Good News From Iraq

Release A060617a
MNF-I spokesman makes statement regarding status of missing Soldiers
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Major Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, Multi-National Force - Iraq spokesman, announced that a Coalition forces soldier was killed and two others are listed as duty status and whereabouts unknown in the following statement June 17:

“Good Afternoon.

Last night, a Coalition force Soldier was killed and two others are currently listed as Duty Status and Whereabouts Unknown after their security element came under attack at a traffic control point south of Yusifiyah, Iraq, at approximately

7:55 p.m. local time, Friday, June 16th. The names of the Soldiers are being withheld pending notification of their next of kin.

Coalition forces and Iraqi security forces initiated a search operation within minutes to determine the status of these Soldiers, and we are currently using every means at our disposal on the ground, in the air and in the water to find them.

The specifics of this situation currently available for release are as follows:

• Coalition forces at an adjacent traffic control point heard an explosion and small arms fire at approximately 7:55 p.m. last night in the vicinity of the missing Soldier's checkpoint, at a canal crossing near the Euphrates River in the vicinity of Yusifiyah.
• After being unable to communicate with the check point, a auick reaction force was launched, arriving on scene within 15 minutes.
• The quick reaction force reported finding one Soldier killed in action and two Soldiers duty status and whereabouts unknown.
• All traffic control points were notified to stop civilian traffic and increase security.
• Helicopter, unmanned aerial vehicle and fixed wing assets provided reconnaissance over and around the site.
• A dive team was requested.
• Within an hour of the incident, blocking positions were established throughout the area in a concerted effort to focus the search and prevent movement of suspects out of the area.
• Three raids were conducted during the night on suspected possible locations, and a fourth operation was conducted this morning.
• Coalition Forces engaged with local leaders in the area to enlist the support of civilians in providing any information they could, and these engagements continue.
• Dive teams are now on site, working the canals and river.
• There is cross coordination among adjacent units to develop actionable intelligence on our Soldiers' whereabouts.

We are using all available assets, Coalition and Iraqi – ground, air and water – to locate and determine the duty status of our Soldiers. We continue today to search for Sgt. Matt Maupin, captured in April of 2004. We continue to search using every means available and will not stop looking until we find the missing Soldiers. Make no mistake: we never stop looking for our service members until their status is definitively determined, and we will continue to pray for their safe return.”

And of course: I have been awaiting for some lowlife jihadist untermenchen pondscum(apologies to pondscum here) to make a claim like this, odds on its all lies but that dont matter as its just lies aimed at us Kafir... Group claims it kidnapped U.S. soldiers

Release A060619a
CCCI convicts 28 insurgents
BAGHDAD, Iraq – The Central Criminal Court of Iraq convicted 29 security detainees May 31 through June 13 for various crimes including possession of illegal weapons, joining armed groups, passport violations and illegal border crossing.

The trial court found Haider Hassan Karim, Abbas Ali Hussein, Tamem Saleh Awad, Ahmed Ali Kazim, Yousef Mohammed Amine, Mohammed Shibab Naif, Arshad Rasheed Majeed and Kazim Jawad Ali guilty of possession of illegal weapons, in violation of Coalition Provisional Authority Order 3, and sentenced them each to 15 years imprisonment. Coalition Forces apprehended the 15 men after searching the defendants’ cars where they found four AK-47s, an 82mm mortar, seven 82mm mortar rounds, an RPK with 600 rounds of ammunition, four RPG launchers and 16 RPGs.

The trial court found Saher Ali Jaber guilty of possession of illegal weapons, in violation of Coalition Provisional Authority Order 3, and sentenced him to 15 years imprisonment. Coalition Forces apprehended Jaber along with seven other defendants after a search of the vehicle they were in and around revealed 2,000 rounds of PKC ammunition, 16 RPG rockets, night-vision binoculars, two hand grenades, seven RPG launchers, four PK machine guns, four AK-47 magazines, 20 rounds of Dragunov armor-piercing rounds, one half pound of C4 explosive and 24 sticks of rocket propellant. Several defendants admitted they were on their way to attack Coalition Forces at the time of their capture. The charge against the seven other defendants was dismissed.

The trial court found Hazim Jasim Muhammed guilty of organizing, heading, leading or joining armed groups, in violation of Article 194 of the Iraqi Penal Code, and sentenced him to 15 years imprisonment. Coalition Forces apprehended Muhammed after he was positively identified as a terrorist. Muhammed confessed to working with a terrorist group and planting improvised explosive devices.

The trial court found Rahim Hameed Mohammed guilty of possession of illegal weapons, in violation of Coalition Provisional Authority Order 3, and sentenced him to six years imprisonment. Coalition forces apprehended Mohammed after a search of his house revealed IED making materials, one AK-47 and one Dragunov sniper rifle with seven armor-piercing rounds.

The trial panel found Anwar Sobieh Moshatat guilty of possession of illegal weapons, in violation of Coalition Provisional Authority Order 3, and sentenced him to six years imprisonment. Coalition forces apprehended Moshatat after a search of his vehicle and home found one AK-47, one PKC rifle, one shotgun, three fragmentary grenades, more than 50 blasting caps, one M60 initiator, one 9mm glock with magazines and additional magazines for M16s, G3s and AK-47s.

The trial court found Rahman Lilman Mujbur guilty of illegally entering Iraq, in violation of Article 24 of the Foreign Residence Law, and sentenced him to six years imprisonment. Coalition forces apprehended Mujbur after he was caught illegally entering Iraq from Iran.

The trial court found Kamil Ibrahim Brisam and Ziyad Turki F’layeh guilty of possession of illegal weapons, in violation of Coalition Provisional Authority Order 3, and sentenced them each to six years imprisonment. Coalition forces apprehended the two men after their vehicle was struck by an IED, and a search revealed one AK-47, two fragmentary grenades, one foot of red detonation cord and two blasting caps. After EOD arrived to secure the blast site they discovered two 130mm artillery rounds wired with the same detonation cord and blasting caps found in the defendants’ car.

The trial court found Tamer Aied Rasheed guilty of possession of illegal weapons, in violation of Coalition Provisional Authority Order 3, and sentenced him to six years imprisonment. Coalition forces apprehended Rasheed after a search of his house revealed two AK-47s, one SKS machine gun, one RPG, one 8mm Mauser bolt-action rifle, three bandoliers, 15 AK-47 magazines with approximately 500 rounds of ammunition, over half of which were armor-piercing, and 150 9mm rounds.

The trial court found Abdul-Kader Jabbar guilty of possession of illegal weapons, in violation of Coalition Provisional Authority Order 3, and sentenced him to six years imprisonment. Coalition forces apprehended Jabbar after a search of his house revealed four AK-47 rifles, two RPG launchers and one SKS assault rifle.

The trial court found Awad Al-Karim Kissamalla and Yousef Al-Tayed Fadle Al-Sayed guilty of violating Article 10 of the Iraqi Passport Law and sentenced them each to three years imprisonment. Coalition forces apprehended the Sudanese men after a search of their house revealed a false wall hiding IED making material.

The trial court found Moayed Yousif Hamad guilty of manufacturing, transporting, or possessing explosives or explosive materials in violation of paragraph 344 of the Iraqi Penal Code, and sentenced him to two years imprisonment. Coalition forces apprehended Hamad after a search of his property revealed ammonia, electronic switchboards, potassium chloride, various other chemicals used to make explosives, numerous ball bearings, explosives, ammunition, a flare, one AK-47 rifle, battery chargers and items that could be used as remote detonators.

The trial court found Uday Abed Ismail guilty of possession of illegal weapons, in violation of Coalition Provisional Authority Order 3, and sentenced him to two years imprisonment. Coalition forces, in support of the Iraqi Army, apprehended Ismail after a search of his property revealed 10 ounces of plastic explosives, one foot of detonation cord, razor blades, one blasting cap, electrical wire and 500 rounds of 9mm ammunition.

The trial court found Salah Aklsayid Qasim and Eman Kamal Ahmad guilty of illegal entry into Iraq, in violation of Article 10 of the Iraqi Passport Law, and sentenced them each to one year imprisonment. Coalition forces apprehended the two Egyptian men for suspected involvement as foreign fighters.

The trial court found Ahmed Jeleeb Harery and Abbas Fadel Dalaf guilty of possession of illegal weapons, in violation of Article 27 of the Iraqi Penal Code, and sentenced them each to one year imprisonment. Coalition forces apprehended the two men after a search of their vehicle revealed a crew-serve machine gun with a primary and auxiliary barrel.

The trial court found Raife Mohammad Salah guilty of possession of illegal weapons, in violation of Article 27 of the Iraqi Penal Code, and sentenced him to one year imprisonment. Coalition forces apprehended Salah after a search of his residence revealed one 9mm pistol and magazine, two AK-47s, 55 rounds of AK-47 ammunition, one SKS rifle and an expired Iraqi Police identification card.

The trial court found Sabah Mohammed guilty of possession of illegal weapons, in violation of Article 27 of the Iraqi Penal Code, and sentenced him to one year imprisonment. Coalition forces apprehended Mohammed after he attempted to flee the location of a house, which was the subject of a targeted raid. A search of the house revealed three AK-47s, one high-powered air rifle and one sub-machine gun.

The trial court found Jamal Khattab Najim and Muzahim Najim Khudair guilty of possession of illegal weapons, in violation of Article 27 of the Iraqi Penal Code, and sentenced Najim to six months imprisonment and Khudair to one year imprisonment.

Coalition forces apprehended the two men along with two others after a search of their house revealed nine loaded AK-47 magazines, two AK-47 rifles, one RPG sight, one Glock 9 mm pistol with two magazines, and military magazine pouches. The trial panel found that there was insufficient evidence against the other two defendants and dismissed their charges.

Upon conviction, all defendants are turned over to the Iraqi Corrections Service to serve their sentences.

To date, the CCCI has held 1,229 trials of insurgents suspected of anti-Iraqi and anti-Coalition activities threatening the security of Iraq and targeting MNF-I. These proceedings have resulted in 1,066 individual convictions with sentences ranging up to death.

Release A060619b
Iraqi army, MND-B detain six suspected criminals, find weapons caches
FOB KALSU, Iraq – Iraqi 8 th Army Division and Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers teamed up to capture suspected criminals early June 15 in an area near Scania in the southern Babil province.

Iraqi soldiers from 1st Battalion, 4th Brigade, 8th Iraqi Army Division, conducted a search for terrorists in two homes near Ash Shumali, while MND-B soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, provided the outer cordon.

The homes were targeted based on intelligence gathered through various sources, to include tips from area residents. The terrorist cell is connected with several roadside bomb attacks in May that caused the deaths of a number of Iraqi civilians and Iraqi security and Coalition forces.

The Iraqi team searched the first house without incident and found a weapons cache, consisting of approximately 30 feet of detonation cord, three blasting caps attached to both detonation cord and electrical wire, a bomb initiation system, a set of binoculars, a sniper rifle, a pistol, an AK-47 with full magazine and a sword.

The cache discovery resulted in the detention of the home owner.

Iraqi soldiers entered the second house without resistance, finding five males, four of which were sleeping on the roof. During the search of the house, Iraqi soldiers found a PKC hidden under blankets in a storage room and a partially constructed bomb, consisting of a metallic cylinder, blasting cap and detonation cord.

An Army explosive ordnance detachment removed the bomb to a safe area and conducted a controlled detonation.

Iraqi soldiers also found a 7.62 mm bolt-action rifle with full magazine and various bomb-making materials.

The evidence gathered at the scene resulted in the detention of all five suspects.

Release A060618c
Iraqi Army battalion takes lead at Forward Operating Base Lutufiyah
FOB LUTUFIYAH, Iraq — An “Iraqis in the Lead Ceremony” was held at 10 a.m. June 15 on patrol base Lutifiyah, as Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division assumed responsibility of the area from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division.

The event marked a major milestone in which Iraqi security forces gained control of the Lutifiyah area of southwest Baghdad .

“The Iraqi army is an instrument that secures the peace, and they are fully capable of controlling this area themselves,” said Col. Todd Ebel, commander, 2nd BCT, 101st Abn. Div.

Local sheiks and the mayor of Mahmudiyah were also in attendance during the hour-long ceremony, which included a demonstration by the Iraqi troops in which they dismounted from their Humvees and engaged a group of simulated terrorists.

“The Desert Lions are ready to defeat insurgents in Lutifiyah and anywhere else they may be,” said Col. Ali, Commander, 4th Bde., 6th Iraqi Army Division.

Release A060619d
MNF-I spokesman provides update on missing Soldiers
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Multi-National Force-Iraq Spokesman Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell, gave the following statement June 19 concerning the two Coalition Soldiers listed as duty status and whereabouts unknown:

“As you know, the search continues in earnest for two Coalition force Soldiers currently listed as duty status and whereabouts unknown after their security element came under attack at a traffic control point south of Yusifiyah , Iraq , at approximately 7:55 p.m. local time, Friday, June 16th. During this engagement, a third Soldier, Spc. David J. Babineau, age 25, of Springfield , Mass. , sadly lost his life in the service of his country.

“The two Soldiers reported as duty status and whereabouts unknown are Pfc. Kristian Menchaca, 23, of Houston, Texas , and Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker, 25, of Madras, Ore.

"All three Soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion of the 502nd Infantry Regiment of 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell , Ky.

“Words cannot express the sadness we feel at the loss of Spc. Babineau and the uncertainty the families of Pfc. Menchaca and Pfc. Tucker must be experiencing. Our deepest sympathy goes out to their families.

“Over 8,000 U.S. Military and Iraqi army and police are working together, conducting an intensive search operation to determine the status of these Soldiers. We are using every means at our disposal.

“While searching for our Soldiers, we have engaged in a number of significant actions against the anti-Iraqi forces. The specifics of these operations currently available for release are as follows: three anti-Iraqi forces killed in action; 34 detainees taken into custody; 63 tips received, to include 12 cordon and search operations based on actionable intelligence; eight air assault operations; 280 flight hours flown.

“United States Navy and Air Force assets in support include fixed wing fighter attack aircraft providing armed tactical overwatch; E-8 Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System, or JSTARS, as well as Predator unmanned aerial vehicles; three dive teams from Para Rescue Jumpers; along with national assets of varying types supporting our efforts.

“We have surged intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms and employed planes, boats, helicopters and UAVs to ensure the most thorough search possible on the ground, in the air and in the water.

“Approximately 12 Villages have been cleared in the area, and we continue to engage local citizens for help and information leading to the whereabouts of our Soldiers.

“Seven U.S. service members have been wounded in action during these search operations since Friday night.

“We are using all available assets, Coalition and Iraqi, to find our Soldiers and will not stop looking until we find them. We will never stop looking for our service members until their status is definitively determined. We continue to pray for their safe return and also ask for you to keep the families and friends of our missing Soldiers in your hearts and minds, maintaining respect for their privacy during this extremely difficult time.”

Cavalry hits its mark
Staff Sgt. Russell Lee Klika
133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
AD DAWR, Iraq - Running a Bradley fighting vehicle range is no small feat. Running a triple-range in the middle of a combat zone is truly an amazing act.

Soldiers of the 2nd Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment from Fort Carson, Colo. attached to 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, recently had the chance to re-zero their weapons on a range designed by Sgt. 1st Class Scott Green, noncommissioned officer in charge of the personal security detail and force protection on Forward Operating Base Wilson, near Ad Dawr, Iraq.

“Lieutenant Colonel Lou Lartigue’s intent was to create a ‘no-nonsense’ range and to get the Soldiers out to the site, in as short a time as possible, get their weapons zeroed, and back out on missions again,” said Greene.

“We accomplished this by incorporating three ranges into one and by cycling through one troop a day for four days,” he said.

The weapons fired included the M-4 rifle and the M-2 Bradley fighting vehicle. Each morning of the exercise started with Green and his teams sweeping the area to ensure the range was clear of any Iraqi citizens.

Then a ground reconnaissance team followed, to ensure there were no direct-fire incidents. With only one access road to the range, Green had to ensure that it was clear of any improvised explosive devices before the Soldiers entered the training area.

With the sun just up over the horizon, the day’s shooters arrive. The Bradleys and Humvees kick up plumes of dust that settles over everything. As some line up neatly to zero their weapons, others create a security circle around the range’s perimeter.

“The challenging thing about a range like this is that while some of the Soldiers are completing their training, others are performing a real-world security mission,” said Green.

Once the vehicles are in place, the Soldiers are given instructions. The exercise included a small-arms fire, Bradley fire and a maneuver range. After the line of Bradleys took turns hitting their mark and their weapons were zeroed, each crew then moved onto the maneuvering range, with offensive and defensive positions. Meanwhile, Humvee gunners zeroed their M-240B and .50 caliber machine-guns.

“Normally a course like this would take two weeks,” said Greene, “but we have other missions to accomplish.”

“After laying down roughly 50,000 rounds of ammunition, the Soldiers of the 2-9 can feel confident that when they engage the enemy they will shoot straight and be able to hit what they are aiming at,” said Greene. “Everything went textbook style.”

** Lastly its silly season and everyone seems to be getting in on the death of Al-Zarqawi, seems that even his dear ol mom is out to make a dinar or two....http://www.alzarqawismomsblog.com/index.php

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