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BAGHDAD — U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Kevin J. Bergner, spokesman for Multi-National Force-Iraq held an operational update on al-Qaeda in Iraq Wednesday at the Combined Press Information Center. Bergner named al-Qaeda in Iraq as the principal near-term threat to Iraq. “The government of Iraq, Iraqi security forces and Coalition forces are engaged in a tough fight against al-Qaeda and in particular it’s extremist ideology and leadership,” said Bergner. However, Bergner said both Iraqi and Coalition forces are making progress in the fight against al-Qaeda. “We are pursuing those who run those networks, and we are enabled by increasing amounts of...

Qarghuli village residents lead troops to caches Sunday, 08 July 2007 Multi-National Corps – Iraq Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory APO AE 09342 Qarghuli village residents lead troops to caches 2nd BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. PAO Multi-National Division – Center PAO QARGHULI VILLAGE, Iraq — Residents of a village south of Baghdad, long a terrorist hot spot, led U.S. forces to major weapons caches near their town July 6. Soldiers of the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y., were taken to a series of 12 caches –...

Iraqi civilian deaths dropped to their lowest level since the start of the Baghdad security operation, government figures showed Sunday, suggesting signs of progress in tamping down violence in the capital. But American casualties are running high as U.S. forces step up pressure on Sunni and Shiite extremists in and around Baghdad. At least 1,227 Iraqi civilians were killed in June along with 190 policemen and 31 soldiers, an officer at the Iraqi Interior Ministry's operations room said. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the figures. That represented a 36 percent drop...

WASHINGTON, June 29, 2007 – Americans still face a tough fight inside Baghdad, but the trend lines are improving, the commander of Multinational Division Baghdad said today. Army Maj. Gen. Joseph F. Fil Jr., speaking from Iraq, told Pentagon reporters that the overall trend lines in the city are positive. “The number of attacks, first of all, has come down,” he said. “The effect of those attacks has come down significantly.” One example is in car bombs. While the number of car bomb attacks has remained relatively constant since November 2006, the effects of those attacks have dropped. “That's...

SULAIMANIYA, 30 May (IRIN) - Kurds, Turcomans and Christians from northern Iraq have established independent organisations that aim to reduce influence of sectarian militias operating in the area. Two of the organisations are the mixed Peace Union for Iraqis(PUI) and Kurdish Autonomous Freedom Organisation (KAFO). "Iraqis in the region have begun to unite, without consideration of ethnic background, to prevent sectarian violence from spreading," said PUI member Dorah Muhammad, 38, from a village in northern Kurdistan near the Turkish border. "And we're asking the government to take action to clamp down on the militias." The newly-formed organisations, whose members include...

AL QA’IM, Iraq (May 15, 2006) -- A 28-year-old Iraqi woman has told Marines and sailors in region of western Al Anbar Province that all she wants is to be able to walk again. The woman from Karabilah, Iraq, is missing both of her legs. But the Marines of the 3rd Civil Affairs Group – a U.S. military unit responsible for assisting Iraqi communities with rebuilding local government infrastructure, commerce and economies – are doing something about it. They’re jumpstarting the lengthy process of finding aid for the woman, who lost both of her legs during combat operations conducted by...

Abu Salah heard the screeching tires and gunfire outside his home in central Baghdad... He rushed from his house to see his neighbors - Shiite neighbors - on their roofs, in their windows, in their yards, firing at the attackers. In a trembling voice, he explained that at that moment he felt life change. He realized that his neighbors weren't going to stand by and let the bad guys win. "I prefer now to die among my friends and neighbors rather than leave my home," he said. "I felt thrilled to see them fighting, all my neighbors standing next to...

Abu Salah heard the screeching tires and gunfire outside his home in central Baghdad, and cowered. He'd feared this moment. He'd even plotted leaving the city, though he'd never followed through on his plan. Now invaders had entered his street, and he knew that as the only Sunni on a street filled with Shiites, he was probably their target, whomever the invaders might be - insurgents, kidnappers or sectarian death squads. "I was shaking; it was the fourth time in three days they'd invaded," he said. "I knew they were coming for me." Then he heard another sound: the gunfire...

JORDANIAN BORDER, Iraq (April 29, 2006) -- Near the Iraqi-Jordanian border, key leaders from the Iraqi Government and the United Nations met to figure out the fate of a growing number of Iraqis of Palestinian heritage who are trying to leave Iraq due to recent violence in Baghdad. The meeting between the two organizations came after more than 200 Iraqi men, women and children took up residence along the border here weeks ago, after being denied passage into Jordan by Jordanian border officials. The Iraqis left Baghdad to escape “violence and persecution” by insurgents, who targeted hundreds of Iraqi families...

Apr 29, 5:09 PM (ET) By ROBERT H. REID BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Sectarian violence has forced about 100,000 families across Iraq to flee their homes, a top Iraqi official said. At least 17 people, including an American soldier, were killed Saturday in fighting. Adil Abdul-Mahdi, one of the country's two vice presidents, estimated on Friday that 100,000 Iraqi families - 90 percent of them his fellow Shiites - had fled their homes to escape attacks by rival religious sects. Abdul-Mahdi's estimate was higher than any offered so far by Iraqi officials, who have placed the figure at about 15,000...

Taza based Iraqi Police officers hand out flyers while on patrol with U.S. Army soldiers of Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. U.S. Army photo by Capt. Lyn Graves Iraqi Police, Army Gain Trust of Iraqi People Gathering information on possible insurgent activity, and at the same time building relationships with the Iraqi people, works in outlying areas the same as it does in towns. By U.S. Army Capt. Lyn Graves 133rd MPAD KIRKUK, Iraq, April 17, 2006 — When an Iraqi factory worker found a bag containing what he believed...

Soldiers Build Trust with Local People Bastogne soldiers from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne have a mission with the dualityof destroying the insurgency and rebuilding the nation by garnering trust from the local populace. By U.S. Army Spc. Michael Pfaff 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment Kirkuk, Iraq, March 23, 2006 — Bastogne soldiers from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne have a mission with the duality of destroying the insurgency and rebuilding the nation by garnering trust from the local populace. Many times, these missions go hand-in-hand, but can be reflective of each other. Destroying the...

Baghdad -- Om Hussein, wrapped in her black abaya, lists the contents of the family's walk-in storage closet: three 175-pound cases of rice, two 33-pound cases of cooking fat, six cases of canned tomatoes, three crates of assorted legumes, a one-month supply of drinking water, frozen chicken livers in the freezer. And in the garage, jerry cans filled with fuel are piled floor to ceiling. Om Hussein, who was reluctant to give her full name, and her Shiite family are preparing for war. They've stocked up on food. They bought a Kalashnikov rifle and a second car -- so that...

Hundreds of Iraqis staged a demonstration in the restive city of Samarra on Tuesday in a show of defiance against al Qaeda militants they blamed for killing dozens of police recruits last week. Nationalist rebels and tribal leaders in the city north of Baghdad had already let it be known they were joining forces to try to expel the foreign-influenced Islamists from the area, part of a trend in Sunni Arab areas that U.S. commanders have pointed to optimistically as a sign of political development. The killing late last year of the head of one of the city's main tribal...

U.S. Troops Terrorize Iraqi Children!!!* With one Marine continually providing security, U.S. Marines from Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, the ground combat element of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), are swarmed by children while on patrol during Operation Moon River in Kubaysah, Iraq, Dec. 31, 2005. The goal of the one-day operation, undertaken by the Marines and the Iraqi army, was to assess essential civil services in the city and show a coalition presence. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Robert A. Sturkie   U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Thomas Shoemake, a Civil Affairs Officer, pauses...

Undeterred by a suicide bomb attack earlier this morning, Iraqis returned to a recruiting center in Ramadi to continue the screening process to become police officers, Multinational Force Iraq officials reported. A bomber detonated an explosive vest in a crowd at the center today, killing 30 people. U.S. military physicians immediately began treating the wounded until the injured could be transported to a nearby hospital for further treatment, officials said. (From a Multinational Force Iraq news release.) Related Site:Multinational Force Iraq

Editor's Note: After much deliberation and discussions among the Townhall.com editorial staff, we are proud to name the Iraqi people as our first annual Citizen of the Year. John Hanley, who served as a civilian with the Department of Defense and the Department of State in Iraq from 2003 to 2005, has provided some excellent first-hand analysis of our selection. Enjoy! ******* 2005 was the year of the vote in Iraq.On three separate days this year, Iraqis had the opportunity to leave their homes, walk to their polling stations, and cast their votes. This simplest of civic duties, something that...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 28, 2005 – The Iraqi people won't have an easy time setting up a new national government, but they are resolved to surmount all difficulties, a senior Defense Department official said here today. "One of the big challenges that's in front of the Iraqi people is seating a government that reflects and respects the views of all the Iraqi people, and doing it in a way in which all Iraqis can feel included in the political process," DoD spokesman Bryan Whitman told Pentagon reporters. Whitman had responded to a reporter's question about alleged discord among some of Iraq's...

Iraqi Voters Say 'On Democracy Way' By J. Anajar Gulf Region Division U.S. Army Corps of Engineers BAGHDAD, Dec. 19, 2005 —“Democracy, referendum, constitution and parliament; we know these words’ spelling, but not their meaning.� Arusafi the well-known Iraqi poet made this comment. It applies to the period before the collapse of Saddam’s regime when all the conceptions of freedom and liberty were cancelled. What remained were only bare and inapplicable words.Now, Iraqis have started to feel the meanings of the words referred to by Arusafi. That is apparent by their challenge to the dangers; despite threats communicated by...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18, 2005 – As Iraq progresses militarily and democratically, citizens there are stepping forward to inform indigenous and coalition forces of terrorist operations and covert weapons caches, Multinational Force Iraq officials reported today. Iraqi citizens sometimes even are apprehending suspected terrorists themselves, officials noted. For example, on Dec. 17, a group of Iraqi citizens near Kirkuk, in northern Iraq, captured two suspected terrorists who were observed digging up a weapons cache. The citizens reportedly subdued the suspects and called the Kirkuk Joint Coordination Center, which then relayed the information to a nearby patrol. The combined Iraqi and U.S....

"Anybody who doesn’t appreciate what America has done and President Bush, let them go to hell" – Iraqi Citizen, voter Betty Dawisha I appologize if this is a re-post, my search didn't return any results when I looked before posting. Video Availible

Tomorrow, you, the people of Iraq, will have a further historic opportunity to shape your political future and choose your own leaders by democratic means. Your vote will mark the beginning of a new chapter in Iraq's history. I therefore encourage all of you to turn out and exercise your democratic right to vote as a first step towards building together a stable, united and prosperous Iraq. This is your chance to let your voice be heard as a force for peace and national reconciliation.I appeal to all to refrain from violence or any other action which might undermine the...

BAGHDAD (Army News Service, Nov. 23, 2005) -- Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery, conducted a medical capabilities assessment and clinic in Baghdad Nov. 18. Medics set up the clinic in a local school, saw more than 100 residents, and dispensed medical advice and basic treatments. “It’s basically a sick call for the people of Baghdad that we’re running here,” said Capt. Scott Baumgartner, 1st Bn., 9th FA physician’s assistant. “We saw an opportunity to do something good for the Iraqi people and followed up on it.” School workers cleaned out two classrooms and medics set up a triage...

I keep hearing this figure floated by the Democraps. Does anyone have a source for this 80% figure?

"THANK YOU AMERICA"I have the very good fortune to be working for a PR company hired by the Iraqi Kurds to help promote a media campaign that begins on Wednesday, November 9, 2005 here in the United States. Tomorrow is the launch of a TV ad campaign where the Iraqi Kurds say "Thank You" to America for liberating them from the oppressive regime of Saddam Hussein. Please watch the ads and post your thoughts. "Thank You America" is the first of 3 ads that will run in the United States (beginning on Fox News Channel) and then thanking British and...

I just saw a commercial from the People of Iraq. They were saying thank you to us. America! Holding flags and saying thanks. The web site is: theotheriraq.com This was from "The people of Iraqi Kurdistan", forgive the spelling if I messed up! I got tears in my eyes. We did the right thing going there. We did it! They know! They thank us!!! Damn but that made me feel good having to defend the Presidents decisions all the time! We did the right thing!!!!

I just saw an awesome ad on FOXNEWS. The Kurds say THANK YOU! [Paraphrased] Reminds us Saddam's goal was to eliminate all Kurds. Now Saddam is gone. Kurds are safe. They might have mentioned the gassing-I started paying full attention only when I knew what the ad was. And separate shots of men, women, kids who look at camera and say "Thank You!"

  For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretaryOctober 29, 2005 President's Radio Address      Audio      THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week marked another important milestone in carrying out our strategy in Iraq. On Tuesday, the Iraqi election commission formerly certified the passage of the new Iraqi constitution, after nearly 10 million Iraqis turned out to vote on it two weeks ago. This is a moment of tremendous significance for Iraq, the region, and the world. Three years ago, when Saddam Hussein ruled with an iron grip, the prospect of Iraqis voting on a democratic constitution would have been unthinkable. Now,...

SAQALAWIYAH, Iraq (Oct. 24, 2005) -- The room is small and furnished with only a desk, two small sofas and a few file cabinets, but this doesn’t stop the police chief here from conducting daily business. A new Iraqi flag hangs behind his worn desk on a wall desperately in need of repairs. Yet, he selflessly speaks only of his concerns for a safer and better Iraq. “Baghdad is only 30 miles away, but we are about 70 years behind in growth,” said the police chief. The Saqalawiyah Iraqi Police are currently working with members of the 6th Civil Affairs...

Iraqi men and women come to polling places to cast their vote on the constitutional referendum. Scenes include men and women walking to the polling places, people walking out of the polling places, guards at the polling places, men and women dipping their finger in ink, men and women placing their ballots in the box, men and women getting their ballots. Watch Video

WASHINGTON, Oct. 15, 2005 – With Iraqi election officials and Iraqi security forces leading the way, millions of Iraqis streamed to the polls today to vote on their country's constitution. Officials reported that scattered incidents of violence early on in the voting that were quickly squelched by Iraqi security forces. Coalition forces are supporting the Iraqis with perimeter checkpoints and crowd control. Officials in Iraq said security has been tight and involves a three-stage inspection system that kicks in before voters arrive at the polling sites. No one with bags, cell phones or packages may enter the polling areas, they...

A senior United Nations official has accused US-led coalition troops of depriving Iraqi civilians of food and water in breach of humanitarian law. Human rights investigator Jean Ziegler said they had driven people out of insurgent strongholds that were about to be attacked by cutting supplies. Mr Ziegler, a Swiss-born sociologist, said such tactics were in breach of international law. A US military spokesman in Baghdad denied the allegations. "A drama is taking place in total silence in Iraq, where the coalition's occupying forces are using hunger and deprivation of water as a weapon of war against the civilian population,"...

September 21, 2005: With the retirement of Arthur Chrenkoff from blogging, his regular "Good News" reports concerning Afghanistan and Iraq might be missed. However, this gap is being filled by a new site, GoodNewsFromTheFront.com, which will carry on Chrenkoff's work. This site is being supported by a variety of blogs (including Iraq the Model) and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. The site is covering the "good news" in both Iraq and Afghanistan, as a means of partially countering the "police blotter" style of reporting that usually dominates coverage of the war in both countries. This is comprehensive, covering the...

Release A050919d TIKRIT, Iraq— An Iraqi citizen led Coalition Forces to four cache weapons sites southwest of Kirkuk around 6:15 p.m. Sept. 18. The man stopped a patrol and reported buried munitions in the area, and took the Coalition Forces to the area. The cache sites contained 4,000 37 mm air defense rounds. Explosives experts will detonate the munitions in place. -30- For more information, please contact the 42ND Infantry Division Public Affairs Office 42 ID PAO at fortysecond.id.pao@us.army.MIL.

BAGHDAD – Tips from Iraqi citizens led to the discovery by U.S. Soldiers of a weapons cache Aug. 23. Soldiers of D Company, 172nd Infantry Regiment, Task Force 1-118th Field Artillery, 3rd Brigade heard small-arms fire near their position while conducting security operations north of Baghdad. The Soldiers moved toward the sound of the gunfire but found a deserted fighting position that contained two mortar rounds, 12 mortar fuses, and a 155-millimeter artillery shell. While the Soldiers searched the area, Iraqi civilians approached and said they knew where to find more weapons. The men of D Co. found two 203-millimeter...

Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi's agenda may be proving too ambitious these days. In recent weeks, the terrorist's Tanzim Qa'idat Al-Jihad fi Bilad Al-Rafidayn declared war on the Shi'a and formed an assassination brigade to hunt and kill members of a Shi'ite political organization; threatened Sunnis on the constitution drafting committee; vowed to kill Sunnis who vote for the constitutional referendum this fall; and verbally attacked al-Zarqawi's one-time spiritual mentor, Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, when the latter "advised" al-Zarqawi against targeting Shi'ites and civilians in his attacks. Al-Zarqawi has always been clear in his hatred for the Shi'a, but the announcement...

Jorfa al-Melleb, Iraq — Sara Hussein looked at Capt. Alan Hicks with her left eye. The right is clouded by toffee-brown scar tissue the size of a marble. Three years ago, Sara injured the cornea while playing ball with her brother. Now, because of the scar tissue that developed, when she looks through that right eye it is as if she is looking through a bowl of milk. Hicks, an Army reservist from Birmingham, had visited the 12-year-old girl before and promised medical treatment for the bad eye. “I thought maybe you forgot,” said Saleema Majad, Sara’s mother. “We would...

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Iraqi Army and Task Force Baghdad Soldiers captured 25 terror suspects during a series of combat operations in the capitol Aug. 17. Just before 2 a.m., Coalition Forces detained a suspect after curfew in the Thawra district in northeast Baghdad. The suspect was carrying an AK-47 assault rifle and was wearing an ammunition vest. When the patrol searched the suspect’s house they found a second AK-47 rifle, a pistol, one new passport and one blank passport. The suspect was taken into custody for questioning. The largest operation of the day was conducted at 1 p.m. by Iraqi and...

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Multi-national ground forces, acting on an Iraqi tip, discovered and destroyed a large cache of artillery shells in the early hours of Aug. 16. The shells were apparently intended for use as improvised explosive devices. An explosive ordinance disposal technician advised that the 25 to 30 individual 152mm rounds located inside a building within Al Anbar province be destroyed. Security forces confirmed there were no friendly or enemy personnel in the building. Security forces destroyed the building and its contents with an air strike after ensuring all non-combatants were clear of the area. Secondary explosions were observed....

WASHINGTON, Aug. 12, 2005 – Iraqi citizens tipped off U.S. soldiers patrolling the northwest part of Baghdad about the whereabouts of two roadside bombs Aug. 10. The Iraqis told a Task Force Baghdad patrol at 9:15 a.m. the bombs were placed near a major highway in the area. The Americans found two landmines and two mortar rounds wrapped in detonation cord. The soldiers secured the site and called in an explosive ordnance disposal team to safely detonate the munitions. A suicide car bomber attacked another American unit patrolling west Baghdad four hours later. The bomb detonated prematurely, 10 feet from...

In Baghdad, Iraqi civilians took unusual action to protect coalition forces after a car-bomb attack Aug. 6. After U.S. medics treated the wounded at the scene in the Sumer al Ghadier District, local residents constructed a hasty barricade with trees, bricks and anything else available to protect the soldiers from additional danger. "This is the first time that I can remember where Iraqi civilians actually built a barrier to protect my soldiers," U.S. Army Lt. Col. Steven Merkel, commander of 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, said. "The soldiers are still talking about...

BAGHDAD, Iraq, August 10, 2005 After the U.S. medics treated the wounded at the scene, local residents constructed a hasty barricade with trees, bricks, and anything else available, to further protect the Soldiers from additional danger. "This is the first time that I can remember where Iraqi civilians actually built a barrier to protect my Soldiers," said Lt. Col. Steven Merkel, commander of 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.. "The Soldiers are still talking about the helpful actions of the local community and have asked to go back to the neighborhood to thank...

Hello, I'm new to the forum and have an idea to unite Muslims and Christians in a joint peace effort to help the Iraqi People. Please give me your feedback on this and if you have any ideas of who can help back it financially to get it started. Thank you. IDEA: I have been consumed with disgust over the happenings in Iraq by Al Qaeda and the insurgency. Since the London and Egyptian bombings and now the latest threating statement from #2 Of Al Qaeda, I have become more consumed and feel I have a "calling" to do something....

Haider Ajina sends us this translation of an article in yesterday's Kululiraq, an Iraqi newspaper: Iraqis stood for three minutes of silence yesterday in commemoration of the lives lost in the two attacks in Baghdad Aljadedah and Almusaiyab, which claimed 105 martyrs, 32 of whom were children, and 128 wounded of whom 31 were children. Traffic of thousand of cars stopped in the Allawi & Tahrier area (central Baghdad) as children (from “Baghdad Aljadedah” area) entered “Tahrier” square (with some of the wounded children) carrying Iraqi flags and displaying victory signs in defiance of the terrorists. These children also stood...

CAMP TIGERLAND, Iraq, July 20, 2005 — Iraqi Army soldiers and Task Force Baghdad soldiers distributed frozen chickens to local residents in the community July 12. “This humanitarian assistance operation will continue to build the relationship between the people and the Iraqi Army. It also discredits terrorists who are operating in that area and denying the people basic services,” U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jim Blackburn The U.S. soldiers assigned to the 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, and Iraqi soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 3rd Iraqi Army Brigade delivered 1,200 chickens to about 600 families in Abu Mannaser in western Abu...

Two words not uncommon to editorial pages are "resolve" and "sacrifice," especially as they relate to war. Today, this editorial board resolves to sacrifice another word – "insurgent" – on the altar of precise language. No longer will we refer to suicide bombers or anyone else in Iraq who targets and kills children and other innocent civilians as "insurgents." The notion that these murderers in any way are nobly rising up against a sitting government in a principled fight for freedom has become, on its face, absurd. If they ever held a moral high ground, they sacrificed it weeks ago,...

Iraqi PM Ibrahim Al-Ja'fari: "The Iraqi People Pay the Toll in Blood On Behalf of All Nations Facing Terrorism" In an interview with the London-based daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Iraqi Prime Minister Dr. Ibrahim al-Ja'fari addressed a number of critical issues facing his government, among them the withdrawal of international forces, the recent elections, the future of Kirkuk, and the role of Arab satellite television channels in Iraq. The following are excerpts from the interview: The Multinational Forces Will Leave with Our Gratitude, after Our National Army and Security Forces Are Capable of Defending Iraq "We want the exit of foreign...

7/5/2005 - KIRKUK AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- Medics here recently saved the life of a local 3-month-old infant suffering from severe infection. The child’s father brought him to a forward-operating base where officials arranged for the baby to be brought here for care. Though the 506th Expeditionary Medical Squadron’s Airmen do not routinely care for civilians, much less infants, an exception was made because of the immediacy of care needed in this case. “The Army physician at the (forward-operating base) immediately recognized that the infant was within 24 hours of dying from infection and bleeding,” said Col. (Dr.) Brian...

MOSUL, IRAQ (July 2, 2005) – Over 1,000 citizens and 500 Iraqi Police from numerous villages in southern Ninewah Province participated in a historic event today. This was the first March Against Terrorism and was conducted in the town of Qayyarah south of Mosul today. This was a strong demonstration which indicated citizens have had enough. Many influential sheiks, mukhtars and imams took the lead to support and rally together citizens from all backgrounds, including Arabs and a large contingent of Kurds from east of the Tigris. Following the march, many of the participants rallied together near a school and...

July 2, 2005Release Number: 05-07-01 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TROOPS FIND WEAPONS CACHE NEAR AR RAMADI CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, AR RAMADI, Iraq – Iraqi Security Forces from the 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Division and Coalition forces from the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, uncovered seven weapons caches, a car-bomb factory and a roadside bomb making factory late afternoon on June 30 in the Industrial area, northeast of the Saddam Mosque during a patrol to disrupt terrorist activity last night. This was the first patrol the Iraqi Soldiers conducted with Coalition forces in the area. The Iraqi Soldiers were tipped...