Posted on 09/04/2006 3:52:34 PM PDT by Gucho
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sep. 4, 2006 – The capture of a top-tier terrorist has left al Qaeda in Iraq in a "serious leadership crisis," an Iraqi government official said here yesterday.
Iraqi forces, with coalition support, captured Hamed Jumaa Farid al-Saeedi, who is thought to be responsible for the Feb. 22 bombing of a Samarra shrine sacred to Shiia Muslims, said Mowaffak al-Rubaie, national security adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, in a nationally televised address.
The mosque bombing helped fan the flames of sectarian violence in Iraq. Saeedi – also known as Abu Humam and Abu Rana – was reportedly captured as he hid in a residential building southwest of Baquba.
"(Saeedi) is the direct supervisor of the criminal Haitham al-Badri, who planned and executed the bombing of the Askariya Shrine in Samarra," Rubaie said.
The Iraqi national security adviser said Saeedi carried out the policy of the al Qaeda in Iraq organization to ignite sectarian riots. According to Rubaie, Saeedi also is accused of supervising the creation of death squads and ordering assassinations, bombings, kidnappings and attacks on Iraqi police and army checkpoints.
(Adapted from an article posted on the Multinational Force Iraq Web site.)
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WASHINGTON, Sep. 4, 2006 – Citing media reports suggesting a possible connection between three U.S. soldiers killed in June and the alleged rape of an Iraqi girl and murder of the girl and her family in March, military officials in Iraq today issued a statement saying “no evidence” connects the dead soldiers to the incident.
“Past articles could be read to imply that the three deceased soldiers were somehow involved in the alleged crimes,” Multinational Corps Iraq officials said in the statement.
Spc. David Babineau, Pfc. Thomas Tucker and Pfc. Kristian Menchaca – all assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division – were manning a checkpoint that came under attack June 16. Babineau died at the scene, and Tucker and Menchaca went missing. Their bodies were found three days later.
Six current and former soldiers from the same unit are facing criminal charges in connection with the alleged March 12 rape and murder incident in the southern Iraq town of Mahmudiyah.
“The criminal investigation into the crimes committed against the Iraqi family in Mahmudiyah is still ongoing, and comment on the investigation would be inappropriate,” the MNC-I statement said. “Thus far, however, no evidence has been discovered implicating Babineau, Tucker or Menchaca in any criminal involvement with the Mahmudiyah incident.”
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Monday, September 4, 2006
Kabul suicide bomber kills five
September 4, 2006
Mon Sep 4, 10:35 AM ET - The U.S. soldier monitors militants movement over Naray in eastern Afghanistan from Chinook helicopter in this August 3, 2006 file photo. U.S. Army force out of New York is keeping up the hunt for Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida allies in eastern Afghanistan despite five years passing since they carried out the Sept. 11 attacks. (AP Photo/B.K.Bangash/FILE)
By 101st Airborne
Sep 4, 2006
TIKRIT, Iraq – Iraqi Soldiers on patrol near Khanaqin, in the eastern part of Diyala Province, discovered a large cache of mortar and artillery rounds Friday afternoon.
1st Brigade 5th Iraqi Army Division seized 93 artillery shells and 23 mortar rounds and transported the weapons to a local military installation where they were safely destroyed by a US explosive ordnance detachment team in a controlled detonation.
Finding and disposing of weapons caches is an ongoing mission for both Iraqi and coalition forces. Weapons such as those discovered in this cache are commonly used in IEDs and carbombs that terrorists continue to use against innocent civilians as well as security forces throughout Iraq.
By MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ, COMBINED PRESS INFORMATION CENTER - BAGHDAD, Iraq
Sep 4, 2006
BAGHDAD, Iraq – An air strike near Yusufiyah Friday afternoon killed three terrorists observed operating a mortar there.
While conducting operations to disrupt al-Qaida in Iraq activities in the area, coalition forces reported receiving indirect mortar fire. Shortly thereafter, coalition aircraft observed a white bongo truck with three passengers and three mortar rounds in the back of the truck.
The vehicle was tracked to a nearby location where the three terrorists exited the vehicle and entered a building. The structure was declared hostile and close air support was cleared to engage.
The first bomb hit vicinity of target and struck a portion of a nearby building. A second bomb hit target and destroyed it. Ground and aerial reports indicate bystanders may have been injured. An assessment from this aerial strike is ongoing at this time to determine if there are any civilians injured and the extent of the damage to the buildings.
Further details will be provided as they become available.
By 138TH MOBILE PUBLIC AFFAIRS DETACHMENT
Sep 4, 2006
TAL AFAR, Iraq – The 1st, Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Iraqi Army Division became the third and final battalion to take the lead in assuming security operations for the city of Tal Afar during a ceremony held at Fort Tal Afar on September 2.
On hand for the ceremony was the mayor of Tal Afar, Najim Abdullah al Jubori; Maj. Gen. Khorsheed, commander, 3rd IA Div.; Brig. Gen. Qais Hamza, commander, 2nd Brig., 3rd IA Div.; Lt. Col. John Tien, commander, Task Force 2-37 and various dignitaries from the surrounding area.
With this ceremony, all of the Iraqi Army battalions in Tal Afar have taken the lead in security operations.
ADDITIONAL PHOTO:
Iraqi Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Iraqi Army Division march during the unit's assumption of security responsibility ceremony in Tal Afar Sept. 3. The battalion joins two other Iraqi battalions with the responsibility of securing the city. (US Army photo by SFC Steven Pettibone, 138th MPAD)
By MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ, COMBINED PRESS INFORMATION CENTER - BAGHDAD, Iraq
Sep 4, 2006
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Combined operations by Iraqi security force and Coalition Force troops continued to target terrorist cells this week. The operations resulted in the death and capture of multiple terrorist suspects and associates.
Baghdad
Iraqi army and security forces, with Coalition forces supporting, conducted multiple early-morning raids on Aug. 23, capturing three primary suspects tied to placing improvised explosive devices and illegally armed groups. The first raid resulted in the capture of an individual suspected of emplacing IEDs and targeting U.S. military personnel in Al Ramadi. Five other persons were detained for questioning. The second raid resulted in the capture of two persons who allegedly belonged to a cell that engaged in promoting sectarian violence through kidnapping and murder in southern Baghdad.
Two early raids on Aug. 28 resulted in one terrorist killed and four others detained southwest Baghdad. The assault forces conducted operations to search for a known al-Qaida in Iraq leader with ties to the illegal movement of foreign fighters, and attacks against Iraqi citizens and Coalition forces. The assault forces found three suspected terrorists and detained them for further questioning. The forces then approached a subsequent objective to search for an associate of the senior al-Qaida in Iraq leader. At this point, the forces observed an individual running through the building. Upon clearing the building, they engaged and killed a terrorist armed with an AK-47 assault rifle. An additional suspect was detained for further questioning.
An Aug. 27 raid, targeting an associate of an al-Qaida in Iraq terrorist leader responsible for car bomb and rocket attacks, resulted in one terrorist killed and two detained. Ground forces moved on the objective, located in a rural area south of Baghdad, and engaged an armed terrorist posing an immediate threat to the forces and other Iraqis in the area. Numerous civilians were in the area, but none harmed. Terrorists often operate in the vicinity of innocent Iraqis.
Mussayib
On Aug. 27 Iraqi Security Force captured an IED maker and cell leader near Mussayib. Intelligence indicates the suspect participated in multiple IED attacks on Iraqi Security and Coalition Forces, including one killing 4 U.S. servicemen on May 5th. This suspect also allegedly supplied IEDs to illegal armed groups and incited sectarian violence and government instability through kidnapping, murdering and conducting armed attacks. Additionally, ground forces detained another suspect.
Mosul
A raid on the evening of Aug. 29, targeting a key figure in the Mosul al-Qaida in Iraq organization, led to one terrorist killed, two detained, and the recovery of a cache of grenades and bomb making materials. The targeted terrorist is linked to the movement of explosives and participated in other anti-coalition operations. During the assault on the objective buildings, two terrorists fled to the roof of a nearby house. When located, one engaged the assault team with a pistol. Forces returned fire and killed him. Ground forces detained the second terrorist on the roof and another suspect for further questioning. This raid resulted in the discovery of grenades and explosives inside one of the objective buildings.
On Aug. 31 ground forces conducted an operation in Mosul and captured the city’s chief of terrorist operations and his head of security. Intelligence indicates these terrorists have directed attacks against Iraqi military and police, and Coalition forces. The suspects are also allegedly responsible for the movement of fighters, weapons, explosive materials, and funds to support terrorist operations near Mosul.
Muqdadiyah
An Aug. 28 morning raid targeting an associate of a former al-Qaida in Iraq cell leader resulted in three terrorists killed in Muqdadiyah. While moving to the objective, forces began clearing multiple buildings. Several terrorists ran out of the buildings into an adjacent field. The terrorists began digging up a possible weapons cache. The troops did not pursue the fleeing suspects. As the forces prepared to depart the target area, they observed the three suspects moving into positions to attack incoming aircraft. The terrorists began firing on a Coalition helicopter. The helicopter returned fire until the terrorists fire ceased.
Coalition officials said the removal of terrorists in Iraq will significantly hamper al-Qaida in Iraq’s abilities to move personnel into and out of Iraq, and cut financial support channels. Iraqi Security and Coalition Forces will continue to dismantle the al-Qaida in Iraq network through constant, deliberate, and methodical operations.
BAGHDAD – Lt. Col. Rashid, commander, 2nd Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, and Col. Michael Shields, commander, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, took to the streets of Adhamiyah to meet the local residents and hear their concerns Tuesday. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Keith DeVinney, COMCAM, MND-B)
By Lance Cpl. R. Drew Hendricks - Marine Forces Pacific
U.S. MARINE CORPS FORCES, PACIFIC, CAMP H. M. SMITH, Hawaii– (Aug. 30, 2006) -- Every year on the first Monday of September workers around the country enjoy an extra-long weekend. The holiday is Labor Day and for some that’s all that is known about it.
Labor Day is a simple and straight-forward holiday celebrating the American worker.
The holiday started during an era when the laborers were the heroes that drove this country onward, much as they continue to do today.
The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated Tuesday, Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The second Labor Day holiday was held just a year later, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
It is still disputed as to who started the holiday, but two names are mentioned. Some say it was Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor who first suggested a day to honor the American Laborer, according to the DOL.
He said we should honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold."
Others say it was Matthew Maguire, a machinist, who founded the holiday. Most research seems to support Matthew Maguire with the proposal of the holiday in 1882 while he served as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York, according to the World Book Encyclopedia.
Regardless who proposed the holiday, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday. That law was signed by President Grover Cleveland, June 28, 1894.
While the holiday is mostly celebrated with backyard barbeques or short family vacations, some places such as New York still adhere to the traditional celebrations of parades and festivals.
The first Labor Day parades demonstrated to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community.
They were usually followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday, according to the DOL.
While Labor Day is not celebrated with such grandeur in most areas, the people it recognizes still find ways to use their well deserved long weekend.
"Labor Day differs in every essential way from the other holidays of the year in any country," said Samuel Gompers, founder and longtime president of the American Federation of Labor. "All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man's prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day...is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation."
It is dedicated to those who continue to complete those every day tasks that, no matter how much they go unnoticed, are absolutely essential to the success of the nation and its people.
By Multi-National Corps, Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
Sep 4, 2006
CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq — Marines from Regimental Combat Team 5 uncovered hundreds of weapons and combated insurgents in running gun battles recently during Operation Rubicon in Mushin, Iraq, west of Habbaniyah.
The RCT-5 Marines, assigned to 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment and 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, recovered more than 500 mortar rounds, nearly 100 artillery rounds, more than 130 rocket-propelled grenades, an excess of 120 grenades, 22 mines, 10 mortar tubes, 20 rifles and machine guns, 18 sets of body armor and various other items including binoculars and bayonets.
Cpl. Brandon M. Stair, a team leader assigned to 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, was among the Marines who discovered the multiple cache sites.
“This area was definitely an insurgent stronghold,” said Stair, a 25-year-old team leader from Utica, Ohio. “They had stuff for the long fight, and they had stuff for tomorrow. There were initiator systems ready to go.”
One cache yielded 500 blasting caps, each one capable of detonating a single IED. Another one featured mortars. In yet another was a stash of insurgent sniper rifles.
“Every cache was a separate set-up,” explained Gunnery Sgt. Kenneth A. Westgate, a 35-year-old platoon sergeant from East Wareham, Mass., assigned to 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion.
“We usually find just mortars or just guns. These had a mix of everything.” Sgt. Joshua D. Cross, a 26-year-old reconnaissance team leader from Forestville, N.Y., spoke with local residents and said one in particular told Marines he was grateful for their efforts to rid the region of insurgents.
“He was real grateful for what we were doing there,” Cross said. “That’s gratifying to hear that kind of result. We put a hurting on them. We slowed them down for a couple of months.”
By Sgt. 1st Class Reginald Rogers, USA - Special to American Forces Press Service
BAGHDAD, Sep. 4, 2006 – Two Longbow Apache helicopters provided air-to-ground support to American soldiers by blasting enemy vehicles during action in western Baghdad yesterday, U.S. officials reported.
The flight of choppers from Multinational Division Baghdad’s Combat Aviation Brigade teamed up to assist U.S. ground forces from the division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division.
The combined effort resulted in one terrorist killed, four captured and two terrorist’s vehicles destroyed, officials said.
The Apache crews were conducting a combat air patrol mission when they received the call to assist. At about 4:45 p.m., the pilots noticed two abandoned vehicles near where the attack was reported.
“The vehicles were staged for the (terrorists), who tried to engage the infantry guys,” explained Army Maj. Byron Needum, one of the Apache pilots assigned to the CAB’s 1st Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment. “When we got there, the infantry had already got the best of them and detained three.
“They were still looking for more (terrorists),” Needum continued. “That’s when we found the vehicles, and vehicles didn’t fit the situation.”
Apache teams rarely have to engage the enemy once they arrive on the scene, Needum said.
“Normally when we get there, people don’t want to ‘play’ anymore,” he explained. “Even if we don’t engage the enemy, our presence alone helps the ground guys out.”
Helicopter crews have a picture-window view of enemy activity on the ground, Needum said. That advantage, he said, is often used to support U.S. ground forces.
“We have a different vantage point, and we can see farther than you can on the ground,” said Needum, who is also the company commander for his battalion’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company. “I don’t think they would have seen those (enemy) vehicles without us.”
According to Chief Warrant Officer Scott Quaife, who piloted the second of the two Apaches, his team spotted the two vehicles upon arrival to the location, but could not engage without receiving confirmation that they belonged to the terrorists.
“We spotted the two Bradleys, and they had already opened fire on the canal with their 25 mm guns,” Quaife explained. “They said there were two possible (terrorists) running in the canal, but we didn’t find anybody.”
Then, Needum’s helicopter crew noticed the two vehicles, Quaife recalled, “so we investigated the vehicles. We called the (ground unit) and told them we thought the vehicles were the enemy’s.”
Quaife said the ground unit sent personnel to investigate, and once confirmation was given, the helicopters attacked the enemy vehicles.
“The ground unit’s leadership approved the Apaches to destroy the vehicles to keep its soldiers safe,” Quaife said. The ground unit reported that the two vehicles contained loaded AK-47s, he said, and possible improvised explosive device-making materials.
The Apache team fired on the vehicles with at least 150 rounds from its 30 mm machine guns and shot four rockets, Quaife said. The barrage, he said, destroyed both vehicles.
“The lead vehicle blew up and caught on fire after being engaged by Needum’s helicopter,” Quaife said, noting his chopper crew “shot two rockets to help destroy the other vehicle.”
Officials said a post-engagement assessment showed that the ground unit had killed a terrorist, wounded another and detained three. The soldiers also found a weapons cache containing four rocket-propelled-grenades, two RPG launchers, an AK-47 rifle, three machine guns with 100 rounds, a pair of flares and numerous rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition.
(Army Sgt. 1st Class Rogers is assigned to the 4th Infantry Division’s Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs Office.)
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