Operation Phantom Fury--Day 48-Mop Up Continues; Operation Plymouth Rock

A U.S. military personnel and military contractor, dressed as Santa Claus, drive on a truck in the U.S. Marines camp near the Iraqi town of Falluja, 50-km (30 miles) west of Baghdad, on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2004. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov

U.S. military personnel sing carols in the U.S. Marine camp near the Iraqi town of Falluja, 50-km (30 miles) west of Baghdad, on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2004. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov

U.S. Army's 1st. Cavalry Division Sergeant Victor Cordero, from the Dominican Republic, chats with a comrade (obscured) near a Christmas tree at the Cuervo Forward Operating Base in eastern Baghdad, December 24, 2004. U.S. 1st Cavalry Division soldiers celebrated Christmas Eve at their heavily guarded base in the Iraqi capital and all shared a common wish of going back home soon. REUTERS/Faleh Kheiber

U.S. Army's 1st. Cavalry Division Sergeant Victor Cordero (R), from the Dominican Republic and Captain Andy Blanton from North California, tell jokes near a Christmas tree at the Cuervo Forward Operating Base in eastern Baghdad, December 24, 2004. U.S. 1st Cavalry Division soldiers celebrated Christmas Eve at their heavily guarded base in the Iraqi capital and all shared a common wish of going back home soon. REUTERS/Faleh Kheiber

Just after midnight in a mess hall at Hurricaine Point Marine Base, Ramadi, Iraq, Saturday, Dec. 25, 2004, U.S. Marines are led in prayer by a Marine chaplain in celebration of Christmas. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

Just after Midnight on Christmas morning, U.S. Marines in Iraq sit inside a dining hall used as a chapel, while a Marine chaplain delivers a Midnight religious service in celebration of Christmas, at Hurricaine Point Marine Base, Ramadi, Iraq, Saturday, Dec. 25. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

Just after midnight in a mess hall at Hurricaine Point Marine Base, Ramadi, Iraq, Saturday, Dec. 25, 2004, U.S. Marines are led in prayer by a Marine chaplain in celebration of Christmas. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

U.S. soldiers bring supplies in Jegdelic village, about 90 km southwest of Kabul, December 24, 2004. About 200 U.S. service members delivered meals, toys and shoes to villagers of Jegdelic during a day visit to spread goodwill on Christmas eve.

U.S. Chief Warrant Officer Gary Wallin (R), clad in a Santa Claus outfit, talks to an Afghan girl in Jegdelic village, about 90 km southwest of Kabul, December 24, 2004. About 200 U.S. soldiers delivered meals, toys and shoes to villagers of Jegdelic during a day visit to spread goodwill on Christmas eve.

A U.S. soldier of Task Force Pirate, second right, scuffles with Afghans over a gift bag during a cultural exchange with Afghans in Jagdalek, some 240 kilometers (150 miles) southeast of Kabul Afghanistan, Friday, Dec. 24, 2004.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

US soldiers sing Christmas Carols as they hold lighted candles at a Christmas Service at Kabul Compound in Kabul. US soldiers have been stationed in Afghanistan for almost three years since the ouster of the hardline Taliban regime in 2001(AFP/Shah Marai)

German troops form the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) sing carols during the Christmas Eve celebrations in the Afghan capital Kabul, December 24, 2004. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

British troops form the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) sing carols during the Christmas Eve in the Afghan capital Kabul, December 24,2004. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

U.S. soldiers hold candles as they offer prayers in a church at their base on the eve of Christmas in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Dec. 24, 2004. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)

U.S. Ssg. Gabriel Zettel, of Task Force Pirate, left, adjusts a Santa Claus cap on Heleema, an Afghan girl during a cultural exchange with Afghan people in Jagdalek, some 240 kilometers (150 miles) southeast of Kabul Afghanistan, Friday, Dec. 24, 2004.Task Force Pirate, part of Task Force wing, organized a cultural exchange with Afghan people on the Eve of Christmas and distributed gifts among them.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

U.S. soldiers unload Christmas gifts and supplies from a helicopter during a cultural exchange with Afghan locals in Jagdalek, 240 kilometers (150 miles) southeast of Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Dec.24, 2004. Task Force Pirate, part of Task Force wing, organized the cultural exchange with the Afghans on the eve of Christmas and distributed gifts among them. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

U.S. soldiers, of Task Force Pirate, right, shakes hands with Afghan children during a cultural exchange with the Afghan people in Jagdalek, some 240 kilometers (150 miles) southeast of Kabul Afghanistan, Friday, Dec. 24, 2004. Task Force Pirate, part of Task Force wing, organized a cultural exchange with Afghan people on the Eve of Christmas and distributed gifts among them. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

U.S. soldiers sing during Christmas celebrations in Jegdelic village, about 90 km southwest, of Kabul December 24, 2004. About 200 U.S. soldiers delivered meals, toys and shoes to villagers of Jegdelic during a day visit to spread goodwill on Christmas eve. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

A young Afghan girl wears toy glasses received from U.S. soldiers in Jegdelic village, about 90 km southwest of Kabul, December 24, 2004. About 200 U.S. soldiers delivered meals, toys and shoes to villagers of Jegdelic during a day visit to spread goodwill on Christmas eve. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

Afghan children receive sweets from a U.S. soldier in Jegdelic village, about 90 km southwest of Kabul, December 24, 2004. About 200 U.S. service members delivered meals, toys and shoes to villagers of Jegdelic during a day visit to spread goodwill on Christmas eve. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

Residents of Jagdalek prepare food for U.S. soldiers during a cultural exchange program with the Task Force Pirate in Jagdalek, some 240 kilometers (150 miles) southeast of Kabul Afghanistan, Friday, Dec. 24, 2004. Task Force Pirate, part of Task Force wing, organized a cultural exchange with Afghan people on the eve of Christmas and distributed gifts among them. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

May God watch over and bless our troops.

Afghan children wait in line to receive Christmas gifts from U.S. soldiers in Jegdelic village, about 90 km southwest of Kabul, December 24, 2004. About 200 U.S. service members delivered meals, toys and shoes to villagers of Jegdelic during a day visit to spread goodwill on Christmas Eve. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

Crew members sort out packages that arrived by mail for some 6,500 servicemen and women aboard the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, Friday, Dec. 24, 2004. The USS Abraham Lincoln, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, is currently on a routine port call and is expected to remain in Hong Kong for 3-4 days over the Christmas holiday. (AP Photo/Anat Givon)

Agency provides troops holiday meals

12/23/2004 -

PHILADELPHIA (AFPN) -- American troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan will be receiving traditional holiday meals provided by officials at the defense supply center here, an inventory control point of the Defense Logistics Agency.

The meals will include the following items:

-- 161,126 pounds of boneless turkey.

-- 16,884 pounds of whole turkeys.

-- 104,016 pounds of shrimp.

-- 136,926 pounds of beef.

-- 131,110 pounds of ham.

-- 16,210 pounds of stuffing mix.

-- 7,374 cans of cranberry sauce.

-- 13,296 cans of mashed potatoes.

-- 13,296 cans of sweet potatoes.

-- 3,665 cases of corn on the cob.

-- 72,882 whole pies.

The total cost for the entire 2004 holiday meal for servicemembers in Iraq and Afghanistan is $5.6 million. The eleven items shown above cost $3.7 million. The remaining $1.9 million is for supplemental holiday food such as nuts, gravy, vegetables, fruits and candy, officials said.

Merry Christmas Tex, all.. thanks for the pix & thread today.

God's blessings on all who visit here today.

Wonderful pix.. I am very busy but will forward this link around..

hugs...

Merry Christmas DC.

Lt. Christopher Gibb, a doctor at the Navy's Bravo Surgical Company and David Willams, right, a hospital corpsman also at Bravo surgical, ride on the back of a truck singing carols and throwing candy canes at their base in Fallujah, Iraq, Friday Dec. 24, 2004. (AP Photo/Nick Wadhams)

U.S. Army soldiers sing during a Christmas church service at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Cuervo in Baghdad, December 25, 2004. REUTERS/Faleh Kheiber

Iraqi women sing during a Christmas mass in a Chaldean church in Baghdad Saturday Dec. 25 2004. Only a few Iraqi Christians showed up to celebrate Mass in Baghdad's churches on Saturday because of fears that Islamic militants could launch attacks to coincide with the holiday. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

In this picture made Friday Dec. 24 2004 and released by the British Ministry of Defence, a choir representing every nation in the multinational division (SE) in Basra, southern Iraq stand around a Christmas tree donated by the Danish Battalion and sing carols to a gathering of sailors, soldiers and airmen, in the airport hotel building.(AP Photo/Cpl Pete Murray/MoD Crown copyright)

Iraqi women arrive for a Christmass Mass in St. Joseph Chaldean Church in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Dec. 25, 2004. (AP Photo/Samir Mizban)

Santa Claus visits the Marines of Golf Company 2nd Battalion 5th Marines at their base - Hurricane Point - in Ramadi, Iraq on Christmas Eve Friday Dec. 24, 2004.

Cpls Jeromy Nelson, left, and Benjamin Hilliard sing carols outside the headquarters for 2nd Battalion 5th Marines at the battalion's base - Hurricane Point - in Ramadi, Iraq on Christmas Eve Friday Dec. 24, 2004.

The Marines of 2nd Battalion 5th Marines celebrate midnight services at their base - Hurricane Point - in Ramadi, Iraq on Christmas Eve Friday Dec. 24, 2004.

Cpl Benjamin Hilliard, left, Lance Cpl. Eric Rodriguez, and Cpl. Jeromy Nelson sing carols outside the headquarters for 2nd Battalion 5th Marines at the battalion's base - Hurricane Point - in Ramadi, Iraq on Christmas Eve Friday Dec. 24, 2004.

The Marines of 2nd Battalion 5th Marines celebrate midnight services at their base - Hurricane Point - in Ramadi, Iraq on Christmas Eve Friday Dec. 24, 2004.

Santa Claus visits the Marines of Golf Company 2nd Battalion 5th Marines at their base - Hurricane Point - in Ramadi, Iraq on Christmas Eve Friday Dec. 24, 2004.

Merry Christmas From Inside Iraq

Editor's note: The following letter is from Staff Sgt. Brett Ledfors, a U.S. Marine currently stationed in Ramadi, Iraq. Ledfors was born in Wheeling and is serving in Iraq with Moundsville resident Sgt. Daniel Ealy.

As a Marine serving in Iraq and someone born at Wheeling Hospital, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish the citizens of West Virginia a Merry Christmas while sharing a true story.

News we get from home sometimes seems quite grim as far as the war. When I initially considered writing to a newspaper about the war, I wanted to show the progress being made here. I looked at the various positive signs from Iraq's growing economy, to the training of their security forces that's humming right along, to our growing success at combating the insurgent threat. Until a few days ago, nothing jumped out at me until Bravo Company Marines patrolled to an anonymous grid coordinate in a city called Ramadi.

The second platoon of B Company, a reserve unit based in Pittsburgh, regularly patrols a suburban area with one to two story buildings, few paved, and many dirt roads. Herds of sheep, palm trees and canals fed by the Euphrates River crisscross the landscape. Throughout this area are two things that aren't native; U.S. troops and the bad guys (mostly non-Iraqi) they hunt. We refer to the bad guys as AIF (Anti Iraqi Forces), the Muj (short for Mujahadeen), or simply insurgents. The insurgents are rarely seen, but assert themselves by mortaring us regularly, with the occasional improvised explosive device and small arms fire to keep us on our toes. With that kind of negative attention, the average Iraqi citizen often avoids contact with Marines so as not to be victimized by insurgents. This setting led to my revelation as to what positive thing I could share with the readers of The Intelligencer.

During our patrol led by Sgt. Dan Ealy, who lives near Wheeling, we had a beautiful experience. As Ealy guided our heavily armed column through narrow back alleys, we stopped for a short security halt to look and listen for anything unusual. Our column consisted of heavily armored HMMWVs (replacement for the jeep), with Marines walking amongst them for mutual support. As I looked around the area, I saw several children tentatively watching us from behind a fence. A quick scan of the area showed nothing suspicious, so I approached the kids who eyed me warily. The kids' demeanor changed to tentative smiles as one of my hands left my rifle and pulled candy out of a pocket. The first few children excitedly took the candy and ran around a corner, then the dam broke. A rush of children swirled into our patrol painting a picture of some stern Marines standing guard while others gave candy to kids. Shortly after this, the kids' fathers came out to meet us. They thanked us for the kindness to their children. Even more rare, we could see some of the women smiling at us from a respectable distance. That was something positive indeed. The women being out and interacting with us showed a great deal of progress in this part of the world. What followed could have been a visit among friends. Before I knew it, instead of a rifle in my hand, I had a cup of sweet tea that my new friend Mohammed brought for me and several other Marines.

As it turned out, Mohammed appreciated the simple kindness we showed his children and then the respect we showed him when he arrived. We stood there almost as neighbors sharing hot tea on a cold day making small talk as best we could with the language barrier. All good things must come to an end, so we eventually parted. As we continued on with our patrol though several very poor children had candy that they'd rarely had in their lives, while some very cold Marines had hot tea in their bellies. We shared those things not as Muslims and Christians or civilians and Marines, but as people, pure and simple.

After our patrol returned to base, I shed my ammunition and body armor to sit down to the more mundane side of operations that it seems no profession can escape: the paperwork. As I dated the after action report, it hit me; it's only a few days before Christmas. The symbolism of our encounter with those Iraqis a few days before a holiday symbolic of togetherness didn't escape me as I realized what a sign of hope that simple encounter brought. A cup of coffee tried to warm me from the cold local winter as I replayed that positive experience in my mind. That coffee, however, didn't warm me nearly as much as Mohammed's tea still did hours later.

Staff Sgt. Brett Ledfors

2nd Platoon, "Iron City"

1st Marine Division

Ramadi, Iraq

U.S. arrested 2 Zarqawi-linked leaders in Iraq

12/25/2004 6:42:00 PM GMT

The U.S. forces said that they arrested two Zarqawi-linked leaders in Ramadi.

The U.S. army announced on Saturday that it arrested two key leaders of a group claiming links to Abu Musab Al Zarqawi in the Iraqi city of Ramadi.

The military said in a statement that the two men "were cell leaders for a local Zarqawi-affiliated terrorist group that is operating" in the Al Anbar province, which includes the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi.

The statement added that the group "kidnapped and executed 11 Iraqi National Guardsmen" and that it was responsible for a number of car explosions and other attacks in the Ramadi area.

It also said that the cell “smuggled foreign terrorists into the country."

The statement identified the men as Saleh Arugayan Khalil, also known as Abu Obaida, and Bassem Mohammad Hazim, also known as Abu Khattab. It said that they were arrested on Dec. 8 and Dec. 12 during search operations in the western Anbar province.

"Many foreign fighters were also detained," it said, adding that the “detainees have provided information regarding the involvement of other individuals who are actively recruiting and smuggling foreign terrorists."

U.S. and Iraqi officials say that foreign rebels led by Jordanian-born Al Zarqawi are responsible for many of the bombings, killings and kidnappings. They also accuse supporters of the toppled Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein, of aiding the resistance.

On the other hand, many Iraqis believe that the fighters are just local citizens who oppose the presence of foreign forces in their country.

More residents return to Fallujah

Meanwhile, more residents returned to their destroyed homes in Fallujah on Saturday.

Many of those who returned were shocked and angry. Some of them complained of the tough security measures imposed by the Iraqi government and U.S. authorities on the returning citizens.

"Every two hours, they are letting one car pass through the checkpoint," complained a Fallujah resident who names himself only as Hassan. "And there are so many checkpoints and measures before we can get into the city, such as sniffing dogs and mirrors being put under our cars."

A Marine statement said that a total of 1,404 refugees returned to their homes in the Andalus district of Fallujah on Thursday and Friday.

An Iraqi cleans beside the destroyed fuel tanker in the site of an explosion in Mansour neighborhood in western Baghdad, on Saturday, Dec. 25, 2004. Police on Saturday said at least nine people died in a gas tanker explosion in west Baghdad that occurred Friday night, just hours after Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld left the capital following a surprise visit. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Ali Al-Shouk)

Nine killed in Baghdad tanker blast

12/25/2004 12:00:00 PM GMT

The U.S. military said it was investigating the explosion, which came hours after Rumsfeld's visit

Police discovered more corpses under the rubble of the houses destoryed in Baghdad's gas tanker explosion, bringing the death toll from the attack to at least nine.

Police initially said that only two people were killed. But police spokesman Lt. Col. Raed Abbas said that seven more bodies were uncovered on Saturday under the rubble of one of the three houses destroyed in the explosion.

"I'm the only one left," wailed a young woman who arrived at the blast scene in the morning to find her family gone.

On Friday, residents said that 19 people were injured when a gas tanker truck exploded in the Mansour district, west Baghdad.

The U.S. military said it was investigating the explosion, which came just hours after Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld left the capital.

Capt. Brian Lucas, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, stated that there were no members of the occupation forces among the casualties.

The butane truck was parked near the Libyan Embassy in the Mansour neighborhood, which houses many foreign embassies and where many foreigners live, police said.

Residents of the Mansour district said they heard small-arms fire right after the explosion.

According to doctors at Baghdad's Yarmouk hospital, most of those who were wounded in the blast suffered severe burns. Also nearby houses were damaged by the blast, but there were no injuries inside the embassies.

During his short tour in Iraq, Rumsfeld's visited the Iraqi cities of Mosul, Fallujah and Tikrit and the heavily guarded Green Zone in Baghdad, however, he did not visit the Mansour area.

During his meetings with U.S. troops, Rumsfeld insisted that the troops will soon defeat the Iraqi resistance which plagued the country for months.

Violence has escalated throughout the Iraqi cities, even after the U.S.-led offensive in Fallujah last month, which killed nearly 2,000 Iraqi fighters.

Baghdad police stations attacked

Also on Friday, a group of gunmen attacked two police stations around Baquba, northeast of the Iraqi capital, where the anti-occupation resistance has been strong, according to witnesses.

Using rocket-propelled grenades and mortars, gunmen attacked the Mafraq police post on the outskirts of the city. Also another station under construction south of the town came under attack.

Doctors at the city hospital said that they received no casualties from the battles, which involved U.S. troops who secured the stations with armored vehicles.

U.S. and Iraqi troops have been a target of frequent attacks by anti-occupation and anti-government rebels in Baquba, which lays between Baghdad and the Iranian border.

Earlier this month, U.S. forces arrested several people in the province, whom the military say had ties with the resistance across the Iraqi cities.

Probe into Mosul attack

The brigadier general, who investigated the abuse at Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad, is currently investigating security lapses that resulted in Tuesday attack on the U.S. base near Mosul, which killed more than 20 people, most of which were American soldiers, authorities said Friday.

Brig. Gen. Richard P. Formica heads the investigative team, which started their probe as Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld arrived in Mosul Friday morning in a surprise Christmas Eve visit to the U.S. soldiers there.

"Now we have a pretty good idea that it was a suicide bomber," said Lt. Col. Paul Hastings, a spokesman at the Mosul base. Formica "is going to investigate into the how's — how did that happen?"

Hastings said the Mosul investigation will be "conducted quickly and thoroughly" but no deadline was set for the conclusions.

22 people died in Mosul blast, most of which were U.S. soldiers, the deadliest of attacks the U.S. forces faced in Iraq since launching the war last year.

The success of Mosul attack prompted calls for an immediate investigation to find ways to prevent similar attacks in the future.

A US soldier stands by homes destroyed in a blast in Baghdad's Mansour district Saturday Dec 25 2004. Police on Saturday said nine people died and 14 were seriously wounded in a gas tanker explosion in west Baghdad that occurred late Friday, just hours after Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld left the capital following a surprise visit. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

US soldiers inspect a home destroyed in a blast in Baghdad's Mansour district Saturday Dec 25 2004. Police on Saturday said nine people died and 14 were seriously wounded in a gas tanker explosion in west Baghdad that occurred late Friday, just hours after Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld left the capital following a surprise visit. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

A US soldier and rescue workers inspect a home destroyed in a blast in Baghdad's Mansour district Saturday Dec 25 2004. Police on Saturday said nine people died and 14 were seriously wounded in a gas tanker explosion late Friday in west Baghdad that occurred just hours after US Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld left the capital following a surprise visit. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

A US soldier and rescue workers stand in the rubble of a house destroyed in a blast in Baghdad's Mansour district Saturday Dec 25 2004. . Nine people died and 14 were seriously wounded when a tanker truck exploded Friday night. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

A US soldier walks by debris that fell on Lybian Embassy in Baghdad's Mansour district Saturday Dec 25 2004. Police on Saturday said nine people died and 14 were seriously wounded in a gas tanker explosion in west Baghdad that occurred just hours after US Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld left the capital following a surprise visit. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed)

Rescue workers carry thebody of a person they found in the rubble of his home in Baghdad's Mansour district Saturday Dec. 25, 2004. . Nine people died and 14 were seriously wounded when a tanker truck exploded Friday night. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

United Press International

A suicide bomber targeted a U.S. military convoy and wounded several U.S. soldiers in Bayji, Iraq, Saturday, the al-Jazeera satellite network said.

Also Saturday, gunmen killed Dr. Hasan al-Rubay'i, dean of the faculty of dentistry at Baghdad University, as he and his wife were driving in the Iraqi capital. His wife was wounded.

Gov. Abdallah al-Juburi of Diyala escaped an assassination attempt, but four of his bodyguards were injured, when his convoy was targeted with an explosive charge in Baghdad.

In Mosul, several Iraqi National Guardsmen were wounded after they were targeted by an explosive charge.

Pinging some of you to some great holiday pix of our troops in the Mideast.. FReeping might take a short break for Christmas , I know!!!

Tex, back briefly.. wow and goodie more great pix. Having a kick back (snowed in big time ) day here..

Love the pix.. and I was thinking that as much as the men & women miss home & thier families, in years ahead they will prolly look back at THIS Christmas as one of the most meaningful ones.

I look at the Christian Iraqis freely going to CHRISTIAN worship; the great pix with Danish tree & prolly a ecuminical worship service ... the caroling , giving of gifts to kids who really have very little. This is the true essence of the Christmas spirit.

One of the most meaningful Easter's I had was in Haiti. we were on a mission trip teaching the ministers etc.. The conditions were awful. No safe running water, no power most of time; teribile living condiitons. I missed my bed, my bath, my refrigerator, my home & security.. but that special Palm sunday in the breathtaking mountains in a church MADE OF PALM leaves with the voices praising God in Creole (French type dialect) will remain one of the most meaningful worship experiences of my life. The people were kind and decent.. my Christian brother's and sisters.. we shared some moments in eternity that are priceless.

A man stones a burning bus in Mosul Saturday Dec. 25 2004. The bus was carrying Iraqi National Guards when it came under a roadside bomb attack that killed five and wounded three guardsmen. (AP Photo)

At least 13 Iraqis killed in Christmas Day violence

At least 13 Iraqis were killed in a string of Christmas Day shootings and bombings, as US President George W Bush thanked American soldiers for their sacrifice and for protecting America.

In Baghdad rescuers lifted blackened corpses from the ruins of a Christmas Eve suicide truck bombing that killed eight people, further unnerving Iraq's embattled Christian community as they celebrated the birth of Christ.

Five Iraqis, including a woman, were killed and another five wounded when a makeshift bomb exploded on a road frequented by US convoys in the volatile bastion of Samarra.

To the south, three Iraqis were killed in another deadly bombing between Najaf and Karbala, a week after twin attacks killed 66 people in the two holy Shiite Muslim cities.

A doctor at a clinic in Khan al-Nus, north of Najaf, said three Iraqis died and two were wounded when a car bomb exploded in the path of a US military convoy, which escaped unscathed.

In a clutch of targeted assassinations, an Iraqi working as an interpreter for the US military and his wife were shot dead by gunmen near the northern city of Mosul -- their bodies riddled with 30-bullet holes, police say.

Just north of the capital, gunmen mowed down a local council member and his friend, while another man died when the bomb he was planting on the side of a road near Balad exploded prematurely.

Bush message

As millions across the world celebrated Christmas, the US president thanked American forces fighting in Iraq and other hot spots for their sacrifice.

"In Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere, these skilled and courageous Americans are fighting the enemies of freedom and protecting our country from danger," he said.

"By bringing liberty to the oppressed, our troops are helping to win the war on terror, and they are defending the freedom and security of us all."

Some 150,000 US troops are deployed in Iraq as violence continues to saturate the country ahead of landmark general elections next month.

Christmas Day was bleak in much of Iraq.

"We are not celebrating Christmas, we are praying for Iraq," Father Qassab told about 200 worshippers in the main Chaldean church in Basra.

Great stuff TexKat! Thanks Dolly!

Only a few Iraqi Christians showed up to celebrate Mass in Baghdad's churches on Saturday because of fears that Islamic militants could launch attacks to coincide with the holiday. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

On the contrary there looks to be a very good number of people in attendance according to the photos. Guess it was the only place AP could find to strike a dig at Bush, the military, Christians and the Iraqi's today. Typical lyin' AP Clymers.

Merry Christmas TexKat!

Prairie

US soldiers from 2nd Squad, 14th Cavalry are served their Christmas meal, at dinning facility of Camp Sykes Fob in Tal Afar, northwest Iraq.(AFP/Mauricio Lima)

US soldiers from 2nd Squad, 14th Cavalry eat their Christmas meal, in the Sinjar Mountain, northwest of Iraq in the Kurdish area close to the Syrian border.(AFP/Mauricio Lima)

A truck delivers mainly Christmas boxes from friends and family to US soldiers at Camp Cuervo, a base on the northeastern side of Baghdad on Christmas day.(AFP/Hrvoje Polan)

A plain clothed policeman guards the St. George Church in the center of Baghdad on Christmas day. Many churches around the city deployed security or were closed for Christmas due to the poor security situation across the war torn country.(AFP/Ali al-Saadi)

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II (news - web sites) records her Christmas Day message at Buckingham Palace. The queen broadcast a special Christmas message to her country's troops serving around the world, notably in Iraq, expressing pride in their work and support at the end of a 'very demanding year.(AFP/Pool/File/Fiona Hanson)

U.S. Army soldiers with the 82nd Airborne Division wear reindeer antler hats as they serve the Christmas meal at the 86th Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad's so-called 'Green Zone,' December 25, 2004. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld paid a visit to the hospital on Christmas Eve to meet patients and staff after weeks of controversy over his handling of the war and perceived lack of sensitivity to U.S. forces and their families. REUTERS/Bob Strong

Thank you for these Wonderful Pictures, TexKat! And thank you for Flagging me here, Dolly! Merry Christmas to you both, and to everyone at Free Republic!

Merry Christmas to you and yours prairiebreeze.

Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit stand in line for Christmas dinner in the dining facility at Forward Operating Base Kalsu, Iraq, Dec. 25. The holiday meal included turkey and roast with all the trimmings, pies and other desserts.

24th MEU Marines celebrate Christmas

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU (Dec. 25, 2004) -- As their family and friends back home in the United States celebrated Christmas Eve, Marines of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit spent Christmas morning hunting insurgents south of Baghdad.

Marines of the MEU's Force Reconnaissance platoon joined Iraqi security forces in a pre-dawn raid in Iskandariyah, where they sought a local insurgent leader. Though the target, Ali Kazar, eluded them, the operation netted five other suspected militants.

While the counter-insurgency continued, Marines and sailors here took time out to share a special holiday meal and open gifts sent by family and friends.

Christmas dinner included turkey, ham and roast, and all the familiar trimmings. For dessert, the troops enjoyed pumpkin and pecan pie, pudding and ice cream. Egg nog and sparkling grape juice were also available.

The holiday respite was welcome but brief, as the 24th MEU continues its push to rid northern Babil Province of insurgents in advance of national elections in January.

Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit celebrate Christmas Mass in the chapel at Forward Operating Base Iskandariyah, Iraq, Dec. 25. The Marines are from Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines – the MEU’s ground combat element. While pausing briefly to celebrate the holiday, the Marines from the 24th MEU continued their counter-insurgency in northern Babil province. Photo by: Lance Cpl. Zachary R. Frank

Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit pose with donated gifts at Forward Operating Base Kalsu, Iraq, on Christmas Day. The Marines are from the 24th MEU's command element. Photo by: Master Sgt. Nelson Valentin

The web page of the shadowy Ansar al-Sunnah Army, one of the most feared terror groups in Iraq, detailing their manifesto and ideology, seen on the Internet on Saturday Dec. 25, 2004. The ruthless group has carried out some of the deadliest attacks in Iraq - including the biggest attack on a U.S. base that killed 22 people this week - almost outshining al-Qaida's cell in the war-ravaged country. (AP Photo)

Ansar Al-Sunnah Army Gains Clout in Iraq

By RAWYA RAGEH, Associated Press Writer BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Ansar al-Sunnah Army has emerged from its roots as a little known militant group operating in northern Iraq to become the country's deadliest terror networks, capable of carrying out spectacular strikes like last week's suicide bombing at a U.S. base and virtually eclipsing al-Qaida's cell in the war-torn nation.

Unlike al-Qaida, Ansar al-Sunnah is believed to be made up mainly of Iraqis, and its apparent strategy of targeting only Americans and those viewed as collaborating with them — Iraqi security forces and Kurds — may have increased their support, in contrast to other groups that have hit more clearly Iraqi civilian targets.

Nearly five months after the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime in April 2003, Ansar al-Sunnah's first statement surfaced on the Internet, pronouncing itself "a group of jihadists, scholars, and political and military experts" dedicated to creating an Islamic state in Iraq.

The statement was signed by the group's "emir," or leader, the previously unknown Abu Abdullah al-Hassan Ibn Mahmoud.

Since then, it has carried out numerous bombings and attacks, particularly in northern Iraq — and shown its ruthlessness with the slaying in August of 12 kidnapped Nepalese construction workers, releasing video showing their deaths. In its deadliest operation, Ansar al-Sunnah claimed responsibility for Feb. 1 suicide bombings against two Kurdish political parties in Irbil, killing 109 people.

In the Irbil attack, the group slipped bombers into the Kurdish party offices during celebrations to set off their explosives. Tuesday's attack on U.S. forces at Mosul showed even greater sophistication and planning: a bomber — possibly in an Iraqi military uniform — entered a dining tent on the heavily guarded American base and detonated the blast during lunch, killing 22 people, mostly American soldiers and civilians.

Now the group is warning Iraqis not to participate in crucial Jan. 30 elections, promising to attack polling stations.

But who exactly is behind Ansar al-Sunnah and how it was formed remains a mystery. Some experts believe the group splintered from Ansar al-Islam, an al-Qaida-linked group established in September 2001.

Ansar al-Islam was founded by Mullah Krekar, who has been living as a refugee in Norway since 1991. The group vowed to set up a conservative Islamic state in northern Iraq, and its members have trained in Afghanistan and provided safe haven to al-Qaida members fleeing the U.S. invasion there.

The offshoot group may have changed its name to Ansar al-Sunnah — Arabic for "supporters of the sunnah," of the traditions of Prophet Muhammad — as an attempt to appeal to Iraq's minority Sunni Arabs, experts suggest.

There is nothing to corroborate this theory except that the group mainly operates in northern Iraq where Ansar al-Islam is based.

Mohammed Salah, a Cairo-based expert on Islamic militancy, said research indicates that the Ansar al-Sunnah Army was established by a mix of various Sunni Muslim anti-occupation factions that came together after the end of the war.

They chose the name Ansar al-Sunnah (loosely translated as "supporters of the traditions of Prophet Muhammad") to distinguish the Sunni group from Shiite militias, Salah said.

The group now seems to include nationalists and other secular people opposed to the U.S. presence in Iraq who are not typical religious fundamentalists or extremists but who "chose the cover of Islam as a propaganda that sells well."

The group seeks an Islamic government and Islamic law in Iraq, stressing its opposition to democracy, which it says replaces God's rightful rule with that of man.

"We believe democracy is an atheist call that idolizes human beings," says a manifesto detailing Ansar al-Sunnah's ideology.

The group's Web site, which also has a Kurdish page, features videos of aspiring suicide bombers and footage of attacks and beheadings. Statements on the site dismiss Iraqi politicians as "American puppets and agents" and condemns "collaborators" in the U.S.-trained Iraqi army and police.

Among its targets have been Kurds, with the group claiming to be behind the kidnapping and beheading of several Kurdish politicians. The Kurdish parties of northern Iraq are archrivals of Krekar's Ansar al-Islam.

On its Web site, Ansar al-Sunnah also denounces the upcoming elections, calling on Muslims to shun the ballot boxes as "centers of atheism" and adding: "We warn everyone that the Mujahedeen will be attacking polling stations."

In November, Ansar al-Sunnah said it collaborated in two attacks with other radical organizations — al-Qaida in Iraq, led by Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and the Islamic Army in Iraq. However, similar announcements have not been repeated since.

Still, it remains unclear whether Ansar al-Sunnah is linked to Osama bin Laden's network, or whether it is actually competing with it.

U.S. officials have said Ansar al-Islam, its alleged parent group, is believed linked to al-Zarqawi.

But while al-Zarqawi's Tawhid and Jihad group in October declared allegiance to bin Laden, changing its name to al-Qaida in Iraq, no such announcement was made by Ansar al-Sunnah.

Singapore-based terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna said Zarqawi's group allied itself to al-Qaida because it seems to be expanding its recruitment efforts to the entire Middle East and Europe as opposed to Ansar al-Sunnah's "exclusive Iraqi focus."

While Ansar al-Sunnah's targets have mainly been coalition troops, Kurds and "collaborators" with the coalition, al-Qaida's operations included attacks that killed many Iraqi civilians, he said.

"Ansar al-Sunnah Army seems more organized and it's generated more support than al-Qaida in Iraq ... al-Qaida's attacks have often alienated significant support," Gunaratna said.

With or without al-Qaida, it looks like Ansar al-Sunnah is here to stay.

"I think Ansar al-Sunnah will, as an organization, last longer and will enjoy a broader base of support than al-Qaida in Iraq," Gunaratna said.