Combat Camera: Joint Navy Exercise ICEX-07

ARCTIC OCEAN (March 18, 2007) - Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Alexandria (SSN 757) is submerged after surfacing through two feet of ice during ICEX-07, a U.S. Navy and Royal Navy exercise conducted on and under a drifting ice floe about 180 nautical miles off the north coast of Alaska. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shawn P. Eklund.)

PRUDHOE BAY-DEADHORSE, Alaska (March 17, 2007) - Royal Navy submarine HMS Tireless (S88) SHOWN in the arctic ice. Tireless is taking part in ICEX-07 with the Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Alexandria (SSN 757) and the Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station (APLIS). (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Erik Reynolds.)

ARCTIC OCEAN (March 18, 2007) - Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Alexandria (SSN 757) is submerged after surfacing through two feet of ice during ICEX-07, a U.S. Navy and Royal Navy exercise conducted on and under a drifting ice floe about 180 nautical miles off the north coast of Alaska. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shawn P. Eklund.)

ARCTIC OCEAN (March 17, 2007) - Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV), the Honorable Dr. Donald C. Winter looks through the periscope of Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Alexandria (SSN 757). Alexandria surfaced through three feet of ice during ICEX-07, a U.S. Navy and Royal Navy exercise conducted on and under a drifting ice floe about 180 nautical miles off the north coast of Alaska. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shawn P. Eklund.)

ARCTIC OCEAN (March 18, 2007) - Sailors clear away ice from the crew hatch aboard Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Alexandria (SSN 757). Alexandria surfaced through three feet of ice during ICEX-07, a U.S. Navy and Royal Navy exercise conducted on and under a drifting ice floe about 180 nautical miles off the north coast of Alaska. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shawn P. Eklund.)

ARCTIC OCEAN (March 17, 2007) - During the warmest part of the day, a thermometer outside of the Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station's (APLIS) mess tent still does not break out of the sub-freezing temperatures. APLIS is located 180 nautical miles off the north coast of Alaska and is home to the ICEX-07, a U.S. Navy and Royal Navy exercise being conducted to demonstrate the nations’ commitment to assuring access to all international waters. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shawn P. Eklund.)

ARCTIC OCEAN (March 17, 2007) - Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV), the Honorable Dr. Donald C. Winter greets USS Alexandria (SSN 757) Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Michael Bernacchi and Chief of the Boat, Electronics Technician Master Chief during ICEX-07. The U.S. and Royal Navy are conducting ICEX-07 on and under a drifting ice floe about 180 nautical miles off the north coast of Alaska. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shawn P. Eklund.)

ARCTIC OCEAN (March 17, 2007) - Fog combined with a white-out created from helicopter prop wash partially conceals USS Alexandria's (SSN 757) sail. The U.S. Navy and Royal Navy are conducting ICEX-07 on and under a drifting ice floe about 180 nautical miles off the north coast of Alaska (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shawn P. Eklund.)

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UPDATE: Iran Seizes British Sailors in Iraqi Waters

Seized sailors are from HMS Cornwall.
Open thread:

The Associated Press and Reuters report Iranian naval vessels seized 15 British sailors at gunpoint in Iraqi waters on Friday, the Ministry of Defense said.

"At approximately 1030 Iraqi time this morning, 15 British naval personnel, engaged in routine boarding operations of merchant shipping in Iraqi territorial waters ... were seized by Iranian naval vessels," the ministry said in a statement.

The British boarding operation, according to the ministry's statement, was authorized under a United Nations Security Council Resolution 1723 and supported by the government of Iraq.

The boarding party had completed a successful inspection of a merchant ship when they and their two boats were surrounded and escorted by Iranian vessels into Iranian territorial waters.

"We are urgently pursuing this matter with the Iranian authorities at the highest level and ... the Iranian ambassador has been summoned to the Foreign Office," the ministry said.

More from: The Washington Post; Sky News; BBC News; AFPS.

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Iran Seizes British Sailors in Iraqi Waters

Open thread:

NOTE: This post has been updated.

The Associated Press and Reuters report Iranian naval vessels seized 15 British sailors at gunpoint in Iraqi waters on Friday, the Ministry of Defense said.

"At approximately 1030 Iraqi time this morning, 15 British naval personnel, engaged in routine boarding operations of merchant shipping in Iraqi territorial waters ... were seized by Iranian naval vessels," the ministry said in a statement.

The British boarding operation, according to the ministry's statement, was authorized under a United Nations resolution and supported by the government of Iraq.

"We are urgently pursuing this matter with the Iranian authorities at the highest level and ... the Iranian ambassador has been summoned to the Foreign Office," the ministry said.

More from: The Washington Post; Sky News; BBC News.

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Combat Camera: Gunbattle in Diyala

A Soldier exchanges fire with anti-Iraqi forces. Photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall, March 19, 2007.

Soldiers wait to get a clear shot and positive identification of the anti-Iraqi forces. Photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall, March 19, 2007.

Soldiers use smoke to mask their movements during the firefight. Photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall, March 19, 2007.

The Soldiers observe the front and the rear as they advance. Photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall, March 19, 2007.

Spc. Brett Glaze advances cautiously after being shot at by anti-Iraqi forces. Photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall, March 19, 2007.

Soldiers break down a door to engage the anti-Iraqi forces inside. Photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall, March 19, 2007.

Other Soldiers utilize their Stryker vehicle for cover as they engage anti-Iraqi forces. Photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall, March 19, 2007.

The Soldiers advance through their smokescreen. Photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall, March 19, 2007.

The Soldiers move to another rooftop to gain a tactical advantage. Photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall, March 19, 2007.

Soldiers fire on the anti-Iraqi forces from the rooftop. Photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall, March 19, 2007.

The Soldiers call in fire on anti-Iraqi forces holed up in a building. An attack helicopter responds with a Hellfire missile. Photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall, March 19, 2007.

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The Decline and Fall of Western Civ for 22 Mar.

More news from the front...

• France became the first country to open its files on UFOs Thursday when the national space agency unveiled a website documenting more than 1,600 sightings spanning five decades, according to AFP.

• Also from AFP: U.S. sales of music compact discs plummeted 20 percent in the first three months of the year as downloading of songs continued to knock the underpinnings from record studio revenues.
  
  

  Consumers are sending a message to artists that "while you may have put a lot of thought into the sequence of the album, I only like these three songs," said digital music industry analyst Michael McGuire of Gartner Research.

  If fewer than a quarter of songs on an album length CD are worth buying, I'd say the problem lies with the talent (or lack) of the artists making the music.

• House Democrats pulled a bill to grant voting rights to residents of Washington, D.C., after Republicans offered a motion that would repeal the gun ban for the District.
  
  The Politico notes the move is a clear signal that Democrats have lost control of the House floor on the voting rights issue after minority Republicans presented the Democratic majority with a political bomb.
  
  Conservative Democrats have supported the handgun repeal in the past.
  
  Matt Drudge reported that Steny Hoyer was seen yelling at staff on floor and that Speaker Pelosi was absent because she is desperately searching for Iraq supplemental votes (and to perhaps dodge the CODEPINK anti-war protesters arrested at her office).
  
  The Washington Post covers the story from the Democrat's court, dissing the Republicans for playing political games.
  
  As far as granting the District a greater role in its governance, the whole notion that D.C. locals can take care of their domestic problems is a joke. From a boots-on-the-ground perspective, what D.C. really needs the iron fist of federal control. There's no good reason that crime-ridden slums are just a few blocks away from the Hill. It's a national disgrace.
  
  Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, which empowers Congress to "exercise exclusive legislation" over the federal capital, means Congress can, if it chooses, give the district voting rights. It also means Congress can bring the hammer down and clean up the mess.
  
  More from AP.

• Democrat John Edwards is plowing ahead with his second bid for the presidency in spite of the news that his wife, Elizabeth, is battling an incurable reappearance of cancer, reports The Associated Press.
  
  Edwards supporters and many in the mainstream media viewed the announcement on strictly political terms. Some folks may find it hard to swallow the politicization of what would be for most of us a very private family matter.

• Former President Bill Clinton yesterday complained that “it’s just not fair” the way his wife, presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), is being depicted for her controversial Iraq war vote, reports The Hill.

• The Detroit Free Press reports a Republican congressman representing rural southern Michigan is taking heat for saying that most of Iraq is at least as under control as Detroit is.

• Europe's citizens must be on their guard against political correctness and moralising politicians, says the European Commission President José Manuel Barroso in an interview with The Daily Telegraph.
  
  

  "We should be aware of people who, sometimes for good reasons, try to establish what I call private moral codes, for this or that, be it climate change, religious behaviour or any kind of social behaviour," he says.

• In a newsletter to staff, Rochester NY City School District officials say it is OK for students and teachers to speak Ebonics in class, WHAM reports.

• The Associated Press reports, in a new video posted Thursday on the Internet, an al-Qaida militant who escaped from a U.S. prison in Afghanistan urged Sunni militants in Iraq to join the terror group and claimed the U.S. military's security plan for Baghdad has failed.

• From LiveScience: Prolonged exposure to soft drinks can lead to significant enamel loss, even though many people consider soft drinks to be harmless or just worry about their sugar content and the potential for putting on pounds, the study says.

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Combat Camera: Enemy Contact

Soldiers relax just before the mission at the Iraqi police station in Buhriz, where they are staying. Photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall, March 21, 2007.

Spc. William McGrath engages the enemy after coming under fire. Photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall, March 21, 2007.

Spc. William McGrath gets a spare magazine from Spc. Cory Barton during the firefight. Soldiers help each other out like this all the time when the going gets tough. Photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall, March 21, 2007.

Spc. Justin Meadow provides security for Iraqi Soldiers. Photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall, March 21, 2007.

An Iraqi Soldier prepares to engage the enemy after coming under fire. Photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall, March 21, 2007.

After the mission, Spc. Joshua Philbeck unwinds by playing a video game back at the Iraqi police station. Photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall, March 21, 2007.

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The Decline and Fall of Western Civ for 21 Mar.

By consensus, it's a "true planetary emergency."
It's the end of the world as we know it...

• The Associated Press reports Al Gore spoke out on his signature issue Wednesday, warning of a "true planetary emergency" if Congress fails to act on global warming.
  
  

  "A lot of those recommendations are more regulations and more taxation," said former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., though he added that he agrees with Gore that the scientific debate on climate change is over. "I think we can find answers to use the coal energy, to use the natural gas we have."

  The Washington Post observed, weeks after he wowed moviegoers and Hollywood elites with his Oscar-winning documentary on global warming, Al Gore returned to Congress to address what he called "a true planetary emergency."
  
  He faced a far tougher audience, however, than he had at the Academy Awards.
  
  

  "Global warming science is uneven and evolving," said Rep. Joe L. Barton (R-Tex.), the ranking minority member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
  
  Barton questioned evidence presented in Gore's hit film, "An Inconvenient Truth," and said measures Gore was recommending to curb carbon emissions "fail the common sense test -- they provide little benefit at a huge cost."

  More from: Bloomberg; AFP; Inhofe EPW Blog.

• As the Gore fest grabs the media spotlight today before Sen. Barbara Boxer's Environment and Public Works Committee, ContraCostaTimes.com reports Boxer is using Gore's appearance to help raise money for her 2010 re-election campaign.
  
  

  In an e-mail sent earlier this month, Boxer asked her supporters to sign an online thank-you card to Gore "for his many years of leadership and hard work," which she plans to give to him today. So far, more than 63,000 people have signed the card, according to a campaign consultant.
  
  Next to the link for signing the card is a link to "contribute today" to the Friends of Barbara Boxer, which takes the user to instructions on how to donate online.

• SignOnSanDiego.com reports Czech President Vaclav Klaus said on Wednesday that fighting global warming has turned into a a 'religion' that replaced the ideology of communism and threatens to clip basic freedoms.

• In other blowhard news, UPI notes that a U.S.-led study of prehistoric hurricane activity suggests the chance of a category 4 or 5 storm hitting a Gulf of Mexico location is 0.03 percent a year.
  
  

  Louisiana State University Professor Kam-biu Liu and colleagues studied the result of prehistoric storm surges using radiocarbon analysis and other dating techniques to develop a chronology of prehistoric storms.
  
  They determined evidence from the Gulf Coast drill sites shows hurricanes of catastrophic magnitude directly hit each location only approximately 10 to 12 times during the past 3,800 years.
  
  "People were discussing the probability of a category 5 hurricane making direct impact on New Orleans," said Liu. "That's tricky, because it's never actually happened in history. Even Katrina, though still extremely powerful, was only a category 3 storm at landfall."

• The Press Association reports spy cameras are being used to catch vandals, graffiti artists and other 'envirocriminals.'

• A privately developed rocket that carried the hopes of cheap access to space was lost minutes after launch from the Marshall Islands on Tuesday -- but the millionaire behind the launch called it a success, reports The New York Times.

• In the video below, CODEPINK's Desiree Fairooz interrupts Hillary Clinton Fundraiser with the "Why, Why, Hillary Why?" song to the tune of "American Pie" as another CODEPINK protester Jodie Evans gets dragged out by 3-4 secret service officers.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=960_1174488595&p=1

• AFP reports insurgents in Iraq detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle with two children in the back seat after US soldiers let it through a Baghdad checkpoint over the weekend, a senior US military official said Tuesday.

• Click here to see images of a U.S. soldier burned in effigy at a Portland anti-war protest.

• One day after 21 people were arrested during a demonstration that vandalized a U.S. Army recruiting office on Milwaukee's east side, Wisconsin peace activist groups on Tuesday said some protesters might increasingly turn to destruction as their frustrations mount, according to JS Online.
  
  Fight for peace, dudes. Peace-out.

• Reuters reports President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday accused some big powers of waging psychological warfare against Iran, which is facing the prospect of tougher U.N. sanctions over its nuclear program.

• Last but not least, prompting comparisons to Watergate from foolish reporters who are at least as incompetent as they are biased, the White House stands firm (finally) and tells obstructionist Democrats (like Charles Schumer) to "take it or leave it." Spokesman Tony Snow said if subpoenas are issued, the offer of a Rove interview is withdrawn.

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Combat Camera: Soldiers Maneuver Streets of Al Doura

U.S. Army Sgt. Auralie Suarez and Pvt. Brett Mansink take cover in a ditch in Al Doura, Iraq, March 7, 2007. The soldiers are assigned to Charlie Company, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division and were on a joint patrol in Al Rashid when their unit received small-arms fire. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Sean A. Foley

U.S. Army Pfc. Mark Stewart, far left, lays down cover fire as his squad prepares to maneuver down a street during a patrol in Al Doura, Iraq, March 7, 2007. Stewart is an infantryman assigned to Charlie Company, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Sean A. Foley

U.S. Army Spc. Olanrewanju Akinwumni, right, a combat documentation specialist assigned to the 982nd Combat Camera (Airborne), captures video imagery of U.S. Army soldiers taking cover as they maneuver down a street to engage gunmen who fired on their convoy in Al Doura, Iraq, March 7, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Sean A. Foley

U.S. Army Sgt. Auralie Suarez and Pvt. Brett Mansink take cover in a ditch in Al Doura, Iraq, March 7, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Sean A. Foley

U.S. Army Sgt. Karl King and Pfc. David Valenzuela lay down cover fire while their squad maneuvers down a street from behind the cover of a Stryker combat vehicle to engage gunmen who fired on their convoy in Al Doura, Iraq, March 7, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Sean A. Foley

A U.S. Army soldier lays down cover fire while his squad maneuvers down a street to engage gunmen who fired on their convoy in Al Doura, Iraq, March 7, 2007. The soldiers are assigned to Charlie Company, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division and were on a joint patrol in Al Rashid when his unit received small-arms fire. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Sean A. Foley

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The Decline and Fall of Western Civ for 20 Mar.

Tired of the foolishness.
At the end of the world, it still boils down to politics...

• The buzz in conservative talk circles for the past few weeks has been a simple question: Where is President Bush's backbone? The President answered the question today with the stern tone of a disgusted adult addressing the immature behavior of a pre-pubescent teen.
  
  Bush warned Democrats Tuesday to accept his offer to have top aides testify about the firings of federal prosecutors only privately and not under oath or risk a constitutional showdown from which he would not back down.
  
  

  "If the Democrats truly do want to move forward and find the right information, they ought to accept what I proposed," Bush said. "If scoring political points is the desire, then the rejection of this reasonable proposal will really be evident for the American people to see."

  Keep in mind that federal prosecutors serve at the pleasure of the president and he can appoint and fire them as he sees fit. In fact, the fired prosecutors were approved by Bush when took office.
  
  Traditional media outlets keep pounding the liberal template. The real story is how the Democrats have yet to fulfill any other than the election promise to be as obstructionist as possible. Bush's warning to Dems: no 'show trials.'
  
  More from: The Associated Press; The Washington Post, The White House; White House Counsel.

• On the Inhofe EPW Press Blog, Marc Morano writes that Al Gore is violating committee rules by demanding special treatment.
  
  

  From behind the scenes on Capitol Hill: Former Vice President Al Gore, despite being given major preferential treatment, has violated the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee’s (EPW) hearing rules.
  
  <...>
  
  The question looms on Capitol Hill: Is Gore delaying the submission of his testimony until the very last moment because he fears it will give members of the EPW committee time to scrutinize it for accuracy?

• Republicans and Democrats sternly warned the FBI on Tuesday that it could lose its broad power to collect telephone, e-mail and financial records to hunt terrorists after revelations of widespread abuses of the authority detailed in a recent internal investigation, reports The Associated Press.
  
  The Washington Post reports the Justice Department's inspector general told a committee of angry House members yesterday that the FBI may have violated the law or government policies as many as 3,000 times since 2003 as agents secretly collected the telephone, bank and credit card records of U.S. citizens and foreign nationals residing here.

• The most outspoken critics of the $124 billion wartime spending bill in the House are facing withering support in their fight to defeat it, according to The Politico.
  
  California Democratic Reps. Maxine Waters and Lynn Woolsey said that many of their liberal colleagues were caving under pressure from Democratic leaders who, according to at least one congressman, have threatened to block requests for new funds for his district.
  
  They also cited MoveOn.org's endorsement of the measure Monday as a blow to their efforts.

• Michigan Congressman, Republican Mike Rogers' home is under police guard after his Lansing office was severely vandalized Monday. Go to WXYZ.com for story and images.

• The Associated Press reports, when a California woman recently gave birth to a healthy baby just two days after learning she was pregnant, the sudden change to her life was challenging enough. What April Branum definitely didn't need was a deluge of nasty Internet comments.
  
  It was yet another example of how the Internet -- and the anonymity it affords -- has given a public stage to people's basest thoughts, ones that in earlier eras likely never would have traveled past the watercooler, the kitchen table or the next barstool.

• And finally, in this pile of political news, as what has been mischaracterized as the world’s warmest winter on record drew to an end with a weekend blizzard, a group of religious leaders started walking across Massachusetts Friday to bring attention to global warming according to the Telegraph.
  
  

  “People have been asking me what happens if it snows,” said the Rev. Fred Small of the First Church Unitarian in Littleton. “I tell them: ‘We walk.’ ”

  This story reminds me of a saying from my less than idyllic youth: "Action talks and BS walks."

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CVW 9 Pilot Rescued in North Arabian Sea

An F/A-18C Hornet launches from the USS John C. Stennis
From USS John C. Stennis Public Affairs

USS JOHN C. STENNIS, At Sea; March 20, 2007 -- A pilot assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9 aboard USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) was rescued shortly after ejection Tuesday afternoon from an aircraft in the North Arabian Sea.

The pilot ejected from the aircraft, an F/A-18C Super Hornet assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 323, at approximately 3:19 p.m.

The search and rescue (SAR) helicopter recovered the pilot at 3:35 p.m. and transported the pilot to John C. Stennis where a further medical evaluation will be conducted. The pilot is in good condition.

The John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group is currently supporting Operation Enduring Freedom as well as conducting Maritime Security Operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations.

The cause of the incident is currently under investigation.

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Combat Camera: Operation Brown Hawk

Members of the Iraqi army, 4th Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Division, prepare for a three-day raid during Operation Brown Hawk in Tahrir, Iraq, on Feb. 25, 2007. The purpose of Operation Brown Hawk is to eliminate Tahrir as an operating base for improvised explosive device building cells and key leaders of the Al-Qaeda forces in Iraq. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Charles Holland, assigned to the Military Transition Team, watches over soldiers with the Iraqi army, 4th Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Division, before a three-day raid during Operation Brown Hawk in Tahrir, Iraq, on Feb. 25, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall

An Iraqi army soldier with 4th Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Division, prepares for a three-day raid during Operation Brown Hawk in Tahrir, Iraq, on Feb. 25, 2007. The purpose of Operation Brown Hawk is to eliminate Tahrir as an operating base for improvised explosive device building cells and key leaders of the Al-Qaeda forces in Iraq. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall

U.S. Army Capt. Scott Steele, assigned to the Military Transition Team, observes soldiers with the 4th Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Division, as they search a house for weapons during Operation Brown Hawk in Tahrir, Iraq, on Feb. 25, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall

Iraqi army soldiers assigned to the 4th Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Division, shake the hand of a local house owner after using his house as a temporary command post during Operation Brown Hawk in Tahrir, Iraq, on Feb. 25, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall

An Iraqi army medic, assigned to the 4th Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Division, provides treatment for a soldier, who got shot in the toe, during Operation Brown Hawk in Tahrir, Iraq, on Feb. 25, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall

U.S. Army Capt. Scott Steele, assigned to the Military Transition Team, provides security during Operation Brown Hawk in Tahrir, Iraq, on Feb. 25, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall

An Iraqi army soldier, assigned to the 4th Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Division, enjoys a lollypop in the turret of his tactical vehicle during Operation Brown Hawk in Tahrir, Iraq, on Feb. 25, 2007. The purpose of Operation Brown Hawk is to eliminate Tahrir as an operating base for improvised explosive device building cells and key leaders of the Al-Qaeda forces in Iraq. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall

Additional imagery from this set: Combat Camera: Securing Tahrir

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