Thursday, November 15, 2007

Success in Iraq Possible, Commander Says

Bloggers' Roundtable

Bloggers' Roundtable:

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15, 2007 (AFPS) -- Success is possible in Iraq, a senior Army commander there said today based on progress he has seen since his recent return to the country.

Speaking to a group of Internet journalists and “bloggers” via telephone from Iraq, Army Brig. Gen. James C. Boozer Sr., deputy commander of Multinational Division North, said he is “absolutely amazed” at improvements there since his return last month. This is his third tour in the country.
“This is a turning point. … I think in the next 12 or 15 months … that we’re going to make history. We’re going to allow the nation of Iraq to build itself,” Boozer said. “I believe that we can have success in Iraq, that it is possible.”
Boozer said he has seen “an absolute certain increase in capacity” in the Iraqi security forces since a previous tour there in 2004 and 2005.

Four Iraqi army divisions with about 55,000 soldiers operate in the nearly 50,000-square-mile area Boozer is responsible for. About 80,000 Iraqi police operate there, along with 25,000 coalition forces.

Boozer called the Iraqi security forces there some of the best he’s seen. For the most part, he said, they are conducting independent operations at a brigade combat team level. “That is a large leap from what they were able to do back in 2004-2005,” he said.

The commander said three elements are essential to continued progress in the region:
  • Allowing provincial local governments the ability to dialogue with the central government;

  • Transitioning Iraqi security forces so they can conduct independent operations; and

  • Setting conditions for a stable economic environment so the economy can grow.

“We’re doing nation building here,” he said. “We need to sustain and attain the security environment that we are currently enjoying.”
Increased security has resulted in a decline in violence in the region, he said. Also, a groundswell of local citizens is coming forward to help secure neighborhoods and join the Iraqi security forces. “All of this is coming together at the right time and the right place, I think, where we can see success here in Iraq in the coming future,” Boozer said.

Some al Qaeda cells have migrated north after being driven out of Baghdad by military operations there. But, Boozer said, his forces are pinpointing those cells.

“We believe that we have clearly disrupted al Qaeda here in MND North, and we will continue to sustain that pressure on them. We believe that that they are on their heels, that we’ve certainly knocked the breath out of them. But they can still conduct vicious attacks, … but they are isolated vicious attacks. They cannot bring together complex attacks like they could in the past,” Boozer said.

Coalition forces also will continue working with the Iraqi army and police on their logistics abilities and sustainment capabilities, which are showing progress, as well, Boozer said.

(Story by Fred W. Baker III, American Forces Press Service.)

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IED Attacks Down Significantly; Enemy Being Pushed North in Iraq

News in Balance

News in Balance:

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15, 2007 (AFPS) -- Initiatives taken in Iraq over the past 11 months have reduced improvised-explosive-device attacks dramatically and sent the enemy scrambling, Multinational Corps Iraq’s deputy commander for support told reporters in Baghdad today.

Army Maj. Gen. James E. Simmons pointed to a dramatic drop in IED “events” -- explosions or identifications. In March, 3,239 IED incidents were reported, with 1,641 of them exploding and 1,489 identified and cleared. In October, that number was down almost 50 percent. Of 1,560 IED events, 763 exploded and 767 were cleared.
“IED attacks and corresponding casualties for coalition forces, Iraqi security forces and Iraqi civilians have dropped significantly,” Simmons said. “We have seized the initiative and placed the enemy on the defense.”
Simmons credited the troop surge with helping bring about the turnaround, but cited other new initiatives, too. In June, combat engineers began disabling IEDs, a task that had been restricted to explosive ordnance disposal forces. This freed EOD and weapons intelligence teams to focus on the most dangerous IEDs and promising cache finds, he said.

Troops are responding to more IEDs, and, with the help of a new Multinational Corps Iraq biometric cell, have doubled their apprehension rate in the last four months, he said. They’re also uncovering more weapons caches. “We found more caches by May of this year than in all of 2006,” Simmons said.

In addition, more Iraqis who have tired of terrorists operating in their neighborhoods are passing tips about their whereabouts to coalition troops and Iraqi security forces, he said.
“Since June 2007, attacks and casualties have dropped to the lowest rate in two years,” Simmons said. “Although there remain tough pockets of enemy resistance that must be defeated, reporting through the 14th of November indicates a continuation of these positive trends.”
Most of the IED incidents are now occurring in Multinational Division North’s battle space, the area north of Taji that stretches to Mosul. Simmons said that’s where enemy forces have moved since being pushed out of Anbar province and Baghdad.
“The fighting in al Anbar (and) the success in Baghdad has forced these terrorists out of those areas and into that battle space,” he said. “And they take their preferred method of killing people with them whenever they are pushed into other areas of Iraq.”
Despite progress in countering the IED threat, Simmons said, the threat continues. “The IED has been and remains the enemy’s primary weapon of choice against coalition, Iraqi forces and Iraqi civilians,” he said. “Multinational Corps Iraq views this threat as extremely serious.”

An investigation is continuing into an attack yesterday on a Stryker vehicle operating just outside the International Zone in Baghdad, Simmons said. Officials believe several explosively formed penetrators, the most deadly form of IED, were used in the attack, Simmons said.

(Story by Donna Miles, American Forces Press Service.)

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Troops Detain Dozens of Insurgents, Uncover Five Car Bombs in Iraq

Dispatches from the Front

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15, 2007 (AFPS) -- Iraqi and coalition forces detained dozens of insurgents and discovered five car bombs in Iraq in recent days, military officials said.

During a series of operations yesterday targeting terrorist networks in central and northern Iraq, combined forces nabbed 26 suspects.
  • West of Samarra, coalition forces captured a wanted individual and detained 16 suspects during operations targeting foreign terrorist financiers and al Qaeda members who facilitate the movement of foreign terrorists into the region. The wanted individual is believed to be associated with senior al Qaeda in Iraq leaders, including the alleged Salahuddin provincial leader, military officials said.

  • During operations along the Tigris River Valley, coalition forces detained five suspects targeting foreign terrorist facilitators, propaganda operations and terrorists planning attacks against Iraqi security forces.

  • South of Baghdad, troops captured a wanted individual and detained three suspects in operations targeting engineers of improvised explosive devices and terrorists operating in the Arab Jabour area.

"We remain vigilant and determined to eliminate the extremist enemies of Iraq," said Army Maj. Winfield Danielson, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman. "The increased willingness of the Iraqi people to share information with Iraqi and coalition forces will end al Qaeda's campaign of terror and intimidation."
In other news, coalition forces uncovered five car bombs in the Rhabi neighborhood of the Adhamiyah district on Nov. 13 thanks to reports from Iraqi security volunteers. Members of Troop B, 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, and elements from 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 11th Iraqi Army Division, blocked off the al Rhabi Gardens in northeastern Baghdad to dismantle five car bombs found in a parking lot.

Explosive ordnance disposal personnel detonated the five vehicles, rendering the area safe. There were no casualties or collateral damage to the surrounding area, and the Adhamiyah fire department quickly extinguished the flames after the explosions, military officials said.

"Because these brave people in the (Iraqi security volunteers) decided to stand up against terrorists, we have been able to reduce their effectiveness. The terrorists can no longer hide in the shadows to torment the good people of Adhamiyah," said Army Lt. Col. Jeffery Broadwater, commander of 3-7 Cavalry.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)

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Troops Detain Suspect, Treat Taliban Gunfire Victim in Afghanistan

Dispatches from the Front

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15, 2007 (AFPS) -- Afghan and coalition forces detained one suspect and treated a woman victimized by Taliban gunfire in Afghanistan in recent days, military officials said.

Combined forces detained one suspect in a Nov. 13 operation to disrupt foreign-fighter facilitators in the Qalat district of Zabul province.

Actionable intelligence led coalition forces to compounds in the district where they searched for militant facilitators thought to be hiding in the area. Troops found and detained a person with alleged links to foreign-fighter-facilitation operations, as well as other extremist activities, officials said. Some damage occurred to a building during the course of the operation, officials said.

"Afghan and coalition forces are aggressively dismantling the foreign-fighter facilitator networks in Afghanistan," said Army Maj. Chris Belcher, a Combined Joint Task Force 82 spokesman.

In the Shaheed Hasas district of Oruzgan province Nov. 13, Taliban fighters shot a woman for refusing to help supply their ranks.

"The Taliban came to her tribal camp asking for food and supplies," an unidentified detachment commander said. "The tribal elders explained they did not have any extra food to give the Taliban, and that they were in short supply themselves, ... (so) the Taliban retaliated by shooting at the civilian residents' homes."

In the shooting, an Afghan woman received a gunshot wound to the hand. Her husband brought her to a coalition base, where coalition medical staff determined that the wound required extensive treatment at a more sophisticated facility. Friendly forces treated the woman's wound and medically evacuated her, along with her escort, for further treatment.

"The Taliban continue to display their brutality," Belcher said. "Fortunately, the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Afghan national security forces, and coalition forces continue to improve their ability to provide emergency services to the people of Afghanistan."

(Compiled from Combined Joint Task Force 82 news releases.)

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Combat Camera: On Board USS Tarawa, 15 Nov. 2007

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PACIFIC OCEAN (Nov. 9, 2007) - A Marine AV-8B Harrier takes off from amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa (LHA 1) just before sunset. Tarawa, along with embarked 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, is on a scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific in support of maritime security operations and the global war on terrorism. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman David A. Brandenburg (RELEASED)

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PACIFIC OCEAN (Nov. 9, 2007) Sailors don firefighting ensembles during a general quarters drill aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa (LHA 1). General quarters drills are held to train ship's company proper damage control procedures in the event of an actual casualty. Tarawa, along with embarked 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, is on a scheduled deployment to the western Pacific in support of maritime security operations and the global war on terrorism. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Daniel A. Barker (RELEASED)

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PACIFIC OCEAN (Nov. 11, 2007) An MH-60S Seahawk prepares to land aboard dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) while underway in the Pacific Ocean. Germantown is part of Tarawa Expeditionary Strike Group and is on a scheduled deployment to the western Pacific in support of maritime security operations and the global war on terrorism. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jon Husman (RELEASED)

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PACIFIC OCEAN (Nov. 10, 2007) - Marines assigned to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) stand in formation during a ceremony celebrating the 232nd Marine Corps birthday aboard amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa (LHA 1). Tarawa along with embarked 11th MEU are on a scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific in support of maritime operations and the global war on terrorism. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jon Husman (RELEASED)

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PACIFIC OCEAN (Nov. 11, 2007) – Amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa (LHA 1) transits through the Pacific Ocean while on deployment in support of maritime security operations and the global war on terrorism. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jon Husman (RELEASED)

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PACIFIC OCEAN (Nov. 5, 2007) - Water pours off a landing craft utility as it pulls into the well deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa (LHA 1). Tarawa left her homeport of San Diego on a scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific in support of maritime patrol operations and the global war of terrorism. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jon Husman (RELEASED)

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PACIFIC OCEAN (Nov. 8, 2007) - A UH-1N Huey takes off from the flight deck of amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa (LHA 1) during sunset over the Pacific Ocean. Tarawa along with embarked 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit is on a scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific in support of maritime security operations and the global war on terrorism. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Daniel A. Barker (RELEASED)

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PACIFIC OCEAN (Nov. 9, 2007) - Aviation boatswain's mates prepare to transport a simulated causality to the medical department aboard amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa (LHA 1) during firefighting training. Tarawa and embarked 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit are on a scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific in support of maritime operations and the global war on terrorism. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jon Husman (RELEASED)

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PACIFIC OCEAN (Nov. 8, 2007) - Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jon Husman photographs a CH-46 Sea Knight as it takes off from the flight deck of amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa (LHA 1) during sunset over the Pacific Ocean. Tarawa, along with embarked 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, is on a scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific in support of maritime security operations and the global war on terrorism. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Daniel A. Barker (RELEASED)

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PACIFIC OCEAN (Sept. 18, 2007) - Lt. Cmdr. Patrick J. Beam observes flight deck operations aboard amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa (LHA 1) from the primary flight control tower. Tarawa is participating in a composite unit training exercise with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit off the coast of Southern California. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Daniel A. Barker (RELEASED)

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PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (Nov. 12, 2007) Sailors aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Port Royal (CG 73) render honors as she passes the USS Arizona Memorial. Port Royal departed Pearl Harbor to join the Tarawa Expeditionary Strike Group for a six-month deployment in the 5th and 7th Fleet areas of responsibility. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Michael A. Lantron (RELEASED)

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Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Combat Camera: A Day in Diwaniyah Province, Iraq

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A civilian engineer measures distances during a site survey for a future road project in the Diwaniyah province of Iraq, Nov. 3. Photographer: Spc. Gabriel Reza, Joint Combat Camera Center.

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An Iraqi woman washes a blanket in a canal in the Diwaniyah province of Iraq, Nov. 3. Photographer: Spc. Gabriel Reza, Joint Combat Camera Center.

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A civilian engineer takes down measurements during a site survey for a future road project in the Diwaniyah province of Iraq, Nov. 3. Photographer: Spc. Gabriel Reza, Joint Combat Camera Center.

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A civilian engineer hands out toys to Iraqi children in the Diwaniyah province of Iraq, Nov. 3. Photographer: Spc. Gabriel Reza, Joint Combat Camera Center.

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A civilian engineer photographs various locations during a site survey for a future road project in the Diwaniyah province of Iraq, Nov. 3. Photographer: Spc. Gabriel Reza, Joint Combat Camera Center.

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Iraqi women wash dishes in a canal in the Diwaniyah province of Iraq, Nov. 3. Photographer: Spc. Gabriel Reza, Joint Combat Camera Center.

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A civilian engineer hands a toy to a young Iraqi girl in the Diwaniyah province of Iraq, Nov. 3. Photographer: Spc. Gabriel Reza, Joint Combat Camera Center.

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A civilian engineer gives an Iraqi man toys for his children in the Diwaniyah province of Iraq, Nov. 3. Photographer: Spc. Gabriel Reza, Joint Combat Camera Center.

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Officials from the Civil-Military Cooperation meet with local business owners to distribute applications and discuss a micro-grant program in Diwaniyah, Iraq, Nov. 4. Photographer: Spc. Gabriel Reza, Joint Combat Camera Center.

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Officials from the Civil-Military Cooperation meet with local business owners to distribute applications and discuss a micro-grant program in Diwaniyah, Iraq, Nov. 4. Photographer: Spc. Gabriel Reza, Joint Combat Camera Center.

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Officials from the Civil-Military Cooperation meet with local business owners to distribute applications and discuss a micro-grant program in Diwaniyah, Iraq, Nov. 4. Photographer: Spc. Gabriel Reza, Joint Combat Camera Center.

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Forces Disrupt Senior al-Qaeda Operations in Iraq; 25 Killed, 21 Detained

Dispatches from the Front

Dispatches from the Front:

BAGHDAD, Iraq; Nov. 15, 2007 -- Coalition forces killed 25 suspected terrorists and detained 21 suspects, four of whom were wounded, late Tuesday and early Wednesday during operations targeting senior terrorist leaders in central Iraq.

During a series of coordinated operations west of Tarmiyah, Coalition forces targeted associates of senior al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders believed to be in the area.

Coalition forces observed several armed men in the target area and, perceiving hostile intent, called for supporting aircraft to engage.

The supporting aircraft fired on the target, but intelligence reports indicated the men unloaded an anti-aircraft weapon from the target and moved to a secondary location.

The ground force engaged the armed men, killing one, wounding another and detaining one suspect.

Upon securing the area, the ground force found a weapons cache, to include anti-aircraft weapons and artillery.

Supporting aircraft was used to safely destroy an associated building, vehicle and site believed to be used for anti-aircraft attacks against Coalition forces.

The ground force also followed suspects from the initial meeting to several buildings in the area.

As Coalition forces approached the target areas, they were engaged by enemy fire from both locations.

Responding in self-defense, ground forces called for supporting aircraft to engage, killing 24 and wounding three.

As the ground forces secured the areas, they found two substantially large weapons caches, which were safely destroyed by supporting aircraft to prevent further use by terrorists.

The caches included numerous anti-aircraft machine guns, surface-to-surface missiles, rifles, pistols, grenades, mortar rounds and artillery shells.

Coalition forces also found a large quantity of ammunition and components used to manufacture improvised explosive devices.

Coalition forces also detained 16 suspects at the two locations.

All of the injured received immediate medical treatment on site by Coalition forces medical experts and were taken to a near-by military medical facility for further treatment.

“Al-Qaeda is being hit continually by Iraqi and Coalition Forces, so their networks are disrupted and their manpower pool diminishing, thus limiting their ability to strike innocent Iraqis,” said Maj. Winfield Danielson, a military spokesman.

(Compiled from a Multinational Corps Iraq news release.)

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Mine-Resistant (MRAP) Vehicle Production Continues Ahead of Schedule

News in Balance

News in Balance:

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2007 (AFPS) -- Production of mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles continues ahead of schedule, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said here today.
“For the month of October, we had hoped to produce 431 vehicles,” Morrell said during a news conference. “We have produced 452. That's 21 more than we had anticipated, which puts us overall, year-to-date, program-to-date, 34 ahead of schedule.”
The vehicles are state-of-the-art defenses against the leading killers of American troops in Iraq -- improvised explosive devices and explosively formed penetrators. The V-shaped armored hull deflects explosive blasts from mines, IEDs and EFPs away from the crew compartment.

Variants of the vehicle are being produced for different mission needs, and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has said there is no more important program than getting the vehicles to combat troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Army and Marine units use the vehicles.

The Defense Department is airlifting the vehicles into the U.S. Central Command area of operations once technicians at the Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command in Charleston, S.C., outfit the vehicles with radios, jammers and other equipment allowing crews to communicate inside the vehicle and identify enemy or friendly forces.
“We are also showing some progress with regards to the outfitting of these vehicles down at SPAWAR in Charleston,” Morrell said. “The time it takes to equip these vehicles with all the government-furnished equipment … has been cut down to 21 days. I think when we started this, it was about 30 days.”
He said command officials believe they can continue to refine processes and ultimately get the outfitting done in seven days. “It's ambitious, but they feel as though they are on course to do that,” he said.

There are now 760 MRAP vehicles in theater, and the department believes it is still on target to get 1,500 of them to soldiers and Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan by the end of the year. “The last two months of production are tough ones,” Morrell acknowledged.

The November quota is just under 1,000 vehicles, and the December quota is about 1,200. “It's more than doubling what we did this past month,” he said. “So we've got a lot of work to do, but we feel as though we are on the right track.”

(Story by Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service.)

Related:
News Conference Transcript
Special Report: MRAP Vehicles

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Troops Detain Eight Suspects, Uncover Weapons in Iraq

Dispatches from the Front

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2007 (AFPS) -- Iraqi and coalition forces detained eight suspects and uncovered a weapons cache in Iraq over the past few days, military officials said.

Iraqi soldiers with 9th Iraqi Army Division and U.S. Special Forces advisors captured an alleged extremist leader yesterday during operations in Taji. The suspect, responsible for murdering at least 10 Iraqi civilians, is reported to control several extremist cells, military officials said. He allegedly emplaced multiple improvised explosive devices along a major U.S. military supply route and carried out an IED attack Oct. 4 against a coalition convoy near Baghdad.

In Taji on Nov. 12, Iraqi special operations forces and U.S. Special Forces soldiers detained two alleged al Qaeda in Iraq leaders. The extremist leaders and their networks are responsible for numerous IED, mortar, small-arms and car-bomb attacks that have killed several U.S. soldiers, military officials said.

Iraqi security forces and U.S. Special Forces soldiers detained four suspected members of a criminal gang during a Nov. 12 raid in the Sadiyah area of southern Baghdad. The alleged gang members are believed to be responsible for a wide range of criminal activities, including kidnapping and murder. Troops detained one additional person for questioning.

Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers found a weapons cache Nov. 12 during operations in Baghdad’s Doura area. Troops with Company D, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, operating in southern Baghdad and attached to 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, found the cache hidden in an abandoned building. The cache contained more than 100 rounds of rifle ammunition, an old rocket-propelled-grenade launcher, an assault rifle bolt and bolt carrier, and an 82 mm mortar round. Personnel from an explosive ordnance disposal team recovered the weapons.

(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)

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New Book Discusses Fighting Terrorism With Airpower

BOOKS IN THE NEWS

CLICK HEREDivining Victory: Airpower in the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. Nov. 14, 2007 (AFPN) -- Airpower is a valuable weapon in the fight against terrorism but only if it is applied with discrimination and care, according to a new study of the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War published by Air University officials.

Widespread criticism of Israel for relying on its air force to attack Hezbollah terrorists in neighboring Lebanon and free Israeli soldiers captured by the militant group is misguided, said William M. Arkin, the author of the study.

"The 'failure' of airpower in the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War was not that it promised too much or that it did not deliver," wrote Mr. Arkin, an independent journalist, author and longtime NBC News military analyst. "It was instead a grand strategic failure in the application of force against terrorism."

Israel took a far too conventional approach to combating a non-state terrorist organization hiding within a sovereign nation, applying traditional military methods at the expense of its strategic goals, he wrote.

By not explaining its military actions to the international community and focusing on destruction rather than effects, Mr. Arkin argued that Israel inadvertently bolstered support for Hezbollah and strengthened the terrorist group.

"Israeli leaders argue that they are fighting a 'new' and different kind of enemy ... yet when the time for action came in 2006, the (Israeli defense force) designed the most conventional of wars," Mr. Arkin wrote.

Instead of only aiming to deter future terrorism, Mr. Arkin argued that Israel should have made building support for its right to defend itself an equally important objective. It could have done so by using airpower's precision and flexibility to limit attacks to Hezbollah targets better, and by openly communicating about its operations to the world.

The book, "Divining Victory: Airpower in the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War," is the latest product of Air University's effort to push out timely ideas on airpower and national security. The Airpower Research Institute at AU commissioned Mr. Arkin to write the study.

"We're trying to disseminate timely analysis and strong ideas that can help strategic thinking in the Air Force today," said Dr. Dan Mortensen, the institute's chief of research. "We think it's a great benefit to have someone outside our service look at something so relevant to our own Air Force operations fighting terrorism."

Dr. Mortensen said the new book is part of an effort to have outside scholars comment on strategic Air Force concerns and help develop strategic thinkers in the service, a priority noted by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley during congressional testimony in October.

General Moseley told the House Armed Services Committee that Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne and he have charged Air University with ensuring its education, training and outreach programs are relevant to today's fight against terrorism and encourage Airmen to consider the future.

"I ... want to be able to stress on future officers the ability to see the horizon better," General Moseley said. "I want bigger thinkers. I want broader thinkers."

(Story by by Maj. Sam Highley, Airpower Research Institute.)

NOTE: "Divining Victory" is available for download in electronic format and to order in hard-copy through the Air University Press; please e-mail thetension@gmail.com for the Web address.

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Combat Camera Video: Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Vehicles in Iraq

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Video: Basic MRAP Operation
Basic operation of the Mine Resistant Ambush Protection (MRAP) Vehicle. Scenes include views from the gun turret, view from the front passenger seat, the rear gate opening and closing and the vehicle parking.

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Video: MRAPs Begin Arriving to LSA Anaconda
New MRAP Vehicles arriving at Camp Anaconda to replace the HMMWVs on the roads of Iraq. Produced by Sgt. 1st Class Ken Hudson.

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Combat Camera: Centurions Clear Streets of IEDs

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Cabool, Mo., native Spc. Mike Bittle, a combat engineer with the 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, uses binoculars to scan a road for anything suspicious during a mission to find improvised explosive devices near Hor Al Bosh, Iraq, Nov. 2. Photographer: Staff Sgt. Jon Cupp, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs.

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Operating from a Buffalo mine resistant vehicle, Soldiers from the 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion see through the windows of the Buffalo that they have uncovered an improvised explosive device near Hor Al Bosh, Iraq, Nov. 2. Photographer: Staff Sgt. Jon Cupp, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs.

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Sgt. Andy Cochran, a satellite communications technician for the 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion who hails from Lakeland, Fla., communicates over a radio with other members of his team during a mission to search for improvised explosive devices on a road near Hor Al Bosh, Iraq, Nov. 2. Photographer: Staff Sgt. Jon Cupp, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs.

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As seen through the window of a Buffalo mine resistant vehicle, an Iraqi boy holds onto concertina wire that he has pulled off a road so vehicles in a U.S. convoy can pass near Hor Al Bosh, Iraq, Nov. 2, during a mission by soldiers from the 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion to clear nearby roads of improvised explosive devices. Photographer: Staff Sgt. Jon Cupp, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs.

Dispatches from the Front:

HOR AL BOSH, Iraq; Nov. 13, 2007 -- Everyday a select group of Soldiers from the 1st Brigade Special Troops “Centurion” Battalion head out in their mine resistant vehicles, hitting the streets near Camp Taji, Iraq, to clear routes of improvised explosive devices within the 1st “Ironhorse” Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division’s area of operations.

These soldiers come from all kinds of different backgrounds and different military occupational specialties -- everything from cooks to combat engineers, truck drivers to satellite communications specialists as well as medics and are from states which are geographically diverse to include places like California, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Missouri.

Like other soldiers, this band of brothers said they have their own war stories ranging from the time that a sergeant jumped out of their mine resistant vehicle and began chasing a man who emplaced an IED to the many explosions and close calls they have survived day in and day out in the combat zone.

Yet each one of them said they have become as close as family, while also becoming very proficient at their jobs to keep the roads safe. This was no less evident than a recent mission in which they worked to clear a hardly-ever traveled road, Nov. 2.

Prior to the mission, the 1st BSTB troopers linked up with disposal personnel and soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, and then they rolled out the gates of Camp Taji toward their destination.

Over the past year during Operation Iraqi Freedom rotation 06-08, the 1st BSTB troopers have found more than 230 IEDS, more than any other unit performing similar missions in Multi-National Division-Baghdad, according to Sacremento, Calif., native Sgt. Vincent Juarez of the 1st BSTB who spends his days riding the roads in a Buffalo mine resistant vehicle.

“In our encounters with IEDs, we’ve had a 70 percent success rate in finding more IEDs than have hit vehicles in the brigade, and there’s really no specific MOS for what we do,” said Juarez, a truck driver by trade, as he rode out on the day’s mission to clear a route near Hor Al Bosh.

“All of the soldiers on this particular mission are very seasoned and have experienced just about everything,” said Sgt. Andy Cochran, a satellite communications technician, who hails from Lakeland, Fla. “We face a very adaptive, complex enemy so we have to depend upon our eyes and our ears and our experience in order to decipher the good from the bad, knowing what to look for and stopping to check as soon as we see anything suspicious.”

As they rolled down the road in their Buffalo in a slow, deliberate search scanning with binoculars for anything that could possibly be an IED, Cochran said each mission is performed with their fellow Soldiers in mind who will travel the roads after them.

“It’s very gratifying and positively humbling to know you’re helping the soldiers who will be traveling this road,” said Cochran.

“I have great feelings about what I’m doing here,” said Juarez. “You know, it’s crazy too, but I’m not so much worried about getting hurt myself but I’m more concerned about the guys in the humvees who come behind us. My worry is seeing one of them hurt. So when we come out here, I pray to God that we don’t miss anything.”

Once they find and positively identify an IED, they call in for disposal personnel to retrieve and destroy the found munitions and their missions can last many, many hours.

With working long hours in an extremely stressful job, the soldiers said they find many different ways to cope with the stress after work.

“Some of the things we do include playing video games, going to the gym, taking part in poker games and watching movies. A lot of the guys do correspondence courses,” said Saginaw, Mich. native Pfc. Daniel Miller, a 1st BSTB medic who is part of the Buffalo’s crew.

“No one is more supportive than my wife so I usually call her,” said the 21-year-old medic. “I try not to tell her too much about what happens here, she knows what I do and knows if I’m having a bad day, but she understands and deals with it much better now than she did earlier in the deployment.”

Before their 15-month deployment ends, one of the main goals of these IED seekers will be to ensure that the unit which takes over for them in about two months is prepared to “carry the torch.”

“When we do change over, we’re going to make sure we do it right, so we’re not wasting their time and keep them extremely focused on the routes here,” said Juarez. “There are a lot of things that we know now that we didn’t know in the beginning that we can pass on to them, things that if we could go back we would’ve been able to have found even more IEDs.”

Each of the soldiers who ride the Buffalo said they have their own take on what their job means to them.

“I’d much rather be the hunter than the hunted,” said Juarez. “It’s given me a much different outlook on the military. I think I’m good at what I do in a transportation unit, but since I’ve been out here with (1st BSTB) and doing something related to a combat arms MOS, I really feel that I should have been in a combat MOS all along.”

“I think that’s part of the reason I’m going to re-enlist for the Air Assault option,” added Juarez, who has a nine month old son and a fiancé back in the states.

Spc. Mike Bittle, a combat engineer who hails from Cabool, Mo., echoed many of Juarez’s sentiments.

“There’s nothing I’d rather be doing,” said Bittle. “I like the idea of saving the lives of my fellow soldiers and helping innocent Iraqi citizens, it gives you a true sense of accomplishment. There have been times when I’ve wanted to quit, because the [brigade] had some Soldiers who have died and I felt like shouldn’t be alive because of all the IED explosions I’ve lived through.”

“I understand how much it hurts to lose them, but we have an important job to do and I have no problem staying where I am so no more soldiers have to die,” added Bittle. “I love what I’m doing and I like the mission.”

But since recent reconciliation efforts, the security situation within the Ironhorse Brigade’s area is improving, said Bittle.

“For a while there we were finding one to two IEDs per day, but now we hardly ever find one unless we’re going down a road we haven’t been on in a while,” said Bittle. “But you can definitely see a big difference. You can see that the Iraqi army and the Iraqi security volunteers are getting much more involved and that they care about what they’re doing, and they’re helping us improve security to the point that we are seeing fewer IEDs and IED attacks.”

Toward the end of the day’s mission, after many hours, the team hit paydirt.

“See that, that’s what it’s all about,” said Cochran pointing toward the window of the Buffalo to an IED in the road that they had uncovered.

“Any day we can come back and we’ve found something, that’s a good day,” said Bittle.

Shortly after the discovery of the round, disposal personnel moved in to retrieve it, and the IED hunters in the Buffalo returned to Camp Taji.

Once back on the base camp, the Centurions were already getting fuel for their next mission the following day.

“When I first got here, I road in humvees, but after riding in this thing I wouldn’t want to ride in anything else,” said Miller pointing to the Buffalo. “There are few vehicles that can take a blast like this one can.”

The soldiers said they all agree that they look forward to an Iraq in the not-to-distant future where the Buffalo freely roam and the IEDs are extinct.

(Story by Staff Sgt. Jon Cupp, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs.)

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