Good News From Iraq

Release A060601b
MND-B Soldiers discover weapons caches
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Soldiers from Multi-National Division – Baghdad's Troop A, 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, discovered a large weapons cache and ammunition aboard a wheat dump truck northwest of Baghdad May 30 at approximately 6 p.m.

Soldiers had stopped the truck May 9 and discovered seven fuses, 15 mortar tips and wire commonly used in roadside bombs.

However, it wasn't until May 30, while the unit was looking for additional evidence, that they found the weapons hidden under bags of wheat in the bed of the truck.

The cache consisted of twenty-eight 107 mm Katusha rockets, 82 anti-personnel land mines, 43 rocket-propelled grenade rounds, one RPG launcher, two 60 mm mortar systems, one 81 mm mortar system, thirty 60 mm mortar rounds, 33 rocket-propellant sticks, and other bomb-making materials.

The driver of the truck was detained May 9.

Soldiers from 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, also discovered a weapon cache while conducting a cordon and search of buildings in western Baghdad May 31 at approximately 11 a.m.

The cache consisted of four Russian-made bombs and three hand grenades.

Release A060603a
MNF-I spokesman makes statement on Ishaqi raid
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Maj. Gen. Bil Caldsell the Multi-National Force - Iraq spokesman, delivered the following statement June 3 on the Coalition raid that took place near Ishaqi on March 15:

“Recently there has been much attention in both the Western and Arabic media concerning reports of Coalition Soldiers killing innocent Iraqi civilians. Temptation exists to lump all these incidents together. However, each case needs to be examined individually. Let me be clear. Multi-National Force - Iraq does not and will not tolerate unethical or criminal behavior. All allegations of the loss of civilian life are thoroughly investigated.

In response to claims as many as 13 civilians were killed in a March 15 air strike in the vicinity of Ishaqi, south of Samarra, an investigation was launched into the incident the very next day. The investigation revealed the ground force commander, while capturing and killing terrorists, operated in accordance with the rules of engagement governing our combat forces in Iraq.
Based on credible intelligence, Coalition forces conducted a raid in the vicinity of Ishaqi on March 15, capturing Ahmad Abdallah Muhammad Na’is al-Utaybi, aka Hamza, a Kuwaiti-born, al-Qaeda cell leader, and killing Uday Faris al-Tawafi, aka Abu Ahmed, an Iraqi involved in making improvised explosive devices as well as recruiting locals to join the insurgency.

The forces, upon arrival, began taking direct fire from the building. As the enemy fire persisted, the ground force commander appropriately reacted by incrementally escalating the use of force from small-arms fire to rotary wing aviation, and then to close air support, ultimately eliminating the threat.

The troops then conducted a thorough tactical search, and documented the discovery of the body of Abu Ahmed plus three noncombatants. The investigating officer concluded that possibly up to nine collateral deaths resulted from this engagement but could not determine the precise number due to collapsed walls and heavy debris. Allegations that the troops executed a family living in this safe house, and then hid the alleged crimes by directing an air strike, are absolutely false.

The investigating officer ascertained that the ground force commander properly followed the rules of engagement as he necessarily escalated the use of force until the threat was eliminated.
All loss of innocent life is tragic and unfortunate, and we regret such occurrences. We take all reports of improper conduct seriously; we investigate them thoroughly, and hold our troops accountable for their actions.”

Release A060601c
MNC-I commander directs training
BAGHDAD, Iraq– To reinforce and sustain training servicemembers received prior to their deployment to Iraq, the Commander, Multi-National Corps - Iraq has directed his subordinate commanders to conduct core warrior values training, highlighting the importance of adhering to legal, moral and ethical standards on the battlefield.

“Of the nearly 150,000 Coalition forces presently in Iraq , 99.9 percent of them perform their jobs magnificently every day,” said Lt. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, Multi-National Corps - Iraq commander. “They do their duty with honor under difficult circumstances. They exhibit sound judgment, honesty and integrity. They display patience, professionalism and restraint in the face of a treacherous enemy. And they do the right thing even when no one is watching. Unfortunately, there are a few individuals who sometimes choose the wrong path.”

To assist in conducting the training, leaders are being provided a slide presentation with training vignettes they can adapt to their organization. The training package emphasizes professional military values and the importance of disciplined, professional conduct in combat, Iraqi cultural expectations and the second and third order effects of actions that are contrary to professional military values.

“As military professionals, it is important that we take time to reflect on the values that separate us from our enemies,” Chiarelli said. “The challenge for us is to make sure the actions of a few do not tarnish the good work of the many.”

The training will be conducted in units over the next 30 days.

Viper's gunships escort patrol
Story by Cpl. Jonathan K. Teslevich
3rd Marine Aircraft Wing
KARMA, Iraq - Under a baking Iraqi sun, beads of sweat roll down a Marine's face as his eyes slowly scan the surrounding fields of tall grass, looking for insurgent forces that could ambush him and his fellow Marines' dismounted patrol. Suddenly, the thumping sound of helicopters breaks through the noise of his beating pulse and a squawking radio in his ears. Air support has arrived.

Like guardian angels, the sharp-eyed crews of a UH-1 Huey and AH-1 Super Cobra with Marine Light Attack Squadron 169, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, use their bird's eye perspective, flying just above treetops or thousands of feet in the air to provide reconnaissance on the convoy's route through the streets and fields of Karma, May 11.

"Our mission was to fly in the vicinity of Karma, Iraq, in support of the dismounted patrols that were throughout the city," said 1st Lt. Brian P. Brassieur, a Huey pilot. "We were looking for any improvised explosive devices on the roads or any military-aged males digging holes in the road and anything (insurgents) might be doing to disrupt our patrols."

The squadron's ability to successfully support the Marine ground forces on patrol begins at the squadron's airfield in Al Taqaddum.

"Before every flight, and at the beginning of our training, we always do cockpit coordination and crew briefs, as well as a section brief," said Capt. Brian J. Crawford, a Huey pilot and Laurel, Md., native. "First, the crews from both aircraft get together and conduct a thorough brief on how we're going to conduct that flight. Then, myself, the other pilot and the two crew chiefs will sit down and talk about the conduct of operations for the day. It's everything from what we expect to see, what we expect to execute and all the communications associated with accomplishing that."

Once in the air, the two helicopters sped toward Karma. The two pilots in the Super Cobra and the two pilots and two crew chiefs in the Huey kept their eyes open, alert to the threat posed by surface-to-air missiles and gunfire.

"Communication is the key for these kinds of missions, because without proper communication no one knows what's going on," said Lance Cpl. Justin W. Ahlers, a Huey crew chief and West Bend, Wis., native. "We all might see pieces of a whole, but we won't be able to put it all together without communication to make the picture complete. That allows us to accomplish the mission more effectively."

The desert landscape surrounding their airbase quickly passed below Ahlers and the other Marines in the helicopters before turning into lush fields and canals, as they passed over the land surrounding the Euphrates River and approached Karma.

"Once we got in the vicinity of where we were supposed to be, we contacted the forward air controller on the ground," said Brassieur, a Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., native. "He is apprised of the whole situation because he is right in it. He tells us what's going on, what he needs us to do, where his position is and how we can support him."

Through coordination, the ground and air Marines can form an accurate picture of what lies ahead down the streets of Karma. The information flow between the forward air controller on the ground and the two helicopters is the key to the success of the convoy escort and the safety of the Marines on the ground.

"Marine aviation's overall role is to support ground troops, and in Karma, we were providing immediate, overhead close air support and reconnaissance to them," said 1st Lt. Kyle R. Vandegiesen, a Super Cobra pilot and North Allteboro, Mass., native. "The grunts can only see a couple hundred meters around themselves. We have the vantage point of 500 to 1,000 feet above the ground."

According to Vandegiesen, the view from above is crucial to the success of their mission.

"The key to any battle is situational awareness," he said. "Whoever has it is going to win. If you can see the enemy then you've got him, that's what we provide."

The Vipers ability to provide an "eye in the sky" for the ground troops is a vital part of the Marine aviation mission here.

"When I go over a station, when I'm over Karma, I want to look out for those Marines, that's what I've been trained to do and that's what I'm going to do," said Brassieur. "The Marine Corps revolves around the grunts on the ground. We're just here to support them. That's what we're here to do."

**Casulty figures and lies from the left: The recorded Iraqi civilian fatalities (including insurgents, military, morgue counts, police, etc.) were down 16% (16% maximum) in 2005... 38% (48% maximum) less than 2003 (via Leftist anti-war site Iraq Body Count). If you take out the numbers from that horrible day in August 2005 when nearly one thousand panicked Iraqis were trampled or drowned near a Muslim shrine, the year shows striking progress compared to 2003 and 2004 with fatalities one third less than in 2004.

...John Hinderaker at Powerline adds this: A total of 2,471 service members have died in Iraq from 2003 to the present, a period of a little over three years. That total is almost exactly one third of the number of military personnel who died on active duty from 1980 to 1982, a comparable time period when no wars were being fought. Until very recently, our armed forces lost servicemen at a greater rate than we have experienced in Iraq, due solely to accidental death.

Do you recall that during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s there was any suggestion, from anyone, that our military policies were somehow disastrous due to fatalities among our servicemen--fatalities that nearly always exceeded those we are now experiencing in Iraq? No, neither do I.

...To further put things in perspective, Newsmax reported yesterday that...

Iraq Is Less Violent than Washington, D.C.

Using Pentagon statistics cross-checked with independent research, King said he came up with an annualized Iraqi civilian death rate of 27.51 per 100,000. While that number sounds high - astonishingly, the Iowa Republican discovered that it's significantly lower than a number of major American cities, including the nation's capital. ‘It's 45 violent deaths per 100,000 in Washington, D.C.,’ King told Crowley. Other American cities with higher violent civilian death rates than Iraq include: Detroit - 41.8 per 100,000; Baltimore - 37.7 per 100,000.

** Lastly for a good look at the Zanu New Labour government that runs the UK very badly check out: http://labourdonotdo.com/

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