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9/30/2008 - KIRKUK REGIONAL AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- The Iraqi air force Flying Training Wing has reached yet another goal, one that may have seemed impossible a year ago, with the help of Airmen from the 52nd Expeditionary Flying Training Squadron. This partnership enabled Iraqi pilots to reach the 3,000th flying training hour milestone here Sept 23. Iraqi air force student pilot 2nd Lt. Hassan, whose full name is not used for security purposes, topped the milestone during his final check ride in the pilot training program. Lt. Col. Scott Voskovitch, 52nd EFTS instructor pilot, sat in the instructor...

Senior Airman Kathleen Gasque, a native of Marion, SC, lays down electrical cord outside the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division S2 office, August 8, 2008. Gasque volunteered to deploy for one year in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Photo by Sgt. Philip Klein, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs. FOB WAR EAGLE — The fight to bring security to the people of Iraq requires the cooperation of all branches of the military. Senior Airman Kathleen Gasque is one of the servicemembers who have taken the responsibility to fight for the freedom of Iraq and her...

The M777A2 Light Weight 155 mm Howitzer made its debut at Camp Taji, Iraq, Jan. 2. The Soldiers from Battery B "Banditos," 2nd Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, "Warrior," 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, first Army unit to field and fire the cannon system in Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti. CAMP TAJI -- The Soldiers from Battery B, “Banditos,” 2nd Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, “Warrior,” 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, made history, Jan. 2, when they were the first Army unit to...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 11, 2007 – Coalition forces detained 16 suspects, including three wanted individuals, during operations today to disrupt al Qaeda in Iraq and foreign terrorist operations in central and northern Iraq. -- During an operation in southern Baghdad, coalition forces captured a wanted individual believed to be involved in the car-bombing network in the Rusafa and Karkh areas. Reports indicated the suspect was associated with several of the network’s senior leaders and allegedly tried to reestablish operations after significant degradation by coalition forces. -- An operation northeast of the capital city netted an individual believed to be tied to...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 15, 2007 – President Bush said today he supports the recommendations on reducing troop levels in Iraq made earlier this week by Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq. During his weekly radio address, Bush voiced confidence in Petraeus’ suggestion that U.S. forces reduce their size by 5,700 troops in Iraq by Christmas, and that troop levels could be scaled down from 20 combat brigades to 15 by July. Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker presented their report to Congress Sept. 10-11. “I have accepted General Petraeus’ recommendations. And I have...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12, 2007 – Coalition forces detained 15 suspected terrorists during operations today targeting al Qaeda leaders and their networks in the northern part of Iraq. Coalition forces in Mosul captured two wanted individuals believed to be finalizing plans for an attack on the Mosul airfield during Ramadan. The two also are suspected of conducting attacks against coalition forces. Forces captured a mortar expert near the Syrian border wanted for his suspected involvement in August attacks on Kurdish government buildings in Sinjar. The ground forces detained six other suspected terrorists during the raid and discovered a cache of weapons,...

BAQUBAH, Iraq, July 9, 2007 – Iraqi army and coalition soldiers from Task Force Lightning continued offensive operations in and around the capital of Iraq’s Diyala province today, as Operation Arrowhead Ripper continues to deny resources to al Qaeda terrorists during its 20th day in the area. Soldiers from 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, and 3rd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division, discovered and disabled five vehicles being prepared as car bombs and caches containing pipe bombs, sniper rifles, and other explosives and bomb-making materials. During another joint operation in western Baqubah, soldiers from 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment,...

Blackanthem Military News, CAMP STRIKER, Iraq – A combined operation between ground forces and Apache attack helicopters engaged and killed a platoon-sized element of enemy fighters west of the Baghdad International Airport Complex on Iraqi Highway 1 at approximately 9 p.m., March 7. A patrol from Troop A, 1st Battalion, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division reported enemy tracer fire in the area known as Az-Zaidon. As they moved toward the firing, they detected armed insurgents in an ambush position along both sides of a canal road. A truck was parked nearby. After clearing the area...