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Staff Sgt. Timothy Wallace (center), an instructor assigned to Company B, 163rd Combined Arms Battalion, explains the need to be constantly on the lookout for Improvised Explosive Devices during a Counter-IED class on Camp Slayer, Sept. 6. Photo by Sgt. Joshua Risner, Multi-National Division – Baghdad. BAGHDAD — Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) are a deadly part of the landscape here, and it takes sharp eyes and keen knowledge of what to look for to stay out of harm's way. Soldiers of Company B, 163rd Combined Arms Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, created a counter-IED class here designed...

Rushing out of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, Iraqi Soldiers hit the ground and take up security positions during a training exercise in Baghdad, Aug. 18. Photo by Sgt. Travis Zielinski, 1st Cavalry Division. BAGHDAD — American servicemembers here continue to train the Iraqi Army (IA) using the same methods available to U.S. military forces. Starting off with the basic steps and procedures, a crawl, walk then run approach helps the Iraqis attain professional military standards. The 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, teamed up with 150th Armed Reconnaissance Squadron, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team,...

Iraqi Army mechanics participate in a class on the Humvee fuel system at Camp Ali, July 16. Photo by Lance Cpl. Melissa Latty, 2nd Marine Logistic Group. CAMP RAMADI — One Marine has come a long way since beginning a maintenance partnership here in February with the Iraqi Army and Military Transition Team 9999. Staff Sgt. Donald L. Marsh, a platoon sergeant with Support Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 4, 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward), teaches bi-weekly maintenance classes with in-depth classroom instruction followed by practical application on everything from the fuel system to the electrical system of a Humvee."Marsh has...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE TAJI, Iraq (July 14, 2009) — Soldiers from the 4th, 5th, and Headquarters, Iraqi Army Field Engineer Regiments partnered with 50th Multi-Role Bridge Company from Fort Leonard Wood, a part of Joint Task Force Eagle, to train on Mabey and Johnson Bridge emplacement at the Iraqi Army Engineer School from July 3 to 13. The Iraqi Army Engineer School trains 400 to 500 Iraqi Army engineers each rotation. The 50th MRBC, which supports the 555th Engineer Brigade, assists this effort by instructing groups of 20 to 30 IA Engineers during ten-day blocks of classroom and hands-on bridge...

Sgt. Fedra A. Toy instructs Iraqi Soldiers on how to properly administer an intravenous injection during a five-day Combat Life Saver course at Contingency Operating Base Adder, June 17. Photo by Sgt. Crystal Reidy, 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary). COB ADDER — Two U.S. units partnered to provide Combat Life Saver (CLS) skills to the Iraqi Army (IA) during a recent five-day training course here. Medics from the 287th Sustainment Brigade and 4th Brigade Combat Team (BCT), 1st Armored Division, partnered to provide CLS training to four medics from the IA 10th Special Forces Commando Battalion.The goal was to conduct a...

Spc. Anthony Wilson, 1st Cavalry Division, instructs two Iraqi Army Soldiers on their new single channel ground and airborne radio system on Forward Operating Base Marez, July 8. Photo by Pfc. Sharla Perrin, 1st Cavalry Division. MOSUL — Coalition forces throughout Ninewa are continuing to support their Iraqi Security Force counterparts through integrated training events such as marksmanship and radio communications. Troops with the 1st Cavalry Division’s operations section trained an Iraqi Army (IA) communications team on the installation and operation of their new vehicle radio communication systems on Forward Operating Base Marez, July 8.The single channel ground and airborne...

Iraqi policemen in Basra celebrated the withdrawal on Tuesday. A recent spate of high-profile bombings that has killed over 250 people has added to the uncertainty of the handover, but it did not dampen the national pride of the day. Photo: Haider al-Assadee/European Pressphoto AgencyIt should be a victory day for all; but not without cautious optimism, nervous trepidation, and healthy skepticism. Peter Feaver: Early reports that General Odierno felt the deadline should slip a bit gave way to more recent reports that he was comfortable meeting the deadline. This reassured me somewhat, until I re-read this assessment by Stephen...

WASHINGTON, June 29, 2009 – The withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from all Iraqi cities and towns was completed over the weekend and ahead of tomorrow’s deadline, a Pentagon spokesman said on a cable TV news show today. “Overall, the security situation is stable enough for Iraqi security forces to take on this added responsibility,” Geoff Morrell said on CNN’s “Newsroom.” “It’s one that they want, and it’s one that the commanders on the ground feel they are capable of taking on. “It has to be OK because there’s a legal agreement, which forces us to abide by these timelines,”...

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – U.S. troops pulled out of Baghdad on Monday, triggering jubilation among Iraqis hopeful that foreign military occupation is ending six years after the invasion to depose Saddam Hussein. Iraqi soldiers paraded through the streets in their American-made vehicles draped with Iraqi flags and flowers, chanting, dancing and calling the pullout a "victory." One drove a motorcycle with party streamers on it; another, a Humvee with a garland of plastic roses on the grill. U.S. combat troops must pull out of Iraq's urban centers by midnight on Tuesday under a bilateral security pact that also requires all troops...

Lt. Col. Timothy Karcher, commander, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, presents Sameer al Haddad, a representative from the Office of the Prime Minister of Iraq, a symbolic key signifying the transfer of responsibility of Joint Security Station Sadr City in northeast Baghdad during the official ceremony, June 20. Photo by Sgt. Shejal Pulivarti, 1st Cavalry Division. BAGHDAD — A common sense of triumph and accomplishment drifted in the air during a ceremony in northeast Baghdad’s Sadr City district June 20, as U.S. Soldiers returned Joint Security Station (JSS) Sadr City to the Iraqi Army (IA), in accordance with the U.S.-Iraq...

BAGHDAD — Since its inception, the Lessons Learned Center (LLC) has focused on how it can help the Iraqi Army (IA) better its performance in defending the nation. Fulfilling a key element of the US-Iraq Security Agreement, the LLC collects and analyzes what IA forces have learned from previous missions and then uses that information to recommend improvements to those forces. This has helped improve both the units’ professionalism and the security they provide. There are three main sections to the LLC. The Collections section is responsible for visiting units to collect information in a detailed and organized method. This...

BAGHDAD — As the June 30 deadline for U.S. Soldiers to be out of Iraqi cities draws near, U.S. forces under Multi-National Division - Baghdad handed over Joint Security Station (JSS) Hurriyah II to Iraqi Security Forces, June 9. "This is yet another step the sovereign state of Iraq has taken to provide for the security of the people of Baghdad and the progress that has been achieved together with the Iraqi Security Forces," said Col. Joseph Martin, commander, 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team. "Iraq is now enjoying irreversible momentum toward a peaceful and prosperous future." Since October, elements of...

Capt. Adam Ropelewski, commander, Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment, signs over control of Joint Security Station Mutanabe to Capt. 'Ali Abdual Zaharra Hussain, 4th Company, 3rd Battalion, 32nd Iraqi Army Brigade, at a transfer ceremony, May 28. Photo by Sgt. Joe Thompson, Multi-National Division-South. FOB DELTA — U.S. forces handed over the responsibility of Joint Security Station Mutanabe in the Wasit province to the Iraqi Army (IA) in a ceremony here, May 28. Capt. Adam Ropelewski, commander of Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment, 41st Fires Brigade, signed over the JSS to Capt. Ali Abdual...

A line of M1A1 Abrams tanks sit in the Iraqi sun as Soldiers of the 9th Iraqi Army Division receive instruction on the basics of tank operation April 11 at Forward Operating Base Hammer. The Iraqi government has purchased 140 Abrams tanks and these Soldiers will be among the first to become certified.

A man wearing an Iraqi army uniform has shot dead two US soldiers and injured three others in a military base south of the northern city of Mosul. The US army said the man was also killed in the incident but gave little information about the attack. But Iraqi military reports said he was a soldier also working as an Imam for at a mosque on the base. No motive was given for the attack but Mosul is seen as the last remaining urban stronghold of al-Qaeda in Iraq. The US army said it had received reports of "small arms...

Gunman in Iraqi uniform kills 2 U.S. soldiers BAGHDAD - An attacker wearing an Iraqi army uniform shot to death two U.S. soldiers outside the volatile northern city of Mosul on Saturday, the U.S. military said. "We have reports of a small arms fire attack in Hamam al-Alil, 12.5 miles south of Mosul," said Major Derrick Cheng, a spokesman for the U.S. military in Mosul and surrounding Nineveh province. "There are initial reports of two U.S. soldiers killed in the attack ... According to initial reports, an individual dressed in an Iraqi army uniform fired on the coalition forces and...

BAGHDAD, April 13, 2009 – In their first engagement on Camp Liberty, Multinational Division Baghdad leaders serving with the 1st Infantry Division’s 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team met April 11 with the staff of the 6th Iraqi Army Division’s 24th Brigade. Army Col. Joseph Martin meets with Iraqi army leaders for dinner at the Dagger Inn dining facility on Camp Liberty, Iraq, April 11, 2009. The meeting was the first time the leaders have met at Camp Liberty. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Dustin Roberts  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The leaders, who help to secure the population...

An Iraqi screener searches a local national before entering Joint Base Balad, April 1. Photo by Tech. Sgt. Lionel Castellano, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing. JOINT BASE BALAD — More than 100 Iraqis were recently contracted to secure the outer perimeter of this base to help protect the men and women serving here. “This contract is a first of its kind,� said Lt. Col. Raymond Reyes, Joint Base Balad (JBB) Regional Contracting Center commander. “Putting a requirement to employ 80 percent of the contractor’s workforce from the local area is an innovative contracting solution to implementing the Joint Campaign Plan.“This is...

CAMP MEJID — Military Transition Team (MiTT)-7, working with the Reconnaissance Platoon of Regimental Combat Team (RCT)-8, recently launched a month-long training course designed to hone the skills of the 7th Iraqi Army Division’s Special Operations Battalion. The training program began with a five-day marksmanship refresher, which reminded the Iraqi commandos how to properly zero their weapons, fire at extended distances, and rapidly assess and engage close-range targets with their assault rifles. “I’d say they’re giving everything they’ve got,” said Robert Wise, MiTT-7’s special operations foreign internal defense specialist. “They come out here, and in their own way, they try...

PATROL BASE HILLA, Iraq, March 27, 2009 – The Iraqi army’s 31st Brigade chose its best and brightest soldiers to attend the first “Sergeant’s Time” training hosted by U.S. soldiers at the Iraqi army compound here. Army Spc. Daniel S. Mutchler, signal support systems specialist and “Sergeant’s Time” instructor, shows Iraqi soldiers how to properly tie down an OE-254 antenna during the 172nd Infantry Brigade’s first Iraqi army Sergeant’s Time training at the Iraqi army compound on Patrol Base Hilla, Iraq, March 17, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael J. Taylor  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Soldiers...

BAGHDAD, March 26, 2009 – Iraq soldiers of the 11th Iraqi Army Division and members of the 11th U.S. Military Transition Team delivered much-needed medical supplies to the residents of northeastern Baghdad’s al-Shaab community March 19. This joint humanitarian-aid mission was the first glimpse of government assistance for some residents of this poverty-stricken neighborhood in the Adhamiyah district.  Students at the New Iraq School smile at the sight of Iraqi and coalition forces who were bringing medical supplies to al-Shaab community in northeastern Baghdad, March 19, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Phillip Adam Turner  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution...

DIYALA — The Iraqi Army assumed control of Combat Outpost Ayres from 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division during a ceremony held March 19. Capt. Matthew Caprari, commander, Apache Company, 3-21 Inf., the unit that had operational control of COP Ayres, signed control over to Iraqi Army commander Lt. Col. Khalil Malik Ahmed, commander, 3rd Battalion, 20th IA Brigade. The official documents were signed during a brief ceremony, presided over by Khalil and Lt. Col. James R. DeMoss, battalion commander, 3-21 Inf. “Today is a significant day for the Iraqi and U.S. partnership,”...

2nd Lt. Ghazwan Wafeaq Majed (center) proudly holds his diploma after being the first Iraqi Army officer to complete the Iraqi Junior Leader Development Course at Forward Operating Base Dolby, March 16. Photo by Spc. Kevin Holden, 1st Armored Division Public Affairs. BAGHDAD — Iraqi Army (IA) 2nd Lt. Ghazwan Wafeaq Majed became the first IA officer to complete the Junior Leader Development Course at Forward Operating Base Dolby, March 16.The goal of the training is to continue the improvement of the IA and prepare them to assume an ever-increasing role in providing for the defense of Iraq. The security...

American and Iraqi troops interact with villagers near Forward Operating Base Hunter, March 7. The village leader offered hot sweet tea, bread and bottled water to the hard-working troops. Photo by 1st Lt. Jason Frisco, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs. FOB HUNTER — Nearly 500 Iraqi Soldiers recently traveled approximately 20 miles to reinforce that the Iraqi Army (IA) is capable of ensuring security and providing stability here. The 3rd Battalion, 41st Iraqi Army Brigade Soldiers joined their American counterparts from the 1st Cavalry Division for ‘Operation Thesinger,’ March 7.“I’m always excited to work with the Americans,� said Lt. Nubrass...

KIRKUK — More than 600 Iraqi Army (IA) Soldiers completed an intense, month-long Warfighter Training Course at the K1 Regional Training Center here, March 12. According to IA Staff Lt. Gen. Husayn Jasim Dohi, deputy chief of staff for training, the Soldiers were instructed on small and intermediate weapons, IED awareness and prevention, and checkpoint procedures. The battalion also practiced patrolling in a MOUT (Military Operations on Urban Terrain), that simulated a village with homes and a hospital. Ethics were also covered during the training. “Good training without values is not good. You become an Army of criminals and the...

A woman from Amarah thanks an Iraqi Army Soldier during a humanitarian aid drop in Amarah, March 9. Photo by 2nd Lt. Sean Frankum, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs. FOB GARRY OWEN — Iraqi Soldiers recently traveled house to house in a small neighborhood in the Maysan province on the southeastern border of Iraq to hand out essential supplies to citizens in need.The Iraqi Soldiers, assisted by their American counterparts, provided blankets, canned food and other household necessities during the humanitarian aid drop in the city of Amarah.Along with food and bedding supplies, Iraqi children were also given comic books...

TAJI, Iraq, Jan. 28, 2009 – Coalition members transferred the 4,000th armored Humvee to the Iraqi government Jan. 25 as part of a program to provide mission-capable Humvees to Iraqi security forces and on-the-job training to Iraqi mechanics. The program, based at Camp Taji here, is managed by logistics personnel from Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, with assistance from Army Materiel Command, Tank and Automotive Command, Multinational Corps Iraq and other coalition partners. The program includes a complete refurbishment of Humvees for the Iraqi Defense Ministry, Interior Ministry and Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Bureau. The project employs more than 500 Iraqis with...

Iraqi and U.S. Soldiers depart Contingency Operating Base Adder in southern Iraq, Jan. 18, 2009. The Iraqi troops now provide convoy security for the 27 BSB Soldiers. Photo courtesy of 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. COB ADDER — Iraqi Army (IA) Soldiers for the first time escorted a Coalition logistics convoy to remote outposts in southern Iraq, Jan. 18. Iraqi troops from the 10th Motor Transportation Regiment, 10th IA Division provided security for the 27th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Div. while the battalion delivered supplies.“The mission was executed in a very professional manner,�...

CAMP TAJI, Iraq, Jan. 15, 2009 – As part of an ongoing effort to enhance the Iraqi army’s combat effectiveness, the U.S. military has turned over thousands of armored Humvees. The program is a joint effort between the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force as part of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, with the intent to turn over 8,500 of the vehicles to the Iraqis by July, officials said. Army Col. Michael Sage of the command’s supply division manages a $200 million contract to refurbish the vehicles before they are sold to the Iraqis. "Our aim is to provide...

An Iraqi Army medic, assigned to the 10th IA Division, administers intravenous fluids to a fellow Soldier during advanced combat medical skills training at Camp Mittica, near Tallil Air Base, in southern Iraq, Dec. 31, 2008. U.S. Army photo. CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER — Approximately 15 Iraqi Army medics completed advanced combat medical skills training at Camp Mittica, near Tallil Air Base, in southern Iraq, Dec 31, 2008. Soldiers of the 10th IA Division attended the class offered through a continued partnership with the 27th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. Staff Sgt. Junior St. Hilaire...

BAGHDAD – Iraqi Army and Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers seized weapons caches in Baghdad Dec. 28. At about 2 p.m. Iraqi Army Soldiers serving with the 4th Battalion, 54th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division found another weapons cache in the Mansour District of Baghdad which included three propane tanks rigged to be improvised explosive devices, 40 pounds of ball bearings, seven rocket propelled grenade heads, six cell phone chargers, two mortar rounds, two license plates, two 45 pound unknown bulk explosives bags, a pressure plate, four sniper rifles, a cell phone, three light switches and a spool of copper...

TALLIL, Iraq – 634 Iraqi Army non-commissioned officers completed transition and reintegration training at Camp Ur, Regional Training Center – Tallil, Dec. 17. The updated, eight-week course included training on squad and platoon tactics, and familiarization and firing of the AK-47 rifle.  The graduating non-commissioned officers will go to Iraqi Army divisions throughout Iraq and bring the total NCO graduates of this program to 2,093, or two percent of the total strength of the Iraqi Army.Iraqi Army Brig. Gen. Arif said, "You have spent eight weeks training as Soldiers to protect your country against its enemies. Continue to develop your...

In this Oct. 31, 2008 file photo, Iraqi Soldiers are introduced to the tanks their Army will use in the future. Photo by Spc. Chase Kincaid, Joint Combat Camera Center Iraq. TAJI — The Iraqi Army Armor School here hosted an M1A1 tank orientation for the first group of 28 Iraqi Army M1A1 tank crewmen, Dec. 21. The crewmen, selected from the cadre of current Iraqi Army Armor School instructors and Iraqi Army 9th Mechanized Infantry Division, will continue their orientation through Jan. 2.  Final selectees will then participate in a three month train-the-trainer course with U.S. Army instructors at...

Iraqi Soldiers from the 4th Battalion, 54th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, prepare to conduct an operation with Coalition forces from Multi-National Division – Baghdad in the Ameriyah District of northwest Baghdad Dec. 20. The operation netted a number of illegal weapons and displayed the abilities of the Iraqi Security Forces to plan and execute a combat operation. Photo by 1st Infantry Division Public Affairs. BAGHDAD — Iraqi Security Forces, with the assistance of Coalition forces, conducted Operation ‘Foul Dagger’ Dec. 20 in the Ghazaliyah and Ameriyah Districts of northwest Baghdad. The purpose of the mission was to deter a...

DIWANIYA — Coalition forces conducted status checks on highway checkpoints controlled by the Sons of Iraq during a patrol Dec. 15. Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, conducted the patrol and found citizens working diligently to maintain the safety of their city. “I have mid-day duty. I watch the highways and search the areas (around my checkpoint). Sometimes, (the Iraqi Police) call on me to help search cars,” said Calvin, a member of the SoI. The SoI program works with the Iraqi Police and Iraqi Army to make the provinces safe for their citizens. The combined...

TAJI — The Czech contingent, Senior Iraqi and Coalition partners gathered at the Iraqi Army Armor School here Dec. 4 to mark the Czech Republic end-of-mission and to recognize the Czechs for their work training and advising the Iraqi Army. Czech Republic Army Maj. Frantisek Grmela commanded 14 Soldiers who served as trainers and advisors to the IraqiArmy Armor School at Taji for the past six months. Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq TAJI — The Czech contingent, Senior Iraqi and Coalition partners gathered at the Iraqi Army Armor School here Dec. 4 to mark the Czech Republic end-of-mission and...

Iraqi Lt. Ahmed explains the compliance patrol to a resident of Al Murtada in the Mahmudiyah Qada, south of Baghdad, Nov. 26, 2008. Photo by 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division Public Affairs. BAGHDAD — Multi-National Division - Baghdad and Iraqi Army Soldiers conducted a joint compliance neighborhood inspection patrol in the town of Al Murtada in the Mahmudiyah Qada, south of Baghdad, Nov. 26. Soldiers from Company D, 1st Battalion, 63rd Combined Arms Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, and Iraqi Army Soldiers from 1st and 2nd Battalion, 25th Brigade, 17th Iraqi Army division conducted the...

BESMAYA RANGE COMPLEX — A group of Iraqi Soldiers stepped up to help California residents victimized by recent wildfires raging throughout the state. Iraqi Army Col. Abbas Fadhil, Besmaya Range Complex commander, and his team of “Abbas’ Eagles” raised $500 for wildfire relief. “We want to send a message to the American president and the American people,” Abbas said. “We feel that we are a family — one body. When one part of the body suffers, the other parts suffer, too.” This is the fourth donation the Soldiers of Besmaya have sent to the American people recently. In September, they...

BAGHDAD – More than half of the Baghdad province Sons’ of Iraq have received their first paychecks from the Government of Iraq, with eight other provinces slated to follow suit by the summer of 2009.      “October 1st was the first transfer of the SoI to the Government of Iraq in Baghdad province, with 51,135 SoI [now under GoI control], and then throughout the month of October was the validation of the pay rosters and getting the pay sites ready,” said Lt. Col. Jeffrey D. Kulmayer, chief, reconciliation and engagement, Multi-National Corps – Iraq.  “The October pay period was just paid...

COP OLD MOD — For weeks Iraqi Soldiers from the 11th Iraqi Army Division were put through their paces in order to successfully graduate a newly established training academy. The 11th IA Div. non-commissioned officers trained to become instructors of various classes including reading and writing literacy, computer literacy and the warrior leadership. The training ended Oct. 30 with a formal graduation ceremony at the training academy at Combat Outpost Old Mod, but started with the hard work and dedication by many individuals and the leadership of the 11th IA Division almost eight months ago. The course is designed to...

A local doctor examines an infant boy while his mother looks on during a joint medical operation in Ghazaliyah, Oct. 13, 2008. Photo by Sgt. Matthew Vanderboegh, 101st Airborne Division (AA) Public Affairs. BAGHDAD — Iraqi security and Coalition forces, working side by side with local physicians in Ghazaliyah, held a joint medical exercise in this northwest Baghdad neighborhood Oct. 13, to provide free healthcare to the citizens, many of whom cannot afford medical treatment. As word quickly spread of the free medical care and humanitarian assistance boxes available, more than 700 local citizens crowded the entrance of the clinic.“This...

WHO: All media WHAT: Iraqi Army Noncommissioned Officer Symposium, hosted by Command Sergeant Major Adel, Sergeant Major of the Iraqi Army. Command Sergeant Major Adel, Command Sergeant Major Marvin Hill, and Command Sergeant Major Joseph Allen will be available for interviews. WHEN: Oct. 21, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. WHERE: Al Faw Palace, Camp Victory WHY: This symposium is designed to enhance the professionalism and competence of the senior enlisted soldiers in the Iraqi Army as a step toward Iraqi Security Force self-reliance. NOTE: Media desiring to attend should contact Major Tribus via e-mail at brian.tribus@iraq.centcom.milThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it...

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FOB DELTA — Kazakhstani Soldiers conducted a three-day course here in basic explosives handling and safe demolition techniques for 10 Iraqi Army Soldiers, Sept. 22 - 25. “It’s a good chance for us to share our experience with them,” said Azat Mukhamadiev, liaison officer for the Kazakhstani contingent. “Our officers are graduates of military academies and have extensive experience in practical exercises and training our troops.” The training consisted of two days of classroom exercises, followed by a controlled detonation conducted by the Iraqi and Kazakhstani Soldiers. “We taught procedures for finding and destroying unexploded ordnance, as well as the...

Spc. Roberto Giron of the 74th Multi Role Bridging Company works to teach an Iraqi combat engineer how to properly set bridge panels during the unit’s training session held at Camp Taji. The training of the Iraqi army combat engineer is just another step in helping the country sustain itself in the future. Photo by Spc. Michael Behlin. CAMP TAJI — Getting Iraq to the point of being able to sustain itself in all operations is an important factor in today’s war on terrorism. With the country being able to govern, defend, and sustain itself, the U.S. military presence has...

Three young Iraqi children bearing a platter holding an Iraqi flag surrounded by roses wait to present the flag to the Iraqi color guard during a ceremony at Combat Outpost Cleary Sept. 9, 2008. Photo by Pfc. Michael Schuch, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division Public Affairs. FOB HAMMER — The 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, handed authority of Combat Outpost Cleary to Soldiers of the 4th Battalion, 34th Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division in a ceremony at the outpost near Salman Pak, Sept. 9. Iraqi Soldiers celebrated with song and dance after raising the Iraqi flag,...

COB ADDER — An Iraqi Army (IA) training center in southern Iraq graduated nearly 200 new Soldiers, Sept. 4, 2008. The new troops are set to fill positions in the 10th and 14th IA Divisions. “I give credit to my officers for training me into being a better Soldier,” said Pvt. Talal Maki, a recent graduate of Camp Ur’s truck driving school. Maki is scheduled to join the 39th Brigade, located in Samawah. “They prepared me and my fellow troops to fight and defend our country.” The IA is putting better trained troops into its operational divisions in the southern...

Patients walk past Iraqi Soldiers providing security from the 11th Iraqi Army Division, Aug. 20, 2008, during the combined medical engagement conducted in Sadr City. Photo by Sgt. Philip Klein, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs. BAGHDAD — When much needed health care is provided to citizens, it’s a welcome gift. The gift is even more welcome when Iraqi citizens see their own Soldiers taking the lead to help them. The 11th Iraqi Army (IA) Division delivered medical supplies and provided treatment to the citizens of the Thawra 1 neighborhood of the Sadr City District of Baghdad,...

Iraqi and U.S. troops will be taking over the Iraq checkpoints and patrol bases manned by Georgian troops before their hasty departure to deal with the conflict in their own country. Some 2,000 Georgian troops — who made up the third-largest foreign military contingent in Iraq — were airlifted out of the country by U.S. military officials this week. The Georgians had been called home to deal with the fighting with Russian forces sparked by the conflict over separatist regions. On Friday, the U.S. military said members of the Iraqi security forces, along with U.S. troops from the 41st Fires...

Iraq's arms purchases provides insight on the potential distribution of armor in the Iraqi Army.