Saturday, September 22, 2007

Combat Camera: U.S. and Iraqi Security Forces Clear Baqubah Neighborhood

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Soldiers assigned to, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, occupy an empty building in a neighborhood of Baqubah, as Stryker vehicles move into position Sept. 20. Alpha Company Soldiers recently cleared all homes in the neighborhood, searching for insurgents and weapons caches. Photographer: 1st Lt. Richard Ybarra, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

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A Soldier from 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, searches a home in a Baqubah neighborhood, known as "Mexico" Sept. 20. Soldiers swept the homes for insurgents or weapons caches. Photographer: 1st Lt. Richard Ybarra, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

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American and Iraqi soldiers and Iraqi policemen move from house to house in Baqubah, searching for insurgents or weapons caches Sept. 20. The soldiers cleared the entire neighborhood, referred to as "Mexico." Photographer: 1st Lt. Richard Ybarra, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

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Staff Sgt. Yair Cardona examines a map after searching a home in the neighborhood of Baqubah known as "Mexico" Sept. 20. American Soldiers, along with Iraqi soldiers and policed cleared the entire neighborhood, taking sporadic fire from an isolated sniper. Photographer: 1st Lt. Richard Ybarra, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

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Staff Sgt. Yair Cardona peers through the window of an abandoned building in an attempt to locate a sniper firing on fellow Soldiers Sept. 20. Coalition forces recently cleared the neighborhood of Baqubah, known as "Mexico," searching for weapons caches and insurgents. Photographer: 1st Lt. Richard Ybarra, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

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Sgt. Daniel Roche of 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Regiment, peers through a peephole in an abandoned building in Baqubah, Iraq Sept. 20. Roche was searching for a sniper that was taking shots at coalition forces as they cleared a neighborhood, known as "Mexico", of insurgents and weapons caches. Photographer: 1st Lt. Richard Ybarra, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

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Forces Kill 40 Extremists, Capture Three Others

Dispatches from the Front

Dispatches from the Front:

U.S., Afghan Forces Kill 40 Taliban Fighters

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2007 (AFPS) -- Coalition and Afghan forces teamed up to kill about 40 Taliban extremists and capture three others during two separate operations in Afghanistan's Helmand and Ghazni provinces yesterday, officials said.

The combined force used precision munitions to kill many of the 40 Taliban fighters who died during the operation in Helmand province, officials said. A search of the area revealed multiple weapons caches, including more than 20 rocket-propelled grenades, large amounts of ammunition and land mines. One building containing munitions was suspected of being an improvised holding cell.

"This was one of the largest caches of weapons found to date," said Army Maj. Christopher Belcher, a Combined Joint Task Force 82 spokesman. "Several rooms were found filled with small arms, explosives, rocket-propelled grenades and large-caliber ammunition."
In a separate operation in the Dih Yak district of Ghazni province today, Afghan and coalition forces routed a group of militants and destroyed their equipment. The militants fled via underground tunnels. The tunnels were destroyed by precision-guided munitions. Three suspected militants were detained.

In other recent Afghanistan operations, Afghan and coalition forces thwarted an attempted Taliban ambush during a combat patrol near Kakrak village, in western Uruzgan province, Sept. 19. The combined patrol was northeast of Deh Rawood when the troops saw a dozen insurgents preparing to ambush them. The Afghan-led patrol attacked the Taliban with small-arms fire. More than 50 additional Taliban fighters joined the fight and struck the patrol with small arms, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, and mortars from multiple compounds within Kakrak village.

Close-air support was called in to pound the Taliban positions, and more than three dozen Taliban were killed during the 14-hour battle.

"The coalition will not sit idly by and allow the enemies of the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan continue to seek safe haven in the Uruzgan province," Belcher said. "We believe that the extremist Taliban will continue to use the unconscionable tactic of attacking the (government) and coalition forces from areas that contain a large number of non-combatants. We will continue to do our utmost to avoid civilian casualties but, in the end, it is the enemies of peace and stability who must be held accountable for their efforts to endanger the lives and future of the Afghan people."
(Compiled from Combined Joint Task Force 82 news releases.)

Related: Combined Joint Task Force 82

Related media sources: CNN World, AP.

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Combat Camera Video: Boat Destruction on Tigris River

Combat Camera: On Board USS Harry S. Truman, 22 Sept. 2007

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ATLANTIC OCEAN (Sept. 18, 2007) - An F/A-18E Super Hornet, assigned to the "Red Rippers" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 11, performs a touch and go on the flight deck aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). Truman is underway in the Atlantic Ocean conducting carrier qualifications. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Daron Street (RELEASED)

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ATLANTIC OCEAN (Sept. 20, 2007) - Sailors stand by as an F/A-18F Super Hornet, assigned to the "Swordsmen" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 32, gets into position before launching from Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). Truman is underway in the Atlantic Ocean conducting carrier qualifications. U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Kevin T. Murray Jr. (RELEASED)

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ATLANTIC OCEAN (Sept. 20, 2007) - Sailors load ammunition into a mounted .50-caliber machine gun during a training exercise aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). Truman is underway in the Atlantic Ocean conducting carrier qualifications. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Damian Martinez (RELEASED)

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ATLANTIC OCEAN (Sept. 20, 2007) - Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) transits through the Atlantic Ocean. Truman is currently underway conducting carrier qualifications. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jay C. Pugh (RELEASED)

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ATLANTIC OCEAN (Sept. 18, 2007) - A shooter watches as an F/A-18F Super Hornet, from the "Red Rippers" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 11, launches from the bow aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). Truman is underway in the Atlantic Ocean conducting carrier qualifications. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Kevin T. Murray Jr. (RELEASED)

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ATLANTIC OCEAN (Sept. 17, 2007) - Final checkers give the thumbs up prior to launching an EA-6B Prowler, assigned to the "Zappers" of Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron (VAQ) 130, from aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). Truman is underway in the Atlantic Ocean conducting carrier qualifications. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Kevin T. Murray Jr. (RELEASED)

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ATLANTIC OCEAN (Sept. 17, 2007) - Sailors assigned to the "Zappers" of Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron (VAQ) 130 hurry across the landing area on the flight deck during flight operations aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). Truman is underway in the Atlantic Ocean conducting carrier qualifications. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Kevin T. Murray Jr. (RELEASED)

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ATLANTIC OCEAN (Sept. 17, 2007) - Landing signal officers (LSOs) watch from the LSO platform as an aircraft passes over the flight deck during flight operations aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). Truman is underway in the Atlantic Ocean conducting carrier qualifications. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Kevin T. Murray Jr. (RELEASED)

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ATLANTIC OCEAN (Sept. 17, 2007) - An E-2C Hawkeye, attached to the "Seahawks" of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 126, prepares to make an arrested recovery aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) during flight operations. Truman is underway in the Atlantic Ocean conducting carrier qualifications. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Kevin T. Murray Jr. (RELEASED)

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ATLANTIC OCEAN (Sept. 17, 2007) - An EA-6B Prowler, attached to the "Zappers" of Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron (VAQ) 130, performs a touch and go during flight operations aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). Truman is underway in the Atlantic Ocean conducting carrier qualifications. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Kevin T. Murray Jr. (RELEASED)

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ATLANTIC OCEAN (Sept. 20, 2007) - Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) transits through the Atlantic Ocean. Truman is underway conducting carrier qualifications. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jay C. Pugh (RELEASED)

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Friday, September 21, 2007

Travel Day

Greetings:

I'll be on a long travel day Friday and unable to update the blog. I have not updated the blog since early Thursday afternoon when the Internet connection at my hotel became unreliable; it took an hour just to post this paragraph. Things should be back to normal by Saturday afternoon.

Thanks!

Steve M

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Thursday, September 20, 2007

Coalition Continues to Target al Qaeda Leaders

Dispatches from the Front

Dispatches from the Front:

Coalition Forces Continue to Target al Qaeda Leaders in Iraq

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2007 (AFPS) -- Coalition forces killed seven terrorists and detained eight suspected terrorists today during operations targeting al Qaeda leaders in the central part of Iraq.

Coalition forces targeted a senior leader of al Qaeda during an operation in Mahmudiyah in continued efforts to boost security in the southern belt around Baghdad. After several hours of monitoring a known terrorist group, ground forces returned to the area where terrorists had engaged them with small-arms fire during previous operations.

As coalition forces arrived at the target area, they identified hostile intent from the group of men they were monitoring and called for close-air support. Seven terrorists were killed, and three suspected terrorists were detained on the scene.

In Samarra, coalition forces captured three individuals believed to be closely tied to senior leaders of al Qaeda and two additional suspected terrorists.

"Terrorists cannot hide from our operations against their leadership network," said Army Maj. Winfield Danielson, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman. "Iraqi and coalition security forces will ensure al Qaeda in Iraq does not come between the Iraqi people and the future they choose for their country."
In other operations today, Iraqi special operations soldiers with U.S. Special Forces advisors detained seven suspected Shiia insurgents during an operation in the Sadr City neighborhood of Baghdad.

Iraqi and U.S. forces were en route to detain a high-level Shiia extremist when they spotted several armed individuals on the rooftops of nearby buildings. The forces called in air support to provide suppressive fire, allowing the forces to continue to their objective. Once at the objective area, they searched several targeted residences and detained seven suspected Shiia extremists.
The individual targeted in the operation is a high-level Shiia extremist who commands a group of dozens of extremists. The group is responsible for attacking Iraqi and coalition forces with bombings and indirect-fire attacks. They also are linked to kidnapping, theft and murder.

Also today, coalition forces arrested an Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force officer in Sulimaniyah. The individual allegedly was involved in transporting bombs and explosively formed penetrators into Iraq. Intelligence reports also indicate he was involved in infiltrating and training foreign terrorists in Iraq, U.S. officials said.

In other operations this week:

  • Iraqi special operations soldiers killed three militant extremists during an operation targeting an extremist commander yesterday in Baghdad. During two separate incidents, armed insurgents engaged Iraqi and U.S forces, who killed all three insurgents. The Iraqi forces detained three other suspicious individuals at the targeted locations.

  • In two separate operations yesterday in Diwaniyah, Iraqi forces detained 11 other individuals. The operations targeted smuggling operations and supply routes bringing arms, ammunition, mortars and bombs into Diwaniyah. They also were targeting an extremist cell leader and assassination cell member.

Earlier this week, Multinational Division Baghdad attack helicopter crews located and destroyed a large weapons cache, containing about 500 mortar rounds, rockets and launcher equipment northwest of Baghdad on Sept. 18. At daybreak yesterday, additional crews were sent to conduct reconnaissance of the cache site and spotted multiple mortar tubes that were still potentially usable. The crews again engaged the cache completely destroy the munitions and equipment stored there.

"The very detailed reconnaissance by my Apache aircrews resulted in the discovery of this extremely large weapon cache in an isolated location west of Camp Taji," said Army Lt. Col. Christopher Walach, 1-227th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion commander. "The lethal and accurate fires by multiple Apache Longbow teams effectively reduced and destroyed a large quantity of this cache and prevented insurgents from exploiting these munitions for further use in or around Baghdad against Iraqi and coalition forces."
(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq and Multinational Force Iraq news releases.)

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Violence in Iraq Drops to Lowest Level Since `06

LTG Ray Odierno, Commander of Multi-National Corps-Iraq, and LtGen Qanbar Abud, Commander of the Baghdad Operations Command, providing an operational update.
Link: Iraq Briefing 20 September 2007

News in Balance:

The No. 2 U.S. commander in Iraq said Thursday that a seven-month-old security operation has cut violence in Baghdad by half.

On Thursday, Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno told reporters that car bombs and suicide attacks in Baghdad have fallen to their lowest level in a year, and civilian casualties have dropped from a high of about 32 to 12 per day.

While the news was carried on wire services, major news outfilts CNN and The Washington Post ignored the story.

AP, however, spun the good news against the recent incident involving employees of Blackwater USA security.

Violence in Iraq Down, Iraqi Capability Up, Odierno Says
By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA


WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2007 (AFPS) -- Attacks in Iraq are at their lowest level since before the February 2006 bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra, a top U.S. commander in Iraq said today.

In addition to a decrease in attacks, the number of civilian casualties is decreasing, car bomb and suicide attacks are at their lowest levels in a year, and Iraqi and coalition forces have found more weapons caches in the first nine months of 2007 than they did in all of 2006, Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, commander of Multinational Corps Iraq, told reporters in Baghdad.

“Coalition and Iraqi forces continue to keep the pressure on extremists, and I believe we will be able to continue to improve security in Baghdad and across Iraq,” he said.

Iraqi security forces continue to improve daily, Odierno said, and are taking more responsibility from coalition forces when possible. He stressed that the transfer of responsibility to Iraqi forces is a deliberate process and is not done lightly.

“We go through this very carefully to ensure that we’re able to maintain the security for the Iraqi people,” Odierno said. “We will not give back any of the hard-fought gains because we tried to rush this process.”
As security gains are made, life is returning to normal for citizens around Iraq, the general said. Commerce is flourishing; more schools are opening; and people are returning to the streets, he said. This year, more than $589 million has been spent on reconstruction, $414 million on humanitarian assistance, and almost $200 million on improving the Iraqi security forces.

“We continue to work hard to move forward economically and improve the essential services, working with the government of Iraq,” Odierno said. “This is what the Iraqi people deserve and expect.”
He noted that security gains by coalition and Iraqi forces, in combination with reconciliation at the local level, have kept al Qaeda off balance and driven them from much of Baghdad. As insurgents flee, the coalition will keep pressure on them and pursue them, he said.

Iraqi Lt. Gen. Qanbar Abud, commander of Baghdad Operations Command, who also spoke at the news conference, agreed that al Qaeda is now on the run and life is returning to normal for the Iraqi people. Iraqi forces are gaining experience every day and are persistent in their fight against terror, he said.

Odierno closed by emphasizing that the coalition understands the hardships the Iraqi people have endured and admires their courage. “We join you in wanting the violence and unnecessary loss of life to stop here in Iraq, and that’s our common goal,” he said.
Bio: Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, USA

Related media sources: CNN World, The Associated Press, Yahoo News - Reuters.

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Combat Camera: Operation Saber Hammer II Clears Muqdadiya

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Spc. David Cordick of 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, watches for movement from a Stryker attack vehicle during Operation Saber Hammer II, Muqdadiya, Diyala province, Iraq, Sept. 17. The operation, in support of Operation Lightning Hammer II, is part of an ongoing effort to remove al-Qaida in Iraq from the province. Photographer: Pvt. Kirby Rider, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

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Soldiers of 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, patrol the streets of Muqdadiya, Diyala province, Iraq, during Operation Saber Hammer II Sept. 18. The operation, in support of Operation Lightning Hammer II, is part of an ongoing effort to remove al-Qaida in Iraq from the province. Photographer: Pvt. Kirby Rider, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

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Spc. David Cordick of 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, sets up a 60 mm mortar tube during Operation Saber Hammer II in Muqdadiya, Diyala province, Iraq, Sept. 18. The operation, in support of Operation Lightning Hammer II, is part of an ongoing effort to remove al-Qaida in Iraq from the province. Photographer: Pvt. Kirby Rider, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

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Spc. David Cordick of 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, surveys a rooftop for the source of sniper fire during clearing operations in Muqdadiya, Diyala province, Iraq. The operation, in support of Operation Lightning Hammer II, is part of an ongoing effort to remove al-Qaida in Iraq from the province. Photographer: Pvt. Kirby Rider, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

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Spc. Joshua Aplin of 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, searches for enemy snipers during clearing operations in Muqdadiya, Diyala province, Iraq, Sept. 18. The operation, in support of Operation Lightning Hammer II, is part of an ongoing effort to remove al-Qaida in Iraq from the province. Photographer: Pvt. Kirby Rider, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

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First Lt. Daniel Crumby and Spc. Brandon Carter of 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, take cover from an explosion during clearing operations in Muqdadiya, Diyala province, Iraq, Sept. 18. The operation, in support of Operation Lightning Hammer II, is part of an ongoing effort to remove al-Qaida in Iraq from the province. Photographer: Pvt. Kirby Rider, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

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A medical evacuation helicopter takes off from a field in Muqdadiya, Diyala province, Iraq, during Operation Saber Hammer II, Sept. 18. The operation, in support of Operation Lightning Hammer II, is part of an ongoing effort to remove al-Qaida in Iraq from the province. Photographer: Pvt. Kirby Rider, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

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Combat Camera: Troops Search for Taliban Weapons

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U.S. Army soldiers assigned to Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, conduct a cordon and search in Barla, Afghanistan, Sept. 6, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Michael L. Casteel

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Afghan National Army soldiers search a mosque during a cordon and search in Barla, Afghanistan, Sept. 6, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Michael L. Casteel

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U.S. Army Spc. Osvaldo Hernandez, assigned to Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, enters a local into a handheld interagency identity detection equipment system during a cordon and search in Barla, Afghanistan, Sept. 6, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Michael L. Casteel

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U.S. Army soldiers assigned to Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, and an Afghan National Army soldier search a well during a cordon and search in Barla, Afghanistan, Sept. 6, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Michael L. Casteel

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An Afghan National Army soldier questions a local man about a Taliban style photograph found in his home during a cordon and search in Barla, Afghanistan, Sept. 6, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Michael L. Casteel

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U.S. Army Spc. Clinton Marler, assigned to Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, uses a metal detector to search through a pile of hay during a cordon and search in Barla, Afghanistan, Sept. 6, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Michael L. Casteel

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U.S. Army 1st Lt. Mordechai Sorkin, assigned to Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, greets a local boy during a cordon and search in Barla, Afghanistan, Sept. 6, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Michael L. Casteel

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U.S. Army soldiers assigned to Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, maneuver up a mountain while continuing to search for Taliban weapon caches near Barla, Afghanistan, Sept. 6, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Michael L. Casteel

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New Message from al Qaeda's Zawahri

News in Balance

News in Balance:

Media outlets reported Al Qaeda's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri called on Muslims to fight the United States and its allies around the world and praised the operations of Islamist militants in a new video released on Thursday.

Additionally, reports said a terrorist Web site would carry a new video from al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in which he declares war on Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Pakistan's army.

The SITE Institute Web site reported that As-Sahab, the multimedia wing of al-Qaeda, produced a video titled, “The Power of Truth”, presenting in a documentary format a view of what al-Qaeda understands as a contemporary war against Islam led by the United States and the West.

The video, one-hour and twenty-one minutes in length and containing English-subtitles, was issued to jihadist forums on Wednesday.

Featured is a collection of excerpts from Western and Arabic television channels of American officials, journalists, scholars and thinkers, intertwined with narration and speeches by al-Qaeda leaders such as Osama bin Laden, Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri and Mustafa al-Yazid AKA Sheikh Saeed. The speeches of Zawahiri and Sheikh Saeed are new. Zawahiri speaks on the occasion of the sixth anniversary of the attacks on September 11, 2001, and Sheikh Saeed, sitting with Mansour Dadullah, remarks on the jihad in Afghanistan and the aftermath of 9/11 having a “major effect in cementing the ties” between al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

SITE also reported “truth”, as given in the documentary, is that al-Qaeda and the Mujaheddin have been accumulating victories in its war against the United States and the West, despite allegations to the contrary.

Speaking directly to the American people, the narrator and al-Qaeda speakers claim the progress of the Mujaheddin and the failures of the enemy. Common threads are present from prior releases and speeches of al-Qaeda leaders, in particular overtures to minority populations by using the words of Malcolm X, and claims that the war is fueled by capitalist greed.

Zawahiri at one point questions: “Why should the American soldier make sacrifices, when he knows that the concern of his commanders is luxury and shirking of responsibility. And the concern of his political leadership is making a profit and amassing treasure?”

Related media sources: Reuters, The SITE Institute, CNN World, AP.

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Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Coalition Forces Capture Dozens, Kill Five Suspects in Iraq

Dispatches from the Front

Dispatches from the Front:

Iraqi, Coalition Forces Net Suspects, Kill Insurgents, Seize Weapons

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2007 (AFPS) -- Iraqi and coalition forces nabbed dozens of suspects, killed five others and confiscated or destroyed weapons caches across Iraq over the past three days, military officials said.

In Iraq today:

  • Iraqi and coalition forces killed three Shiite extremists during a raid in the Bayaa area of Baghdad targeting a Shiite “special groups” battalion commander wanted for launching rocket and improvised-explosive-device attacks against Iraqi and coalition forces. The combined force also detained three suspects at the targeted sites.

  • Iraqi special operations forces detained 11 suspects in an operation targeting an extremist IED-cell leader and assassination cell member in Diwaniyah. During a separate, coordinated raid in the area, troops aimed to dismantle smuggling operations and focused on clamping down supply routes that transport arms, ammunition, mortars and IEDs into the locale.

  • Combined forces captured five wanted individuals and detained six additional suspected terrorists during operations focused on terrorist leaders in northern Iraq and their operatives in the Tigris River Valley. Two detainees are believed to be tied to al Qaeda leaders in Iran and Pakistan, and have extensive knowledge of the network’s smuggling operations, military officials said.

  • Coalition forces killed one Iraqi terrorist linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force and detained seven suspected terrorists during operations in Balad Ruz and northern Baghdad. The slain terrorist was responsible for smuggling weapons, equipment and foreign terrorists across the Iran-Iraq border, military officials said.

During operations in Iraq yesterday:

  • Iraqi forces from 2nd Iraqi Army Division suppressed enemy fire in Sharqat, near Mosul. After the exchange, Iraqi forces searched the area and nabbed a suspect who military officials believe to be responsible for facilitating the movement of al Qaeda operatives. Forces also seized a 9 mm submachine gun, a handgun and AK-47 assault rifle ammunition.

  • Iraqi army scouts conducting a series of helicopter-assault raids southwest of Taji destroyed an insurgent weapons cache that contained more than 100 containers of nitric acid, eight anti-aircraft weapons, and IED-making materials. In the raid, troops detained three individuals, including a suspected al Qaeda sniper team spotter.

  • Iraqi forces detained three individuals while patrolling villages in Bulayj reported to be al Qadea safe havens. Two of the detainees are alleged al Qaeda facilitators in the area, military officials said.

  • Members of Iraq’s emergency response unit detained an al Qaeda in Iraq emir and two cell members in the Adhamiyah area of Baghdad. The emir and his cell members are suspected of conducting IED and indirect-fire attacks against local citizens and coalition forces.

  • Iraqi army reconnaissance soldiers detained a suspected extremist in the Taji area. The suspect leads a company responsible for IED and explosively-formed-penetrator attacks along main supply routes, including an Aug. 22 EFP attack against Iraqi and coalition forces, military officials said.

  • Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers found two EFPs while conducting a route-clearance operation in the New Baghdad district of the Iraqi capital. Soldiers with 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team's Special Troops Battalion called in an explosive ordnance disposal unit to destroy the bombs in a controlled detonation.

In Iraq on Sept. 17:

  • Iraqi army forces killed one extremist and detained 14 others after troops received enemy fire while conducting an operation to seize a weapons cache in Hugna village, near Kirkuk. The slain insurgent was identified as Baha Turki Abd Shabib, a known al Qaeda assassin linked to the deaths of more than 60 innocent Iraqis, including the beheading of an Iraqi army soldier.

  • Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers and Iraqi army troops captured two suspects and confiscated weapons caches in southern Baghdad as part of Operation Dragon Talon II.

  • Coalition forces detained three suspected terrorists and found several weapons caches during an operation to boost security in the northern belt around Baghdad. One cache contained hydrochloric acid and 19,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate, and other hidden mortar rounds and small arms. Coalition forces called in an air strike to destroy the contraband.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq, Multinational Corps Iraq and Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force Arabian Peninsula news releases.)

Related media sources: AP U.S., AP Iraq, CNN World.

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Joint Commission to Look at Security Issues in Iraq

News in balance
Blackwater Helicopter

News in Balance:

News outlets reported that a joint U.S.-Iraq commission will focus on security contractors in Iraq after an uproar over a Baghdad firefight involving Blackwater USA, the U.S. State Department announced Wednesday.

AP notes that the size and composition of the commission have yet to be determined but its members are charged with assessing the results of both U.S. and Iraqi investigations of Sunday's incident, reaching a common conclusion about what happened and recommending possible changes to the way in which the embassy and its contractors handle security, it said.

Here is the official statement from Tom Casey, Deputy Spokesman U.S. Department of State:

U.S.-Iraq Joint Commission
September 19, 2007


The Governments of the United States and Iraq agreed today to establish a joint commission of inquiry to examine issues of security and safety related to U.S. Government-affiliated personal security detail operations in Iraq following the loss of life that resulted from an incident involving a Department of State personal security detail in the Mansour district of Baghdad on September 16, 2007.

The commission will make joint policy recommendations, including specific suggestions for improving U.S. and Iraqi procedures regarding U.S. Government-affiliated personal security details.

The commission will also receive the findings of the U.S. review of the incident which occurred in the Mansour district of Baghdad on September 16.

The United States regrets the loss of life as a result of this incident and reiterates its commitment to a comprehensive and transparent investigation of the incident and to full participation in the activities of the commission
Related media sources: CNN, The Associated Press, The Washington Post.

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