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New York State’s Dedicated Highway and Bridge Trust Fund hasn’t been all that dedicated. Since 1991, only 34.9 percent of the money in the fund went directly toward the repair and improvement of the state’s deteriorating roads and bridges. And over the next four years, that will shrink to about one fifth. It’s supposed to be a “locked box,” but apparently the lock wasn’t very strong. If only one-third of the money in the Highway and Bridge Trust Fund has actually been used to pay for highways and bridges, the question, is, where did the money go? The answer is...

9/3/2009 - CAMP UR, Iraq (AFNS) -- Operations continue as normal at Camp Ur. The focus remains the same: keep the base running and the mission on target. Iraqi army soldiers routinely work with their U.S. counterparts, but one important difference now is that the Iraqis have taken command of the controls. "It's a historic time for anyone serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom," said Lt. Col. Steven Ramsay, the Tallil Logistics Military Advisory Team senior adviser. "We have committed to turning over all operations to the Iraqi people and they are committed to taking over and succeeding." Colonel Ramsay and...

On the frontline with British troops in Afghanistan As Afghanistan prepares for an election, award-winning photographer Sean Smith, stationed with British troops during Operation Panther's Claw, finds many soldiers becoming frustrated at the inexperience and lack of discipline of the Afghan National Army. guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 18 August 2009 video at link etc

8/12/2009 - CAMP BUCCA, Iraq (AFNS) -- A ceremony was held to mark the end of Air Force participation in visitation operations at Camp Bucca's theater internment facility as the Army assumed responsibility of the mission Aug. 10 here. More than 120 Airmen from the 887th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron were recognized for bringing detainees and their family members together. Army Lt. Col. Brad Bishop, 168th Military Police Battalion commander, presided over the ceremony, handing out certificates of appreciation and coins to thank the Airmen for their service. "I cannot tell you how much we appreciate the job well done...

CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind., June 12, 2009 – Civilian employees representing various federal departments are being trained here alongside their military counterparts in preparation for deployment to Afghanistan. Army Sgt. Carlos Velasquez radios for medical assistance while Air Force Senior Airman Ashley Jackson delivers medical aid during a training exercise at Camp Atterbury Ind., June 9, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Robert G. Cooper III  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. As part of a broader focus of operations in Afghanistan designed to include both military and civilian assets, more than 20 civilians from the State Department, the Agriculture...

MOSUL — Iraqi Police gathered with their counterparts from the Iraqi National Police and Iraqi Army at the 3rd Iraqi Police Division’s new operations center for a situational update briefing on the morning of May 26. The IP realized they could leverage significant operational gains with their own operations center to conduct mission planning and tracking, while working with key personnel from the Iraqi Army and Iraqi National Police. "[The Iraqi Police] recognize that they need to work together with the Iraqi Army and the Iraqi National Police. To do that, they needed a functional operations center from which they...

WASHINGTON, April 28, 2009 – Defense leaders are “clearly pleased” to see the Pakistani military take action against increasingly emboldened Taliban forces, and have offered additional support if Pakistan’s government will accept it to promote a sustained effort, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said today. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen and others have expressed “a very real concern” about the eroding security situation in Pakistan in recent weeks, Morrell told reporters. “They and others in this building were clearly pleased to see the Pakistan military take the initiative over the...

Taleban militants operating in Pakistan's Swat region who agreed a peace deal with the government have expanded operations into nearby Buner. Dozens of militants have been streaming into bordering Buner to take over mosques and government offices. Buner is part of the Malakand region, which has just seen the implementation of Sharia law under the peace deal. But the Taleban have mainly operated in Swat, where they fought the army from August 2007 until this year's deal. Under the deal the Taleban were expected to disarm. Buner district is only about 100km (62 miles) from the capital, Islamabad. Mian Iftikhar...

KABUL, Afghanistan, March 20, 2009 – Special operations troops here delivered gifts from Americans to Afghans that some say are as important as their combat missions. A young Afghan girl proudly stands with her new bag of school supplies, clothing and toys given to her by troops of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force Afghanistan. The troops stopped by a Bagram elementary school to deliver the gifts March 15, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Capt. Jamey Trigg   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “We are in Afghanistan to rebuild the country and, in my opinion, we need...

Soldiers from the 8th Iraqi Army Division subdue and place flexi-cuffs on Pvt. Tony Steward, a U.S. Military Policeman, during detainee operations training at the division’s headquarters, March 11. Photo by Sgt. Rodney Foliente, 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs. CAMP ECHO — U.S. Military Police conducted detainee operations training for Iraqi Army (IA) Soldiers here, March 11.The class, a refresher course for some of the Iraqi Soldiers and initial training for others, was an effort to bring them all to the same level so they can train their fellow troops.“The purpose of today’s training was to provide the Iraqis with...

Iraqi Air Force Maj. Rahman Abd Alkarem, pilot with the Iraqi Air Force Squadron 2, takes a last look outside of a helicopter before closing the door at Al Taji Air Base, Sept. 12, 2008. Photo by Staff Sgt. Paul Villanueva II, U.S. Air Forces Central. TAJI AIR BASE — Iraqi helicopter aircrews are increasingly in demand as Iraqi security forces assume responsibility of their nation's security from their American counterparts. Four Iraqi Air Force squadrons train to conduct helicopter operations here, using UH-1 Hueys and Mi-17 Hips. The Iraqi Air Force's 15th Squadron trains its pilots for special operations,...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2008 – The Coast Guard is testing and compiling initial lessons learned from its ongoing Arctic operations, a senior officer said last week. “It became obvious to me 18 months to two years ago that with the retreat of the multiyear polar sea ice, the Coast Guard was going to have to do more than it had in the past to provide maritime safety and security to northern and western Alaska, the Arctic Ocean and the Beaufort Sea,” Coast Guard Rear Adm. Arthur E. Brooks, commander of the 17th Coast Guard District, told bloggers and online journalists...

...the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School is not even “a pygmy in the lineup of TRADOC schools.” JFKSWCS is missing from the TRADOC listing of branch centers and schools altogether. It is an orphan, with neither guidance nor funding from the U. S. Army organization designed to support it. ***Snip**** ...senior Army leaders have crippled Special Forces doctrine, organization, training, material acquisition, leadership development, personnel management, facilities, and maintenance. “Center and School” is becoming a hollow title; SWCS is being degraded to the equivalent of Ranger School....

WASHINGTON, May 4, 2008 – Coalition forces killed an undetermined number of militants and detained 29 in Afghanistan's Helmand and Khowst provinces over the past two days. In Helmand province, coalition forces were conducing searches of several compounds in the Reg District yesterday when militants engaged them with small-arms fire. Coalition forces returned fire, killing an undetermined number of attackers and later detaining 22 militants accused of conducting anti-government operations. The soldiers also found several AK-47 rifles, ammunition vests, ammunition, mines, artillery shells, bomb-making materials and grenades. They were destroyed or removed. In Khowst, Afghan and coalition forces killed several...

The Romans carried out cataract ops By Jane Elliott Health reporter, BBC News An eye stamp: the equivalent of the modern medicine label Think of the Roman legacy to Britain and many things spring to mind - straight roads, under-floor heating, aqueducts and public baths. But they were also pioneers in the health arena - particularly in the area of eye care, with remedies for various eye conditions such as short-sightedness and conjunctivitis. Perhaps most surprisingly of all is that the Romans - and others from ancient times, including the Chinese, Indians and Greeks - were also able also to...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 27, 2007 – Establishing proper maintenance procedures and operations processes is as important as providing power plants, hospitals and other infrastructure in Iraq, a senior U.S. military engineer said today. The United States has contributed almost $14 billion toward Iraq’s rebuilding effort, including nearly 4,000 projects designed to help improve the country’s infrastructure and central services, Brig. Gen. Jeffrey J. Dorko, commanding general for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Gulf Region Division, told reporters at a Baghdad news conference. Yet, improving the state of Iraq’s infrastructure isn’t only about providing “brick and mortar” items like roads, bridges,...

BAQUBA — After three months of close mentorship with an advisory team from the U.S. Army’s 25th Infantry Division, the Diyala Operations Command has been validated to take the lead on security operations within Diyala province, just north of Baghdad. The Diyala Operations Command (DOC) is a headquarters unit charged with the synchronization of Iraqi Army, Police and other security forces operating in the province. Previously, the DOC received direction from the 25th Infantry Division, which commands Multi-National Division-North, encompassing all of northern Iraq, from the outskirts of Baghdad to the northern Iraqi border with Turkey. With this validation, the...

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces captured two wanted individuals and detained 19 suspected terrorists during operations Wednesday in central and northern parts of Iraq. Coalition forces captured a wanted individual during an operation west of Tikrit who is believed to be an associate of several terrorist leaders operating throughout the Tigris River Valley. The suspect is allegedly responsible for the movement of weapons from outside of Iraq to safe houses in the area. As Coalition forces arrived at the target area, the wanted individual surrendered to the ground force and was detained without incident. In southern Baghdad, Coalition forces captured...

Australian Forces Assume Maritime Security Operations United States turns over Combined Task Force 158 responsibilities. From Combined Task Force 158 Public Affairs NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY, Bahrain, Sept. 28, 2007 — Royal Australian Navy Commodore Allan du Toit relieved Rear Adm. Garry E. Hall as commander of Combined Task Force 158 during a ceremony at Naval Support Activity Bahrain, Sept. 27. "I am honored to have been in command of this task force. The coalition forces have done an excellent job of providing security to the oil platforms and training the Iraqi forces."Rear Adm. Garry E. Hall Command of CTF...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26, 2007 – In recent weeks, Iraqi security forces have been proving their effectiveness and expanded capability in operations that are increasingly yielding results, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman said today. (Video) Army Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner, speaking to reporters in Baghdad, highlighted several recent operations by Iraqi forces, including the discovery of a large weapons cache, the thwarting of several car bombs, and the prevention of a carjacking and kidnapping involving two busloads of Iraqi citizens. Violence has increased in the past few days, but that was expected because, historically, the Islam holy month of Ramadan...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 30, 2007 – Coalition forces disrupted al Qaeda operations in Iraq with a series of raids today, killing a terrorist leader and detaining more than 25 other individuals suspected of being al Qaeda members and associates. Coalition forces killed the military emir of Tarmiyah, who officials said was responsible for directing attacks against coalition forces and Iraqi civilians in the area, and another armed man. When ground forces conducting the raid moved toward the target building, they saw an armed man in a neighboring house maneuvering into position to engage the assault force. Responding in defense against the...

SAMARRA — Paratroopers from Company C, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, have been patrolling and operating in Samarra for more than one year and recently supported the Iraqi security forces in a clearing operation to rid the city of the al-Qaida presence terrorizing Samarra and its citizens. The operation was dubbed “Operation Jalil” in honor of Col. Jalil Nahi Hasoun, Samarra’s former police chief, who was killed May 6, 2007, during a suicide car bomb attack. The operation led Maj. Gen. Rashid al-Helfy, commander of Iraqi security forces in Samarra, his men, and paratroopers of Company C to the...

BAGHDAD — Iraqi and Coalition forces are pursuing extremist leaders in Iraq’s remote areas in coordinated “quick strikes” launched this week, the commander of Multi-National Corps-Iraq told Pentagon reporters Saturday. Operation Phantom Strike is a series of joint operations that extend from Operation Phantom Thunder, a corps-level offensive that began in June targeting al-Qaeda, Sunni insurgents and Shiia extremists in, near and around Baghdad, said U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno. “With the elimination of safe havens and support zones due to Phantom Thunder, al-Qaeda and Shiite extremists have been forced into ever-shrinking areas. It is my intent to...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 16, 2007 – Denying the enemy sanctuary is the major capability brought to bear by surge forces in Iraq, a commander in the region said today. “We do believe the enemy is on the run,” said Army Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, Multinational Division Central and 3rd Infantry Division commander, as he spoke with “bloggers” and online journalists. “We’ve had a good effect; we’ve killed or captured more than 500 of the enemy in those sanctuaries.” Using combined artillery, aviation and ground forces since major surge operations kicked off in mid-June, Lynch said, his troops have completed operations “Marne...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 10, 2007 – Coalition forces detained six men during an operation in Afghanistan’s Paktia province today, military officials reported. Intelligence reports led coalition forces to compounds suspected of housing violent extremist militants, where they found grenades, blasting caps, an ammunition vest and a firing device during a search. “Coalition forces will continue to root out militants whose activities threaten the peace and stability of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan,” said Army Capt. Vanessa R. Bowman, a Combined Joint Task Force 82 spokeswoman. In operations yesterday, elements of 1st Brigade, 207th Afghan National Army Corps, advised by coalition forces,...

WASHINGTON, June 22, 2007 – Coalition forces continue to kill and detain suspected terrorists and discover weapons caches during ongoing missions within Operation Phantom Thunder, a large-scale operation targeting al Qaeda strongholds in and around Baghdad. Two coordinated operations in Mosul today targeted a Kurdish extremist known for helping al Qaeda in Iraq facilitate foreign fighters and conduct financial and media operations, military officials reported. While troops maneuvered through a targeted building, an armed man engaged them with small-arms fire, endangering the force and the innocent family members. Coalition forces defended themselves, the women and the children by killing the...

WASHINGTON, June 6, 2007 – Afghan and coalition forces detained 19 suspected militants, killed two dozen enemy fighters and discovered numerous enemy weapons during operations in Afghanistan over the past three days, military officials reported. In operations today, Afghan and coalition forces detained 10 militants in an operation against Taliban forces in the Qalat district of Zabul province. Coalition forces acted on credible intelligence that led them to the suspected Taliban hideout, officials said. As forces began the operation, two men fled the scene with a rocket-propelled-grenade launcher and three grenades. Coalition forces fired warning shots and apprehended the two...

WASHINGTON - President George W Bush has given the CIA approval to launch covert "black" operations to achieve regime change in Iran, intelligence sources have revealed. Mr Bush has signed an official document endorsing CIA plans for a propaganda and disinformation campaign intended to destabilise, and eventually topple, the theocratic rule of the mullahs. Under the plan, pressure will be brought to bear on the Iranian economy by manipulating the country's currency and international financial transactions. Details have also emerged of a covert scheme to sabotage the Iranian nuclear programme. Security officials in Washington have disclosed that Teheran has been...

TEHRAN - A former Iranian ambassador has provided intriguing details about US covert operations inside Iran aimed at destabilizing the country and toppling the regime. "The Iranian government knows and is aware of such infiltration. It means that the Iranian government has identified the covert operatives," said the former diplomat. The ex-Foreign Ministry official said the agents being used by the US "were originally Iranians and not Americans" possibly recruited through US embassies in Dubai and Ankara...

Soldiers in Baqubah use smoke as concealment to move through the neighborhood of Buhriz, Iraq, April 10. Soldiers with Company A, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division took part in a three-day battalion-sized effort to clear the Buhriz neighborhood of terrorists. After the operation, Soldiers along with Iraqi police and Iraqi army continued to maintain a presence in the neighborhood to maintain security for the local people. U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Antonieta Rico, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment. TIKRIT — Iraqi and Coalition forces continued operations in Buhriz, Iraq, Monday, clearing the...

WASHINGTON, April 19, 2007 – The recent security crackdown in Baghdad has not pushed violence into other parts of Iraq, despite various “high-profile attacks” that might indicate the opposite, a senior U.S. military officer said here today. “Our analyses show that, with the exception of some high-profile attacks in Mosul, Tal Afar and Kirkuk, the cycle of violence in Baghdad does not appear to have spread to other areas,” Army Maj. Gen. Michael D. Barbero, the Joint Staff’s deputy director for regional operations, told reporters during a Pentagon news conference on U.S. military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and the...

WASHINGTON, March 23, 2007 – U.S. and Iraqi security forces continued clearing operations in Baghdad today, while other coalition and Iraqi security forces discovered and destroyed several enemy weapons caches in the past few days, officials said. Nearly 1,600 U.S. and Iraqi security forces teamed up for a second day of anti-terrorist operations in Baghdad’s Mansour district, officials said. During this sweep, U.S. soldiers with the 2nd Infantry Division’s 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team rescued a kidnap victim. The soldiers also found a weapons cache that yielded several AK-47 rifles, ammunition, mortar rounds and other ordnance. Also today, U.S....

WASHINGTON, March 15, 2007 – Coalition and Afghan forces arrested four people this morning during an operation targeting a known terrorist safe house, military officials reported. The combined force arrested four military-age men with suspected ties to extremist groups believed to be involved in facilitating the movement of anti-government fighters. Official said some were discovered with large amounts of ammunition and currency. Afghan forces, escorted by the local imam, questioned some men who had recently arrived from Pakistan and were staying in the local mosque. Coalition forces remained outside the mosque during the operation. No shots were fired during...

WASHINGTON, March 12, 2007 – Although recent operations to secure Baghdad are off to a good start, Americans must be patient in expecting progress, a senior coalition spokesman said in Baghdad today. It will take several months before all additional coalition forces arrive in the Iraqi capital, Army Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said. Operation Enforcing the Law will take time to implement, Caldwell said during a news conference with Iraqi Brig. Gen. Kassim Atta al-Moussawi, an Iraqi military spokesman. “Two of the five additional United States brigades have arrived and are currently operating inside Baghdad,” Caldwell said. “The third...

CAMP LIBERTY -- A combined force of Iraqi Police and Multi-National Division-Baghdad troops completed a second day of security operations at the eastern Baghdad district of Sadr City Monday. Members of the 82nd Airborne DivisionÂ’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team and the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division conducted security operations with their Iraqi counterparts and reported no hostile contact for a second day in an area known to be a stronghold of Muqtada al-Sadr, the extremist leader of rogue elements known for extra-judicial killings and attacks against Coalition forces. Some residents seemed genuinely pleased to see the...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25, 2007 – U.S. troops conducted a medical support operation at a school and Polish soldiers handed out humanitarian supplies in two separate operations over the past three days in Iraq. U.S. soldiers of the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, and the 210th Brigade Support Battalion, both part of the, 10th Mountain Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team, conducted a medical support operation at the Ahmed Suhel School in Al Taraq, Iraq, Feb. 22. Although the school offered a comfortable atmosphere, terrorists tried to disrupt the day's activities with small arms fire and a rocket-propelled grenade attack. But...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22, 2007 – Iraqi and coalition forces killed or detained numerous terrorists over the last two days, and soldiers detained an Iraqi police official suspected of involvement in sectarian violence, military officials reported. Coalition forces killed three terrorists and detained 11 others during operations today targeting al Qaeda in Iraq and foreign fighter facilitators near Taji and Samarra. West of Taji, coalition forces captured six suspected terrorists with alleged ties to al Qaeda and found weapons, including several rocket-propelled grenades, in the targeted building. As coalition forces started to leave the area with the detainees, they saw...

MEXICO CITY - The Mexican government will expand its anti-drug raids to two states across the border from Texas, deploying more than 3,000 soldiers, sailors and federal police, officials said Sunday. The raids will cover Nuevo Laredo, a town across the border from Laredo, Texas, that has been bloodied by turf wars between drug gangs in recent years. Officials also said that in the two months since intensive raids began in central and western Mexico, they have destroyed almost as many opium fields as plots of marijuana, long Mexico's principal drug crop. "We have begun a frontal struggle against organized...

CAMP LIBERTY — The Iraqi Security Force and Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldiers began clearing operations in the Shaab and Ur neighborhoods of the Adhamiyah security district Wednesday. “We’re conducting detailed searches in areas that are known, or suspected to harbor terrorists,” said Col. Steve Townsend, commander of the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. “All areas will get thorough assessments – patrol down every street, talk to every shop owner and engage the populations at every opportunity to get atmospherics of the area.” Soldiers from the 3rd SBCT and elements from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2007 – Military personnel going to Iraq or Afghanistan are trained, equipped and ready to do their jobs, but there is more to defending the United States and its interests than counterinsurgency operations, the nation’s top military officer said today. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Peter Pace listens to comments made by the members of the House Armed Services Committee Feb. 7. Photo by Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen, USAF  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the House Armed Services...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14, 2007 – Coalition officials in Iraq reported today continued success by U.S., coalition and Iraqi troops in capturing terrorists and destroying weapons caches planned to support their operations. In Risalah today, special Iraqi army forces elements detained 19 men during operations to capture an illegal armed group leader allegedly responsible for coordinating violent attacks against Iraqi civilians and coalition forces, officials said. Iraqi forces, with coalition advisors, targeted a suspect who reportedly aids and coordinates the kidnapping and murder of innocent Iraqis, conducts makeshift bomb and mortar attacks against coalition forces, and traffics weapons in the...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 11, 2007 – After seven days of combined operations south of Balad Ruz, Iraq, soldiers of the 1st Cavalry Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team, in partnership with Iraqi army troops, continue to discover large weapons caches and destroy anti-Iraqi forces throughout the Turki Village area. “Our forces have been able to adapt to all situations, and have shown their ability to conduct intelligence-driven operations in different environments, terrain and conditions,” said Col. David W. Sutherland, commander of the brigade combat team and the senior U.S. Army officer in the Diyala province. Having cleared more than 200 kilometers...

SINIYAH, Iraq, Dec. 29, 2006 — Many terrorists sought a haven here but are now confined to the cordoned city by a 12-foot high berm that wraps eight miles around Siniyah in the shape of a horseshoe. Razor wire outlines the tops of the berm amid surveillance and patrols by Iraqi and U.S. troops. "If Siniyah doesn't have an enduring security force in the city, it invites wrong-doing." — U.S. Army Lt. Col. Scott Harris The only way in or out of the city is through a single, paved road with checkpoints manned by Iraqi army soldiers. “The checkpoints have...

12/23/2006 - PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFPN) -- Despite being pounded by the holiday blizzard of 2006, North American Aerospace Defense Command remains on alert for the nation and ready to track Santa Claus, according to NORAD officials. "NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center is schedule to begin operations as scheduled at 2 a.m. Christmas Eve," said Michael Perini, director of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command Public Affairs. More than 800 Santa tracking volunteers will cycle through the center answering telephone calls and e-mails from children around the world wanting to get a fix on Santa Claus' whereabouts. "In 2005, the volunteers at the...

MEXICO CITY - Mexico's government said Thursday it would send troops and police to root out drug smugglers in several states, expanding an offensive that began this week in one violence-plagued state where soldiers clashed with traffickers trying to protect a marijuana field. Attorney General Eduardo Medina said raids could take place simultaneously in various states, apparently to prevent traffickers from fleeing between regions. He declined to name the states. "The operational design in each state will be different," he said. "The war against drug trafficking is very complicated, but it is a winnable war." He said the idea was...

Iraqi National Guard Soldiers stack up prior to entering a house during a cordon and search operation. Photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Mike Buytas. BAQUBAH -- Inside the room sat one representative each from the Iraqi Police, Iraqi Army and Coalition Force, surrounded by maps and the busy sounds of radios chirping and voices issuing reports. The three men conversed about problems Diyala province faces and how each of their forces could help. This joint operations center is the hub for the three forces to coordinate and combine efforts to combat the insurgency and bring peace to the...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE GHAZNI, Afghanistan, Nov. 24, 2006 -- U.S. military operations and missions have changed since the early days of Operation Enduring Freedom and will continue to change as the Afghan National Army becomes a more capable and respected force. “Every operation we do, we do with the ANA,” Army Sgt. Maj. Bryan Gran, operations sergeant major for Task Force Iron Graze here, said in a Thanksgiving Day interview. “If a squad of our guys goes out, a platoon of their guys goes out; if a platoon of our guys goes out, a company of their guys goes...

Sunrise over Baghdad finds a maneuver battalion executing several missions. Two platoons are on patrol, one sweeping a main supply route for improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the other escorting "Team Trash"-a dump truck and bucket loader-through a poor Shi'a neighborhood. A third platoon is still at the brigade detention facility in-processing several insurgents captured the previous night, while a fourth escorts the battalion medical platoon for a medical outreach in one of the battalion's assigned neighborhoods. Meanwhile, the battalion commander and a company commander prepare to attend a neighborhood council meeting; the executive officer updates the agenda for the weekly...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10, 2006 – Iraqi soldiers, with coalition assistance, captured suspected terrorists in two separate operations near Baghdad yesterday. Iraqi security forces captured one individual believed to belong to a kidnapping and murder cell in the Jabbur area, south of Baghdad. Iraqi forces, with coalition advisors, quickly secured the objective area and entered multiple buildings looking for members of a kidnapping and murder cell allegedly responsible for numerous violent crimes against Iraqi civilians. The targeted individuals had outstanding Ministry of Interior arrest warrants. Iraqi forces detained one individual and departed the area. During their return to base, the Iraqi...

This war against terrorism has been going on since the '80's, but no one has really wanted to understand what it is. It is never going away. You can't wash it away, or rehabilitate it. They will destroy every man, woman, and child on this earth who does not believe in and adhere to their way of life. It is as simple as that. The problem is we have, thus far, not been willing to destroy them. They get medals for cutting our heads off, whereas we go to jail for putting underwear on their heads.