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PORT OF ENTRY AR AR — In the Islamic faith, all able bodied Muslims are expected to make a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, at least once in their lifetime. This great movement is known as the Hajj, and it is the fifth pillar of Islam, set into place by the prophet Muhammad. In 2008, about 1.7 million Muslims from around the world made the journey to Mecca, and the number has been rising every year. Security improvements here have made this sacred journey safer for Iraqi Muslims. In southern Iraq, Port of Entry Ar Ar stands on the border...

Cpl. Christopher Cannon (left), a basic rifle marksmanship instructor, pulls security with an Iraqi Army Warrior Academy student while on patrol in Baghdad, Oct. 20. Photo by Pfc. Bailey A. Jester, 1st Cavalry Division. BAGHDAD — The training and advisory role that the U.S. military has undertaken here with the Iraqi Security Forces is paying off with joint patrols on the streets of Baghdad. Classroom instruction and hands-on, realistic training scenarios re-enforce the battle-tested techniques once joint patrols leave the confines of Joint Security Stations (JSS). For the American instructors, these foot patrol act as culminating exercises."Patrolling side-by-side with the...

KIRKUK — Iraqi Police here on Tuesday detained nine suspected al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) members in possession of bomb making materials. One of the nine is believed to be Abdallah Abd Qadir, who is known to have purchased thousands of pounds of ammonium nitrate in 2006. Qadir has ties to known AQI members associated with insurgent activity in Baghdad. Iraqi Police in the Domies neighborhood of Kirkuk city stopped two suspicious vehicles at a routine traffic check point Monday, which led to the discovery of more than 300 pounds of ammonium nitrate and a can of gasoline in the...

Sgt. Jonathon Chambers, a Streator, Ill. native with 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, helps separate supplies during a delivery to the Baghara Elementary School in Hawijah, Kirkuk province, Oct. 18. Photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Douglas, 1st Cav. Div. KIRKUK — Seeing a disparity in the quantity and quality of school supplies in some Iraqi primary schools, one U.S. Soldier here decided to do something about it. Staff Sgt. Jared Wiegand, a Fort Wayne, Ind. native with 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, was home last March...

Spc. James Lewis, of Terra Alta, W. Va., hands out backpacks to a teacher at the new secondary school for girls in Tarmiyah, Oct. 20. Photo by Sgt. Jon Soles, MND-B. BAGHDAD – Thanks to funding from the Commanders' Emergency Relief Program, hundreds of girls in the Tarmiyah area, south of Baghdad, now have a modern new school. Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Regiment, were able to see first-hand the fruits of cooperation between Iraqi leaders as the new school was dedicated here, Oct. 20.U.S. Soldiers took the reins of the...

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Oct. 23, 2009 – The first mine–resistant, ambush-protected all-terrain vehicles designated for southern Afghanistan arrived here Oct. 22 by air transport. The new mine-resistant, ambush-protected all-terrain vehicle, built specifically for the mountainous Afghan terrain, parks next to the larger MRAP, MaxxPro Dash. The first M-ATVs designated for Southern Afghanistan arrived at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, by air transport Oct. 22, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Elisabet Freeburg  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. After months of government testing, the Defense Department awarded a contract in June to Oshkosh Corp. to supply an initial order valued at $1.05...

KABUL, Oct. 23, 2009 – A combined Afghan and international security force killed enemy fighters and wounded another yesterday after forcefully entering and searching a series of compounds in Afghanistan’s Wardak province. The compounds were known to be used by a Taliban commander and his group believed to be responsible for several attacks in the area. The combined force initially searched a building in the province’s Chaki Wardak district without incident. But after observing enemy activity in a nearby compound, the force pursued those suspected militants. The militants fired on the combined force as it approached, and the force returned...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2009 – Iraqi police and soldiers, working with U.S. advisors, arrested seven terrorism suspects in Iraq over the last two days, military officials reported. Iraqi police captured a suspected Islamic State of Iraq terrorist group leader and three accomplices today in Bayji. Intelligence reports indicate he’s also involved with insurgent groups in Hawijah, officials said. In eastern Mosul yesterday, Iraqi soldiers arrested three suspects while searching for Islamic State of Iraq extortion-network leaders. The soldiers were continuing a series of searches focused on extortion-network leaders in Mosul who are believed to have close ties with al-Qaida in...

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq, Oct. 23, 2009 – Aided by U.S. forces, Iraqi soldiers with the 14th Provisional Transport Regiment gained valuable skills ranging from first aid to Humvee maintenance during a three-week course at Camp Mirra, Iraq. An Iraqi captain shows his knowledge of the M-16 rifle by teaching a class of his peers Oct. 15, 2009, on Camp Mirra, Iraq. Army Maj. Scott Virgil organized a three-week program in which his soldiers taught their Army counterparts to teach others. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. J. Princeville Lawrence  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Members of the Military...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2009 – As Iraq’s lawmakers craft new election rules prior to January polling there, U.S. officials are confident that both the U.S. troop drawdown and the elections will be accomplished on schedule. “The [Iraq drawdown] timelines that the United States government and the Iraqi government have set out have not changed,” Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman said today in response to a reporter’s question at the Pentagon. The United States remains committed to plans to remove all of its combat forces from Iraq by the end of July 2010, Whitman said. All U.S. troops are to depart...

LAGHMAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Oct. 23, 2009 – Army Sgt. Carlos Medina is relaxing in his room at Forward Operating Base Mehtar Lam here when his radio breaks the silence. Medina and his unit are needed to provide field artillery support. Soldiers fire an M-198 155 mm howitzer at Forward Operating Base Mehtar Lam in Lagham province, Afghanistan, Oct. 3, 2009. The artillerymen help support forward maneuvering elements. U.S Army photo by Spc. Derek L. Kuhn   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Medina leaps into action. “Fire mission!” he yells to the other artillerymen who live in the rooms adjacent...

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia, Oct. 23, 2009 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today he’s encouraged by unofficial endorsements NATO defense ministers are expressing for Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s strategy proposals for Afghanistan, along with indications they’re considering additional resources to support the mission there. Gates, here for a NATO ministerial, emphasized that he is in a “listening mode” and not pressing for specific contributions. “This was not the forum for anyone to express a view of any commitment,” he said. McChrystal’s resource requests, including troop recommendations, are working their way through the NATO chain of command and will be addressed...

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia, Oct. 23, 2009 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and his fellow NATO defense ministers will hear today from the commander of the alliance’s International Security Assistance Force and U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal will offer his on-the-ground assessment of conditions and progress in building the Afghan security forces in both numbers and capability during an alliance defense ministers conference that’s under way here, NATO officials said. Gates will participate in several sessions focused on the NATO mission in Afghanistan. During a working lunch, he’ll meet with allied ministers and their counterparts from non-NATO...

Children receive backpacks from Iraqi Army Soldiers during a “Junior Hero Program” supply delivery to their school in Arab Koy, Kirkuk province, Oct. 20. The children also recited a pledge to become “Junior Heroes” in their community and respect the Iraqi Security Forces who work to protect them. Photo by Pfc. Justin Naylor, 1st Cavalry Division. KIRKUK — "I like to see them in my village, they make me feel safe," said Huda Akhmed Hussan, a 13-year-old sixth-grader here, about the Iraqi Army Soldiers he sees every day. In addition safeguarding residents, the 12th IA Soldiers here are also trying...

A U.S. Army AH-64D Apache attack helicopter (left) flies alongside an Iraqi UH-1 Huey during a joint air mission over Baghdad between 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, and the 2nd Squadron of the Iraqi Air Force, Oct. 21. Photo by Sgt. Travis Zielinski, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade. CAMP TAJI — In a display of strength and partnership, U.S. military aviators with the 1st Cavalry Division and the Iraqi Air Force (IqAF) joined forces for an Iraqi-led helicopter mission over Baghdad, Oct. 21. The leadership of 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22, 2009 – Violence in Iraq has dropped to the lowest levels seen since 2003 as the Iraqi people prepare to vote in new legislative and general elections slated for January, a senior U.S. military officer said here today. “I’m encouraged now that violence is at an all-time low; that the levels are down to where they were in 2003,” Army Brig. Gen. Stephen R. Lanza, Multinational Force Iraq’s deputy chief of staff for strategic effects, told reporters during a news briefing at the Washington Foreign Press Center. The reduced violence in Iraq today, Lanza said, indicates “continued...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22, 2009 – A combined Afghan and international security force detained almost a dozen suspected militants in Afghanistan’s Khowst province today after searching a compound known to be used by a Haqqani terrorist organization commander and his element responsible for bombings and armed attacks in the area. The combined force searched compounds near Peru Kheyl village north of Khowst City after intelligence reports indicated militant activity there. The force detained the suspects, one of whom was identified as the sought-after Haqqani commander. In another operation today, a combined force detained two suspected militants after searching a compound in...

LOGAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Oct. 22, 2009 – Shoot, move and communicate. That’s a soldier’s motto on the battlefield, but without a stable Internet connection, communication would not be possible. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jeremy Emond inspects the satellite dish of the Virtual Secret Internet Protocol Router, Non-Secure Internet Protocol Router at Combat Outpost McClain, Afghanistan. Emond operates the system to free up more soldiers for combat operations. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Melissa Stewart  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jeremy Emond does his part at Combat Outpost McClain, aiding soldiers by providing Internet access. “I’m...

CONTINGENCY OPERATING STATION GARRYOWEN, Iraq, Oct. 22, 2009 – It’s not uncommon for deployed soldiers to miss their families and friends, home-cooked meals and the small comforts of life. Soldiers fold laundry to prepare for pick-up at Contingency Operating Station Garryowen, Iraq, Sept. 28, 2009. U.S. Army photo by 2nd Lt. Hilda Starks  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Fourteen soldiers deployed here from Fort Polk, La., with 2nd Platoon, 488th Quartermaster Company, take care of one of the smallest comforts of life: clean clothes. These soldiers make it their mission to provide the best laundry service possible to all...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2009 – Iraqi forces, aided by U.S. forces advisors, arrested two terrorism suspects and a murder suspect in Iraq in recent days, military officials reported. Iraqi security forces, with U.S. forces advisors, arrested two suspected terrorists -- a father and son -- in Salahuddin province Oct. 16. The forces arrested Diyah Adib Hassan Albu Nassir in his home in Bayji with a warrant issued by the Federal Appellate Court of Salahuddin. They arrested Nassir’s son, Farhan Diyah Adib Hassan Albu Nassir, after they determined there also was a warrant for his arrest. The elder man is suspected...

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Oct. 21, 2009 – U.S. and Afghan officials joined local residents in the Anaba district of Afghanistan’s Panjshir province Oct. 8 to officially open a spur connecting the historic Daraband pass to the main road in the Panjshir River valley. James DeHart, director of the provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan’s Panjshir province, speaks at the grand opening of Khermensan Road in Panjshir’s Anaba district, Oct. 8, 2009. U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. John T. Stamm  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The Daraband pass is the strategic connection between the Shomali Plain and the Panjshir Valley,...

RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 21, 2009 – Darren Costine retired from the Army in 2001, but with 22 years of service under his belt, the former first sergeant said, the Army is still in his blood. Darren Costine, a retired soldier who now works at the Defense Supply in Richmond, Va., deployed to Iraq as a civilian weapon system support manager. DoD photo by Jackie Girard  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. That’s why he volunteered to return to the Middle East for six months as a civilian support representative for Defense Logistics Agency. Costine, who lives in Chester, Va., is...

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq, Oct. 21, 2009 – Soldiers of the U.S. Army’s 17th Fires Brigade and the 14th Iraqi Army Division conducted their first joint medical military-civic operations clinic at Basra Operations Center Oct. 8, drawing about 150 people. Army Sgt. 1st Class Maryfaith B. Payne soothes a child as his mother is seen during a medical engagement in Basra, Iraq, Oct. 7, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Maurice A. Galloway  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “The purpose of an event such as this is to provide treatment for minor illnesses and teach these people how...

10/20/2009 - JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq (AFNS) -- Nearly 100 Iraqi children spent Oct. 10 running, playing and, more than anything, smiling as they had fun with American servicemembers on Joint Base Balad. The local Iraqi youths, from 5 to 18 years old, were invited to the base as part of a project initiated by the U.S. Department of State's Salah Ad Din Provincial Reconstruction Team, and Joint Base Balad Airmen and Soldiers jumped on the idea to coordinate the details for the children. Capt. Amy White, the 332nd Expeditionary Mission Support Group executive officer and lead organizer for the...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20, 2009 – Pentagon officials today announced additional replacement units scheduled to deploy next year to Afghanistan as part of the requirement to maintain the current level of security efforts there, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said today. More than 11,000 soldiers from three units – two from the active duty Army and one from the Army National Guard -- will rotate into Afghanistan in the spring, summer and fall of 2010. The units that received orders are: -- 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, from Fort Campbell, Ky.; -- 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment from Vilseck, Germany; and...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20, 2009 – The security situation in northern Iraq has improved greatly in recent years, a senior U.S. military officer told Pentagon reporters today. Al-Qaida, which several years ago launched attacks with abandon in northern Iraq, is now “desperate,” Army Brig. Gen. Robert B. Brown, deputy commanding general for Multinational Division North and the 25th Infantry Division, said during a satellite-carried teleconference. Today, the division’s area of operations “has completely changed,” said Brown, who was in northern Iraq as a Stryker brigade commander in 2004 and 2005. Brown, whom President Barack Obama has nominated for promotion to major...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20, 2009 – Even as leaders in Washington struggle with the next steps in Afghanistan, troops there are moving to better protect the Afghan people, NATO and Pentagon officials said today. NATO’s International Security Assistance Force is gradually re-positioning its forces as part of the counterinsurgency strategy of protecting the population. When Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the NATO and U.S. commander in Afghanistan, arrived in Kabul, his mission was to institute a counterinsurgency campaign against the Taliban and other terrorist groups. The heart of the campaign is protection of the Afghan people and separating the people from...

BAGHDAD, Oct. 20, 2009 – Iraqi police, aided by U.S. advisors, arrested seven suspected terrorists today in northern Iraq, military officials reported. Iraqi police, with U.S. advisors, arrested two suspects near Wajihijah, northeast of Baghdad, during an operation targeting a suspect believed to be associated with key members of al-Qaida in Iraq and the Islamic State of Iraq terrorist group. The security team arrested the suspects based on evidence found at the scene. In a separate operation near Bayji, southwest of Kirkuk, Iraqi police and U.S. advisors searched a building for a member of a vehicle-bomb network suspected of operating...

KABUL, Oct. 20, 2009 – Afghan and international security forces killed militants, detained several suspects and seized weapons today in Afghanistan, military officials reported. A combined force killed enemy militants and detained suspected militants after searching two compounds known to be used by a Taliban commander and his element in Wardak province’s Jaghatu district. The suspects are believed to be responsible for guiding and directing other militant elements to conduct attacks in the area. During the search, enemy militants displayed hostile intent outside of the compounds. The force used precision aerial fire to kill several armed militants posing a threat...

HERAT, Afghanistan, Oct. 20, 2009 – Men, women and children from villages near here came to a cooperative medical engagement near Camp Zafar to receive medical care Oct. 6 through 8. U.S. and Italian medical personnel apply lotion to an Afghan child’s face during a cooperative medical engagement near Camp Stone, Afghanistan, Oct. 7, 2009. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Marc I. Lane  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Afghan soldiers and civilian medical personnel, with the assistance of Italian, Spanish and U.S. forces, treated more than 300 people every day of the event. The Afghan army sent...

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq, Oct. 20, 2009 – Southern Iraq’s Muthanna province is a vast area, sparsely populated and dominated by wide expanses of desert. Life here remains much the same as it has for centuries. Bedouin tribes herd camels while subsistence farmers scratch out a living in the harsh landscape. A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter flies over a farm in southern Iraq’s Muthanna province, Oct. 11, 2009. U.S. soldiers deployed from Fort Bliss, Texas, are advising and assisting Iraqi security forces in the province and collaborating with provincial reconstruction teams to provide essential services. U.S. Army photo by...

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Oct. 20, 2009 – An Army Reserve soldier from Austin, Texas, who has been an emergency medical technician since 1993 was one of the last soldiers from Embedded Training Team Venom to leave Afghanistan’s Zabul province when Task Force Fury assumed the mission. Army Staff Sgt. Jonathan Taylor trains an Afghan National Police officer during a combat lifesaver course in Afghanistan’s Zabul province, Oct. 2, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Stephen Decatur  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Sgt. Jonathan Taylor’s mission was to train Afghan soldiers and police to perform first aid, and to provide whatever...

From left to right, Maj. Richard Dennis, Senon Valdilles Jr. and Spc. David Valdilles share a light moment in the Oasis Dining Facility, Oct. 16. Photo by Sgt. Jon Soles, Multi-National Division – Baghdad. BAGHDAD — Life in the Army is often marked by deployments that separate families. But that doesn't mean families on the Army team can't see each other downrange. Circumstances at Camp Liberty, here, Oct. 16, allowed a rare meeting between Maj. Richard Dennis, a 1st Cavalry Division military police officer, his father-in-law, Senon Valdilles Jr., a Department of Army civilian, and Valdilles' son, Spc. David Valdilles.All...

CAMP TAJI – The shift of U.S. forces out of Iraqi cities has created a new set of tasks for troops in the Iraqi countryside, and a newly-formed group is concentrating on infrastructure projects here. Combining the talents of the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment's leadership with members of the embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team North and the 1479th Civil Affairs Company to form a Project Working Group, the goal is to highlight projects that benefit the local populace. During a meeting held at the Tarmiyah Center, Oct. 13, district engineers from Tarmiyah, Abayachi, and Mushada met with members of the...

Iraqi Soldier Hussein Ali and Sgt. Jeremy Fouts, a security non-commissioned officer from Charleston, W. Va., assigned to B Troop 1st Battalion, 150th Armor Reconnaissance Squadron, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, formulate a plan on how to pass out the school supplies to the children at the Mullah Fayyad Primary School in Yusifiyah, Oct. 15. Photo by Staff Sgt. Peter Ford, Multi-National Division – Baghdad. BAGHDAD — U.S. Soldiers here interact with the citizens of the Yusifiyah region every day to build stronger relationships and ensure the safety of the community. "This results in a peaceful community, with people living...

Jabar, Iraqi Federal Police officer, hands out books to young girls at a local school in Baquba. The Humanitarian Aid mission was oversaw by the Iraqi Federal Police, with support from U.S. forces. Photo by 1st Lt. Meghan E. Keefe, 37th Engineer Battalion. BAQUBA — A recent humanitarian assistance mission by Iraqi Federal Police (FP) and U.S. Soldiers here, Oct. 12, gave Iraqi children basic school supplies for the new year. The 37th Engineer Battalion- Joint Task Force Eagle, based out of Fort Bragg N.C., joined the 6123 FP Training Team, based out of Fort Riley, Kan., and their FP...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 19, 2009 – An Army brigade slated to deploy to Iraq in January was relieved of its deployment orders this weekend without current plans for a new mission, Pentagon and Army officials said here today. The 10th Mountain Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team was off-ramped by Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, because of the improved security situation there, and not to bolster forces in Afghanistan, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters. “This [decision] is based on General Odierno’s assessment of the security environment in Iraq,” Whitman explained. “It reflects the continuing improvements...

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq, Oct. 19, 2009 – For door gunners and crew chiefs in Company A, 1st Battalion, 106th Aviation Regiment, the longest days are the ones when they don’t fly. Army Staff Sgt. Michael Maass prepares a Black Hawk helicopter for an early morning flight as part of his duty as a member of the “push crew.” U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Neil Gussman   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. This Illinois Army National Guard unit uses a “push crew” to make sure every mission takes off on time and each aircraft gets back to mission-ready...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 19, 2009 – Iraqi forces, with U.S. advisors, arrested suspected terrorist cell leaders, detained other suspected terrorists and seized weapons in Iraq in recent days, military officials reported. In Salahuddin province, Iraqi emergency response battalion constables, with U.S. advisors, arrested the director of a terrorist media cell Oct. 16. Nusayr Khudr Sulaymen is suspected of being the director of the Jaysh Rijal al-Tariq Naqshabandi terrorist media cell. The media cell is responsible for spreading terrorist propaganda throughout northern Iraq and has been linked to providing doctrine involving terrorist methods to the media. Sulaymen and five media cell members...

LAGHMAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Oct. 19, 2009 – Odin was a warrior god in Greek mythology who ancient warriors beseeched for victory and protection in battle. It was said Odin had ravens that would fly over the Earth each day. The ravens brought tidings of events from all corners of the earth. Army Spc. Mitchell Matney launches a Raven unmanned aerial vehicle at Combat Outpost Nagil in Afghanistan’s Laghman province, Oct. 13, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Derek L. Kuhn  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Soldiers here today also are using Ravens to gather information. But though their Ravens...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 19, 2009 – Afghan and international security forces killed multiple militants and detained several suspects in operations in Afghanistan over the past four days, military officials reported. A combined security force in Khowst detained several suspected militants today after searching a compound in the province’s Sabari district, north of Khowst City. Intelligence reports indicated militant activity there. The compound is known to be used by a Haqqani terrorist network facilitator and his element, believed to be responsible for funding and supplying weapons and homemade bomb materials to other militant elements in the region. The force searched the compound...

Sgt. Christopher Nekvapil, with Company D, 120th Combined Arms Battalion, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, provides security in the Murtada neighborhood near Mahmudiyah, south of Baghdad, Oct. 15. Nekvapil, of Portland, Ore., and other Company D Soldiers accompanied the Iraqi Army to provide humanitarian assistance to poor families in the area. Photo by Mary Phillips, Multi-National Division – Baghdad.BAGHDAD — A poor neighborhood near Mahmudiyah, south of the Iraqi capital, was surprised with much needed water and food brought by U.S. and Iraqi Soldiers, Oct. 15. Soldiers with the 120th Combined Arms Battalion, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team and...

BAGHDAD — Two suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) terrorists were arrested Thursday during separate security operations conducted in Baghdad and Mosul. During an operation in Baghdad, Iraqi Police, with U.S. advisors, searched several buildings for and found the suspected Baghdad-based AQI leader. Iraqi Police arrested the suspect without incident. The arrested individual allegedly transported large quantities of explosive materials into Iraq to facilitate large-scale attacks in urban areas. Intelligence reports indicate the AQI cell leader facilitated the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq, who then staged attacks against Iraqi civilians and security forces. Also, the suspect is allegedly involved in...

10/16/2009 - BAGHDAD (AFNS) -- The Iraq Civil Aviation Authority assumed full control of daily air traffic operations at the Baghdad International Airport air traffic control tower Oct. 1. Before the transition to full Iraqi control, air traffic operations at BIAP were conducted by Iraqis and U.S. Airmen assigned to the 447th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron at Sather Air Base, while more Iraqis trained with the Washington Consulting Group, an American contract firm. "ATC-wise, we work two runways," said Master Sgt. John Kirby, 447th EOSS chief controller. "One side is civil and one side is military. On the civil side,...

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq, Oct. 16, 2009 – In a world full of choices, Army Spc. Timothy Markle, with the 628th Aviation Support Battalion, 28th Combat Aviation Brigade, took a few wrong turns before finding his focus, first in football, then in the military. Markle’s upbringing was unstable and he mostly was raised by his grandmother, who remained a large influence for him until her death. Army Spc. Timothy Markle stands by an Army truck at Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq, Aug. 15, 2009. He cites the military as his primary inspiration for turning his life around by giving...

KABUL, Oct. 16, 2009 – Afghan and international forces killed militants today in a clash in which a woman and child died in the crossfire, killed several more enemy fighters in a separate operation, and arrested more than a dozen militants yesterday who had set up an illegal checkpoint, military officials reported. Militants attacked Afghan National Police and an international security force working to interdict suspected militants believed responsible for attacks in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province today. The combined force returned fire, killing two of the attackers, officials said, and found a woman and school-aged girl who apparently were accidently killed...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2009 – Iraqi security forces, working with U.S. advisors, arrested six terrorism suspects today and yesterday in four operations in Iraq, military officials reported. During a security operation in Kirkuk today, an Iraqi emergency services unit arrested two suspects while searching for a vehicle-bomb network member with ties to al-Qaida in Iraq. The security team questioned two suspects during a building search and arrested them after determining they posed a threat to the community. Near Muqdaadiyah, northeast of Baghdad, Iraqi police arrested two suspects today during another security operation. The security team encountered and questioned the suspects...

Pvt. Vince Dalseg, 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, interacts with children during a ceremony to re-open a refurbished primary school in Zaidon, western Baghdad, Oct. 15. Photo by Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell, Multi-National Division – Baghdad. BAGHDAD — Children laughed and talked excitedly throughout the re-opening ceremony of the Zuhair Bin Abysulma Primary School in western Baghdad, Oct. 15. The $67,000 refurbishment project was a joint effort between U.S. troops and the local government that came to fruition after three months of hard work, said Navy Lt. Ross Simpson, a civil affairs officer, from Dalton, Ga.The project included cleaning up...

Students of the Twin Schools wait for the official opening of the schools in Taji, Iraq, Oct. 12. The Twin Schools will provide education to more than 1,200 children. Photo by Pfc. Adam Halleck, 1st Cavalry Division. TAJI — Following two years of hard work, a ribbon cutting ceremony here celebrated the grand opening of two schools nestled in a small village north of Baghdad, Oct. 12. Known as the “Twin Schools� to American Soldiers, the facilities can now provide the more than 1,200 students of the area with the high-quality education they deserve.In the past two years, this project...

10/15/2009 - KIRKUK AIR BASE, Iraq (AFNS) -- Members of the 506th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron's explosive ordnance disposal team here and Iraqi police conducted joint training here Oct. 3, enhancing the Iraqi police's necessary skills detecting, safely approaching and disarming improvised explosive devices. An Iraqi police EOD team applied their knowledge in a simulated environment as they practiced maneuvering a robot to neutralize possible IED threats. "We use the robot because we always want to go as remote as possible, as does the Iraqi EOD team, so we don't jeopardize anybody's life," said Tech. Sgt. Bridget Crudden, the 506th...