http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/kirkuk/ en-us Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:58:56 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282838/posts At least 27 people have been killed by a car bomb at a market in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, officials say. The attack in the Shurja district came as Iraqis celebrated the withdrawal of US troops from towns and cities in Iraq, six years after the invasion. US President Barack Obama said the move was an important milestone for Iraq, but that "difficult days" lay ahead. The Kirkuk blast came 10 days after a truck bomb killed more than 70 in the city's deadliest attack in over a year. Iraqi and US troops have been on alert for... BBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282838/posts#comment Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:58:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282579/posts A car bomb exploded in a crowded outdoor market in the northern city of Kirkuk on Tuesday, killing at least 27 people, police said, a deadly reminder of the challenges facing the Iraqi government even as it celebrated the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from cities. The bombing marred what had otherwise been a festive day as Iraqis commemorated the newly declared National Sovereignty Day with military parades and marching bands. It also came hours after four U.S. soldiers were killed in combat Monday in Baghdad. Although there were no immediate claims of responsibility, the bombing and the way it... AP via Breitbart http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282579/posts#comment Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:45:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279797/posts BARACK OBAMA’s administration has promised to withdraw all American troops from all of Iraq’s towns by the end of this month. As the deadline looms, people are again asking whether Iraq’s forces will be able to cope on their own. On cue, a fresh bout of violence has erupted. On June 20th, a huge lorry bomb exploded in Taza, a Turkmen town just south of the disputed city of Kirkuk, killing at least 70 people. Two days later at least seven bombs went off in and around Baghdad, including a roadside blast, a car bomb and a suicide attack, killing... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279797/posts#comment Fri, 26 Jun 2009 08:06:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279667/posts 6/25/2009 - KIRKUK AIR BASE, Iraq (AFNS) -- The bright pink soccer ball was clearly out of place on the flightline here June 22; however, it was in just the right place to begin the healing process for a 9-year-old girl atop a stretcher being carried on board a Turkish air force C-130 to be aeromedically evacuated to Ankara, Turkey. She was the first of the 11 litter patients in all who were moved from ambulances up the ramp into the cargo aircraft. Overall, U.S. and Turkish airmen, U.S. State Department officials at the Kirkuk Provincial Reconstruction Team, and Turkish... Air Force Link http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279667/posts#comment Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:16:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277974/posts 6/23/2009 - KIRKUK AIR BASE, Iraq (AFNS) -- Members from every 506th Air Expeditionary Group unit joined forces for a self-help project here to improve airfield security here in June. Security forces members, medics, civil engineers, air-freight controllers, air-traffic controllers and communications technicians united to fulfill one of the group's top missions: securing the base by protecting the airfield. "We are putting barriers up to ensure that only designated access points are used by individuals that require and are granted access onto the airfield," said 1st Lt. Sam Walker, the airfield operations flight director for the 506th Expeditionary Operations Support... Air Force Link http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277974/posts#comment Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:46:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2250437/posts KIRKUK, Iraq, May 13, 2009 – Provincial police representatives in Iraq’s Kirkuk province met May 4 with Christian leaders in Kirkuk city to address concerns about increased violence against Kirkuk's Christian minority. Only about 3 percent of Iraq's total population -- about 800,000 Iraqis -- are Christian. "Anyone that targets you, targets us also," said Maj. Gen. Turhan, the Kirkuk city deputy police chief, a Kurdish Muslim. Two attacks April 26 left three Christian residents of Kirkuk dead and two others injured, the third series of attacks targeting Christians in the city in recent months. "Our history has always coincided... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2250437/posts#comment Thu, 14 May 2009 00:50:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2212101/posts FOB WARRIOR — The food that finds its way on to the tables of Kirkuk City residents has to start somewhere. Researchers from Team Borlaug wanted to see where the journey began, and they found some of those origins at one of the city’s animal processing plants and markets, March 18. Team Borlaug is taking a nearly six-month tour of northern Iraq to study the agriculture and offer guidance on how it can be improved. “Our mission is to assess agriculture in Multi-National Division – North’s area and provide recommendations to the command regarding project development and how to get... Multi-National Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2212101/posts#comment Sun, 22 Mar 2009 17:36:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2207895/posts 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... Multi-National Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2207895/posts#comment Mon, 16 Mar 2009 23:50:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2197635/posts KIRKUK, Iraq, March 2, 2009 – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is part of a joint, multinational effort to provide solutions for city officials here on what to do with the 900 tons of trash Kirkuk residents generate daily. A truck offloads trash at Solid Waste Transfer Station 1, south of Kirkuk, Iraq. The $2.5 million facility has the capacity to handle 300 tons of waste per day. U.S. Army photo   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. For years, Kirkuk residents have been dumping their garbage into unregulated areas or merely unloading it in open fields outside... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2197635/posts#comment Mon, 2 Mar 2009 23:22:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2174217/posts PLEASE SAY A PRAYER AND FORWARD THIS. The Department of Defense announced today the death of four soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died from wounds suffered when two OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters crashed Jan. 26 in Kirkuk, Iraq. They were assigned to the 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y. Killed were: Chief Warrant Officer Philip E. Windorski, Jr., 35, of Bovey, Minn. Chief Warrant Officer Matthew G. Kelley, 30, of Cameron, Mo. Chief Warrant Officer Joshua M. Tillery, 31, of Beaverton, Ore. Chief Warrant Officer Benjamin H. Todd,... Department of Defense http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2174217/posts#comment Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:49:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2142623/posts Archbishop Louis Sako of Kirkuk said in an interview with the L’Osservatore Romano this week that the situation in Iraq “is quite good and this means refugees could return to their homes. There are hundreds of empty and abandoned rooms and tents that await the return of Christians...” CatholicNewsAgency http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2142623/posts#comment Thu, 4 Dec 2008 08:08:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2147143/posts A suicide bomber killed at least 46 people and wounded around 100 in a crowded restaurant near Iraq's ethnically mixed city of Kirkuk, shattering the calm during a major Muslim holiday, police said. The bomber detonated explosives inside the Kurdish restaurant, police said, which was packed with government officials, women and children during lunch hour north of Kirkuk, a city disputed by ethnic Kurds, Arabs and Turkmen. Major General Torhan Abdul-Rahman, the deputy police chief of Kirkuk, said 46 people were killed in the blast and 93 wounded. A police captain in Kirkuk, who asked not to be identified, said... RFE/RL http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2147143/posts#comment Thu, 11 Dec 2008 22:48:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2134986/posts KIRKUK REGIONAL AIR BASE — A runway re-opened here after more than three months, with a ceremonial first touch-n-go, Nov. 17. The newly resurfaced runway 14/32 was christened by Iraqi Air Force Lt. Ali Karim, Iraqi flying wing pilot trainee, and Capt. Craig Morash, 52nd Expeditionary Flying Training Squadron instructor pilot, in a Cessna 172S Skyhawk. Even though it's open for business, the 506th Expeditionary Operational Support Squadron commander said a small number of final details need to be finished. "It's like buying a new house," said Lt. Col. Elisabeth Auld, 506th EOSS commander. "There's still a few more things... Multi-National Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2134986/posts#comment Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:48:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2098268/posts I wish I could have been at the KDOT Operations meeting, I am ready to be back home in Kansas. Last week the Kirkuk Provincial Reconstruction Team that I work for held a Ramadan Iftar dinner for 330 Kirkuki dignitaries and 350 body guards, military, and other security staff. During the month of Ramadan Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset which means not eating or drinking all day. At sundown the Imams from each Mosque broadcast the call to prayer and that signals the time everyone can drink and eat. I tried to fast for the first week, because my... The Hutchinson News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2098268/posts#comment Sun, 5 Oct 2008 23:48:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065164/posts Maj. Peter Colt, 443rd Civil Affairs Battalion, plays with young Iraqi children in Gaydah village, which is in the Kirkuk province of northeastern Iraq. Colt, along with 2nd Battalion, 22nd Inf. Regt. Soldiers, met with the village leaders recently to discuss developments and projects that will benefit the area. Photo by Spc. Jason Jordan. KIRKUK — In the southern Rishad valley of Kirkuk province lies the remote village of Gaydah, located several miles off the nearest main road and even further from the nearest substantial city or district. Already accustomed to seclusion, the village residents were surprised when Soldiers from... Multi-National Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065164/posts#comment Wed, 20 Aug 2008 23:11:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2052410/posts Bombers kill 50 in Iraq, wound nearly 250 BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Three female suicide bombers killed 28 people and wounded 92 in Baghdad on Monday as Shi'ite pilgrims flooded into the Iraqi capital for a major religious event, police said. In the northern oil city of Kirkuk a bomb killed at least 22 people and wounded 150 at a protest against a controversial provincial elections law, Iraqi health and security officials said. The U.S. military said initial reports showed the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber. The blasts marked one of the bloodiest days in months and underscored... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2052410/posts#comment Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:22:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2026127/posts KIRKUK, Iraq – Kirkuk Provincial Rule of Law judges and lawyers met with their key provincial and city police leadership during the inaugural Criminal Justice Conference at Forward Operating Base Warrior in Kirkuk May 29.“The security gains of the region are evident -- over a 70 percent decrease in violent attacks against ISF, Kirkuk citizens and the Coalition forces. As a result, we can now begin our transition from a form of martial law to rule of law,” said Lt. Col. Kevin Brown, 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division deputy commander.The agenda of the meeting included recent case studies that focused... Multi-National Corps – Iraq Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2026127/posts#comment Wed, 4 Jun 2008 23:28:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2017106/posts WASHINGTON, May 16, 2008 – More than 300 former members of “Sons of Iraq” graduated to Iraqi policemen during a ceremony at Kirkuk Police Academy on May 15. A Kirkuk Police Academy instructor straightens the beret of an Iraqi police recruit before a graduation ceremony, May 15, 2008. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Margaret C. Nelson, 1st Battalion, 10th Mountain Division   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The students graduated after eight weeks of training here. “The Kirkuk province has shown tremendous progress in the last year. Events like this prove we are taking the necessary steps... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2017106/posts#comment Fri, 16 May 2008 23:22:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2015016/posts WASHINGTON, May 12, 2008 – Violence in Iraq’s Kirkuk province has dropped by 70 percent, and coalition and Iraqi forces have “virtually destroyed” al-Qaida in Iraq in the region, the commander of the U.S. brigade combat team in the area said today. Video Army Col. David Paschal, commander of 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, said that as security improves in the strategic northern province, changes are happening in the economy and in governance that help cement the security progress in place. Four developments have helped the battle against insurgents in the Rhode Island-sized province of 1.5 million, Paschal told... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2015016/posts#comment Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2007108/posts KIRKUK — Kirkuk reached a significant milestone as it transitioned the last of its traffic control points from Iraqi army control to the Iraqi police last week, at a check point just north of the city. Governor Abdul Rahman Mustafa, the provincial governor, Maj. Gen. Jamal Thaker Bakr, the provincial director of police, Brig. Gen. Omar Aref Waly Khatab, the emergency services unit commander, and Lt. Col. Kevin Brown, deputy commander, 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, toured the TCP with the Iraqi police to greet residents as they entered the first city in Iraq to be under the full operational... Multi-National Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2007108/posts#comment Fri, 25 Apr 2008 23:05:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2000314/posts TIKRIT, Iraq – Iraqi Soldiers discovered three weapon caches of various munitions and explosives northeast of Kirkuk, April 10. The caches included 60mm Chinese mortars, 82mm Chinese mortars, 57mm Chinese projectiles, 120mm Chinese mortar high explosives, 60mm Iraqi mortars, more than 50 85mm Iraqi rocket motors, 105mm Iraqi projectiles, 40mm projected fuses, 130 Russian projectiles, Russian fuses and an 85mm Russian projectile. The explosives and weapons were likely to be used against Coalition forces, Iraqi Security Forces and Iraqi citizens. This is the third large cache found in this area within a week. The cache was in an area previously... Multi-National Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2000314/posts#comment Fri, 11 Apr 2008 23:06:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1995312/posts My work here in Kirkuk, Iraq is falling into a normal routine that I, and probably everyone else who is aware of my current U.S. State Department Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) employment, would not have thought possible. The normal Iraqi work week is Sunday through Thursday. On those days, I travel to the KGB (Kirkuk Government Building) to work with local Iraqis. Friday and Saturday, I stay back at the PRT office to work with all of the PRT staff. The PRT staff is divided into several smaller sections focusing on infrastructure, rule of law, education, economics, agriculture, governance and... The Hutchinson News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1995312/posts#comment Wed, 2 Apr 2008 03:35:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1995064/posts KIRKUK, Iraq – The 15th Iraqi Army Brigade detained 12 enemy personnel during an intelligence-driven operation in Hafriyah, southeast of Kirkuk, Iraq, March 31.During an IA brigade unilateral operation, Iraqi Army soldiers conducted a cordon and search to capture or kill the Al Qaeda in Iraq cell responsible for the March 23 attack on 3rd Battalion, 15th Iraqi Army Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division. The 15th Iraqi Army Brigade also discovered a cache during the operation that contained 400 30mm rounds, 83 57mm rockets, seven propane tanks, six blocks of C-4, 25 250-pound bombs and five 130mm projectiles as well... Multi-National Corps ? Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1995064/posts#comment Tue, 1 Apr 2008 20:04:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1994815/posts Senior armed group commander surrenders to police in Kirkuk Kirkuk - Voices of Iraq Monday , 31 /03 /2008 Time 10:05:40 Kirkuk, Mar 31, (VOI) - A senior fighter of an armed group surrendered on Monday to security force in Kirkuk, a police source said. "One of the most wanted persons surrendered to security forces in Haweija, south-west Kirkuk," a Kirkuk police source, who requested anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq-Voices of Iraq – (VOI). The source identified him as Salah Hassan, a senior member in Ansar al-Sunna, one of the armed groups working under the mantra of the self-named Iraq's Islamic... aswataliraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1994815/posts#comment Tue, 1 Apr 2008 01:46:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1994088/posts WASHINGTON, March 30, 2008 – On his way home from working in his family’s field near Kirkuk, Iraq, Rahmey didn’t see the hidden improvised explosive device until it was too late. Soldiers and U.S. soldiers load an Iraqi teenager injured by an improvised explosive device onto a medical evacuation helicopter near Kirkuk, Iraq, March 27, 2008. The soldiers are assigned to the 10th Mountain Division's Company C, 2nd Battalion, 1st Aviation Brigade.  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Staggering for home after the blast, the 13-year-old Iraqi boy had no way to know that his life would be saved by... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1994088/posts#comment Sun, 30 Mar 2008 19:26:15 GMT