Posted on 03/25/2005 9:30:57 PM PST by TexKat
U.S. Army Capt. Chris Owen (far right) and Col. Terry Sellers (center), 2nd Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, meet with United Nations field representatives on the east bank of the Helmand River to discuss the needs of residents displaced by four days of flooding, March 22, 2005. The United Nations and the U.S. Army are providing short term emergency relief to the refugees until they are able to rebuild. Local Afghan government officials are leading the effort by assessing needs and distributing aid while the Afghan National Army, local police and Coalition soldiers are providing security and manpower for the delivery of humanitarian supplies. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Claudia K. Bullard
An Afghan man in Sigzai, Afghanistan, receives a blanket and meal from U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Rodney Crowder, D Company, 96th Civil Affairs Battalion, as part of a humanitarian assistance operation to help flood victims cope with recent heavy rains, March 19, 2005. U.S. Army photo by Sgt Jeremy A Clawson
Refugees displaced from their homes and farms by a four-day flood on the Helmand River in southern Afghanistan wait for the arrival of humanitarian aid packages from the United Nation’s World Food Programme, March 22, 2005. The aid includes wheat, peas, cooking oil, hygiene kits, blankets, clothing and cooking stoves. The flood waters have begun to subside allowing the villagers to begin salvaging what is left of their crops and land. Many will live in tents donated by the United Nations and delivered by U.S. military Chinook helicopters until they are able to rebuild. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Claudia K. Bullard
U.S. Forces Aid Afghan Flood Victims
By Spc. Claudia K. Bullard, USA Special to American Forces Press Service
KABUL, Afghanistan, March 25, 2005 – After days of heavy flooding, the Helmand River in Afghanistan’s Uruzgan province is receding, making way for local government leaders to decide how to aid more than 600 displaced people. Flooding has washed away livestock, homes and farms, and has left spring crops below water level for a 10-mile stretch of the river.
Representatives from the United Nations, Afghan government and U.S. Army met on the Helmand’s east bank March 22 to view flood damage and make a formal assessment of local needs based on the intensity of the flooding and what residents will be able to recover from the area.
Assessing needs for the stricken area, said Marin Din Kajdomcaj, field officer for the United Nations, includes “seeing what the people can do for themselves — seeing what coping mechanisms are in place — and what needs to be done.”
“We will make an emergency assessment and make a delivery of necessary assistance if we deem it appropriate,” said Din Kajdomcaj, adding that residents’ needs will be met only until they can repair damage to their homes and crops. “What we don’t want to do create is a situation that will bring more people to the area,” said Din Kajdomcaj, adding that the situation though “unfortunate, is not major.”
Afghanistan has experienced the heaviest snow and rainfall in seven years of recorded drought. The U.N. World Food Program’s Hugo Botha said as the drought progressed through the years, local residents gradually moved closer to the water. “It is only natural, since no one wants to have to walk any farther to get their water than they have to,” said Botha, adding when the snows melted, the villagers were unprepared for the increased water level.
A village leader, Amir Jan, agreed that dry years have contributed to creating conditions for the disaster. “No one worked on river barriers this winter to prepare for spring water levels, because former years had been so dry,” Jan said.
Army Capt. Chris Owen, commander of Company B, 2nd Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, said his unit is providing short-term care until the residents are stabilized and able to resume farming. He said the water level was dropping dramatically, and no further rain is expected.
His unit has delivered World Food Program donations of more than 700 tons of wheat and peas, 1,000 cans of oil, hygiene kits, water, blankets, stoves and clothing. The soldiers also delivered more than 50 large tents to house the residents until they can rebuild their homes. Maj. (Dr.) Barnett Gibbs and his team from the battalion are providing medical care for displaced residents. Gibbs said the team is providing mostly basic care, but also can perform some minor surgeries. “We may possibly see some broken bones or severe cuts. If necessary we can send them back to our forward operating base for surgery,” said Gibbs.
Col. Terry Sellers, battalion commander, stressed that the Afghan government is leading the effort by pinpointing needs and distributing the aid among the people. The U.S. Army is providing Chinook helicopters and manpower to move the humanitarian aid packages. Coalition soldiers, local police and the Afghan National Army provide security for the temporary landing zones, he said.
Sellers, whose soldiers have been operating in the area for almost a year, said he heard of rising flood waters during a March 18 meeting with provincial Gov. Jan Mohammed. Sellers immediately made a request for Chinooks from Kandahar Airfield to carry an emergency response team out to the site. During the reconnaissance flight, he realized the situation called for an immediate response.
“The water was raging around an island in the center of the river, and we airlifted as many people as we could at a time,” said Sellers, adding the rescue effort was prioritized. “We removed the women and children first, then the adult males.” More air support was dispatched from Kandahar to assist in the recovery operation.
Throughout the next four days, more than 400 refugees were airlifted to safety. According to local authorities, most of those affected by the floods have family members they can stay with in the area. Some, however, will move into tents until they can rebuild their homes. Mohammed said he intends to return to the area in about 10 days and give those with fields and land under water new land on high ground.
According to Botha, the solution for environmental emergencies needs to come from the local governments. “The more involved Afghan leaders become, the better off they are,” said Botha. Aid the international community can provide will be basic, he said, but adequate for the needs of the people.
(Army Spc. Claudia K. Bullard is assigned to the 105th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)
Marine Gen. Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks with the troops in Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa during his visit to the region March 20. Photo by Sgt. Brian E. McElaney, USMC
Vice Chairman Makes Whirlwind Visit to Troops in Djibouti
By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, March 25, 2005 – The job the Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa does is overshadowed by actions in Afghanistan and Iraq, but it is an important component in the overall war on terror, Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace said here today.
Marine Gen. Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks with the troops in Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa during his visit to the region March 20. Photo by Sgt. Brian E. McElaney, USMC
Pace, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, highlighted that importance with a whirlwind tour to Djibouti, the CJTF home. Pace visited for 16 hours March 20 and was back at his desk in the Pentagon in time for work the next morning.
“I did it … because I wanted the guys and gals in Djibouti to know that they were important,” Pace said in an interview.
The general met with Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen assigned to the mission. He also met with CJTF leaders and the U.S. ambassador to Djibouti.
The CJTF mission in the region often is cited as a model for American efforts in the war on terror. President Bush said that one aspect of the war is building a world where people do not join extremist organizations in the first place. The CJTF has around 1,000 personnel assigned covers seven nations – Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Yemen and Ethiopia. Camp Lemonier is the main headquarters located in Djibouti City.
The task force men and women “are helping establish better ties and rapport with the nations of the region,” Pace said. The servicemembers based out of Djibouti have launched numerous medical, dental and veterinary civil affairs projects in the region, he added, and Seabees and engineers have dug wells, improved or paved roads and built bridges and river fords. In addition, they have built or repaired schools and civic buildings and even helped repair mosques, he noted.
“If you think about it, the things that the CJTF Horn of Africa are doing are things that will change people’s lives and change their impressions of the United States in the long run,” Pace said. These changes, he maintains, will have sustained positive impact.
The vice chairman said that what coalition forces are doing in Iraq and Afghanistan is important to help provide stability. But U.S. and coalition forces are going to need to do the same kinds of works in those countries as they are on the Horn of Africa to bring about a long-term change.
Part of the success the Horn of Africa task force is having is a result of the cooperation it receives from the host nations. “Seems clear to me by their actions, that the host governments are pleased to have us there,” he said. “They take very seriously … the fact that we are guests in their country, which includes force protection of their guests. The climate in which we are working seems to be very, very supportive, and healthy for the future.”
Pace credits Army Gen. John Abizaid for devising the CJTF template. Abizaid commands U.S. Central Command. Pace also likes the model the CJTF presents to other areas. “You don’t have to have a big footprint to get a big effect,” he said.
The government of Afghanistan has said it wants to maintain a strategic partnership with the United States. Someday, a democratic government in Iraq may decide the same. “If governments of Afghanistan and Iraq wanted to have long-term relations (with the United States), that much, much smaller footprint in the Horn of Africa would work well in Afghanistan, would work well in Iraq as a way to keep facilities available for cooperation between our governments,” he said.
The model could also be used in the Pacific. “It’s the correct way to have military-to-military interaction that if done robustly can help us prevent having to use much larger forces for traditional actions,” Pace said.
Pace said the servicemembers he met in Djibouti understand why they were there and the need for coalition forces in the region.
The region is very hot, dusty and poor, but U.S. servicemembers are not complaining, Pace said. “They had ample opportunity to complain, but they didn’t. They are proud of what they are doing.”
Many servicemembers in the region are reserve component personnel. He said their professionalism and behavior were impeccable, and that they told him “that putting their other lives on hold was worth it.”
One aspect that may change in the region deals with tour lengths, he said. Staff tours may be lengthened. “It’s one thing if you have Pfc. Pace there pulling guard duty for six months,” the general said. “But it’s something else for Major Pace to be on the staff and have a four- to six-month tour. About the time I really understand how to be effective, it’s time for me to go home.
“We’re taking a look at the JTF tour length,” he continued. “We really need stability on the staff.
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
CAMP AS SAYLIYAH, Qatar, March 25, 2005 – Morale is high among troops deployed to Southwest Asia in support of the global war on terror, but many feel frustrated that the American public isn’t hearing about the positive work they’re doing, senior enlisted leaders from U.S. Central Command told the American Forces Press Service here today. The senior enlisted members of U.S. Central Command, Multinational Force Iraq and Combined Forces Command Afghanistan, with 97 years of military service among them, said troops here understand their mission and feel good about what they’re accomplishing.
“To a person, nobody has ever said, ‘I don’t understand why I came here,” said Army Command Sgt. Maj. Cynthia A. Pritchett from Combined Forces Command Afghanistan. “They feel they’re bringing a sense of hope and giving the country a future. They can see the fruit of their labor, but feel that the story doesn’t get out at home.”
Army Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey Mellinger from Multinational Force Iraq agreed. “If there’s a common theme to the complaints I routinely hear, it’s that nobody knows how well we’re doing,” he said. “The story of what’s being done is not getting out.”
The two leaders ticked off a laundry list of accomplishments in their respective operating areas: national elections in both Afghanistan and Iraq, progress on the reconstruction front from road projects to new schools, and inroads made in paving a better future for people who have long lived under oppression.
And the reserve components, which they described as a seamless part of the forces here, are bringing talents not typically found in military units — experience in farming, business and civil works, among other specialties.
Servicemembers here “feel a real sense that they are accomplishing something,” said Pritchett.
The noncommissioned officers acknowledged that the war on terror has placed new challenges on the force. Even the most junior troops, they said, are finding themselves in positions where the decisions they make can have international and strategic implications.
“This is not just a military fight,” said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Curtis Brownhill, command chief master sergeant for U.S. Central Command. “It’s a political issue as well as a military issue, and the actions of one soldier can have a regional effect.”
And that, the NCOs agreed, requires servicemembers with attributes like those troops here are demonstrating. They’re worldly, informed about current events and, unlike during the days when the NCOs entered the military, they’re not afraid to ask the reasons behind the orders they’re given.
“I grew up in an Army that didn’t ask ‘why,’” Pritchett said.
“But … it’s OK to ask why now, because they need to know why,” Brownhill said. “They need to understand the implications behind what they’re doing.”
“(Troops here) know their craft,” Mellinger agreed. “But it’s also important that they know the potential impacts — favorable or unfavorable — of what they’re doing.”
With these new demands and responsibilities, the NCOs said, today’s servicemembers are demonstrating strong initiative as well. “They do a lot of things without being asked,” said Mellinger. “They just look and see something and say, ‘Hey, I can make this better.’”
Brownhill called the troops waging the war on terror a testament to the success of the all-volunteer force. “This is the best force we’ve ever fielded,” he said. “They understand the mission, and they’re committed to it.”
The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, instilled a renewed sense of patriotism that’s reflected in today’s armed forces, Pritchett said. “These young people want to give back and be part of something greater than themselves,” she said.
“I bust at the seams looking at these troops,” said Mellinger. “You just have to feel good about what you’re looking at. … They’re doing fabulous work, day in and day out.”
When they finish their deployments and leave the theater, Pritchett said, servicemembers take with them the satisfaction of knowing they’ve playing an important role in an important mission.
“The greatest reward they take with them is the knowledge that ‘I made a difference,’” she said.
Afghan interpreter Yawar Mirzagul, left, and Ghor Provincial Governor Qadeer Alam give Lt. Col. Gintautas Zenkevicius, commander of Lithuanian forces in Afghanistan, a view of Chakhcharan from high atop a mountain overlooking the city. U.S. and NATO forces traveled to Chakhcharan on March 24, 2005, to determine the feasibility of establishing a Provincial Reconstruction Team there. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Darren D. Heusel
U.S., NATO Troops View Potential Team Site
The Lithuanian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team would be responsible for security and reconstruction for Ghor Province, which has a population of 670,000 people.
By U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Darren D. Heusel 105th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
CHAKHCHARAN, Afghanistan, March 25, 2005 — U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan examined a potential Provincial Reconstruction Team site here March 25.
The team would be led by Lithuania, with assistance from other NATO nations, according to Lt. Col. Gintautas Zenkevicius, commander of Lithuanian forces in Afghanistan.
About 50 engineers, medics, logisticians, planners, operators and force protection personnel from the U.S., Belgium, Romania, Canada, Iceland, Lithuania and the United Kingdom boarded a Belgian C-130 in Kabul and headed for Chakhcharan, located 400 kilometers west of the Afghan capital.
The troops met with Ghor Provincial Governor Qadeer Alam, Police Chief Faizulah Salihe and local attorney general Noor Muhammed Kaker, among others, to discuss security concerns and to examine potential sites for the Provincial Reconstruction Team during their six-hour visit.
“On behalf of the people of Chakhcharan, we welcome you,” Alam told the delegation soon after their arrival. “Ghor Province is centrally located and, therefore, very important to the people of Afghanistan.
“Obviously, security is very important to us. The people are very poor, but they work very hard. One of the reasons the people are so poor here is because it is very cold here.”
Ghor Province has about 670,000 people and 383 schools, the governor said. But only 20 of those schools have any infrastructure because of past action by the Taliban and other insurgents.
The province has about 80,000 students, 21,000 of whom are girls.
“Two days ago, the new school year started,” Alam said. “But, unfortunately, only 30 percent of the schools have books.”
Alam also said the province has about 20 medical clinics and one hospital for the province’s nine districts, but few of them have any infrastructure because the people have little or no equipment with which to build.
“This past winter, because of much snow here, the number of NGOs (non-governmental organizations) working here was very limited and they were practically non-functioning,” the governor said. “I told the people you were coming and I promised them you were coming to help.
“Our people are anxious for your help, just like the other provinces being helped throughout Afghanistan by the coalition and (International Security Assistance Force).”
Currently, there are 19 Provincial Reconstruction Teams throughout Afghanistan. Their mission is to provide security and help with reconstruction based on the needs of the local population.
This assistance can range from drilling wells to building roads, bridges, hospitals and schools.
Leading the U.S.-NATO delegation was Jerry Watson, a civilian contractor with Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan’s Operations Directorate.
“The people who landed in the airplane today represent two organizations in Kabul - the Coalition and the International Security Assistance Force,” Watson told the governor and others gathered in a small room in the middle of the city.
“Lithuania has had a very long journey to get here,” he said. “They flew in yesterday from Germany and have agreed to establish this (Provincial Reconstruction Team) here in Ghor Province. The people from the Coalition and (International Security Assistance Force) are here to assist them in their reconnaissance today. After which, we will go back to Kabul and assess our findings.”
Zenkevicius told the governor that he is from a territory about two times larger than Ghor Province and the one thing they have in common is that Lithuania became a free nation about 15 years ago.
“We hope to work closely with you to do as much as we can,” he said. “Of course, we are looking for your support because, without it, we can’t be successful in our mission.
“We need to work hand by hand to determine how to solve your problems in a peaceful way. I hope we will have lots of discussions and get to know each other well in the future.”
The exact number of Lithuanian troops at the Provincial Reconstruction Team is yet to be determined, but the number is expected to be between 85 and 135 based on the already existing teams established by the U.S. and International Security Assistance Force, according to Watson.
“It could be as high as 200 people,” Watson said. “Right now, we just don’t know.”
Another subject that concerned the delegation was the winter conditions in Ghor Province.
“Recognizing that it does get cold here in the winter, we have to put some measures in place now to prepare for the harsh winters ahead,” Watson said.
“It doesn’t get much colder here than it does in Switzerland or Germany,” the governor quipped. “But our activities are pretty much conducted in this province between April and September.
“In the past, others have come here to make some assessments on paper. Unfortunately, they did not come back. We hope this time that you will stay.”
Watson said, as a military people, “We understand that.”
Alam was relieved as governor less than 24 hours ahead of the delegation’s arrival and his replacement remains unknown. He said he has been offered another job in Kabul. He is optimistic his replacement will represent the people of Ghor Province well.
“The one thing I want to assure you is that we are not an organization who is going to leave you when winter comes,” Zenkevicius said. “But in order for that to happen, we will need to work together. We are used to cold winters in Lithuania. The only difference is we do not have mountains.”
U.S. Army Capt. Andrew Meehan, 443rd Civil Affairs Battalion, briefs prospective Iraqi policemen during the physical training test at the Baghdad Convention Center, March 23, 2005. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Dan Balda
Iraqi Police Recruits Tackle Screening Process
Despite dangers, scores show up to become Iraqi Police officers.
By U.S. Army Pfc. Dan Balda Task Force Baghdad
BAGHDAD, Iraq, March 25, 2005 — More than 100 potential Iraqi Police recruits showed up at the Baghdad Convention Center March 23, to take the tests necessary to move on to the police academy in Jordan. “These recruits come from all over the area: Sadr City, Basarah, Babel,” said U.S. Army Capt. Andrew Meehan, 443rd Civil Affairs Battalion.
The Westwood, N.J., native continued, “These guys will be in charge of patrolling various neighborhoods in and around Baghdad.”
Last month 250 recruits were screened and 105 were chosen to go to the academy.
“We set very high standards for the recruitment,” Meehan said. “We have no problem failing people if they don’t meet any of the requirements. We expect a lot from these guys.”
“I am not doing this for money. My family has money. I am doing this because my father and brother are both (Iraqi Police) and because I love my country,” Iraqi Police recruit
Meehan thought the attitude of the soldiers in the area had something to do with the number of applicants.
“I think the soldiers do a great job of talking to the people around the city, they motivate the people to sign up for this,” he said. “It’s kind of a sales job actually. As long as you treat the people with the same respect you believe you should be shown they will be more welcoming.”
The potential recruits had to pass a physical training test, consisting of push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, a 100 meter sprint and a 1,600 meter run. Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 76th Field Artillery, 4th Brigade Combat Team, helped with the physical training test.
“They told me that they had a detail for me, and I told them that I would be happy to be a part of this,” said Sgt. Corey Smith, Forward Support Battery 1st Battalion, 76th Field Artillery. “I see it as we are trying to help these guys out. We are helping to train the good guys in this area to help clean out the bad guys and to rebuild Iraq. I see a lot of motivated wannabe-soldiers out here today that want to help us out.”
A soldier demonstrates how to do a proper push-up to a prospective Iraqi policeman during testing at the Baghdad Convention Center, March 24, 2005. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Dan Balda
After the physical training test, the potential recruits took a literacy test and then were screened by medics to make sure there were no preexisting medical conditions that would strike them from service.
A prospective Iraqi policeman sprints during the physical training test to become a police officer, March 23, 2005, at the Baghdad Convention Center. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Dan Balda
“As a condition for the screening all the applicants have to have at least a high school diploma,” Meehan said. “That being said, the literacy test, along with the (physical training) test is what gives a lot of these guys a no-go.”
One potential recruit, who asked that his name not be used, said he was applying because of his family and his country.
“I am not doing this for money,” he said. “My family has money. I am doing this because my father and brother are both (Iraqi Police) and because I love my country.”
For him the physical training test was easy.
“I play a lot of soccer, so the running was easy,” he said. “I will use my running skills to chase down the terrorists.”
For this Iraqi, applying to become a police officer is not just a stop-over until he finds something else he would rather do.
“I want to do this for the rest of my life,” he said. “Maybe I will become a colonel or a general.”
Smith, a native of Chattanooga, Tenn., was encouraged by the caliber of the men who turned out to protect their own country.
“I really think that some of these guys are going to be good cops,” he said. “They will do a great job of taking over their country. Soon we’ll get to the point where we are supporting them instead of them supporting us.”
A bulldozer and excavator begin to make way for the new forward operating base for the New Iraqi Army in the province of Salah ad Din. The prime contractor, who was issued a notice to proceed Nov. 15, 2004, had a topographical survey crew on site Dec. 27, 2004, and heavy construction equipment started work Jan. 9, 2005. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo.
Iraqi Workers Build Base for New Iraqi Army
The $12.4 million project will provide a permanent base of operation for the Iraqi Army in one of the more hotly-contested provinces of Iraq.
By Nicole Dalrymple U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region Northern District
MOSUL, Iraq, March 25, 2005 — As many as two hundred Iraqi workers are now helping to build a forward operating base for the new Iraqi Army in the province of Salah ad Din. The prime contractor was issued a notice to proceed last November and began working at the site Dec. 27. Until recently, the contractor averaged 45 to 50 employees a day, but now that the more labor-intensive work of setting formwork and rebar and placing concrete has begun, the number of workers has greatly increased.
Construction, which is mapped out for an aggressive 180-day completion period, is just a few weeks behind schedule.
“At first, delays were experienced because of the security situation and the elections,” said C.J. McCann, resident engineer at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Tikrit resident office, which is responsible for the base’s construction. “The contractor has been working really hard to catch up and finish by the scheduled mid-May completion date.”
The Tikrit resident office provides onsite quality assurance representatives to monitor the contractor’s performance and ensure a quality product is built for the Iraqi people.
Two construction representatives trade out on a weekly basis due to the extremely austere living conditions. Despite the difficult living conditions, the resident office personnel are excited to be involved with this project, McCann said. He explained that in the coming weeks, arrangements will be made to permanently station two construction representatives and a project engineer onsite to manage the construction effort.
The $12.4 million project will provide a permanent base of operation for the Iraqi Army in one of the more hotly-contested provinces of Iraq. The site has three pre-existing structures that will be renovated and several new buildings will be constructed.
Currently, workers are renovating the three existing buildings and constructing eight of the 12 new barracks, as well as the new headquarters building. Block and mortar construction is being used for these structures. It’s a labor-intensive construction method that requires more workers, the majority of whom come from surrounding communities.
“At first, delays were experienced because of the security situation and the elections. The contractor has been working really hard to catch up and finish by the scheduled mid-May completion date,” C.J. McCann, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Workers operate the site’s concrete mixer at the location of the new forward operating base for the new Iraqi Army in the province of Salah ad Din. Block and mortar construction is being used to build the base’s new buildings, twelve new barracks, a headquarters, shower and latrine facilities and a dining facility. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo
In addition to the barracks and headquarters building, a dining facility, as well as shower and latrine facilities will be constructed. Site improvements will include a power generation and electrical distribution system, as well as fresh water supply and sewer collection systems. Force protection upgrades will be made to the perimeter security and entry control points. Existing roads will be improved and two new ones built.
The base is being funded by the MultiNational Security Transition Command-Iraq. The command is responsible for getting the Iraqi army, security forces, and border police ready to provide security for Iraq.
“Forward operating bases help the Iraqi forces manage and sustain their forces, and they are instrumental for successful operations,” said Army Capt. Steve Alvarez, with MultiNational Security Transition Command-Iraq.
"Through (MultiNational Security Transition Command-Iraq) advisors, the Iraqis gain valuable support-anything from professional recommendations, to mission essential supplies like ammunition, to back-up response forces. The bases play a significant role in the development and deployment of the Iraqi Security Forces.”
The 23-ton Buffalo is the most recent piece of equipment Operation Iraqi Freedom solders have to defeat improvised explosive devices. It is a heavily-armored vehicle designed for route clearance, giving patrols a closer look at suspected improvised explosive devices. U.S. Army photo
Buffalo Joins Brigade Combat Team Arsenal
The heavily-armored vehicle gives patrols a closer look at suspected improvised explosive devices.
By U.S. Army Spc. Erin Robicheaux 256th Brigade Combat Team Public AffairsThe heavily-armored vehicle gives patrols a closer look at suspected improvised explosive devices.
CAMP TIGERLAND, BAGHDAD, March 24, 2005 — A new addition has been added to the Tiger Brigade family and taken up residence with the 1088th Engineering Battalion. The Buffalo is the most recent equipment to defeat improvised explosive devices and just like its name suggests, the 23-ton machine is made of monstrous proportions, and appears to be virtually unstoppable.
It is a heavily-armored vehicle designed for route clearance, giving patrols a closer look at suspected improvised explosive devices. This way it can be confirmed that an improvised explosive devices is present before bringing an Explosive Ordnance Disposal team onto the scene.
“Once an improvised explosive device is spotted by a route clearance team, it can be investigated without getting physically on the ground to look at it,” U.S. Army 1st Lt. Cecil Piazza
U.S. Army 1st Lt. Cecil Piazza of Company A, 1088th Engineer Battalion, has played an active role in bringing the new addition to the 256th Brigade Combat Team. He explained how the machine works.
“It (the Buffalo) is equipped with a 30-foot extension, called an Ironclaw, which is operated from within the vehicle. Once an improvised explosive device is spotted by a route clearance team, it can be investigated without getting physically on the ground to look at it.”
The operator uses the Ironclaw to probe debris and dirt from around the questionable device and also has an extra set of eyes mounted on top to help decipher the identity of the object. Working hand in hand with a television screen inside the vehicle, a 200X Zoom video camera has a bird’s eye view of everything. According to Spc. Chris Johnson from Iowa, La., it has the capability to help the crew see clearly.
“Yesterday I was familiarizing myself with the camera, and I zoomed in on a soldier who was working in that building over there in the motor pool.”
The building in question was more than 150 yards away.
The Buffalo seats six, with the driver and operator at the front and the four remaining soldiers behind them designated for “eyes.” The crew is seated about 10 to 12 feet off of the ground and will also have access to an extra set of searchlights that are maneuvered from inside the vehicle. With the lights, the camera, and the 30- foot “arm,” they will be able to search anywhere they feel there is a threat.
Piazza says he and his men received a course on the specifications and operations of the Buffalo. They were trained by the 458th Engineers and received classroom instruction, as well as on-the-job training. They were afforded the opportunity to go with the team on missions, and about 75 percent of what they learned was from actually conducting route clearance in the area of operation. Since his unit’s main mission has been to escort Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel, Piazza feels that there is no one better for the job than he and his men.
“We know every single route in the brigade’s area of operation,” he said, “we know the trends, and we know the patterns and habits like the backs of our hands.”
Based on the intelligence gathered through patrol debriefings and information sent down to the company level, the Buffalo will be tasked out to the desired patrols. This is the most recent example of the Tiger Brigade receiving the latest high-tech equipment to help battle the war on terror. The Buffalo’s purpose is to keep soldiers protected from improvised explosive devices. Piazza and the A Company soldiers will accompany the patrolling units, and he has faith that this will prove to be a viable asset.
“In light of the activity and tragedies in December and January, the Buffalo will be a great asset and resource for the brigade to have,” he said.
U.S. Army Maj. Stewart Stanton, assigned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and members of 155th Brigade Combat Team speak with contractors while inspecting the reconstruction efforts to the Babylon Police Station in Babil, Iraq, March 21, 2005. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working together with the people of Iraq during the repair and construction of several Iraqi Police stations and schools throughout the Babil Province. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Petty Officer Edward Martens
Iraqi construction workers build a wall during the reconstruction efforts to the Al Hillah SWAT Headquarters in Babil, Iraq, March 21, 2005. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working together with the people of Iraq during the repair and construction of several Iraqi Police stations and schools throughout the Babil Province. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Petty Officer Edward Martens
U.S. Army Maj. Stewart Stanton, assigned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and members of 155th Brigade Combat Team speak with contractors while inspecting the reconstruction efforts to the Babylon Police Station in Babil, Iraq, March 21, 2005. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working together with the people of Iraq during the repair and construction of several Iraqi Police stations and schools throughout the Babil Province. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Petty Officer Edward Martens
Members of the U.S. Army 155th Brigade Combat Team stand security at the Al Hillah SWAT Headquarters as U.S. Army Maj. Stewart Stanton, assigned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, speaks with contractors while inspecting the reconstruction efforts in Babil, Iraq, March 21, 2005. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working together with the people of Iraq during the repair and construction of several Iraqi Police stations and schools throughout the Babil Province. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Petty Officer Edward Martens
A U.S. Army soldier, assigned to the 155th Brigade Combat Team, mans the gun turret on a humvee during a convoy to inspect the progress of several reconstruction sites in Babil, Iraq, March 21, 2005. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working together with the people of Iraq during the repair and construction of several Iraqi Police stations and schools throughout the Babil Province. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Petty Officer Edward Martens
U.S. Army Maj. Stewart Stanton, assigned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and soldiers assigned to the 155th Brigade Combat Team speak with contractors while inspecting the reconstruction efforts to the Babylon Police Station in Babil, Iraq, March 21, 2005. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working together with the people of Iraq during the repair and construction of several Iraqi Police stations and schools throughout the Babil Province. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Petty Officer Edward Martens
British soldiers help unload toys at an orphanage in Basrah, Iraq, on March 13, 2005. The British soldiers have collected toys and clothing from the towns in England for donations to the Iraqis. The soldiers are deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Kelly Burkhart
British soldiers help unload toys at an orphanage in Basrah, Iraq, on March 13, 2005. The British soldiers have collected toys and clothing from the towns in England for donations to the Iraqis. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Kelly Burkhart
British soldiers meet with children at a local orphanage in Basrah, Iraq, on March 13, 2005. The British soldiers have collected toys and clothing from the towns in England for donations to the Iraqis. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Kelly Burkhart
British soldiers hand out toys and clothes to children at a local orphanage in Basrah, Iraq, on March 13, 2005. The British soldiers have collected toys and clothing from the towns in England for donations to the Iraqis. The soldiers are deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Kelly Burkhart
A British soldier poses for a photo with one of the children at a local orphanage in Basrah, Iraq, on March 13, 2005. The British soldiers have collected toys and clothing from the towns in England for donations to the Iraqis. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Kelly Burkhart
British soldiers hand out toys and clothes to children at a local orphanage in Basrah, Iraq, on March 13, 2005. The British soldiers have collected toys and clothing from the towns in England for donations to the Iraqis. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Kelly Burkhart
By MARIAM FAM, Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD - Insurgents reasserted themselves in a spasm of deadly attacks after days of reported setbacks, killing 17 Iraqi security forces in four separate car bombings, gunning down five Iraqi women working for American troops and assassinating a senior Iraqi military official, authorities said Friday.
In an effort to counter support for the insurgency among minority Sunni Arabs, the interim government's deputy prime minister, Barham Saleh, said negotiators had intensified efforts to include the Sunnis in the still-to-be-formed government.
But the attempt has caused delays in agreeing on a new leadership, prompting public frustration.
"It is not acceptable that two months on from the elections, that Iraq does not have a transitional government yet," Saleh told The Associated Press in an interview. "We are under pressure, and we have to respond to public sentiment and have a government established as soon as possible."
And as the negotiations dragged on, insurgents bent on stopping the creation of a new leadership intensified attacks on Iraqi security forces, whose deployment and success are seen as the key to an eventual American withdrawal.
Twin suicide car bombings Friday in Iskandriyah, 30 miles south of Baghdad, targeted an Iraqi army convoy and police barracks, killing four policemen, two civilians and an Iraqi soldier, police officials said. Eight other members of the security forces and 15 civilians were injured.
Another suicide car bombing Friday targeted an Iraqi convoy south of Baghdad and killed one Iraqi soldier and wounded four others, police said.
Late Thursday at a checkpoint in the central city of Ramadi, a white sedan was blown up, killing 11 Iraqi soldiers and wounding 14 people — including two U.S. Army soldiers, nine Iraqi security forces, and three civilians — the U.S. military said. The Islamic Army in Iraq posted an Internet statement claiming responsibility.
A second car bomb exploded Friday in the city center, targeting a U.S.-Iraqi convoy. The two insurgents in the car were killed, but no one else was hurt.
In Baghdad on Friday, unknown gunmen assassinated Col. Salman Muhammad Hassan, who helped lead an Iraqi Army division based in the southern city of Basra, and wounded two of his sons as they left a relative's funeral in Baghdad, security officials said. Police also said Friday they found two decapitated bodies clad in Iraqi army uniforms a day earlier on a road north of the capital.
Along a road near Kirkuk, attackers ambushed a Defense Ministry officer, identified only as Col. Sarajeddin, and kidnapped him, Iraqi army Maj. Gen. Anwar Mohammed Amin said.
In Baghdad on Thursday, five women translators who worked for the U.S. military were gunned down by insurgents as they returned home from work, police Capt. Ahmed Aboud said.
Near Abu Ghraib, firefighters worked to extinguish an oil-pipeline blaze ignited by insurgent bombs. The conduit connects Iraq's northern oil fields with a Baghdad-area refinery.
The U.S. military said four insurgents were killed and two were detained during an attempted ambush in the northern city of Mosul.
Still, the reported gains against militants have been impossible to verify, including the Iraqi government's claim that it killed 85 insurgents Tuesday during a raid on a suspected training camp.
The U.S. military, which participated in the raid, refused to confirm the death toll, and Army Maj. Richard Goldenberg, a 42nd Infantry Division spokesman, said many militants in the camp fled carrying casualties.
On the political front, Iraqi lawmakers had repeatedly delayed calling a second session of the National Assembly that first met March 16, a month and a half after they were elected. The next session is tentatively set for Tuesday, said Jawad al-Maliki, a negotiator from the Shiite-led United Iraqi Alliance.
Saleh said the meeting likely would focus on electing a speaker, although it hadn't been decided yet if the president — expected to be Jalal Talabani, a Kurdish leader — would be announced. The prime minister is expected to be Ibrahim al-Jaafari, a politician from Iraq's Shiite Arab majority.
Shiite and Kurdish officials are considering giving Sunnis the parliament speaker post, one of the two deputy presidents, and possibly the Defense Ministry.
Saleh said the Kurds were expected to take at least eight ministries in the new government, including the Foreign Ministry. Both the Kurds and the alliance are interested in the Oil Ministry, but Saleh said no decision had yet been made.
He also said that trials of some members of the former regime could start as early as a month from now. "You may well see trials starting in the next four to six weeks, actual trials," he said.
___
Qasim Abdul-Zahra contributed to this report from Baghdad.
In this image made available by the US Army soldiers provide medical assistance to a wounded 'insurgent' after a group attacked a supply convoy March 20 about 18 miles southeast of Baghdad. The soldiers successfully defended the convoy and defeated the insurgents, killing 27, wounding six and capturing one(AFP/US Army/File)
In this image made available 23 March 2005,Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester, team leader, 4th Platoon, 617th Military Police Company, 503rd MP Battalion, 18th MP Brigade, stands in front of a captured weapons cache after her squad repelled an insurgent attack on a Coalition supply convoy March 20 about 18 miles southeast of Baghdad.(AFP/US Army-HO)
In this photo released by the U.S. Army Wednesday, March 23, 2005, U.S. Army U.S. Army 503rd MP Battalion, 18th MP Brigade Sgt. 1st Class Marshall P. Ware, of Lexington, KY, poses with a cache of insurgent weapons recovered after an insurgent attack on a supply convoy March 20, about 18 miles southeast of Baghdad. Seventeen insurgents were killed in the battle. (AP Photo/U.S. Army, SPC Casey Cooper)
Fri Mar 25,11:03 PM ET
By DOUGLASS K. DANIEL, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - U.S. military guards discovered a 600-foot tunnel — dug with makeshift tools — leading out of the main prison facility for detainees in Iraq before anyone had the opportunity to escape, officials said Friday.
The tunnel at Camp Bucca was 12 to 15 feet deep and as wide as 3 feet and had reached beyond the compound fence, said Army Maj. Flora Lee, a spokeswoman at the Army's Combined Press Information Center in Iraq said by telephone. She did not know when guards discovered the tunnel.
Camp Bucca holds 6,049 detainees, nearly two-thirds of all those in Iraq, Lee said. Situated near the southern city of Umm Qasr, it is one of three detainee facilities in Iraq.
A bucket cut from a water container and a shovel made of tent material were used to dig the tunnel, Lee said. The opening was under a floorboard of the compound and was concealed with dirt.
Authorities in charge of the compound realized a tunnel was under way after they found dirt in latrines and other places, Lee said. It may have been the most extensive effort aimed at a mass escape, she said.
"I'm not aware of any other instances where this has happened," Lee said. "There have been a few other attempts at digging a tunnel but nothing of this size."
U.S. guards fired on prisoners during a riot at Camp Bucca on Jan. 31, killing four detainees and injuring six others.
The guard detachment at Camp Bucca includes military police of the 105th Military Police Battalion and Air Force security forces personnel with the 586th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, she said.
Smoke billows from a fire set by looters in Bishkek.The United States said it would work with the new leadership in Kyrgyzstan to restore order but stopped short of withdrawing recognition from the deposed president vowing to reclaim power.(AFP/Alexander Nemenov)
Police Fight to Impose Order in Kyrgyzstan
A Belarusian police officer detain demonstrators as police in riot gear disperse protesters in downtown Minsk, Belarus, Friday, March 25, 2005. About 1,000 pro-democracy protesters tried to gather Friday near the palace of President Alexander Lukashenko, claiming to be emulating the popular uprising in fellow ex-Soviet republic Kyrgyzstan, but they were beaten and dispersed by police in riot gear, and several dozen were arrested. (AP Photo/Dmitry Brushko)
Fri Mar 25, 8:55 PM ET
PARIS - A group sent parts of bomb detonators to President Jacques Chirac and the Interior Ministry, threatening to carry out attacks unless it was paid off, authorities said Friday.
The identical letters, signed by a group calling itself AZF, were received Thursday. They carried threats of striking in May, the prosecutor's office said.
Officials did not disclose the specific nature of the threatened attacks or the amount of payment demanded.
The office said that each letter was posted in France and contained pieces of detonators.
Investigators were analyzing the letters and attempting to identify the group and stop it from acting, it said.
Threats from AZF last year led to a massive search of 19,885 miles of train track for explosives after the group indicated the location of one device buried under a track. Last year's letters demanded a payment of $2 million.
In July, letters signed by AZF were sent to eight multinational food and cosmetics companies, threatening to poison their products if they didn't each pay $1.35 million each. No evidence of a poison plot was found.
Saturday, March 26, 2005:
By EDWARD HARRIS
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A car bomb struck a U.S. military patrol Saturday in the Iraqi capital, killing two U.S. soldiers and injuring two others, and a Marine died in action in a restive central province, the military said.
Earlier military officials said they had discovered a 600-foot tunnel leading out of the main prison facility for detainees in Iraq. No one had escaped, said an Army spokeswoman, Maj. Flora Lee. She did not know when guards discovered the tunnel.
Camp Bucca holds 6,049 detainees, nearly two-thirds of all those in Iraq, Lee said late Friday. Situated near the southern city of Umm Qasr, it is one of three detainee facilities in Iraq.
A bucket cut from a water container and a shovel made of tent material were used to dig the tunnel, Lee said. The opening was under a floorboard of the compound and was concealed with dirt.
Authorities in charge of the compound realized a tunnel was under way after they found dirt in latrines and other places, Lee said.
"There have been a few other attempts at digging a tunnel but nothing of this size," she said.
U.S. guards fired on prisoners during a riot at Camp Bucca on Jan. 31, killing four detainees and injuring six others.
Also Saturday, a senior Iraqi defense ministry official said Iraqi troops backed by U.S. forces detained 121 suspected insurgents and uncovered a massive weapons cache _ including car bombs, mortar rounds and machine guns _ during a joint raid at Musayyib, south of Baghdad.
Neither a U.S. military spokesman nor an Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman was able to confirm the operation at Musayyib, 40 miles south of Baghdad.
Some of the suspected guerrillas planned to attack Shiite Muslims expected to head in the coming days to an annual religious celebration in the nearby city of Karbala, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
There were no injuries to any U.S. troops or Iraqi security forces, the official said, and no word on any casualties among the suspected insurgents.
The names of the U.S. troops slain Saturday were not immediately released, and no other details were given on the car bombing.
The military also announced Saturday that a Marine was killed a day earlier in strife-torn Anbar province, a heavily Sunni Arab region west of Baghdad that contains the flashpoint cities of Fallujah and Ramadi.
No further details were given of the death of the Marine, assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.
As of Friday, at least 1,524 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
On Iraq's political front, the interim government's deputy prime minister, Barham Saleh, said Friday that negotiators are intensifying efforts to bring in the country's Sunni Arabs, believed to form the core of Iraq's rebellion. That has caused delays, leading to public frustration with the nascent political process.
"It is not acceptable that two months on from the elections, that Iraq does not have a transitional government yet," Saleh told The Associated Press in an interview. "We are under pressure, and we have to respond to public sentiment and have a government established as soon as possible."
Jawad al-Maliki, a negotiator from the Shiite-led United Iraqi Alliance, said Shiite and Kurdish officials agreed to hold their second National Assembly session on Tuesday.
Since holding their first session on March 16, lawmakers elected in Jan. 30 elections have repeatedly postponed a second meeting because of ongoing negotiations over the make up of the government.
Insurgents trying to undermine the formation of a new government, meanwhile, seemed to intensify their attacks, carrying out four suicide car bombings across Iraq that killed 17 Iraqi security officials and two civilians. Militants have stepped up attacks against Iraqi police and soldiers who are key to an eventual U.S. withdrawal.
Twin suicide car bombings Friday in Iskandriyah, 30 miles south of Baghdad, targeted an Iraqi army convoy and police barracks and killed four policemen, two civilians and an Iraqi soldier, police officials said. Eight other members of the security forces and 15 civilians were injured.
Another suicide car bombing Friday targeted an Iraqi convoy south of Baghdad and left one Iraqi soldier dead and four others injured, police Capt. Muthama Abdul Rida said.
Late Thursday at a checkpoint in the central city of Ramadi, a white sedan was blown up, killing 11 Iraqi soldiers and injuring 14 people, the U.S. military said. The Islamic Army in Iraq posted a statement on the Ansar Web site claiming responsibility.
Another car bomb exploded Friday in the city's center. It targeted a U.S.-Iraqi convoy, but only killed the two attackers in the car.
In Baghdad on Friday, gunmen killed Col. Salman Muhammad Hassan and injured two of his sons as they left a relative's funeral in Baghdad, security officials said. Police also said Friday they found two decapitated bodies clad in Iraqi army uniforms a day earlier on a road north of Baghdad.
Associated Press writer Douglass K. Daniel contributed to this report from Washington, D.C.
Good morning Gucho and everyone
By Michael Steen BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (Reuters) - Kyrgyzstan's ousted interior minister led thousands of demonstrators toward the capital on Saturday to protest against the coup that overthrew President Askar Akayev, warning there was a risk of civil war.
The new leadership, which swept to power in the lighting coup Thursday after mass protests, declared it was firmly in control of the mountainous ex-Soviet state.
But acting President Kurmanbek Bakiev had to switch the venue of a news conference because officials heard word of a possible plot to kill him.
Ignoring the exiled Akayev's refusal to resign, parliament set June 26 for a new presidential election in the central Asian nation. Bakiev said he would run in the election.
The new leader, who has criticized Akayev for fleeing the country when it was in crisis, said he had been as surprised as anybody by the speed of events.
"It didn't enter my head that this could happen. God forbid that anyone should come to power in this way. I am not a supporter of such things, but what happened."
He vowed to act against the protesters coming to Bishkek.
"They are provocateurs who do not want to see stability in Bishkek. But our security agents are working on this. We will soon deal with the agitators."
PROTESTERS SET OFF
About 3,000 people have set off from Akayev's home region of Chym Korgon, some 90 km (55 miles) outside the capital.
"They may get there today. They may get there tomorrow, but the important thing is they will go there," protest leader Keneshbek Dushebayev, appointed interior minister by Akayev just before he was ousted, told Reuters.
"The country is virtually split and everything is in place for a civil war."
But there was confusion over the aims of the protesters.
Some had posters saying "No to the coup!" and "The people of Kyrgyzstan are one nation!." Other placards read: "We support general Kulov," referring to opposition leader Felix Kulov.
One man, Rustam Ibraimov, 24, said: "We do not support President Akayev, but the change of power should have been carried out according to the law."
Kulov, put in charge of security just days after crowds freed him from jail, insisted the country was now orderly.
"The situation is fully under control. We do not need a curfew," said Kulov, who was prominent in opposing Akayev.
Bishkek was quiet Saturday with little sign of the violence, looting and destruction that swept the city after Thursday's mass protests brought a sudden end to Akayev's 14-year rule of the mainly Muslim country of 5 million.
WANING ENTHUSIASM
But there was also little left of the early enthusiasm which had first greeted the collapse of the old government.
"I fear it will be worse because there is instability," said Alexander Shirbina, a 57-year-old photographer. "Under Akayev things were not great. But they should have waited until an election to get rid of him. A coup is no good."
Aslan, a shepherd in the village of Chym Korgon said: "I myself am not fond of Akayev but I wanted everything to be done in a democratic way. What we see now in Bishkek is pure lawlessness and is far removed from the constitution."
Crucially for the opposition, Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to have given his blessing to the new leadership.
"He was very interested in what sort of help is needed. We are very grateful to the Russian leadership," Bakiev told parliament after speaking to Putin by phone Friday.
Putin had earlier offered sanctuary to Akayev. He is widely reported to have already arrived in Russia.
Bakiev said Kyrgyzstan, where most people survive on a dollar a day, desperately needed foreign assistance.
"We need help from the outside. Soon, we will have nothing to feed the people with," he said, adding that he hoped Russia would help with fuel supplies.
The overthrow of Akayev, a relative liberal in a region of mainly autocratic leaders, followed weeks of protest throughout the country, especially in the poorer south.
The new leadership is made up of a loosely united opposition that includes many former government officials who have been at odds with one another in the past.
One of the immediate challenges is how to operate in a country with two sets of members of parliament -- from an outgoing assembly, which says it is still in charge, and a second, more strongly pro-Akayev group elected in polls in February and March which the opposition said were fraudulent.
Kyrgyzstan, bordering China, lies in an energy-rich region where Washington and Moscow vie for influence. Each has a military base outside Bishkek. March 26 (Reuters) -- Kyrgyzstan's ousted interior minister led thousands of demonstrators toward the capital on Saturday to protest against the coup that overthrew President Askar Akayev, warning there was a risk of civil war.
The new leadership, which swept to power in the lighting coup Thursday after mass protests, declared it was firmly in control of the mountainous ex-Soviet state.
But acting President Kurmanbek Bakiev had to switch the venue of a news conference because officials heard word of a possible plot to kill him.
Ignoring the exiled Akayev's refusal to resign, parliament set June 26 for a new presidential election in the central Asian nation. Bakiev said he would run in the election.
The new leader, who has criticized Akayev for fleeing the country when it was in crisis, said he had been as surprised as anybody by the speed of events.
"It didn't enter my head that this could happen. God forbid that anyone should come to power in this way. I am not a supporter of such things, but what happened."
He vowed to act against the protesters coming to Bishkek. "They are provocateurs who do not want to see stability in Bishkek. But our security agents are working on this. We will soon deal with the agitators."
PROTESTERS SET OFF
About 3,000 people have set off from Akayev's home region of Chym Korgon, some 90 km (55 miles) outside the capital.
"They may get there today. They may get there tomorrow, but the important thing is they will go there," protest leader Keneshbek Dushebayev, appointed interior minister by Akayev just before he was ousted, told Reuters.
"The country is virtually split and everything is in place for a civil war."
But there was confusion over the aims of the protesters.
Some had posters saying "No to the coup!" and "The people of Kyrgyzstan are one nation!." Other placards read: "We support general Kulov," referring to opposition leader Felix Kulov.
One man, Rustam Ibraimov, 24, said: "We do not support President Akayev, but the change of power should have been carried out according to the law."
Kulov, put in charge of security just days after crowds freed him from jail, insisted the country was now orderly.
"The situation is fully under control. We do not need a curfew," said Kulov, who was prominent in opposing Akayev.
Bishkek was quiet Saturday with little sign of the violence, looting and destruction that swept the city after Thursday's mass protests brought a sudden end to Akayev's 14-year rule of the mainly Muslim country of 5 million.
WANING ENTHUSIASM
But there was also little left of the early enthusiasm which had first greeted the collapse of the old government.
"I fear it will be worse because there is instability," said Alexander Shirbina, a 57-year-old photographer. "Under Akayev things were not great. But they should have waited until an election to get rid of him. A coup is no good."
Aslan, a shepherd in the village of Chym Korgon said: "I myself am not fond of Akayev but I wanted everything to be done in a democratic way. What we see now in Bishkek is pure lawlessness and is far removed from the constitution."
Crucially for the opposition, Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to have given his blessing to the new leadership.
"He was very interested in what sort of help is needed. We are very grateful to the Russian leadership," Bakiev told parliament after speaking to Putin by phone Friday.
Putin had earlier offered sanctuary to Akayev. He is widely reported to have already arrived in Russia.
Bakiev said Kyrgyzstan, where most people survive on a dollar a day, desperately needed foreign assistance.
"We need help from the outside. Soon, we will have nothing to feed the people with," he said, adding that he hoped Russia would help with fuel supplies.
The overthrow of Akayev, a relative liberal in a region of mainly autocratic leaders, followed weeks of protest throughout the country, especially in the poorer south.
The new leadership is made up of a loosely united opposition that includes many former government officials who have been at odds with one another in the past.
One of the immediate challenges is how to operate in a country with two sets of members of parliament -- from an outgoing assembly, which says it is still in charge, and a second, more strongly pro-Akayev group elected in polls in February and March which the opposition said were fraudulent.
Kyrgyzstan, bordering China, lies in an energy-rich region where Washington and Moscow vie for influence. Each has a military base outside Bishkek.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.