News From Iraq

** Some more stuff that El Beeb - the pro islamic terrorist broadcaster wont report. Well unless it involves a car bombing/troop deaths/reports about how things were wonderful under Saddam and so on.

Security berm under construction

TIKRIT, Iraq – In a combined effort to reduce insurgent violence in As Siniyah, community leaders, Iraqi security forces and coalition Soldiers began construction on a berm around the village Jan. 5.

Following the recent spike in insurgent roadside and vehicle-borne bombs, leaders of this small village near Bayji in northern Salah Ad Din Province discussed what measures could be taken to improve the security situation.

Local police, city council members, sheiks and religious leaders met with leaders from the 1st Squadron, 33rd Cavalary Regiment 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) to discuss the operation.

As Siniyah's community leaders have long insisted those responsible for the violence were outsiders, not residents of the village. An overwhelming majority of those at today's meeting agreed that a berm would prevent these outsiders from using the village as a safe haven.

Once completed, the berm will be approximately 10 kilometers in length and nearly eight feet in height. Iraqi police and soldiers will man the access points into the village as well as guard towers being built in conjunction with the berm.

Iraqi citizens suffer the most from insurgent violence. Almost 80 percent of those killed and wounded by IEDs are Iraqis, not Coaltion Soldiers.

Provincial leaders expressed their approval of the berming operation. After a similar operation to deny insurgents access to the city of Samarra in August 2005, the level of violence sharply dropped off.

Work on the berm is expected to continue for several days.

UAV search operations in Mosul suspended

MOSUL, Iraq – The 172d Stryker Brigade Combat Team lost contact with a Raven unmanned aerial vehicle Jan. 4 during operations in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

The Raven is the Army’s smallest UAV weighing about four and a half pounds with a wingspan of approximately five feet.

The UAV was not recovered, and all recovery efforts have been suspended. If local residents of Mosul find the vehicle, they may return it to the nearest Coalition Forces facility.

Rhode Island Senator visits Soldiers, local leaders

TIKRIT, Iraq – U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) met with Soldiers from his home state and local Iraqi leaders during a visit to the northwestern Iraqi city of Tal Afar Jan. 4.

Reed was hosted by the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, headquartered at Forward Operating Base Sykes. After receiving an operational update from the regiment, the former Army Ranger met with several troopers from his home state.

Reed’s visit surprised one of his constituents, Pfc. Christopher Wright, a 20-year-old tank crewman from Ashaway, R.I.

“I was pretty surprised when my first sergeant came to me and said, ‘You have to go meet your senator tomorrow,’” Wright said. “I was dumbfounded. It’s pretty amazing to meet him all the way out here, especially since we’re the smallest state. I’m still surprised.”

Reed toured the city and visited the Joint Coordination Center, where he was briefed on the state of affairs in the city by the mayor, two brigade commanders from the 3rd Iraqi Army Division, and the chief of police.

The JCC is the central location for local governance in the new Iraqi system of representative government. Every city in Iraq has a JCC, which is the central hub from where local government, police, security, and civil service activities function. It serves a purpose very much like a “city hall” does in the United States.

Mayor Najem Abdullah Abed praised the efforts of the 3rd ACR in helping to restore security in the city, which has seen a major reduction in violence over the past few months.

“The U.S. troops that fought alongside the Iraqi Army have become our brothers,” Najem said.

Reed is on a fact-finding trip to Iraq to get an update on current operations by U.S. forces in Iraq and the status of Military Transition Teams as they continue to work with the Iraqi Army.

The MiTTs are small, coalition units that work and live with their IA counterparts, sharing their expertise as the IA forces continue to take more responsibility for Iraq’s security needs.

Task Force Baghdad Soldiers detain terrorist suspect

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Task Force Baghdad Soldiers caught a terrorist in the act of carrying out an attack in eastern Baghdad Jan. 3.

During a combat patrol near Rustamiyah, Task Force Baghdad Soldiers detained an individual found suspiciously close to the site of an explosion moments after the detonation.

The suspected terrorist tried to elude the Soldiers but was caught and detained.

No injuries to Coalition Soldiers or equipment resulted from the explosion.

.