Joint U.S.-Iraqi Security Operations Fighting Terrorists in Iraq

American Forces Press Service ^ | Aug 6, 2005 | unattributed

[SandRat]

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6, 2005 – Iraqi security forces, backed by U.S. troops, have seized the offensive in a series of ongoing counterterrorism operations in Iraq, according to U.S. military officials. Iraqi soldiers and U.S. Marines from Regimental Combat Team 2 destroyed three car bombs while conducting cordon-and-search operations in the western Iraqi city of Haqliniyah today.

The soldiers and Marines are participating in Operation Quick Strike. They acted on a tip from a local citizen, officials said. The citizen reportedly informed the Marines that three parked vehicles were laden with explosives and ready to be used as car bombs.

Iraqi soldiers and U.S. Marines secured the area and shot the vehicles with main tank-gun rounds, destroying all three vehicles and setting off secondary explosions, officials said.

The soldiers and Marines also discovered two weapons caches in caves outside of Haqliniyah today. The caves are near the Euphrates River bank and several hundred meters apart. According to the Marines, they are only large enough to hide a person and a small cache.

The first cave reportedly was found at 9:00 a.m. It contained a rocket-propelled-grenade launcher, medium machine gun, several assault rifles, and bomb-making material, the Marines said. The second cave contained 155 mm artillery rounds and a propane tank -- items, they noted, that are commonly used for bomb construction.

The Marines detained 24 suspected terrorists for questioning.

Also during Operation Quick Strike today, Iraqi soldiers and U.S. Marines discovered two roadside bombs buried alongside the main road south of Haditha. An EOD team safely detonated the bombs without suffering any casualties or damage, officials said.

Operation Quick Strike is designed to interdict and disrupt terrorist operations in western Iraq, near the cities of Haditha, Haqliniyah, and Barwanah. According to the Marines, intelligence gathered by coalition forces during recent operations confirms that terrorists are operating in these cities and in surrounding areas.

Civilian services, such as water and power, are not being disrupted because of Operation Quick Strike, the Marines said.

A joint U.S-Iraqi raid in Sharmiyah Aug. 5 resulted in the capture of 39 suspected terrorists, including some key local terrorist leaders. Eight of the 39 terrorist suspects were detained at the Mudjaherin al Ansar mosque by a specially trained Iraqi Police unit. The mosque was not damaged in the operation, officials said.

The remaining 31 terrorist suspects were detained during a cordon-and-knock operation by U.S. soldiers from the 150th Engineer Battalion, 155th Brigade Combat Team (BCT), 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward). The 155th BCT is a U.S. Army unit assigned to the 2nd MEF (Forward) for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The 155th BCT also recently seized and destroyed munitions from two weapons caches identified by Iraqi police, officials said. The Soldiers also detained three suspected terrorists. Among the seized and destroyed munitions: 1,427 artillery rounds, 50 37 mm anti-aircraft rounds, two 107 mm rockets, and two mortar rounds.

Similarly, in Bauqbah Aug. 5, Iraqi security forces neutralized five improvised explosive devices. One of the IEDs was identified by Iraqi army soldiers, who immediately secured the area. An Iraqi explosive ordnance disposal team then destroyed the IED.

Iraqi Police discovered the remaining four IEDs. These IEDs, made from 155 mm artillery rounds, were removed by an Iraqi EOD team and then transported to a disposal facility. No injuries or damages were reported during the operations, officials said.

Meanwhile, in Baghdad Aug. 5, Iraqi security forces reportedly detained 45 suspected terrorists during Operation Vanguard Thunder. Participating Iraqi army soldiers and police officers were assisted by elements of the 184th U.S. Infantry Regiment. Operation Vanguard Thunder is targeting 150-200 terrorist suspects. No injuries or damages were reported during these operations, officials said.

Iraqi army and Task Force Baghdad soldiers worked together to capture five terror suspects in three separate combat operations carried out in southern, western and northern Baghdad Aug. 4.

Just after 4 a.m., coalition forces on patrol saw a poster that read "Kill Americans" prominently displayed on a house in southern Baghdad. The soldiers searched the house and found weapons and a large amount of ammunition. The patrol also found shotgun shells and body armor hidden inside the house. Two occupants in the house were taken into custody for questioning.

An hour later, Iraqi soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Iraqi Army Brigade teamed up with U.S. soldiers to raid a suspected terrorist safe house in western Baghdad. After the combined patrol arrived at the house, two suspects ran out of the residence, trying to elude the soldiers and were captured.

The suspects are thought to be involved in a plot to assassinate Iraqi government officials.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Task Force Baghdad news releases.)

[SandRat]

ping

[MinorityRepublican]

bump for a later read~

[SeenTheLights Mom]

"coalition forces on patrol saw a poster that read "Kill Americans" prominently displayed on a house in southern Baghdad. The soldiers searched the house and found weapons and a large amount of ammunition. The patrol also found shotgun shells and body armor hidden inside the house. Two occupants in the house were taken into custody for questioning."

Darwin award.:)

[Jedidah]

US Military appreciation:

http://www.clermontyellow.accountsupport.com/flash/UntilThen.swf

[bnelson44]

"Just after 4 a.m., coalition forces on patrol saw a poster that read "Kill Americans" prominently displayed on a house in southern Baghdad. The soldiers searched the house and found weapons and a large amount of ammunition. The patrol also found shotgun shells and body armor hidden inside the house. Two occupants in the house were taken into custody for questioning. "

Some people are just plain stupid!

[DuckFan4ever]

How do these terrorists keep coming up with all these mortar rounds and other weapons? Which country is supplying them? If we don't find out and put an end to the supply of munitions, that place will never get secured.

[McGavin999]

Sounds like they are really rolling them up. I think some of the biggest construction contracts are going to go to building massive prison complexes. At least they will be better off than the prisons Saddam kept them in.

[SandRat]

"Just after 4 a.m., coalition forces on patrol saw a poster that read "Kill Americans" prominently displayed on a house in southern Baghdad. The soldiers searched the house and found weapons and a large amount of ammunition. The patrol also found shotgun shells and body armor hidden inside the house. Two occupants in the house were taken into custody for questioning. "

Some people are just plain stupid!

Wonder if the MArines left this behind

[TomasUSMC]

If we don't find out and put an end to the supply of munitions, that place will never get secured.

---

You said it.

Why are we being limited to fighting with Vietnam rules. Worse actually because, in Vietnam we ran ops and bombed some of the Sanctuaries that our Presidents let the enemy have. Today, our President Bush, refuses to attack the enemy, if they run back into Syria or Iran. He refuses to do anything at all against these countries who are every week, supplying more and more sophisticated killing devices to the terrorist.

In Vietnam, at least our President could say that they were afraid of bringing into the war, the two Superpowers that were supporting the Communist. Today, President Bush has no excuse. There is no Superpower supporting the Muslim Terrorist!

Semper Fi

Tagline:

[TomasUSMC]

Wonder if the MArines left this behind

---

UUUUUUURRRRRRRRAAAAAHHHHHH.

[MNJohnnie]

Can you add me to this ping list?

[MNJohnnie]

How do these terrorists keep coming up with all these mortar rounds and other weapons? Which country is supplying them? If we don't find out and put an end to the supply of munitions, that place will never get secured.



Prior to the 2003 Liberation, Iraq was probably the worlds largest Munitions dump. God knows how many stockpiles there are hidden all over the country. Then there is the problem of smuggling. Can we stop the flow of drugs into this country despite spending billions? NO! The idea that we can simply "seal the borders" is nonsense. As emotionally painful as it is for most American's to deal with, there are no quick, easy solutions here. Unlike Hollywood movies, real life does lend itself to easy, simple solutions so that everything is wrapped up in 2 hours with a happy ending. Providing security while the Iraqis get organized is what we are going to have to do. Counter Insurgency (or more accurately counter Terrorist) ops are one of the most difficult jobs we ask our troops to do. That means we have to go in and find the terrorists. See, we WANT them fighting our Military in Iraq, not hiding out in camps planning the next 9-11.

[MNJohnnie]

In Vietnam, at least our President could say that they were afraid of bringing into the war, the two Superpowers that were supporting the Communist. Today, President Bush has no excuse. There is no Superpower supporting the Muslim Terrorist!


Excuse me, your heart is in the right place Marine but your grasp of strategy is lacking. You are applying a Conventional military solution to an unconventional operations issue. It will not work. What you advocate is a prescription for operational overreach. To start with, what are you going to attack in Iran and Syria? There are no big sprawling camps that scream "I'm a terrorist hotel, bomb me". The terrorists hide out in the indgie population. So what do we do, just bomb them all and hope we hit the terrorists?

What most American's do not seem to grasp is this is a much different war then Vietnam. Frankly to be honest, I am sick of how some Americans try to make an analogy to Vietnam out of EVERTHING. The difference between Iraq and Vietnam are so complete I should write book about it. Vietnam was a fight between 2 conventional forces with know lines of supply and base areas. Iraq is a war between an unlawful force against a conventional military. Our foes here have covert supply lines and covert base areas. We have to FIND the targets before we can bomb anything. In fact we probably do not want to. You think of Syria as one giant Ho Chi Min trail, it isn't. The proper analogy for Syria is the processing chute of a slaughter house. In a slaughter house, cattle are gathered from a widely diverse geographical area and moved down the chute for slaughter

Here read this.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1439221/posts

The basic thing to keep in mind is that Iraq is a roach motel for terrorists. They check in, they do not check out.
Since we cannot go everywhere the Terrorists hide. So after Afghanistan, we need to set up a kill zone on ground the Terrorist would have to fight on for political reasons (the "holy" land of the Arabian peninsula)with their weakness asset (the ability to project conventional military power) would be pitted against our strength (firepower, firepower, firepower) and we could recruit large numbers of indigenous allies (various Iraq national and tribal groups)to aid in the fighting. The problem it is a slow strategy to work and we Americans want to "get there firstest with the mostest" kill the baddies and go the hell home as soon as possible. Problem is that will not work in this type of operation.

[Marine_Uncle]

" I think some of the biggest construction contracts are going to go to building massive prison complexes."

Those are now being constructed according to an article we read at FR about a month back. Three large prisons that will comfortably hold at least 50,000 if my memory serves me correct. Perhaps Fruit of the Loom can set up a factory in Iraq to start mass producing womens panties for the Iraqi guards to use on the scumbags once the facilities are finished and they start receiving their new inmates.

[Marine_Uncle]

Somehow you got to start thinking a bit different. It does you no good. Your heart is with the Corps. and you like we all hate to hear even one news report of any US service person WIA, or worse. But surely with all the communications we all have shared, so many articles, many from more reputable sources such as mil sites, that show how we are taking the fight to the scumbags, when our HUMIT finds them, has to tell you that our guys are doing the best they can. Syria and Iran would at best be difficult to just send in ground units without a prior total air war, we would have to take out all their air defense grids, all their communications, take out their airforces, then once they do not have the capability in any form to attack our ground elements by air, move perhaps a division into each country.
Think about it. And like others have said. And I have shared with you in the past, how do you find where all the scumbags are. Do you lay waste to the entire country, kill off some thirty or forty million people by destroying all their towns and cities, to kill off a few thousand in-transit terrorist? Think about that. Then again, perhaps you just don't know what else to say. And that is OK. I salute you sir for your prior services. I am sure you served with honor and integrity.

Semper Fi.

[TomasUSMC]

Then again, perhaps you just don't know what else to say.

---

Syria and Iran would at best be difficult to just send in ground units without a prior total air war, we would have to take out all their air defense grids, all their communications, take out their airforces, then once they do not have the capability in any form to attack our ground elements by air, move perhaps a division into each country.
Think about it.

---

Step by Step.
You tell Syria to control its borders and renounce terror.

They don't

You Nuke the Syrians.

Repeat as necessary.

When you finish with Syria go to Iran.

Terror stops one way or the other.

I'm glad to share this with you on such a special day.

Now if the President doesn't have the cojones Truman did, we could go the conventional route that you outlined above. Take out 20,000 of our troops from Iraq and send them into Syria after you wipe out their airforce and air defense.

Otherwise we can continue the Vietnam replay for the next 10 to 12 years( according to Rummy),and continue supporting President Bush's policy of allowing terrorists sanctuary in Syria and Iran.

Our troops are the greatest, our President Bush treats them like cannon fodder.
We have taken longer to beat a bunch of punks with RPGs than it took to beat tens of millions of professional German and Japanese troops and thousands of planes ships and tanks.

Tagline:

[TomasUSMC]

The terrorists hide out in the indgie population. So what do we do, just bomb them all and hope we hit the terrorists?

---

No. We bomb the Government, in this case Syria and or Iran, to such an extent that the Government sees the benefits of killing the terrorist. Then they go and hunt them down among the indgie population. We blast them hard enough and they will get the message. Either that or they all will die.

You state that the Vietnam war was between two conventional forces? When did the North Vietnamese have planes, ships? They didn't even have tanks till the Tet Offensive of 1968? You say that the enemy in Vietnam had lines of supply and base areas, exactly, they were mostly in Laos and Cambodia and the DMZ and North Vietnam. Today the enemy has them in Syria and Iran.

You say - The proper analogy for Syria is the processing chute of a slaughter house. Well there is a slaughter going on for sure, and our troops are suffering part of it, they are now being blown to bits by shaped charged IEDs being brought over from Syria and Iran. They are having to fight an enemy that can go back and forth to Syria and Iran with impunity - just like Vietnam. Over 19,000 GIs have been evacuated from Iraq so far, including over 1800 dead.

And don't be fooled by the 20 or 30 to 1 body count in our favor. In Vietnam we had the same ratios. They can afford to lose 30 to 1, we can't.

Now 30,000 to 1, that would be a deterrent for Osama. 30 to 1 is not.

And the question of whether time is on our side or not, I answer with the fact that Pakistan already has nukes, and tried to give nuclear technology to other militant Islamic countries, not to mention what Iran is doing now. Matter of fact, the reason we don't go after Osama is because Pakistan has Nukes. No, I say time is NOT on our side.

Well thats the way I see it. Thanks for the feedback

Semper Fi.

[blackie]

Working together and killing bad guys ~ Bump!