"If you watch them [ANA soldiers] first thing Saturday morning compared to later in the afternoon, they come out of their shell a little bit," said Capt. Jeff Whitten. "We get them to do a little competition, breaking the weapon apart. We get them to cheer for each other.""The good thing is they like to talk with their hands as much as I do, so I can kind of pick up on that," said Staff Sgt. Kyle Roy, the main mentor. For more interaction, they moved outside where the ANA soldiers practiced elementary firing positions and then performed dime drills. As part of these drills, a dime is placed on the end of the muzzle. The troop must squeeze the trigger and keep the weapon steady, without shaking the dime off the barrel.Canadian forces who mentor daily at Camp Hero, take the Kandak troops to the nearby firing range to put into practice their newly-acquired M-16 training.
"Currently we're working on a plan to implement more training based on a Kandak's need," said Whitten.Servicemembers are evaluating a program that would teach Afghan soldiers how to drive wreckers and perform wrecker recovery. They also plan to eventually bring troops from Kandak Five to the 286th CSSB compound for hands-on mentorship. "The Americans are very good," said Kalamyar, "especially the instructors. We thank them and appreciate them coming here and spending the time with us."
"The military version of the Red Cross - we are providing needed supplies to communities around the region," said Spc. Antonio Charles, a JSC-A humanitarian assistance specialist. The program started in 2005 at Bagram Airfield. The yard's purpose is to provide timely disaster and emergency relief to local Afghan communities. Poverty, famine, droughts and years of war have created a need for such a facility. It's a storage and distribution center for humanitarian aid supplies such as food, clothing, school and medical supplies, and certain household items. "The humanitarian assistance yard will allow many Afghan families whose homes have been destroyed or damaged to stay put and rebuild instead of evacuate," said Sgt. 1st Class Corey Garner, a JSC-A humanitarian assistance NCO. "By staying, they can continue to use local merchants and services and build the community back up, and possibly bring in opportunistic businesses."Several U.S. agencies work closely with local communities. They'll identify the needs of the community and submit a request to the humanitarian assistance yard, which will coordinate, transport and deliver items. The yard's presence here has provided jobs and opportunities for the locals. All supplies stored in the yard were purchased through local vendors. "It's nice to help the people of Afghanistan and show the people another side of Americans instead of bullets and guns," said Pfc. Timothy Fiel, a JSC-A humanitarian assistance specialist.
Drilling Iraqi Police on Core Medic Skills
Photos by Spc. Ruth McClary
Hamid Matrood, IFP officer, coordinates with members on his team to make sure combat lifesaver bags are properly equipped before the medic's training exercise began.
The kits include anything from pencils and pens to folders and rulers, which are put in backpacks for each child. Warner said the service members work closely with members of the IA as a joint effort to help Iraqi communities. "This makes a good statement to the Iraqi people that both sides are working together to better the Iraqi people," said Warner.Eleven IA soldiers were brought on the mission, performing security and handing out kits to the children. "The mission was safe and successful, and we brought smiles and happiness to the children of the school," said Lt. Col. Rafed Edan, IA officer through an interpreter.
The detainee, known as Yasser Gafour, is wanted in connection with kidnapping and intimidation of SECFOR and people throughout southern Kirkuk. The cache consisted of circuit boards, soldering guns, transistors and a pound of explosive material - all associated with the construction of IEDs.
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Multi-National Corps – Iraq
The terrorist media cell is also believed to be a key contributor towards unlawful efforts to disrupt the GoI and the spread of fabricated reports to the Iraqi media.
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