United States General Dan McNeill has taken command of NATO Forces in Afghanistan replacing British General David Richards in a change-of-command Ceremony today...
Read more about this command change at links below:
>>> KESQ.com has this story...
US general takes over command of NATO forces in Afghanistan
>>> DAWN.com has this take on the story...
US takes Nato command in Afghanistan today
>>> khaleejtimes.com has this good read on the story too...
US takes over NATO in Afghanistan
Sunday, February 04, 2007
'Wolverines,' Iraqis Discover Massive Weapons Cache Near Baghdad
February 4, 2007
Iraqi army and Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers uncovered more than 1,100 81 mm high-explosive mortar rounds yesterday at a cache near Route Tampa, the main highway leading into Baghdad, officials said
Troops from 3rd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division and Troop B, 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment "Wolverines," 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), made the discovery during Operation Wolverine Alesia near Yusufiyah, just 10 miles southwest of the capital, officials said.
Acting on a tip from a local resident, the troops conducted a search of the area, which resulted in the largest cache find in 2nd "Commando" Brigade's history. In all, 1,129 mortar rounds were uncovered.
The cache, which was buried in the dirt, was larger than expected.
"These mortars rounds are in the configuration to use as improvised explosive devices," Army Lt. Col. Mark Suich, the 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment's commander, said. "The mortar rounds in this state cannot be used for indirect fire; they are fabricated and stored to be used against the coalition and sectarian enemies as IEDs."
Suich said the seizure of so many munitions can only hurt terrorist operations. "We put a significant reduction in the enemy's ability to emplace (roadside bombs) in this area today," he said. "We are pretty sure that these are affiliated with al Qaeda in Iraq."
The area around Yusufiyah has long been identified as an al-Qaeda and former regime safe haven where attacks against Baghdad and coalition and Iraqi security forces originated.
"This is what we refer to as a weapons supermarket-type cache," Maj. Mark Aitken, the 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment's executive officer. "The terrorists place a large cache of weapons in one place to draw from. They then pre-position what they draw in many other smaller caches around the countryside."
During the operation, Iraqi soldiers detained four people for suspicious activity near the cache.
At a second cache site located nearby, Troop C, 1-89th found 120 mm mortar rounds, 81 mm mortar rounds, medium machine guns, rounds of machine gun ammunition, rifle scopes, fragmentation hand grenades, pounds of homemade explosives, boxes of 5.56 mm rifle ammunition and rocket-propelled grenade projectiles.
"Today we took over 1,100 IEDs off of the streets of Baghdad," said Army Maj. Web Wright, spokesman for the commando brigade. "Not only did we take these weapons off of the streets, 3-4-6 IA is fully integrated into this operation. Last night, they found three caches and were actively involved in finding these two."
The mortar rounds were destroyed during a controlled detonation by the explosive ordnance disposal detachment, creating a blast that could be heard for more than 20 miles. The four suspects detained are being held for questioning.
A day earlier, the same Iraqi and coalition forces discovered two weapons caches two miles north of Yusufiyah, as part of the same operation.
The first cache included 81 mm mortar rounds, 120 mm artillery round, 57 mm anti-aircraft rounds, a high-explosive tank round, an improvised rocket-propelled grenade round made from industrial metal tubing, an armor-piercing RPG round, rounds of AK-47 assault rifle ammunition and a 60 mm mortar tube. Four prefabricated projectile canisters also were discovered.
At the second cache site, 300 yards away, Iraqi troops found 60 mm mortar rounds, sticks of dynamite, AK-47s, a case of AK-47 ammunition, 107 mm rockets, RPG rockets, shotgun shells and a medium machine gun.
Operation Wolverine Alesia is an ongoing joint operation designed to deny terrorist sanctuary along Route Tampa, the military designation for Iraqi Highway One, leading into Baghdad from the south.
(Taken from a news article by DoD - American Forces Press Service)
Iraqi army and Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers uncovered more than 1,100 81 mm high-explosive mortar rounds yesterday at a cache near Route Tampa, the main highway leading into Baghdad, officials said
Troops from 3rd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division and Troop B, 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment "Wolverines," 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), made the discovery during Operation Wolverine Alesia near Yusufiyah, just 10 miles southwest of the capital, officials said.
Acting on a tip from a local resident, the troops conducted a search of the area, which resulted in the largest cache find in 2nd "Commando" Brigade's history. In all, 1,129 mortar rounds were uncovered.
The cache, which was buried in the dirt, was larger than expected.
"These mortars rounds are in the configuration to use as improvised explosive devices," Army Lt. Col. Mark Suich, the 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment's commander, said. "The mortar rounds in this state cannot be used for indirect fire; they are fabricated and stored to be used against the coalition and sectarian enemies as IEDs."
Suich said the seizure of so many munitions can only hurt terrorist operations. "We put a significant reduction in the enemy's ability to emplace (roadside bombs) in this area today," he said. "We are pretty sure that these are affiliated with al Qaeda in Iraq."
The area around Yusufiyah has long been identified as an al-Qaeda and former regime safe haven where attacks against Baghdad and coalition and Iraqi security forces originated.
"This is what we refer to as a weapons supermarket-type cache," Maj. Mark Aitken, the 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment's executive officer. "The terrorists place a large cache of weapons in one place to draw from. They then pre-position what they draw in many other smaller caches around the countryside."
During the operation, Iraqi soldiers detained four people for suspicious activity near the cache.
At a second cache site located nearby, Troop C, 1-89th found 120 mm mortar rounds, 81 mm mortar rounds, medium machine guns, rounds of machine gun ammunition, rifle scopes, fragmentation hand grenades, pounds of homemade explosives, boxes of 5.56 mm rifle ammunition and rocket-propelled grenade projectiles.
"Today we took over 1,100 IEDs off of the streets of Baghdad," said Army Maj. Web Wright, spokesman for the commando brigade. "Not only did we take these weapons off of the streets, 3-4-6 IA is fully integrated into this operation. Last night, they found three caches and were actively involved in finding these two."
The mortar rounds were destroyed during a controlled detonation by the explosive ordnance disposal detachment, creating a blast that could be heard for more than 20 miles. The four suspects detained are being held for questioning.
A day earlier, the same Iraqi and coalition forces discovered two weapons caches two miles north of Yusufiyah, as part of the same operation.
The first cache included 81 mm mortar rounds, 120 mm artillery round, 57 mm anti-aircraft rounds, a high-explosive tank round, an improvised rocket-propelled grenade round made from industrial metal tubing, an armor-piercing RPG round, rounds of AK-47 assault rifle ammunition and a 60 mm mortar tube. Four prefabricated projectile canisters also were discovered.
At the second cache site, 300 yards away, Iraqi troops found 60 mm mortar rounds, sticks of dynamite, AK-47s, a case of AK-47 ammunition, 107 mm rockets, RPG rockets, shotgun shells and a medium machine gun.
Operation Wolverine Alesia is an ongoing joint operation designed to deny terrorist sanctuary along Route Tampa, the military designation for Iraqi Highway One, leading into Baghdad from the south.
(Taken from a news article by DoD - American Forces Press Service)
Saturday, February 03, 2007
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
No. 128-07 February 02, 2007DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Maj. Michael C. Mettille, 44, of West St. Paul, Minn., died February 1st at Camp Adder, Iraq, from a non-combat related injury. Mettille was assigned to the 134th Brigade Support Battalion, Brooklyn Park, Minn. The incident is under investigation.
For further information in regard to this release the media can contact the Minnesota Army National Guard public affairs office at (651) 268-8949; after hours (651) 775-4392.
Iraqi Army, Town Mayor Cuts Ribbon on School Renovation Project
AL SALAMIYAH, Iraq – Saturday, February 03, 2007
Soldiers from the 4th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division partnered with civil affairs teams and Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, in celebrating the completion of an $88,500 renovation project at Salamiyah Primary School on Jan. 31.
Brig. Gen. Noraddeen, commander of 4-2 IA, and Ahmed Esad, mayor of Al Salamiyah, presided over the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Both men took a tour of the renovated school and spoke with students and teachers immediately after the event.
Upgrades to the school include newly-furnished offices, classrooms and a rebuilt entrance to the school.
Iraqi army soldiers and Coalition civil military operations teams continue to travel throughout Iraq, assessing needs where found and bringing resources to bear to assist the everyday people who live outside the large cities.
(Taken from Press Release #20070203-06 by Multi-National Division-North PAO - Multi-National Corps-Iraq - Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory)
Here is another story that will never make it past the MSM and will never be sent out to all Americans to see. Nine out of ten times... only the bad... only the blood is ever reported.
AubreyJ.........
Soldiers from the 4th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division partnered with civil affairs teams and Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, in celebrating the completion of an $88,500 renovation project at Salamiyah Primary School on Jan. 31.
Brig. Gen. Noraddeen, commander of 4-2 IA, and Ahmed Esad, mayor of Al Salamiyah, presided over the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Both men took a tour of the renovated school and spoke with students and teachers immediately after the event.
Upgrades to the school include newly-furnished offices, classrooms and a rebuilt entrance to the school.
Iraqi army soldiers and Coalition civil military operations teams continue to travel throughout Iraq, assessing needs where found and bringing resources to bear to assist the everyday people who live outside the large cities.
(Taken from Press Release #20070203-06 by Multi-National Division-North PAO - Multi-National Corps-Iraq - Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory)
Here is another story that will never make it past the MSM and will never be sent out to all Americans to see. Nine out of ten times... only the bad... only the blood is ever reported.
AubreyJ.........
Friday, February 02, 2007
Photo for the Day – February 2, 2007
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, left, and Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speak with reporters at a Pentagon roundtable briefing today.DoD photo by Cherie A. Thurlby
Read the story at link below...
Gates, Pace: No Plans for War, But U.S. Won’t Tolerate Iran’s Interference
NOTE:
For those of you who have wondered what happened to the report on Iran’s involvement in Iraq with weapons and such, (that was supposed to have been released last Wednesday,) should get their answers in these next couple of paragraphs taken from above story...
.
Multinational Force Iraq officials are preparing a briefing that will provide specifics about how Iranians supply these weapons, but Gates said he, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and National Security Advisor Steve Hadley asked them to delay it.
For those of you who have wondered what happened to the report on Iran’s involvement in Iraq with weapons and such, (that was supposed to have been released last Wednesday,) should get their answers in these next couple of paragraphs taken from above story...
.
Multinational Force Iraq officials are preparing a briefing that will provide specifics about how Iranians supply these weapons, but Gates said he, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and National Security Advisor Steve Hadley asked them to delay it.
.
“(We) want to make sure that the briefing that is provided is absolutely accurate and is dominated by facts – serial numbers, technology and so on,” he said. “And so we just want to make sure that the briefing that is provided is completely reliable.”
All I can say is... this report must be full of some real heavy sh@^t!!!!!!
AubreyJ.........
All I can say is... this report must be full of some real heavy sh@^t!!!!!!
AubreyJ.........
Another U.S. Helicopter Lost in Iraq – This Makes the Forth Helicopter Shot Down In Iraq Since January 20, 2007
PhillyBurbs.com has this story this afternoon that was written by Bassem Mroue at The Associated Press. It goes in part like this... The loss of four helicopters since January 20, 2007 has raised new questions about whether Iraqi insurgents are using more sophisticated weapons or whether U.S. tactics need changing... Three of the latest crashes involved Army helicopters -- two Apaches and one Black Hawk. The fourth was an OH-6A Observation Helicopter operated by the Blackwater USA security firm. All were believed shot down, and 20 Americans, including four civilian, died in the crashes...
Read this story in full HERE
Read this story in full HERE
Helicopter Crash in Iraq Kills Two Soldiers
February 2, 2007
Two U.S. soldiers were killed this morning when their Multinational Division Baghdad helicopter crashed while conducting operations northwest of the Iraqi capital, military officials reported.
The soldiers' names are being withheld pending notification of next of kin. Officials said the soldiers' bodies have been recovered and the site has been secured. An investigation is under way to determine the cause of the crash, and operations continue in the area, officials said. (Taken from a news article by DoD - American Forces Press Service that was originally from a Multinational Corps Iraq news release)
Two U.S. soldiers were killed this morning when their Multinational Division Baghdad helicopter crashed while conducting operations northwest of the Iraqi capital, military officials reported.
The soldiers' names are being withheld pending notification of next of kin. Officials said the soldiers' bodies have been recovered and the site has been secured. An investigation is under way to determine the cause of the crash, and operations continue in the area, officials said. (Taken from a news article by DoD - American Forces Press Service that was originally from a Multinational Corps Iraq news release)
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
No. 127-07 February 02, 2007DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. William M. Sigua, 21, of Los Altos Hills, Calif., died January 31st in Bayji, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with the enemy using small arms fire during combat operations. Sigua was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
For further information in regard to this release the media can contact the 82nd Airborne Division public affairs office at (910) 432-0661; after hours (910) 303-0691.
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