DoD Identifies Army Casualty

No. 082-10 January 29, 2010
DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Pfc. Scott G. Barnett, 24, of Concord, Calif., died January 28th in Tallil, Iraq, of injuries sustained while supporting combat operations. He was assigned to the 412th Aviation Support Battalion, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, Katterbach, Germany.
For more information the media may contact the U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army public affairs office at 011-49-6221-57-8694, or via e-mail at ocpa.pi@eur.army.mil.

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U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)

DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

No. 970-09 December 11, 2009
DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Ralph Anthony Webb Frietas, 23, of Detroit, Mich., died December 8th as a result of unknown causes in Baghdad. He was assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron 172, Marine Wing Support Group 17, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan. The incident is under investigation.
For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the III MEF public affairs office at OkinawaPAO@usmc.mil or 011-81-90-6861-4397.

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U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)

Iraq: On Ground Updates - August 01, 2009

On Ground Updates - Iraq
Transportation Soldiers Help Move Cargo During Drawdown
Saturday, August 01, 2009

CONTINGENCY OPERATION BASE ADDER, Iraq - As coalition forces prepare for one of the biggest logistical challenges since the Vietnam War, military planners continue examining the best ways to move the mountains of equipment accumulated in Iraq since 2003.
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During a recent conference at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, senior logisticians travelled from around the world to discuss the ongoing drawdown of forces and equipment in Iraq and the repositioning of assets to Afghanistan. One of the key issues they addressed were the shipping containers scattered around the country, and the thousands more Coalition forces would need for drawdown operations.
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Enter the 368th Seaport Operations Detachment, who manages the Empty Control Collection Point and the Transship Point Container Yard here.
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"All containers leaving Iraq go through this yard," said 1st Lt. Jevon E. Taylor, the detachment commander for the 368th SOD. "To get the troops out of Iraq, you have to get the equipment out, and that includes getting the containers out."
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According to a recent Army report, 31 million items must be moved; including 100,000 pieces of rolling stock and 34,000 tons of ammunition, and most of it will be shipped out of Iraq in a steel shipping container.
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All empty shipping containers from across Iraq are collected at the Empty Control Collection Point (ECCP) here, where they're inspected for serviceability and then dispatched to units which request them.
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Once shipping containers are filled, they're shipped back to the Transship Point (TSP) Container Yard here before they continue to Kuwait for retrograde shipment to the United States. All of it is a part of the process for the responsible drawdown of forces in Iraq, Taylor said.
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"We would be wasting money having empty, leased containers lying around [Iraq], not being used," he said.
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Each week the transportation cargo yard receives approximately 135 shipping containers, enough to fill 15 National Football League fields. The yard also ships out approximately 108 shipping containers to Kuwait each week.
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"The goal is to get the containers that have been here for years, and are not needed, and move it out of Iraq [with retrograde equipment]," said Taylor, a native of Virginia Beach, Va. "The first month we were here, we doubled the amount of containers we downloaded off the trucks."
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The 368th SOD also inspects shipping containers to determine if they are seaworthy, Taylor said. If repairs are needed, and if Mobile Repair Teams cannot fix the shipping container here, they're sent to the Container Repair Yard at Joint Base Balad.
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The 53 Soldiers in the 368th SOD realize they are part of a bigger picture, said Sgt. 1st Class Jermaine A. Taylor, senior noncommissioned officer for the 368th SOD. It is not just about receiving, moving and shipping containers out of Iraq, it's about drawing down forces in Iraq, he said.
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"What our unit is doing now will allow for a smoother transition when it comes to the final days of the withdrawal," Taylor said. "Basically, if we were not conducting this mission, it would make it very difficult to get the troops and equipment out of Iraq in a reasonable time."
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"It's all about being prepared and thinking ahead," he said.

Above article taken from the DIVDS website - 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) - Story by Spc. Kiyoshi Freeman
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Stay safe over there, Jimmy & Company!
We are thinking of you all back here at home…
AubreyJ………

Iraq: On Ground Updates - April 01, 2009

Iraq: On Ground Updates
Basra Offensive Was ‘Turning Point’ for Iraq,

General Says
Wednesday, April 01, 2009Lieutenant General Lloyd J. Austin III

Commanding General

XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg
Photo from Multi-National Corps - Iraq
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Last spring's Iraqi-planned and Iraqi-led military campaign that successfully subdued insurgents in and around Iraq's southern city of Basra was a turning point in the conflict, a senior U.S. officer posted in Iraq said today.
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When Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki decided in March 2008 to attack insurgents and criminals lodged in Basra, Multinational Corps Iraq "had its first opportunity to gain the initiative in the south," Army Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III told reporters at a Baghdad news conference.
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"We didn't hesitate in partnering with the Iraqi security forces," Austin, commander of Multinational Corps Iraq, recalled. "And while it was an Iraqi-conceived and an Iraqi-planned operation, we took the opportunity to provide our combat enablers through our military transition teams with the Iraqi units."
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Maliki ordered the rapid deployment of thousands of Iraqi security forces to Basra to confront illegal militias and criminal elements said to be operating there. The U.S. military provided logistics, air and other support to the Iraqi campaign. After intense combat against the Iraqi forces, most of the insurgents in Basra eventually decided to opt out of further fighting.
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Austin cited three reasons why the Basra operation "was a decisive point" for the future of all Iraq:
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-- It was the first large-scale deployment of the Iraqi army by order of the prime minister;
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-- It was a clear signal to all extremists and criminals, whether Sunni or Shiia, that they don't have a future in Iraq; and
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-- The Iraqi government demonstrated that it is a government for all Iraqis.
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If the Basra offensive had failed, Austin said, it would have led to a chain of events that "would have unraveled" the hard-fought gains made against insurgents in Iraq. Instead, the Iraqi military victory in Basra "became a real turning point for the country and for the Iraqi security forces," he said.
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Today, things are looking up in Basra, Austin said, noting that violence there is at a six-year low. The local economy, he added, is improving, while the nearby port of Umm Qasr is enjoying revived business.
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"And this progress is all possible by the defeat of the criminals and extremists that once dominated the south" of Iraq, Austin said.
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U.S. forces involved in operations in Iraq's Jazeera Desert, which borders Syria, and in and around the city of Mosul in northern Iraq achieved "some absolutely remarkable impacts" on al-Qaida and other extremist networks, the general said. These actions "resulted in a steep reduction of high-profile attacks against the people of Mosul and in Baghdad," he said, and each foreign fighter removed from the scene likely prevented a terrorist suicide attack.
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It was clear in 2008, Austin said, that long-term security in Iraq hinges on the capabilities of the Iraqi security forces. "We also knew that was important for us to further develop our partnership with the Iraqi security forces," he added.
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Meanwhile, Iraqi security forces increasingly are taking on more responsibility, Austin said, as U.S. forces in Iraq have been reduced by 25 percent over the past year or so. And despite a smaller U.S. force structure, he added, security in Iraq "has continued to improve."
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"And that is because of our strong partnership" with the Iraqi security forces, he said.
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The 18th Airborne Corps' headquarters unit from Fort Bragg, N.C., has served as the headquarters for Multinational Corps Iraq for 14 months, Austin said. He and his troops are slated to return to Fort Bragg in a few weeks. The 700-member 18th Airborne Corps contingent will be replaced by the 1st Corps headquarters element based at Fort Lewis, Wash.

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From a DoD’s American Forces Press Service news article

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Welcome home General and all your Troops
JOB WELL DONE!!!
And Thank You all…
AubreyJ………

Iraq: On Ground Updates - October 15, 2008 - Al-Qaeda in Iraq’s Number Two Leader Killed

MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ
PRESS DESK
BAGHDAD, Iraq
http://www.mnf-iraq.com703.343.8790

Press Release A081015a-001
Tuesday, October 15, 2008

Al-Qaeda in Iraq’s Number Two Leader Killed

BAGHDAD, Iraq – A terrorist killed by Coalition forces during an operation in Mosul on Oct. 5 has been positively identified as Abu Qaswarah.

Abu Qaswarah, also known as Abu Sara, was the al-Qaeda in Iraq senior leader of northern Iraq. A Moroccan native, Abu Qaswarah had historic ties to AQI founder Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and senior al-Qaeda leaders in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Abu Qaswarah took the role of the senior AQI emir of northern Iraq in June 2007. He was al-Qaeda in Iraq’s second in command and AQI Emir Abu Ayyub al-Masri’s senior operational leader.

Significant intelligence collected in the hunt for Abu Qaswarah led Coalition forces to a building in Mosul that served as a key command and control location for AQI. Upon entering the building, forces were immediately fired upon. Coalition forces returned fire in self defense, leading to the death of five terrorists. It was later determined that one of the five was positively identified as Abu Qaswarah.

Abu Qaswarah was a charismatic AQI leader who rallied AQI’s northern network in the wake of major setbacks to the terrorist organization across Iraq. He was responsible for organizing and leading AQI efforts in northern Iraq, including operations against Iraqi and Coalition targets in Mosul. Abu Qaswarah oversaw the failed attempt to destroy the Mosul Civic Center during the Holy month of Ramadan – an attack that could have killed hundreds of innocent Iraqis.

A foreign terrorist who trained with al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, Abu Qaswarah directed the movement of foreign terrorists into northern Iraq. Such foreign terrorists have been responsible for multiple suicide attacks against Iraqi civilians in the northern cities of Tal Afar and Mosul. Abu Qaswarah reportedly killed foreign terrorists who wanted to return to their home countries instead of carrying out attacks against Iraqi citizens.

Abu Qaswarah’s death will cause a major disruption to the AQI network, as he played a significant role in tying numerous al-Qaeda links together in order to conduct terrorist activities in Iraq. His death will significantly degrade AQI operations in Mosul and Northern Iraq, leaving the network without a leader to oversee and coordinate its operations in the region.

“Abu Qaswarah is another example of how al-Qaeda in Iraq has been forced to rely on foreign terrorists to carry out their vicious attacks on the Iraqi people as well as Coalition and Iraqi forces,” said Rear Adm. Patrick Driscoll, Multi-National Force-Iraq spokesman. “The Iraqi people do not want them here, and Coalition and Iraqi forces will continue to work together to weed them out of the country. Terrorists who bring radical and fanatic Islam into Iraq commit murderous acts against the people of Iraq and have no place in the future of Iraq.”

Taken from the Official Website of MNF-I

Iraq: On Ground Updates - October 09, 2008

Iraq, On Ground Updates
'Concrete Warriors' Protect Soldiers in Iraq
Written by Army Spc. Josh LeCappelain
Special to American Forces Press Service

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CAMP VICTORY, Iraq, Oct. 9, 2008 - They stand everywhere the eye can see -- brave warriors, tall and proud. Never flinching, never surrendering, these protectors never take time off – the thought never even crosses their minds.

Of course, not a lot crosses your mind when you are made of concrete.

They are called T-walls, named after their unique, upside-down "T" shape. All over Iraq, wherever you see coalition forces bases, you see T-walls.

T-walls are designed to protect against bomb and sniper attacks, explained Army Staff Sgt. Mineris Figueroa-Agosto, West Liberty Logistics Support Area force protection noncommissioned officer in charge. "If you don't have any up, it leaves you exposed and a safety risk," she said.

Figueroa-Agosto said a variety of different companies and batch plants, including local Iraqi-operated companies, create the T-walls. "We go to them to try to increase the economy for local vendors," she said, noting that each T-wall costs about $800.

To meet Multinational Force Iraq standards, T-walls must be 12 feet high and 12 feet away from buildings to reduce the risks of damage to buildings or vehicles should a T-wall topple. Some T-walls around the Victory Base Complex are only 10 feet tall, but a project is under way to ensure that all T-walls fall within the required regulatory size. The T-walls now are composed entirely of concrete a change from earlier versions that also contained Styrofoam.

When soldiers assigned to mayor's cells around the complex receive new T-walls, they carefully inspect them, ensuring that they have no imperfections that would limit their effectiveness. A 5-percent margin of error is accepted; a higher error rate could lead to vendors losing their contracts to create the walls.

Figueroa-Agosto said her logistics support area has about 2,000 T-walls, and she estimated that nearly 1 million T-walls are located around the entire complex each nine inches thick and weighing more than 6 tons.

"When soldiers come back inside the wire from missions, T-walls give them one less thing to worry about," she said. "It's all about their safety."

The Task Force Mountain Web site features an ongoing discussion about what should be done with the T-walls when coalition forces leave the complex. Suggestions so far range from the serious and practical "Ship them back to shore up the levees in New Orleans" to the whimsical: "The world's largest domino chain."

Taken from a news article by DoD’s American Forces Press Service - Written by Army Spc. Josh LeCappelain - Special to American Forces Press Service

Also in the news today out of Iraq:
U.S. Officer Reports ‘Tremendous Success’ in Southern Iraq

Breaking News - Leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri has been arrested

Breaking News -
Leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri has been arrested in Northern City of Mosul
Thursday, May 08, 2008
4:15pm CDT

File photo courtesy of CENTCOM
FowNews.com is reporting that the Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman is saying the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq Abu Ayyub al-Masri has been arrested in the northern city of Mosul...
Read the report HERE
(Fox News should update their link as new info comes in)

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The NZHerald.co.nz has this early Friday morning update and it starts off like this... Iraqi security forces have detained a man suspected of being the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq after a captured associate led them to him sleeping in a house in the northern city of Mosul, Iraqi officials said today... The US military in Baghdad said it was checking the reports that Abu Ayyub al-Masri, an Egyptian also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, had been detained...
Read the full report at link below...
Suspected al Qaeda leader in Iraq arrested

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Caught him ALIVE...
Good News... Good News!!!

. You get the Board... I’ll bring the Water!!!!
AubreyJ.........

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Iraqi Army: Al-Qaida in Iraq Leader Arrested

News Video posted on YouTube by AssociatedPress

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* UPDATE *
Friday, May 09, 2008

Another False Alarm...?

* FOXNEWS.com is reporting this (should have known) news this morning...
The U.S. military denied Friday that the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq - Abu Ayyub al-Masri - had been captured, saying instead that a man with a similar name was arrested in the northern city of Mosul... Iraqi authorities on Thursday said Iraqi police commandos captured the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq in a raid in the northern city of Mosul... "Neither coalition forces nor Iraqi security forces detained or killed Abu Ayyub al-Masri. This guy had a similar name," said Maj. Peggy Kageleiry, a U.S. military spokeswoman in northern Iraq...She added that no additional details were being immediately provided...
Read Fox’s full report at link below...
U.S. Military: Al Qaeda Leader in Iraq Has Not Been Captured
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More on this story if news warrants
AubreyJ..........

Omar Fadhil’s take on Al-Qaeda in Iraq: Determined but Desperate

PajamasMedia.com brings us this article by Omar Fadhil, (Iraq The Model) and it starts off like this... The anger and frustration evident in its latest missives indicate that al-Qaeda continues to lose allies and ground in Iraq and that time is not on its side...
Read the rest at link below...
Al-Qaeda in Iraq: Determined but Desperate

Iraq Report Cites Security Gains, Need for Political, Economic Progress

Iraq Report Cites Security Gains
Need for Political, Economic Progress
Tuesday, March 11, 2008

The latest quarterly report on the situation in Iraq notes continued security improvements and limited but important political, economic and diplomatic progress that must expand to preserve fragile security gains.

The Defense Department released its “Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq” report today, the latest in quarterly reports to Congress, covering the period from December to February.

The report notes that violence is down throughout much of Iraq. Deaths from ethno-sectarian violence are down 90 percent and civilian and coalition deaths by more than 70 percent since the June report.

The bulls-eye for attacks has shifted from Anbar province, which has seen a dramatic 90 percent drop in violence since January, to Ninewa and Diyala provinces, the report notes.

It cites a variety of factors contributing to the drop in violence: the coalition’s focus on securing the population; progress against al Qaeda in Iraq and other extremists and criminal groups; and growing rejection of these groups by the Iraqi people, among them.

The report also points to the strength of the tribal “awakening” and “Sons of Iraq” movements working to stop violence, limitations on counter-Iraqi meddling by Iran, a crackdown on foreign-fighter networks, and Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr’s ceasefire order to his followers as helping reduce violence.

Meanwhile, Iraqi security forces continue making gains, gradually assuming more responsibility for maintaining law and order and promoting stability, the report says. It credits coalition assistance with enabling the Iraqi Defense Ministry to generate 135 army battalions that are conducting operations at varying capability levels. Another 37 combat battalions and two special operations battalions are planned or have started to form.

The Iraqi police are making headway, too, with Iraq’s Interior Ministry expanding its training facilities from four to 17 over the past year and in the midst of implementing its first annual strategic plan.

As a side benefit of their improved capabilities, both the Defense and Interior ministries are beginning to coordinate better, creating a synergy that’s enabling the Iraqi government its first opportunity to conduct long-term planning for developing its security forces, the report notes.

The report also identifies progress on the political, economic and diplomatic fronts. New strides have been taken in reconciliation at every level, and the Iraqi economy is growing. Long-time, sustained progress, it said, will depend on Iraq’s ability to address the complex issues associated with key political and economic objectives.

“Iraq has seen important security gains in recent months. However, these security gains cannot be taken for granted, and there is tough, challenging work ahead,” the report concludes. “Further progress will depend on the continued ability of Iraqi leaders to capitalize on the hard-fought gains achieved by the coalition and Iraqi forces and other courageous members of Iraqi society who are dedicated to peace.”

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Read the Quarterly Report HERE
Find/Read all the Quarterly Reports HERE

Taken from news article by DoD’s American Forces Press Service - Written by Donna Miles

(Above Banner by DoD)

Al Qaeda Takes Hits in Iraq, But Still Dangerous, Bush Says

Wednesday, October 17, 2007
The United States has dealt al Qaeda many significant blows in Iraq and elsewhere, President Bush said here today.

Military gains against al Qaeda are encouraging, but the situation cannot be won militarily, and that is why the U.S. continues to work with the Iraqi government on reconciliation and political development, Bush said at a White House news conference.

"We're making progress, ... but I fully understand those that say we can't win this thing militarily," Bush said. "That's exactly what the United States military says. That's why it's very important that we continue to work with the Iraqis on economic progress as well as political progress."

Bush noted that reconciliation is happening at the local level in Iraq, as people realize they can make a better future for themselves. This local reconciliation eventually will affect the national government, he said. Meanwhile, the United States is encouraging the Iraqi government to pass important legislation to move the country forward.

When asked about the possibility of the Turkey parliament approving military action against Kurdish separatists in northern Iraq, Bush said that he and commanders on the ground agree that such a move would not be in Turkey's interest. The Iraqi government understands that this is a sensitive issue, he said, and the Iraqi vice president is in Turkey today to assure leaders there that Iraq shares their concerns about terrorism, but that there's a better way to fight it.

During Bush's news conference, media outlets reported that the Turkish parliament voted to approve the military action.

Related Articles:
* Senior Official: Diplomacy Best Approach to Turkey-Iraq Tensions
* Gates Expresses Concern About Resolution's Impact on U.S.-Turkey Relations

From news article by DoD’s American Forces Press Service - Written by Sgt. Sara Wood, USA

Al-Qaeda Planning Militant Islamic State Within Iraq

The TimesOnline website has this troubling story that starts off like this... A radical plan by Al-Qaeda to take over the Sunni heartland of Iraq and turn it into a militant Islamic state once American troops have withdrawn is causing alarm among US intelligence officials... A power struggle has emerged between the self-styled Islamic State of Iraq, an organisation with ambitions to become a state which has been set up by Al-Qaeda, and more moderate Sunni groups. They are battling for the long-term control of central and western areas which they believe could break away from Kurdish and Shi’ite-dominated provinces once the coalition forces depart...
Read the story in full HERE

Coalition Forces Interrupts Terrorist Training, Several Terrorists Killed

Friday, May 11, 2007
Coalition Forces killed several terrorists and destroyed three trucks with mounted anti-aircraft weapons May 8 after discovering a pack of terrorists firing on a house northeast of Karmah.

Intelligence reports and surveillance of a known al-Qaeda in Iraq meeting location led Coalition Forces to three trucks, two of which carried mounted anti-aircraft artillery weapons. Coalition Forces followed the vehicles to an area where terrorists emerged from the vehicles and engaged two houses with heavy fire. The ground attack was assessed to be practice for possible future attacks against Coalition Forces.

Coalition Forces continued to follow the vehicles as they left the target practice location and waited until the armed vehicles were away from potential civilian casualties. A fixed-wing aircraft was called in to destroy the vehicles. One truck with an anti-aircraft weapon and two sedans associated with the trucks were destroyed, killing an estimated 10 to 14 terrorists.

The two remaining trucks departed the strike scene in different directions, but Coalition Forces continued to follow them. Each was destroyed in a separate air strike after the vehicle’s occupants abandoned it and fled the scene.

Coalition Forces followed an additional vehicle from the scene of the first strike and targeted the building it returned to in an overnight raid. Eight suspected terrorists were detained in the raid, and one was treated for shrapnel wounds he received from the air strike earlier in the evening.

“These strikes caused significant damage and disruption to an organized anti-aircraft cell in Anbar province, and the destruction of these weapons diminishes al-Qaeda’s ability to target security forces protecting the people of Iraq,” said Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, MNF-I spokesperson.

The VIDEO can be seen on the MNF-I Website at this LINK

(Taken from press release #A070511a by MNF-I - Combined Press Information Center, Baghdad, Iraq)

Al-Qaeda in Iraq Leader KILLED???

Number One

al-Qaeda in Iraq Leader

KILLED???
(This post on top today – Scroll for newer post below)

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Tuesday, May 01, 2007 - Abu Ayyub Al-Masri, the Number ONE al-Qaeda in Iraq Leader is being reported to have been killed during a fire fight with Tribesman north of Baghdad.
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If you remember the events of last year, Abu Ayyub Al-Masri is the one who took over al-Qaida in Iraq after Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed on June 7th.
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I’ll be questionable with this news for in the past these kinds of reports have come rushing out, just to be found out later to not be accurate or true..

More to come on this ongoing story...
AubreyJ......... ...

Let’s see what is being reported out there:...
>>> The Monsters and Critics website has this take on the story...
Al-Qaeda in Iraq leader killed in militant clashes

>>> CHRON.com has this report...
Iraq probes reports of al-Masri's death

>>> 10:45am CDT
The International Herald Tribune website has a good read on this story that starts off like this... Iraqi officials have received reports that the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq was killed by Sunni tribesmen, but the chief government spokesman said Tuesday the information has not been confirmed.
Read the rest at link below...
Iraqi government spokesman cites reports that al-Qaida in Iraq leader killed

>>> 3:30pm CDT
TheStar.com website has this report this afternoon that starts off like this... Iraq’s government received reports that the leader of the group “Al Qaeda in Iraq” had been killed but officials said today that the information had not been confirmed and an insurgent coalition insisted he was alive...
Read this story in full at link below...
Insurgents deny reports that Al Qaeda leader dead

>>> 8:00pm CDT
Richard Miniter, PJM Washington editor, who has just returned from assignment in Iraq, has a real good read you might wish to check out at PAJAMAS MEDIA

Above file photo courtesy of CENTCOM