Press Statement by
U.S. Department of State
Sean McCormack
Washington, DC
January 23, 2007
United States Condemns Violence in Lebanon
The United States is deeply concerned about developments today in Lebanon. Lebanese factions allied with Syria are blocking roads, preventing people from reaching their jobs and schools, and obstructing the work of the security services. These factions are trying to use violence, threats, and intimidation to impose their political will on Lebanon. They also seek to distract attention from the Paris III conference to be held later this week, where international donors will demonstrate their strong support for the people and government of Lebanon. Especially given the dangers of sectarian clashes, the United States calls on all parties to use peaceful and constitutional means to debate the political issues before them, and to exercise restraint. Lebanon is a democracy with a strong parliamentary system and a tradition of national dialogue. TheUnited States hopes that Lebanon's leaders will return immediately to the Parliament, or resume a national dialogue, in order to resolve political differences peacefully.
2007/044
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
DoD Identifies Army Casualties
No. 076-07 January 23, 2007DoD Identifies Army Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the death of four soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died January 20th in Karbala, Iraq, from wounds sustained when their patrol was ambushed while conducting dismounted operations. The soldiers were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 377th Parachute Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.
Killed were:
1st Lt. Jacob N. Fritz, 25, of Verdon, Neb.
Spc. Johnathan B. Chism, 22, of Gonzales, La.
Pfc. Shawn P. Falter, 25, of Cortland, N.Y.
Pvt. Johnathon M. Millican, 20, of Trafford, Ala.
For more information about these soldiers, contact the Fort Richardson public affairs office at (907) 384-1542.
DoD Identifies Army Casualties
No. 075-07 January 23, 2007DoD Identifies Army Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the death of four soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died January 20th in Karma, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near their Humvee. The soldiers were assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry (Airborne), 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.
Killed were:
Sgt. Sean P. Fennerty, 25, of Corvallis, Ore.
Sgt. Phillip D. McNeill, 22, of Sunrise, Fla.
Spc. Jeffrey D. Bisson, 22, of Vista, Calif.
Spc. Toby R. Olsen, 28, of Manchester, N.H.
For more information about these soldiers, contact the Fort Richardson public affairs office at (907) 384-1542.
In Memory of our Fallen Heroes
Some of our bravest gave their all these last few days...Take a moment to read their names,
(in the posts below/above this one,) and in your own way
thank them for all they have done and were
(in the posts below/above this one,) and in your own way
thank them for all they have done and were
willing to do for you -- me and this great country of ours…
God bless each and every one of them and their
families, friends and loved ones
AubreyJ.........
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
No. 074-07 January 23, 2007DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Pfc. Ryan J. Hill, 20, of Keizer, Ore., died January 20th in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee. Hill was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany.
For further information on this soldier, contact the 1st Armored Division public affairs office at 011-611-705-4859.
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
No. 071-07 January 23, 2007DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Capt. Brian S. Freeman, 31, of Temecula, Calif., died January 20th in Karbala, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his meeting area came under attack by mortar and smalls arms fire. Freeman was assigned to the 412th Civil Affairs Battalion, Whitehall, Ohio.
For further information in regard to this release the media can contact the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne) public affairs office at (910) 432-2035.
100 Terrorists Killed, 50 Detained in Operation Turki Bowl
Jan. 23, 2007
U.S. and Iraqi forces killed 100 terrorists, detained 50, and dismantled a large terrorist group in January during Operation Turki Bowl, the senior U.S. Army officer in Iraq's Diyala province said yesterday.
The operation, conducted from January 4 to 13, occurred south of Balad Ruz in the Turki Village, Tuwilla and 30 Tamuz areas of the province. During the operation, U.S. Army and Iraqi soldiers isolated and defeated a terrorist group known as "The Council," Col. David W. Sutherland, commander of 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, told reporters via satellite connection from a news conference in Iraq.
"The group, made up of former Baath Regime members, al Qaeda and Sunni extremists, refused to participate in any political dialogue and preferred attacking innocent civilians in the Diyala province," Sutherland said.
The council killed as many as 39 civilians in one kidnapping and mass murder in November, he added.
"The fear of the people and the weapons used by these individuals are used to attack the core of Iraqi values and beliefs," Sutherland said. "They are interested in preventing individual human rights and freedoms that the people of this region want so much."
Leading up to the large-scale operation, coalition forces discovered a large weapons cache in November in the area, resulting in "major combat operations with several large organizations" of terrorists, Sutherland said.
"Upon defeating them, we intentionally moved back to our base of operations so that we could exploit the intelligence that we would ... gather over the next several months," he said. While developing plans for Operation Turki Bowl, U.S. military leaders, with the 5th Iraqi Army Division, studied the enemy's early warning systems, their actions, and "how they reacted to our initial contact with them," Sutherland said.
Coalition forces conducted smaller-scale raids in the area prior to Operation Turki Bowl, to give civilians a perceived safe-haven and encourage their cooperation with troops, he said. Through tips and phone calls to coalition forces, civilians provided invaluable information about the enemy, Sutherland added.
"What we wanted to do was isolate (terrorists) from the population so they could not blend in," Sutherland said. "It (was) a counterinsurgency operation, but the difference is we were able separate the terrorists from the people they were living off of.
"Since I've been here, we have not conducted an operation where we have been able to bring to bear against a group of this size that was willing to fight us out in the open," Sutherland said. In addition to defeating the council, troops found 25 weapons caches containing more than 1,150 Katusha rockets and 1,000 rocket-propelled grenades, 170 anti-tank missiles, anti-tank mines, small- and heavy-arms ammunition and sensitive terrorist documents.
Soldiers are now focused on interacting with the local populous and reinforcing the security and stability of the region, according to a Multinational Force Iraq news release. The Iraqi army will maintain a permanent presence, while coalition forces are focusing on reconstructing roads, essential services and other basic services to help the people of Turki, the release stated.
"This operation clearly was a significant tactical success for (coalition forces), (Iraq army), and most importantly, the citizens of Turki and surrounding areas," Sutherland said. "The long-term affects we hope to achieve are stability for economic growth, increased political action for all parties and self-reliance for the Iraqi government and security forces."
(Taken from News Article by DoD - American Forces Press Service and was written by John J. Kruzel)
U.S. and Iraqi forces killed 100 terrorists, detained 50, and dismantled a large terrorist group in January during Operation Turki Bowl, the senior U.S. Army officer in Iraq's Diyala province said yesterday.
The operation, conducted from January 4 to 13, occurred south of Balad Ruz in the Turki Village, Tuwilla and 30 Tamuz areas of the province. During the operation, U.S. Army and Iraqi soldiers isolated and defeated a terrorist group known as "The Council," Col. David W. Sutherland, commander of 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, told reporters via satellite connection from a news conference in Iraq.
"The group, made up of former Baath Regime members, al Qaeda and Sunni extremists, refused to participate in any political dialogue and preferred attacking innocent civilians in the Diyala province," Sutherland said.
The council killed as many as 39 civilians in one kidnapping and mass murder in November, he added.
"The fear of the people and the weapons used by these individuals are used to attack the core of Iraqi values and beliefs," Sutherland said. "They are interested in preventing individual human rights and freedoms that the people of this region want so much."
Leading up to the large-scale operation, coalition forces discovered a large weapons cache in November in the area, resulting in "major combat operations with several large organizations" of terrorists, Sutherland said.
"Upon defeating them, we intentionally moved back to our base of operations so that we could exploit the intelligence that we would ... gather over the next several months," he said. While developing plans for Operation Turki Bowl, U.S. military leaders, with the 5th Iraqi Army Division, studied the enemy's early warning systems, their actions, and "how they reacted to our initial contact with them," Sutherland said.
Coalition forces conducted smaller-scale raids in the area prior to Operation Turki Bowl, to give civilians a perceived safe-haven and encourage their cooperation with troops, he said. Through tips and phone calls to coalition forces, civilians provided invaluable information about the enemy, Sutherland added.
"What we wanted to do was isolate (terrorists) from the population so they could not blend in," Sutherland said. "It (was) a counterinsurgency operation, but the difference is we were able separate the terrorists from the people they were living off of.
"Since I've been here, we have not conducted an operation where we have been able to bring to bear against a group of this size that was willing to fight us out in the open," Sutherland said. In addition to defeating the council, troops found 25 weapons caches containing more than 1,150 Katusha rockets and 1,000 rocket-propelled grenades, 170 anti-tank missiles, anti-tank mines, small- and heavy-arms ammunition and sensitive terrorist documents.
Soldiers are now focused on interacting with the local populous and reinforcing the security and stability of the region, according to a Multinational Force Iraq news release. The Iraqi army will maintain a permanent presence, while coalition forces are focusing on reconstructing roads, essential services and other basic services to help the people of Turki, the release stated.
"This operation clearly was a significant tactical success for (coalition forces), (Iraq army), and most importantly, the citizens of Turki and surrounding areas," Sutherland said. "The long-term affects we hope to achieve are stability for economic growth, increased political action for all parties and self-reliance for the Iraqi government and security forces."
(Taken from News Article by DoD - American Forces Press Service and was written by John J. Kruzel)
Monday, January 22, 2007
Ayman al-Zawahiri Addresses U.S. President Bush’s Baghdad Security Plan in Video Speech
In his video speech, Ayman al-Zawahiri said in part “...Why send 20,000 only - why not send 50 or 100 thousand? Aren't you aware that the dogs of Iraq are pining for your troops' dead bodies...?”
Read the full story at SiteInstitute.org
FoxNews.com has this take...
Al Qaeda's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, taunted President Bush in a new video that surfaced Monday on the Web, ridiculing his new Iraq policy and daring the U.S. to "send the entire American Army" to Iraq...
Read the rest HERE (Has video)
Read the full story at SiteInstitute.org
FoxNews.com has this take...
Al Qaeda's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, taunted President Bush in a new video that surfaced Monday on the Web, ridiculing his new Iraq policy and daring the U.S. to "send the entire American Army" to Iraq...
Read the rest HERE (Has video)
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