down regularly to talk about common challenges. At the tactical level, U.S., Afghan and Pakistani units are allowed to contact each other, and they do, the general said. But Pakistan remains a problem. Taliban fighters continue to take refuge in the country, and while the Frontier Corps is effective in Baijur, they are not operating in other areas. “This is going to require a concerted effort,” Milley said.
Combined Joint TF 101 will turn over command of the region to a HQ built around the 82nd Abn Div later this summer.
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U.S. Forces Afghanistan RSS
Afghan NSF, CF Kill 14 Insurgents, Detain 3 During 6-hour Battle in Helmand
KABUL – April 23, the combined elements were conducting a combat recon patrol in a known area of heavy insurgent presence when they were attacked by armed insurgents with small arms fire from multiple locations. After ensuring there were no non-combatants in the area, ANSF and CF positively identified an enemy position and called in for close-air support, resulting in 6 insurgents killed.
The patrol then began to receive RPG and small arms fire from another enemy position. ANSF and CF engaged the insurgents with small arms fire and called for close air support on the enemy fighting position, killing 8 more insurgents.
One wounded insurgent, equipped with an RPG launcher, surrendered to the Afghan-led force and was evacuated to a coalition medical facility for treatment. Two other insurgents were detained in the op.
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American Forces Press Service
Troops Give Afghan Baby Second Chance at Life
Ramazan, an Afghan baby, poses for the camera before his trip to a medical facility in Kabul. Members of the Combined Joint Special Ops TF Afghanistan cared for Ramazan following surgeries to correct a birth defect that prevented him from eating effectively, before turning his care over to a Kabul hospital, April 20, 2009.
(Army photo by Spc. Anna K. Perry)
KABUL – Members of Combined Joint Special Ops TF Afghanistan recently conducted an unusual mission handover -- rather than discussing troop disposition and battle status, the soldiers were passing along info about bottle feedings and sleeping schedules. For the past few months, TF troops have been caring for an Afghan boy named Ramazan, who is about 9 months old. On April 20, the troops said good-bye to Ramazan as they transferred his care to a team of doctors at a civilian medical facility here.
The wide-eyed baby was first put into the care of the Americans after his father brought him to a SOF clinic in Heart province’s Shindand district in late January. Ramazan was about 6 months old at the time, and barely was hanging onto life. The infant was unable to eat normally due to a congenital defect that left an opening in the palate of his mouth. He was desperately underweight and malnourished.
The clinic staff at first fashioned a special bottle to help to feed Ramazan, but he still was unable to gain the nourishment he needed for survival. Ramazan was flown with his father to a military hospital at Bagram Airfield for further evaluation. At the hospital, coalition doctors discovered Ramazan had Pierre Robin sequence, a congenital condition leaving him with an abnormally small jaw, an oversized tongue and a cleft palate, or incomplete closure in the roof of his mouth. TF soldiers worked with hospital officials to arrange surgery.
“Ramazan had surgery to repair the cleft palate, but complications arose, because he was already so fragile and malnourished,” said Army Maj. (Dr.) Michael Tarpey,TF surgeon. After an extended stay at the hospital, Ramazan’s care was turned over to special ops tf medical troops, who welcomed the baby with open arms. Ramazan’s father, who has 5 other children under age 7, had to return to his home in Shindand to support the rest of his family.
Though the special ops troops are prepared to fight wars, not to provide long-term care for babies, they accomplished their mission. Ramazan needs even more attention than the average baby, as he has a tracheotomy, as well as a feeding tube in his stomach, both of which require advanced levels of care. “This is a highly unusual situation. … We’re not really set up for babies,” Tarpey said. “We wouldn’t have thought of turning him away, though. Ramazan seemed beyond our capabilities, but we found a way to take care of him nonetheless.”
The Combined Joint Special Ops TF Afghanistan community banded together to create a loving environment to nurture the baby. The medical section provided around-the-clock care for Ramazan, the engrs built a crib, and many other duty sections gathered toys and clothing. Still others simply stopped by to play with Ramazan and offer hugs and kisses. “Everybody I talk to just loves Ramazan,” one soldier who frequently visited the baby said. ”He’s the cutest thing ever, and so receptive. Honestly, he’s a nice distraction from the day-to-day kinetic ops we support. I’m sorry to see him leave us, because I’ve grown attached to him, but the best thing we can do for Ramazan is restore his health and get him back to his family as soon as possible.”
As the troops cared for the baby, Tarpey was arranging for Ramazan to transfer to the hospital in Kabul. “Over the last month, we started coordinating with the hospital, and we determined that they have surgeons who can handle the further ops that he needs, and a staff that can provide his daily extensive care,” Tarpey said. “Time will tell when he’ll be able to have the surgeries -- perhaps over the next few months. Ideally, he’ll stay at the hospital in Kabul to receive the surgeries and restore his health and, from there, go home to his family.”
At the hospital in Kabul, the tf soldiers conducted the Ramazan handover with a team of Afghan doctors. One of Ramazan’s main caregivers, an Army medic, described the baby’s daily habits and needs to the staff, starting off with a warning that he gets unhappy if not fed every 2 hours. The medic just laughed when the dir. of nursing expressed her amazement at Ramazan’s already-emerging personality. “Oh, he’s got personality, all right,” he told her. “I probably know that baby better than anybody, and if there’s one thing he’s got, it’s personality.”
Indeed Ramazan is as full of life as a baby can be, as if he fully understands how close he came to death and must now live every moment as if it is his last. The baby is fascinated with everything and relishes attention.
The medic would not openly admit that he will miss Ramazan, but he gently stroked the baby’s hair as he gave him a kiss good-bye. It had been quite a journey for both Ramazan and his caregivers. Ramzan is no longer tiny and malnourished. His months with the tf turned him into a healthy baby with a bright future, while he warmed the hearts of many.
“I can say it’s been extremely rewarding to see Ramazan’s daily strides,” Tarpey said. “He’s gained weight and strength. … He can also hold his head up now and hold his own bottle. He’s completely alert and aware of his surroundings. “He’ll be a normal baby soon because of his time with us and his time at the hospital in Kabul, the doctor added. “That makes every minute worth it.”
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