Iraqis want to establish national sovereignty

by Gerry Gilmore
DefenseLink.

WASHINGTON (April 9, 2008) — The Iraqi government wants to establish itself as an independent entity that one day can stand on its own feet without U.S. assistance, the top U.S. military officer in Iraq testified before the House Armed Services Committee here today. “They want to do that as much as we do,” Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, told House panel members. Senior Iraqi governmental leaders are placing themselves “under enormous personal pressure and collective pressure of the various political elements in Iraq to increasingly exercise their sovereignty,” Petraeus said.

In fact, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s recent decision to send Iraqi troops into Basra and other parts of southern Iraq to put down violence perpetrated by illegal militias represents the Iraqis’ desire to attend to their internal affairs, Petraeus pointed out. “That was not something that we pushed him to do,” Petraeus said. “That was something that they wanted to do.”

United States military forces are supporting Iraqi government operations aimed at defeating insurgents and criminals who seek to destabilize the country for their own purposes, Petraeus said. Assisting the new Iraqi government is like teaching a young child how to ride a bicycle, Petraeus observed, noting the United States is “trying to support it as much as we can, while keeping as light a hand on the bicycle seat as possible.”

Several Iraqi provinces, like Basra province in the south, where some outbreaks of violence occurred recently, contain few U.S. military forces or even none at all, Petraeus pointed out. “In the bulk of those southern provinces, Iraqi forces proved up to the task,” the four-star general said.

The United States is reducing its troop presence in Iraq, Petraeus said, noting 15 brigades will remain in Iraq after the surge forces are redeployed at the end of July. Asked if U.S. troop strength in Iraq could be further reduced after July, Petraeus responded that he and other senior U.S. commanders plan to review security and local governance conditions. “We are thinning out very substantially right now,” Petraeus remarked, noting the impending departure of the surge forces will reduce the U.S. military footprint in Iraq by one-quarter. Petraeus said he can foresee possible additional U.S. force reductions in Iraq beyond the remaining 15 brigades.

“We have a number of months and a number of substantial actions to take before then, but we already are identifying areas that we think are likely candidates for [additional troop reductions],” Petraeus said.

Iraq also is achieving economic progress, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker, who accompanied Petraeus at the hearing, reported to panel members. “The Council of Ministers yesterday passed a support program for development in Mosul, Baghdad and Basra,” Crocker said, noting the legislative package contains $350 million for reconstruction and job creation in those areas. Economic development in Iraq “is an ongoing process,” Crocker said, noting the country suffers from both unemployment and underemployment. “In conditions of better security, you are going to see more economic activity,” Crocker predicted.

Source: CentCom.
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Village of Hope gives Iraqis new perspective

by Jason Stadel
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs Office

FOB KALSU, Iraq (April 8, 2008) — When an Air Force engineer first stepped foot in Hawr Rajab last December, a former al-Qaeda in Iraq safe haven, the thought that came to mind was a scene from an old western movie. “Most of the businesses were shuttered and the main road was more comparable to the O.K. Corral,” said Capt. Josh Aldred, a native of Flagstaff, Ariz. Four months later, AQI was gone and Aldred saw a community flourishing with business and hope.

Aldred was the primary instructor at the Village of Hope vocational school located on the grounds of Patrol Base Stone in Hawr Rajab. He ended his tour in Iraq April 3 and turned the project over to another Air Force captain.

Aldred and his 30-man team of engineer Airmen from the 557th Expeditionary Red Horse Squadron had been teaching the Village of Hope students the basics of construction, plumbing, electricity, masonry and well drilling. The overall goal is to teach residents of Hawr Rajab necessary skills to rebuild their war-torn community. “The experience has been great and the students have been really receptive to learning new ideas and methods of construction,” he said. “This mission has been a big experiment for the Air Force and military engineers in general.”

The Airmen forged friendships with most of the 50 current students, all of whom are from Hawr Rajab. When they found out Aldred was returning to Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., they wrote him and his troops a letter of appreciation.

“In the past we had different feelings and a kind of misunderstanding towards the American people,” read the letter, signed by the students. “After being close to you, we found out that we are almost the same. We both love and care and sacrifice for other people. This removed the fears we had before and now we have become very good friends.”

The letter reinforced what Aldred was already thinking: the Village of Hope experiment is working. “In my mind, the Village of Hope concept should be used in other locations throughout Iraq,” he said. “In addition to helping the locals improve their community, the program helps Coalition forces because we give military-aged males another option to provide for their families instead of turning to those who would do us harm.”

Members of the Village of Hope class share the same sentiments as Aldred. They said they now see Americans as people wanting to make Iraq better for the Iraqi people, not as an occupying force. [Emphasis added.] “We will spread all of your nice words … to keep the good memories in our mind which changed our life and how we felt about Coalition forces,” the letter said.

When the current students graduate, they will join the Iraqi workforce as skilled tradesmen working to improve their community. “The effects of the Village of Hope include area beautification, new construction, which means more jobs, and tons of litter and rubble removed from the side of the road,” Aldred said.

Aldred added that he and his Airmen along with their Troop A, 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division counterparts, who provide security and transportation to the Village of Hope, can take pride in their endeavor. “It feels good to have made a difference, and none of this would have been possible without a team effort from the Army and Air Force.”

As the students prepared to continue their studies with new instructors, they wished Aldred and his crew well and hoped the Airmen would remember their positive experience working in Hawr Rajab. “We hope that you have a good depiction of Iraq in your mind,” said the letter. “Tell your people and families about us when you arrive to the United States. Tell them about our good friendship and experience we have had together.”

Current Village of Hope students are scheduled to graduate in late May or early June. Three more classes are scheduled. When all four classes are complete, 200 Hawr Rajab residents will have graduated from the vocational school.

Capt. Josh Aldred (center) poses April 2 with the first Village of Hope class. Aldred and a team of 30 Airmen taught Hawr Rajab residents the basics of construction. (courtesy photo).

Source: CentCom.
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Iraqi Army keeps peace in Mahmudiyah

by Kerensa Hardy
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division

CAMP STRIKER, Iraq (April 8, 2008) — The Iraqi Army commander in Mahmudiyah won’t stand for criminal activity in his city. To that end, Brig. Gen. Ali Jassim Muhammad Hassen Al Frejee, commander of the 25th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, and Lt. Col. William Zemp, commander of 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), worked together recently to make sure that violence seen in Basra wasn’t replicated in Mahmudiyah.

Zemp, a native of Hartsville, S.C., said one word sums up the IA successes in the area: leadership. The IA leadership at all levels – company, battalion and brigade – was involved in the mission to secure the city. “As soon as there were indications of violence, a curfew was put into effect,” Zemp said. Vehicular traffic was suspended in the city, extra checkpoints were established and 14 additional platoons were deployed after hostilities flared March 28, 2008.

“(The criminals) were expecting us to only be defending,” Ali said. “That was true the first day.” After that, Ali said, his Soldiers started taking offensive measures. He said his troops believe it is their duty to pursue anyone who breaks the law. Before the outbreak of violence, Ali said he brought in all the battalion commanders under his charge and assigned a neighborhood to each as their respective areas of operation. He said this hampered the enemy’s ability to function. “We controlled with good cooperation between the Iraqi and Coalition forces,” Ali said. “I don’t think they will try these things again in this sector.”

Zemp agreed his IA counterparts did an outstanding job. “The IA met its enemy and then crushed it; they defeated the special groups … in Mahmudiyah,” he said. “They did it in such a way that they took into consideration the civilian population and political ramifications and consequences of their actions. In a nutshell, they did it right.”

Rakkasan Soldiers assisted their IA partners with troop leading, logistics, artillery for terrain denials and aviation support. A platoon from 3-320th FA worked alongside each of the IA security platoons in all major engagements. “They’re definitely pretty squared away,” said Pvt. Khristopher Wallace, Battery A, 3-320th FA, of the IA troops. “We’re moving, typically, behind them … pretty much in a support role.

“They’re tactically sound and keeping everything pretty simple,” the Yorkville, Ill., native added. “It’s just like working with another one of our units – very cohesive.” Cooperation between the battalions and Coalition troops was key to success, according to Ali. “Things are tense but stable now,” Zemp said. “The IA is clearly in control of the city as far as Mahmudiyah is concerned and the local government is still able to function.”

The vehicle curfew is currently in place at night but is lifted during daylight hours, allowing local citizens to run errands, go to work and receive medical care when necessary. “I think the outcome defines his leadership,” Zemp said. “Swift action, decisive and the ability to interact with the local population based on intelligence, not rumors.”

Soldiers from 25th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, prepare to engage criminals in the Mahmudiyah market March 30. (U.S. Army photo by Pvt. Christopher McKenna).

Source: CentCom.
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Iraqi-U.S. joint patrol works to deter oil looting

by Patrick Lair
115th MPAD

TIKRIT, Iraq (April 8, 2008) — Members of 1st Armored Division’s Combat Operating Base Speicher Security Detachment recently teamed up with their local Iraqi police counterparts to put an end to oil looting near the U.S. military base outside Tikrit. On April 3rd, Reaper Platoon of the 1st A.D. Special Troops Battalion joined several Iraqi policemen to patrol the al-Ewayij area, close to COB Speicher, to impress upon local residents that oil looting will not be tolerated. “Basically, our overall goal is to increase the legitimacy of Iraqi security forces in the area while at the same time maintaining enough of a presence to deter any outside forces from establishing themselves in the area,” said Capt. Chris Gonzales, commander of the COB Speicher Security Detachment.

During the day’s patrol, U.S. Soldiers and Iraqi police visited the home of a local sheik to discuss ways of preventing locals from looting adjacent pipelines. Both American and Iraqi commanders, seated around the living room of Sheik Mohammed Aieed Mohammed of al-Ewayij, explained that people have been digging up oil lines which run beneath COB Speicher and all the way to Bayji. The looters are not only stealing resources from the Iraqi people but also creating environmental hazards, they said.

“When they crack open the lines they always leave massive amounts of oil spilled on the ground, which then contaminates the water supply,” Gonzales said. “This pollution infects the drinking water for local residents which may someday cause birth defects in our children and grand-children,” said Capt. Mohammed of the local Iraqi police force.

Sheik Mohammed, after a round of hot chai, agreed to work with coalition forces to get the word out among local residents that oil looting from local pipelines will not be tolerated. He invited both commanders to return to his home for dinner.

The joint patrol later visited a nearby pipeline which was guarded by local Iraqi army soldiers who said they have set up checkpoints in the area to guard against this type of looting. The soldiers agreed to work with coalition forces to crack down on oil theft in the area. At the end of the patrol, U.S. and Iraqi forces parted ways and Capt. Mohammed thanked his U.S. counterparts. “We have done good work today,” he said.

The COB Speicher Security Detachment, also known as the Quick Reaction Force, is made up of soldiers pulled from different areas of the Special Troops Battalion. In addition to Reaper Platoon, the detachment also includes two platoons from the Aviation Support Battalion and one platoon from the 111th Engineer Brigade. Since beginning their deployment, the QRF has conducted daily missions outside the base, focusing on patrolling the area around the base as well as building relationships with the local residents.

Spc. Donald Hock provides security April 3 alongside a truck of Iraqi army soldiers tasked with guarding oil lines near Tikrit. On the truck is a painted logo of an oil well. (U.S. Army photo).

Source: CentCom.
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Baby left at doorstep finds new home

by Zach Mott
3rd BCT, 4th ID

BAGHDAD, Iraq (April 9, 2008) — Spotting irregularities is a tactic that is drilled into the minds of Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers throughout training and in practice while in Iraq. Soldiers recently watched as a car pulled up to an entry control point at Forward Operating Base Callahan in northern Baghdad. They continued to watch as a woman stepped out of the car holding a bag. Once the woman dropped the bag near the gate, internal alarms were ringing and a careful search was called for and conducted.

That search yielded a newborn baby wrapped tightly in cloth. Soldiers raced to the bag, retrieved the child and brought him to the aid station to be examined. “We unwrapped it to make sure he was alive – and he wasn’t sick, he wasn’t dead, he wasn’t injured,” said Staff Sgt. Paul Briscoe, the aid station non-commissioned officer in charge at FOB Callahan. “He was a perfectly healthy baby. I’m guessing three to seven days old. He was in perfect health. There wasn’t a scratch on him.”

This unlikely sight brought images of the Las Vegas native’s two children to mind. “It was like my kids were newborns again,” said Briscoe, who serves with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad. After the medics were satisfied the baby, who by this time had drawn the nickname “Alex Callahan” after the Soldier who found him and the name of the base, was in no need of immediate medical attention, the focus shifted to what they would do with the child.

An interpreter working at the base volunteered to go to a nearby store to buy diapers and formula while another interpreter took care of Alex. Briscoe said the aid station became a hub of activity as word spread throughout the small base of the new arrival. “I’ve fed him twice, just holding him, watching him, making sure that he’s alright,” said Doreen Haddad, an interpreter with 1-68 AR, who helped care for Alex. “I’ve changed his diapers twice. I wanted to give him a bath, but I wasn’t able to.”

While a forward operating base isn’t the ideal location for a baby, Soldiers and those working at FOB Callahan ensured that Alex’s stay there was as comfortable as possible. The baby is to be adopted by the brother of a local national, who works at the base. The brother, and his wife, have been married five years and have been unable to have a baby of their own. The interpreters at FOB Callahan have taken a collection to donate to the family to help care for the baby.

Despite the thousands of miles that separates the Soldiers from their families in Colorado, one constant remains with this baby and those they left behind. “He’s sleeping and pooping, just like a regular baby,” Briscoe said.

“Alex Callahan,” the nickname for a baby boy left in a plastic bag near Forward Operating Base Callahan, sleeps soundly at the Coalition base in northern Baghdad. The baby was thoroughly checked out by medics and given a clean bill of health.(U.S. Army photo).

Source: CentCom.
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Please pray for ‘John’

My dear friend, ‘John’, has been hospitalized again. He is really ill. He cannot recognize people, nor does he understand where he is. He needs all the prayers we can muster. I would like to thank you in advance for caring. May God see fit to extend his life…

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