Good News From Iraq

Iraqi police seize rockets in Zafaraniya
By Pfc. Paul David Ondik
4th BCT PAO, 101st Abn. Div.
FOB LOYALTY, Iraq – Iraqi police seized six 107mm rockets with warheads, each containing more than 15 pounds of TNT while investigating a possible launch site Tuesday in the Zafaraniya area of Baghdad.

Soldiers from Multi-National Division – Baghdad’s 4th Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, and 519th Military Police Battalion, 49th Military Police Brigade, were also sent to the area to investigate the site but found the Iraqi police already had matters in hand when they arrived.

By the time the MND-B forces arrived, the Iraqi police units had already cordoned off the area and seized the weapons.

The IP unit that responded at the scene is one of the best in the area, said Staff Sgt. Justin Morrison, battle captain, Company C, 519th MP Bn.

“They said they just could not wait, it was too dangerous,” added Capt. Roderick Fisher, assistant S3, 4th Bn., 320th FA Regt.

The Iraqi police removed the rockets and the launcher and transported them to Forward Operating Base Shield, where they could be safely disposed.

Iraqi citizen leads MND-B Soldiers to terrorists; two terrorists killed while emplacing roadside bomb

By Spc. Kelly K. McDowell
2nd BCT PAO, 101st Abn. Div.
BAGHDAD – A local national’s tip led to the arrest of three terrorists August 3, south of Baghdad and in a separate incident two terrorists were killed while emplacing a roadside bomb.

While conducting an area reconnaissance mission, soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, along with Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, were approached by an Iraqi citizen claiming terrorists killed his two sons and was willing to take the troops to homes in the area known by local residents to harbor terrorists.

The patrol continued their recon mission with the Iraqi citizen who identified the three suspected murderers.

The unit checked the names and obtained two sworn statements against the three suspects and detained the individuals for further questioning.

In a separate incident, 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment Scouts observed three terrorists emplacing a roadside bomb in south Baghdad August 3.

After positively identifying the threat the Scouts engaged and killed two of the three terrorists, preventing a future roadside bomb attack.

4th Bn., 320th FA Regt., finds large cache, detains four terrorists

BAGHDAD – Soldiers of Battery A, 4th Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, seized a large cache of explosives and captured four terrorists in Adhamiyah in a predawn raid Aug. 4.

Operation Guinness, a battalion level operation which was part of Operation Together Forward, a Multi-National Division – Baghdad operation, concentrating on disrupting murders, kidnappings and bombings in Baghdad. The suspects detained are believed to have launched bombing attacks against Coalition Forces and Iraqi Security Forces.

At about 3 a.m., Battery A Soldiers cordoned off the neighborhood surrounding the house pointed out by a tip. Four individuals were in the residence and were detained. The Soldiers searched the house and found 130 anti-personnel mines, one anti-tank mine rigged as an improvised-explosive device, one stick of rocket-propelled grenade propellant, an RPG launcher, 25 rounds of .50-caliber ammunition and various other bomb making materials. A U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal team secured the explosives.

“We received some very specific intelligence that led us to the site. A Battery led by Capt. (Michael) Stewart, executed the mission flawlessly with assistance from the EOD team,” said Lt. Col. Kevin Milton, commander, 4-320th FAR.

Pivotal to the operation was the blending of various skill sets to bring the right forces to the battle.

“Operation Guinness was an excellent example of intelligence driven operations that integrated all available asset. Our leaders integrated military working dogs, human intelligence teams, attack air, Combat Camera and EOD,” said Maj. Bruce Coyne, operations officer, who provided battalion-level coordination at the site of the operation. “After detailed rehearsals, the battery commander maintained momentum through precise command and control of his assets,” Coyne added.

“We have rehearsed and executed raids like this many times, and we were able to enter and search the target house quickly and smoothly,” said Capt. Michael Stewart, commander, Batt. A. “Our Soldiers are simply the best in the profession, and we can do this anytime, anywhere,” said Stewart.

Neither the suspected terrorists nor any Coalition Soldiers were injured during this operation.

Investigation into this incident by Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces continues.

“This mission was a victory for our unit and the people of Iraq,” said Coyne.

172nd SBCT transfers authority to 3rd SBCT
MOSUL, Iraq – The 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team handed over operations in Mosul and other surrounding areas in the Ninewa Province to the 3rd SBCT, 2nd Infantry Division in a transfer of authority ceremony held at Forward Operating Base Marez today.

The Soldiers of the 172nd SBCT were deployed here last August and have since conducted more than 15,000 missions collectively including cordon and searches, combat patrols, counter mortar and rocket missions, raids, escort missions and humanitarian aid throughout Dohuk and Ninewa and Irbil provinces.

“The accomplishments of the 172nd SBCT have been truly remarkable,” said Maj. Gen. Thomas Turner, commanding general, Task Force Band of Brothers, during his speech at the ceremony.

“In the Ninewa province they successfully served during the Constitutional Referendum and the National Elections which brought democracy to more than 3.8 million people. They have worked to help restore the damaged infrastructure of Iraq due to years of plight and trained and equipped seven Iraqi Army brigades that are now better prepared to serve the Iraqi people and citizens of Ninewa province.”

For the 3rd SBCT, this is their second tour in the Ninewa Province in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“For the last year the ‘Artic Wolves’ (172nd SBCT) have shed blood, sweat and tears to free the people of Ninewa from the terrorist’s grip and help the Iraqi people have a better life. I can only promise we will work hard to fill the boots of the 172nd,” said incoming commander, Col. Steven Townsend, commander, 3rd SBCT as he shook hands with outgoing 172nd SBCT Commander Col. Michael Shields.

The ceremony was marked by the traditional uncasing of the colors by the 3rd SBCT.

For the 3rd SBCT, this is their second tour in the Ninewa Province in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Mosul police defeat terrorist attack
MOSUL, Iraq -- Mosul police officers and Iraqi soldiers defeated a complex attack by terrorists in eastern Mosul Friday morning. The attack included a suicide bomber using a vehicle-borne improvided explosive device, several IEDs and small arms fire.

The Iraqi Security Forces were led by the Iraqi police officers and supported by Iraqi Army soldiers from 1st Battalion, 4thnd Iraqi Army Division. Additionally, Coalition Forces Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT), 2nd Infantry Division (Arrowhead Brigade) responded to the attack in support of the Iraqi Police and Iraqi Army. Brigade, 2

Initial news reports from several news agencies that claimed more than 20 Iraqi policemen were killed were incorrect. Several news organizations were incorrect indicating that Nineveh Provincial Director of Police, General Wathiq, was killed in the attack. General Wathiq spoke to several news agencies via telephone interviews following the attack to confirm he was uninjured and to provide information related to the attack.

In total, six Iraqi Police officers including an Iraqi Police Battalion Commander from the 3rd Emergency Response Battalion (ERB) and one local resident were killed in the attack. Seven Iraqi Policemen and four local residents were wounded in the attack. No coalition Soldiers were injured in the fighting.

The 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT), 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Washington replaced the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team that had been operating in the Ninevah Province for the past year.

The Arrowhead Brigade is combat tested and was the first Stryker Brigade to serve in Iraq while operating in the NinevahProvince from November 2003 to October 2004. Almost half of the Soldiers currently in the brigade are veterans of the brigade’s first deployment.

The Arrowhead Stryker Brigade officially took control of the Ninevah Province on August 5th from the 172nd SBCT in a short Transfer of Authority Ceremony at Forward Operating Base Marez in Mosul.

Search never ends for missing
GHARMAH — The search for Army Sgt. Keith M. Maupin, a Soldier who was taken captive by insurgents more than two years ago, continued near Fallujah recently.

A team of U.S. Marines, Army and British Soldiers, fanned out across two locations searching for Maupin, who is the only missing U.S. servicemember from Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Navy Capt. Michael Scott Speicher, shot down during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, is the only other missing U.S. servicemember in Iraq. This search marked the 86th time troops have looked for Maupin.

A 6-inch-long bone was found at the second survey site and was bagged, labeled and shipped from Camp Fallujah to to Dover Air Force Base, Md. Tests there by experts proved the bone was not that of Maupin’s, but that of an animal.

American military tradition dictates searches for missing U.S. servicemembers are to continue indefinitely, until the servicemember is accounted for.

“This is very important for us to do this,” said Army Chief Warrant Officer Steven J. Nesbit, a 49-year-old member of the Personnel Recovery Detachment from Multi-National Corps - Iraq in Baghdad.

“Any Coalition member lives by that creed that we never leave anyone behind,” he said.

Maupin was taken captive by insurgents on April 9, 2004, near Abu Ghraib, after his convoy was attacked. He was shown in insurgent propaganda films in uniform and insurgents claimed to have shot and killed him later. The clip, shot with night vision equipment, was grainy and experts were never able to verify if the victim was Maupin.

It was the second time searchers from MNC - I came to this area in Al Anbar province to search for remains. They arrived in March and searched two sites south of Fallujah. At least two sets of remains were uncovered from crude graves on a desert hilltop. Tests conducted after that search revealed the remains were not Maupin's.

In the more recent effort, Marines secured a field across the street from a mosque.

According to Army Sgt. 1st Class James Haftmann, a member of the Personnel Recovery Detachment, the team had information indicating that the mosque had ties to Maupin’s kidnapping.

“The mosque was reported to have had weapons that were involved in Maupin’s convoy,” Haftmann said. “The area was identified as one that needed to be searched.”

Haftmann said the detachment follows up on nearly every source. He said they don’t want to miss an opportunity and are still netting leads.

Marines secured the site and patrolled nearby neighborhoods while the search team went to work.

British Soldiers from Joint Forces Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group, 35 Engineer Regiment, based in Paderborn, England were flown from Basra to assist in the search.

The English troops Sgt. Darrell S. Cooper, a 33-year-old from Manchester; Lance Cpl. James A. Riley, a 22-year-old from Brisbane, and Sapper Barry G. Clynes, a 19-year-old from Hemel Hempstead, used ground-penetrating radar by dragging the device over the field, searching for disturbances beneath the surface. The site yielded no clues.

“Being Coalition forces, we want to help you find him,” Riley explained. “We understand how troops feel. We want to do the best job we can to find him.”

The team moved with another group of Marines further north along an irrigation canal. The second search site was part of an earlier search that was never completed, Haftmann said. Marines once again, blocked traffic and pushed out to provide security for the search team. Three separate areas were marked off for scanning and radar revealed that some disturbances were detected underneath the sand.

Marine engineers drove in a backhoe and dug. Nothing significant was found.

Haftmann said the search for Maupin is a labor of loyalty. It’s an entire team of analysts, planners down to the Marines providing security who want to do their part to bring Maupin home.

“All the people put their heart and soul into this,” said Haftmann, a 38-year-old from Charleston, S.C. “They want closure. They want to say they did something good.”

Haftmann offered special praise for the Marines on the line, keeping him safe while he searched.

“These guys risk their lives,” he said. “They get shot at just because we want to dig a hole. Everyone who played a part should be proud.”

Nesbit explained the thought of Maupin’s family is what drives him to keep looking. He said he often tried to understand the emptiness he said they must experience without having final answers. For that reason, he drives on looking for answers.

“I try to think how they would feel,” he said

There are more leads to follow and more sources who tell them they think they know where Maupin’s remains are buried.

“We know where he’s not,” Haftmann said. “But we won’t stop the search. We continue. We’re never stopping until we find him.”

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