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FORT HUACHUCA — Some of the most dangerous detainees in American custody in Iraq have established sharia courts within the compounds in which they are held and have tried and executed fellow detainees who refused to join them, the Army’s senior military police officer said Wednesday. “Detainees do not stop fighting just because they are detained. Their new environment is merely an extension of the battlefield,” said Brig. Gen. Rodney L. Johnson, the provost marshal general of the Army and the commander of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command. He made his comments to about 300 people attending the first...

TIKRIT — More than 1,100 former fighters have reconciled with Iraqi Security and Coalition forces in the Salah ad Din province since May. Musalahah, meaning reconciliation in Arabic, is a combined effort between the Qadah level Government of Iraq, the leadership of the Iraqi Police, the 4th Iraqi Army Division and the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. By turning themselves into the Joint Coordination Centers across the province, Iraqis are seeking to clear their names. Men who are thought to have committed crimes are given a court date, so they can plead their cases before an Iraqi judge....

A student of the Al Abbas primary school explains locations on a map that is painted on the outside of the newly refurbished school, July 17. Photo by Staff Sgt. J.B. Jaso III. CAMP TAJI — The schoolhouse is run down. Water leaks through numerous cracks in the roof and air conditioners do not operate, effectively causing temperatures inside the building to climb to unbearable lengths.The walls covered with mold, no doors to the classrooms, broken windows, and cracks in the walls large enough to see the surrounding farmlands.Despite all this, approximately 600 students at the Al Abbas primary school,...

7/24/2008 - JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq (AFPN) -- The Joint Base Balad Town Hall filled with brothers and sisters mourning the loss of a military family member July 20. Tech. Sgt. Jackie Larsen, a paralegal working with the Law and Order Task Force of the 732nd Expeditionary Support Squadron, died from non-combat related causes July 17. Sergeant Larsen, deployed from Beale Air Force Base, Calif., operated out of Forward Operating Base Shield and was the NCO in charge of all personnel movements for the LAOTF. The LAOTF trains Iraqi lawyers, paralegals and investigators in proper investigations and documentation of evidence...

WASHINGTON, July 24, 2008 – Al-Qaida terrorists have been largely marginalized in Iraq’s Babil province, thanks to the joint efforts of Iraqi and U.S. security forces, as well as local “Sons of Iraq” citizen security groups, a senior U.S. military officer posted in Iraq said today. “The organization related to al-Qaida is severely disrupted, … as well as the [extremist] militia” in Babil province,” Army Col. Tom James, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team, said during a satellite-carried news conference with Pentagon reporters. “Overall, we are extremely optimistic about the security situation in Babil province, because...

WASHINGTON, July 24, 2008 – Coalition and Iraqi forces detained five suspected terrorists and found weapons caches during recent operations in Iraq, military officials said. Yesterday in Baghdad, coalition and Iraqi forces captured five suspected terrorists and uncovered an insurgent rocket-launch site, officials said. Iraqi troops discovered and blocked off the site after spotting a rocket and rail system in the city’s Jihad neighborhood. Soldiers from 4th Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team searched the surrounding communities, eventually detaining the suspects – three in the Saydiyah neighborhood and two in the Zubaida community, officials said. Coalition troops found two roadside...

BAGHDAD, July 24, 2008 – In another sign of progress in Iraq, 62 tribes and 68 sheiks have organized four private trucking companies to form the Iraqi Transportation Network. A driver for the Iraqi Transportation Network, an Iraqi-owned and operated logistics network, watches as containers are loaded onto his truck July 15, 2008, at Camp Liberty, Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Andrea Merritt  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The sheiks approached the U.S. military with a proposition for the ITN to haul their cargo throughout Iraq, guaranteeing safe shipment and taking financial responsibility for any loss. They...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq, July 24, 2008 – Medics and doctors play a key role in maintaining the health and safety of U.S. soldiers throughout Iraq. A doctor from Montgomery Village, Md., brings especially important skills to the combat theater. Army Lt. Col. (Dr.) Margaret Swanberg, of Montgomery Village, Md., checks the pupils of Army Spc. Michael Woywood, of San Antonio, for dilation during a military acute concussion evaluation demonstration at Forward Operating Base Hammer, Iraq, July 18, 2008. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Michael Schuch, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution...

BAGHDAD – The 33rd Iraqi Army confiscated more than 4,000 pounds of homemade explosives made of fertilizer and diesel fuel from a farm near Karbala, Iraq July 22.  Four men were detained and taken to the Karbala Police Directorate for questioning.-30-

BALAD, Iraq – Since the beginning of July, three highly sought after suspected terrorists have surrendered to Iraqi Security and Coalition forces. An emir of the Sinjar area Islamic State of Iraq, a front organization for al-Qaeda in Iraq, surrendered to the Iraqi Army for reconciliation in Kisik July 5, about 43 km west of Mosul. The suspect is reportedly involved in terrorist and foreign fighter facilitation and a leader of rocket and improvised explosive device cells. In Rutbah, a suspected AQI emir of the Rutbah region turned himself in to Coalition forces. The suspect is known to facilitate foreign...

Staff Sergeant Brian Doty (left), of Orange, Va. and Cpl. Sam Weaver, of Fayetteville, N.C., both with Company B, 13th Psychological Operations Battalion, are accompanied by local children while on a foot patrol in the city of Suwayrah in northern Wasit province. Photo by Sgt. David Turner. COMBAT OUTPOST SUMMERS — Walking down the busy streets of Suwayrah at sundown, the city’s residents met Soldiers with handshakes and friendly smiles. Children gathered everywhere the Soldiers stopped to talk to residents. As the patrol of Soldiers from 1st Platoon, Company B, 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment continued on its way, the...

WASHINGTON, July 23, 2008 – As violence levels maintain a steady decrease across Iraq, coalition forces and the Iraqi government are able to focus their efforts on reconstruction and civil issues, a senior coalition military official in Iraq said today. Iraqi forces are improved, and the government continues to develop and progress, Army Brig. Gen. David Perkins, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, said in a news briefing from Baghdad. “Government, security and economic institutions continue to surge forward” throughout Iraq even as the last of the initial five surge brigades – 3rd Infantry Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team – redeployed...

WASHINGTON, July 23, 2008 – The surge in Iraq has been a success by any measure, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said during a news conference today. Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell holds a press briefing on July 23, 2008, to update reporters on the latest news and events within the Department of Defense. Defense Dept. photo by R. D. Ward  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The surge has allowed Iraq to make improvements from security, political and economic standpoints, Morrell said. The last of the five surge brigade combat teams recently left Iraq. The policy, announced by...

BAGHDAD, July 23, 2008 – Water is a critical resource in the desert, and the water level at Camp Victory here has decreased significantly over the past few months, the result of an unseasonably dry winter that saw very little rain. Water from the Jaddriyah Pump Station is pumped into the Al Faw Lake on Camp Victory, Iraq. The water is used by personnel on the Victory Base Complex as well as the Iraqi people who live outside of the installation. U.S. Army photo by Maj. James Daffron, 926th Engineer Brigade  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The water...

WASHINGTON, July 23, 2008 – Iraq’s fledgling navy is gaining prominence within its country’s security forces due to its role in protecting the nation’s oil infrastructure, a coalition advisor said July 22. British Royal Navy Capt. Paul Abraham, director of the Maritime Strategic Transition Team and senior advisor to the Iraqi navy, explained during a conference call with military bloggers that in addition to quickly expanding their naval force, Iraqi marines and sailors also are fast moving into a lead role in defending Iraq’s major ports and oil terminals from insurgent attack. “The Iraqi navy's aim is to be able...

WASHINGTON, July 23, 2008 – Coalition and Afghan forces killed groups of enemy fighters during operations in Afghanistan this week, military officials said. While coalition forces yesterday searched compounds in the Sayed Abad district of Wardak province for a Taliban commander, a cadre of militants inside a barricaded house attacked troops with grenades, machine guns and small-arms fire. Coalition forces fought back using small arms and grenades, and they called in an air strike, killing an unknown number of the enemy fighters, military officials said. Combined forces also came under ambush during a July 21 operation in the Maruf district...

WASHINGTON, July 23, 2008 – Coalition and Iraqi forces caught five suspected terrorists and seized two weapons caches in Iraq over the past three days, military officials said. In separate raids in Baghdad today, troops captured a suspected kidnapping cell member and nabbed a man with alleged ties to al-Qaida leaders in Iraq and other countries. The operations targeted al-Qaida in Iraq's financial infrastructure around the Iraqi capital, military officials said. In a related operation yesterday, coalition forces detained an alleged al-Qaida in Iraq financier and one additional suspect during a raid near Samarra, 70 miles north of Baghdad. Elsewhere...

PANJSHIR PROVINCE, Afghanistan, July 23, 2008 – More than 600 villagers and students attended the July 16 grand opening of the 16-room Obdara High School in the Anaba district of Afghanistan’s Panjshir province. Gov. Hajji Bahlol of Afghanistan’s Panjshir province gives the keynote speech at the grand opening of the $237,000, 16-room Obdara High School July 16, 2008, in Panjshir’s Anaba district. U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Jillian Torango, Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Panjshir Gov. Hajji Bahlol, the keynote speaker, is a native of Anaba and went to the Obdara School when...

AN NAJAF — Provincial and local officials hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony July 19 to open a new Primary Healthcare Center in Sooq-sha’lan. An Najaf Deputy Governor Hassan Abtan pointed out that, prior to the PHC’s opening, residents traveled for an hour to get medical care. “Now it’s just 5 to 10 minutes away,” he added. He praised the quality of the construction, said the Iraqi crew who built it should be proud, and also complimented the partnering effort between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and provincial officials to ensure the project’s successful completion. Those attending included Abtan, Dr....

BAGHDAD — 1,698 officers, the largest class ever, graduated from the Ministry of Interior’s Baghdad Police College here July 20 and took the loyalty oath to uphold the rule of law and protect the citizens of Iraq. The new course is known as the 1st Qualification Course. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki spoke of this initiative during Basrah operations as a means to promote both reconciliation and new jobs for former government employees and other recruits who met the qualifications. To become lieutenants in the police force, the graduates must complete the retraining and certification in the four-month course. Most were...

BAGHDAD — Serving more than 2000 homes and businesses, two water networks at a cost of $2.6 million are almost complete in the Kadamiyah area of Baghdad. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region Division, and the Baghdad Water Authority are working together to replace the old and damaged pipeline system in the Kadamiyah district to supply a better quality and quantity of water. According to the Gulf Region Central districts International Zone project engineer, Malath Al Rawas, approximately 17,000 linear meters of ductile iron water pipe was laid at each of the sites. Per Baghdad Water Authority requirements,...

BAGHDAD — During a visit to the area July 19, Brig. Gen. Jeffery Buchanan, deputy commanding general for operations for Multi-National Division – Center, met with Brig. Gen. Jabbar Nama, deputy commander for the 10th Iraqi Army Division, to discuss operations and the future well-being of Maysan Province. In the four weeks since Operation First Signs of Peace began in Maysan Province, the Iraqi Security Forces are successfully maintaining just that - peace. During their month-long presence in al-Amarah, battalions from the 10th IA Div. have not seen a single gunfight, not one improvised explosive device attack, nor received any...

WASHINGTON, July 22, 2008 – Training Afghan security forces is the key to success in the country, but the effort continues to be plagued by a shortage of trainers, the general in charge of that training said today. Army Maj. Gen. Robert W. Cone, commander of the Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan, said Afghanistan has “made positive strides in fielding professional security forces that are competent, diverse and capable of providing security,” but that much remains to be done. Cone spoke to reporters gathered at the Foreign Press Center here in a teleconference from Kabul. The command is responsible for...

WASHINGTON, July 22, 2008 – Coalition and Iraqi forces detained 14 suspected terrorists and found weapon caches during recent operations in Iraq, military officials said. Today in northern Iraq, coalition and Iraqi forces captured seven suspected terrorists, including an alleged al-Qaida kidnapping cell leader, officials said. U.S. and Iraqi troops detained the alleged cell leader and another suspect in Kirkuk after receiving tips from previously captured associates of the suspects. The alleged cell leader reportedly is tied to kidnappings and terrorist activities in Kirkuk and Salahuddin provinces, officials said. Coalition forces captured five other suspected terrorists during an operation near...

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, July 22, 2008 – Like most of Afghanistan's provinces, Konar has historically been unable to meet the medical needs of its 381,000 residents. But the Konar Provincial Reconstruction Team is working to meet those needs. Navy Lt. Gregory Monk, a provincial reconstruction team physician assistant from Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, Calif., conducts a village medical outreach visit in the Chowkay district of Afghanistan’s Konar province. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. As recently as 2002 and shortly after the departure of the Taliban, Afghanistan has faced some of the worst health statistics ever recorded...

WASHINGTON, July 22, 2008 – After matching servicemembers re-entering the civilian work force with military friendly employers, “Hire a Hero” is stepping outside its box and trying some matchmaking of a different kind. The troop-support organization has teamed with Dreamworks Television and Mark Burnett Productions to help two deserving military couples have their dream weddings. The gesture is a thank you for their service and commitment to the country, according to the Hire a Hero Web site. “Providing something like this is just great,” said Rob Barr, a Hire a Hero representative. “It’s showing support for the troops, and...

BAGHDAD, July 22, 2008 – Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki waved to cheering crowds July 20 as he stepped off the first plane landing at Najaf International Airport. Iraqi girls smile in celebration of the Najaf International Airport inauguration, July 20, 2008. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Michel Sauret, Multinational Division Center  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The celebration marked the opening of a new airport that will facilitate travel, boost business opportunities and increase tourism. "The Najaf airport is a starting point for competition among provinces and local governments to make extraordinary progress toward reconstruction. …...

HEIDELBERG, Germany, July 22, 2008 – Camp Victory in Iraq is nearly 2,000 miles from the nearest Army library in Europe. But troops deployed at the sprawling base near Baghdad International Airport soon will have access to a broad spectrum of library resources through an e-Branch kiosk. Movers crate an Army Europe Libraries e-Branch kiosk for shipment to Camp Victory, Iraq. The e-Branch kiosks are designed to support educational opportunities for Soldiers and deliver electronic library services and information to customers who can’t get to a brick-and-mortar library. U.S. Army photo by Amy Drayer  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image...

BAGHDAD, July 22, 2008 – When Army Sgt. Victor Faggiano was growing up in Manchester, N.H., he always knew the military was the choice from him in life. Army Sgt. Victor Faggiano (left), a native of Manchester, N.H., patrols through a field of trash using a medal detector to search for possible enemy caches in northern Ghazaliyah, Iraq, July 10, 2008. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. James Hunter, Multinational Division Baghdad  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “I pretty much always wanted to join the Army since I was playing with little green Army men, and I never saw...

BASRA, Iraq – A congressional delegation visited the Multi-National Division – South East headquarters in Basra, Iraq, July 21 while on a fact-finding mission during a trip through the area.  Senators Jack Reed, D-R.I., Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., arrived at Basra Air Station on an Air Force C-130. They were escorted by Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, commander, Multi-National Corps – Iraq, and Command Sgt. Maj. Joseph R. Allen, command sergeant major, MNC-I.   The senators met with MND-SE leaders and Iraqi Army leaders, Lt. Gen. Mohammad, commander, Basra operations, and Maj. Gen. Aziz, commander, 14th Iraqi Army...

The refurbished Old al Kut substation 33kV switchgear provided more reliable electrical power to approximately 300,000 people in al Kut. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Joe Thompson. FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA — The people of al Kut are receiving more reliable electricity, thanks to the upgrade of the Old al Kut substation 33kV switch gear, which increases the availability of power for transmission and distribution. Two sections of the antiquated substation were replaced and came online approximately two weeks ago. Government officials celebrated its completion during a ribbon cutting ceremony, July 16.“The people of al Kut have noticed...

BAGHDAD — “This ancient civilization of Mesopotamia, between the two historic rivers, taught the world how to read and how to write,” said Ahmed Rubayee, the Director General of Baghdad’s Rusafa 2 Education Department at al Neel school opening last week. “That is what we are doing here today, establishing a school, and to once again, be civilized and concentrate on teaching our children to read and write.” During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Director General Rubayee congratulated Officer in Charge of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Loyalty Resident Office Maj. Robert Culberson for the successful completion of the $797,000...

Iraqi children celebrate the transfer of security responsibility to Qadasiyah province from coalition forces in a parade during a ceremony in ad-Diwaniyah, July 16. Photo by Sgt. David Turner. FORWARD OPERATING BASE ECHO — The governor of Qadasiyah province assumed security responsibility from Multi-National Force - Iraq during a ceremony in the provincial capital of ad-Diwaniyah, July 16. Lieutenant General Lloyd Austin, commander of Multi-National Corps - Iraq, signed an agreement with Provincial Governor Hamed al-Khoudari, which gives responsibility of providing security to the people of Qadisiyah and the Government of Iraq.Austin thanked Maj. Gen. Andrjez Malinowski, Polish Army commander...

Iraqi Policemen assigned to 1st Battalion, 4th Brigade, 1st National Police Division, lay out weapons they confiscated during a search with their National Police Transition Team partners in the Al Amin area of eastern Baghdad, July 13. By Spc. Grant Okubo. FORWARD OPERATING BASE RUSTAMIYAH — National Policeman and their U.S. National Police Transition Team partners took to the streets of eastern Baghdad to enforce a weapons-free zone in and around Al Amin, July 13. Policemen from 1st Battalion, 4th Brigade, 1st National Police Division, led a clearing operation of the Al Amin power station and the surrounding area. Capt....

WASHINGTON, July 21, 2008 – Coalition and Iraqi forces killed six enemy fighters and detained 17 suspected terrorists during recent operations in Iraq, military officials said. Today in Baghdad and Mosul, Coalition forces captured 10 suspected terrorists during separate operations.. U.S. troops in Mosul detained an alleged al-Qaida leader and two other suspects. The suspected leader is believed to be a senior advisor to a terrorist network there, and “is believed to conspire with other terrorist leaders to conduct attacks and impose extremist ideals” on the citizens there, officials said. Coalition forces detained six suspected terrorists in Baghdad. The individuals...

PATROL BASE MEADE, Iraq, July 21, 2008 – Army Chaplain (Capt.) Eric Light gives a weekly sermon and is available for counseling whenever a soldier might need it. But he is not your ordinary chaplain. Army Chaplain (Capt.) Eric Light, chaplain for the 101st Airborne Division’s 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, stands outside his office on Patrol Base Meade, Iraq. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “When I was in college, money was kind of hard to come by, so I became a stunt guy to pay for college,” said Light, who serves...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA, Iraq, July 21, 2008 – The people of Kut, Iraq, now have more reliable electricity, thanks to the upgrade of a substation switch gear, which increases the availability of power for transmission and distribution. Bob Kagler, right) Wasit Provincial Reconstruction Team chief, delivers remarks while Capt. Hayder Adnan Ali Al-Saidy, Iraqi police liaison officer to coalition forces in Iraq’s Wasit province, translates during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a refurbished electrical substation in Kut, Iraq, July 16, 2008. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Joe Thompson  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Workers replaced two...

WASHINGTON, July 20, 2008 – Coalition forces in Iraq killed an enemy fighter, detained dozens of terrorism suspects and seized illegal weapons stockpiles in operations over the last few days, military officials reported. In operations today: -- In Beiji, south of Mosul, forces captured a suspected an al-Qaida in Iraq operative. During the operation, the target was injured, and another suspect was killed. Another suspect was detained. -- Two other operations in Beiji targeted al-Qaida in Iraq leaders and netted four suspected terrorists. -- In Baghdad, forces captured two alleged al-Qaida in Iraq leaders wanted for kidnappings and attacks against...

WASHINGTON, July 20, 2008 – An undetermined number of enemy fighters were killed today in separate air strikes in Afghanistan, with one of the engagements prompting an investigation into reports that Afghan National Police officers were killed. Combined Joint Task Force 101 officials said they’ve launched an investigation into an incident in which a combined U.S.-Afghan patrol came under attack by a “non-uniformed hostile force” early this morning in the Ana Dara district of western Afghanistan’s Farah province. The combined patrol signaled their status as coalition forces, but continued to receive fire, officials said. Coalition forces then returned small-arms fire...

WASHINGTON, July 20, 2008 – Setting a timeline for U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq would be “dangerous,” and troop reductions there should continue to be made based on security conditions on the ground, the nation’s top military officer said today. President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki this week agreed to set a general “time horizon" for bringing more U.S. troops home from the war, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said in an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” but he added that to his knowledge, the agreement does not include specific dates. “I think the consequences could be very dangerous...

Daniel Skotnick agriculture advisor, and Abdullah Al Asoum, economic bi-lingual, bi-cultural advisor with embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team Baghdad-5, speak with a farmer in Abernisha Village, northwest of Baghdad, July 13. Two tons of hybrid maize seed were donated to help rebuild Iraq’s agriculture and infrastructure. Photo by Pfc. Lyndsey Dransfield. CAMP TAJI — The Fertile Crescent portion of Iraq is notorious for its strong agricultural heritage throughout history. It has long blessed residents and their livestock with a plethora food.Unfortunately, in recent history investments and resources were diverted away from farming and food production, leaving Iraq's agricultural resources in utter...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON — Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers operating in the Rashid District of southern Baghdad detained five suspected criminals, July 17 – 19, while conducting combat operations. Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, MND-B, arrested two insurgent cell members July 17, in the Shurta community. On July 19, Soldiers from Company A, 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regt., attached to the 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B, detained a suspected criminal in the Saydiyah neighborhood. Soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B, also arrested two...

BAGHDAD — The Iraqi Police continue to make positive steps toward becoming self-sufficient through the vigorus training of the ‘Police Train-the-Trainer Academy Program’ in the Karkh District of Baghdad. Currently being ran by the 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, the training program focuses on training Karkh Security District policemen on rifle marksmanship, dismounted patrolling, tactical checkpoint operations, first aid, Iraqi law, crime scene management, improvised explosive device identification and reaction, and building clearing and searching procedures. A few months ago, the field artillery troops trained five policemen to become...

Editor's Note: The names of individuals interviewed for this article could not be published due to the nature of the unit’s mission.An Iraqi Army scout fires from cover during a live-fire exercise designed to simulate a raid and pursuit of a terrorist target in an urban environment on Forward Operating Base Delta, Iraq, July 15. Photo by Sgt. Daniel West. FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA — A platoon of Iraqi Army scouts took part in a live-fire exercise last week designed to simulate a raid and pursuit of a terrorist target in an urban environment. U.S. Soldiers from Operational Detachment Alpha 7236 trained...

More than 150 81 mm mortar rounds line the ground in the Rashid district of Baghdad July 15. The find, based on a citizen's tip, is part of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad, Soldiers' efforts in ‘Operation Raider Nor'easter’ in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad. Photo by Multi-National Corps - Iraq Public Affairs. FOB FALCON — Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers discovered a large weapons cache and detained a suspected special groups criminal during ‘Operation Raider Nor’easter’ in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad, July 15. Based on an Iraqi citizen’s tip,...

RUTBAH — A man of faith gave blessings to more than 10 families without fathers recently. Navy Lt. Raymond Rivers, a chaplain with 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 5, and Marines with Security Platoon, 2nd LAR packed up and delivered food and supplies to widows, July 16. “I’m very happy with this project and helping the widows of this city,” said Rivers, 43, from Anderson, S.C. “It’s an outstanding opportunity to help them establish themselves.” During the mission, the Marines loaded a group of Iraqi Police trucks with supplies for transportation to the city council building here....

SALAH AD DIN PROVINCE — Whooping and whistling like children on a roller coaster ride, Iraqi Police soared through the sun-soaked July sky on their way home from a successful mission. Their enthusiasm was not borne of the high-speed helicopter ride, but of the hard day’s work, which helped save the lives of countless Iraqi citizens. In the predawn hours of July 12, Iraqi Police, along with Soldiers from the 1st Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, conducted an air assault into the arid farmlands north of Balad. Throughout the burning July morning, the Iraqi SWAT...

Major Freddie Zink, 445th Civil Affairs Battalion and Multi-National Division - Center veterinarian, prepares a dose of de-wormer with assistance from the son of Hadi Sloobi Muthawer, a local farmer, during a Veterinarian Civil Action Program conducted in the Fetoah area. Photo by Staff Sgt. Amber Emery. CAMP VICTORY — Iraqi Army Soldiers and Coalition forces conducted a veterinarian medical event in the Fetoah area, July 14.Iraqi Soldiers from 4th Company, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Brigade, 17th Iraqi Army Division assisted Soldiers from Company B, 1st Battalion, 35th Armored Division (attached), 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) during...

BAGHDAD — An Iraqi citizen and Iraqi Security Volunteers assisted Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers in the recovery of two separate weapons caches July 15-16 in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad. At approximately 10:15 p.m., July 15, Soldiers from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division reported a group of ISV members handed over 10 mortar fuses to a combat outpost in the Aamel community. Acting on a tip from an Iraqi citizen, Soldiers from the 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div., discovered three rocket propelled grenades at approximately 11:45 a.m., July 16, in the Hadar neighborhood. An explosives...

PATROL BASE JURF AS SAHKR — More than 1,500 members of the Sons of Iraq program met Coalition forces, July 10 - 15, to discuss current security issues in Jurf as Sahkr and receive their monthly pay. Soldiers from Company A, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, visited each SoI checkpoint to gain a better understanding of each area of responsibility. “It was great to be able to talk to each individual checkpoint as a group and ensure they understand the importance of their job in making Iraq a safe place,” said Staff Sgt....