Operation Phantom Fury--Day 443 - Now Operations River Blitz; Matador--Day 338

Military Culture Must Change to Fight 'Long War'

By Jim Garamone - American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2006 – As the United States confronts terrorism, military personnel have to make a cultural shift as they fight what officials now call "the Long War," senior DoD officials said.

Army Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, the assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in an interview that the generation of servicemembers entering the military today must focus on how the United States will deal with extremist networks that threaten America and its allies.

Odierno said the situation is analogous to the situation confronting servicemembers who fought the Cold War. The Cold War was a generational conflict that started after World War II and only ended with the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991.

"This generation of servicemembers will be in what we're calling the Long War," the general said. "Our estimate is that for at least the next 20 years, part of our focus will be on how do we deal with the extremist networks that will continue to threaten the United States and its allies."

While conventional forces must remain robust and their capabilities must remain second to none, the military's focus will broaden to include a greater emphasis on special operations. "We have to be able to respond conventionally if necessary, but we must provide more focus on irregular warfare missions," Odierno said.

Even after the defeat of al Qaeda, extremists groups will remain a problem, Odierno said. This will be complicated because terrorist networks are "non-state actors" that may be operating in friendly nations. The mission will not be to confront armies, navies or air forces, but shadowy groups.

The Long War will require different military capabilities and require U.S. leaders to develop a holistic concept of how to defeat these networks. Odierno said this entails being able to coordinate the military aspect of the fight with the efforts of diplomats, financial experts, police officials and others. It also will entail countering propaganda and misinformation extremists release.

Another piece of the Long War for servicemembers is cultural awareness, Odierno said. Young leaders must understand what drives extremists. "We have to try to understand why they do the things they do, because you have to understand your enemy," he said.

Troops will also have to understand countries U.S. forces will operate in. "You have to understand what their cultures are, what's important to them," Odierno said. "We have learned a lot in the last three or four years, but we have a long way to go."

As part of the Long War mindset, the military is moving more toward an expeditionary force. "With ground forces we are moving back to the United States, so we are able to react around the world quickly and rotate forces quickly," he said.

All ground forces are going to have to work more closely with special operations forces and must enhance their capabilities to work in irregular environments. Special operations forces must also develop new capabilities, and the United States must develop more special operations personnel, Odierno said.

While the changes affect ground forces most, the Air Force and Navy are not spared. The Air Force global strike capability will be crucial in shaping the battlefield. The Navy, while maintaining its skills in the open ocean, known as "blue-water capabilities," will move more into littoral, or coastal, warfare.

"Even after we win in Iraq, even after we win in Afghanistan, there will be extremist groups that will threaten us," Odierno said. "Military personnel must be ready for whatever confronts them in this Long War."

U.S., Coalition Efforts Helping Improve Afghanistan

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2006 – Humanitarian efforts continue in Afghanistan as coalition forces helped remove snow from impassable roads and built "hygiene facilities" at a small school. In addition, international diplomats visited a provincial reconstruction team Jan. 21.

U.S. troops from Task Force Sword have stepped in to help clear roads that are nearly impossible because of snow and ice, Combined Forces Command Afghanistan officials said.

"It's a joint effort between the (U.S.) military, Afghan government and contractors hired by the provincial reconstruction teams," Lt. Col. Jud Cook, Task Force Sword deputy commander, said today.

This joint team has successfully cleared roads in Sharona, Orgun-E and various forward operating bases around Afghanistan. Task Force Sword has used equipment from its road construction projects to clear the ice and snow. By next month, the task force also will have 20 sand and salt spreaders attached to 5-ton trucks to help clear the roads.

The snow and ice removal helps accomplish the military mission by allowing trucks to travel to remote locations. It also makes these same roads available to civilian and commercial traffic, Cook said.

In Uruzgan province, Afghan construction workers completed male and female hygiene facilities and a fresh water well at a local boy's school in central Afghanistan over the past week. U.S. forces funded the projects, which cost more than $30,000 and employed eight Afghans for a period of two months. The hygiene facilities were built over existing hot springs, allowing local residents to enjoy hot water in a building where electric water heaters are not available.

"The construction of these facilities not only provided jobs and much needed currency for the local residents, but they also show the Afghan people that coalition and U.S. forces are here to help," said Army Lt. Col. Jerry O'Hara, Combined Joint Task Force 76 spokesman.

More then 90 construction and renovation projects are currently under way in the Uruzgan province, totaling more than $6 million.

Diplomats from around the world visited the provincial reconstruction team in Panjshir province Jan. 21 to witness reconstruction efforts of Combined Joint Task Force 76 and the newest PRT. Before visiting the Panjshir PRT, CJTF 76 commander Army Maj. Gen. Jason Kamiya briefed government officials from 13 nations and the European Union about reconstruction projects.

"The day highlighted how coalition military and civilian agencies, whether coalition or not, can and should provide effective mutual support on the security and humanitarian fronts," Richard Smyth, the task force's political adviser, said.

The first of its kind, the Panjshir PRT is a joint effort between the members of CJTF 76 and the U.S. Embassy. Fletcher Burton, a U.S. State Department civilian, is its commander.

"Today we had a very interesting visit to Bagram Airfield and then to Panjshir to see how the American PRT is doing," Regis Koetschet, French Ambassador to Afghanistan, said. "Two months ago, we had a meeting with (CFCA Commander Army Lieutenant) General Karl Eikenberry, and he talked about this new type of PRT here in Panjshir. This was an excellent opportunity to see how it worked on the ground.

"The visit was a good opportunity to see this new type of integration of military and civilian agencies," Koetschet said. "I'm quite impressed by this new type of PRT."

(Compiled from Combined Forces Command Afghanistan news releases.)

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Combined Forces Command Afghanistan

Five killed, nine injured in Baghdad''s bazaar explosion

BAGHDAD, Jan 23 (KUNA) -- At least five Iraqis were killed and another nine injured when a booby trapped car exploded Monday in Athorien bazaar, located in southern Baghdad, said Iraqi police source.

The explosion targeted an Iraqi police vehicle in the Bazaar, the source added, noting that two of the casualties and three of the injured were policemen, while the rest were all civilians.

Police cordoned off the explosion area, preventing civilians from entering in case another explosion occurs.

Meanwhile, an Iraqi security source said that gunmen dressed in Iraqi police uniforms driving police vehicle killed several civilians and abducted another 22 from a number of houses in northern Baghdad city of Kazimiya.

The source said that no motivation behind the attack was identified especially that no connection was made between the attacked houses.

Last week, gunmen kidnapped 65 Iraqis, 50 of whom were volunteer policemen. The body of 30 of them was found later in a country road near Al-Mushahid village.

Judge Raouf Rashid oficially designated to preside over Saddam trial

BAGHDAD, Jan 23 (KUNA) -- The Iraqi Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal (SICT) officially confirmed on Monday that Judge Raouf Rasheed would preside over the second Saddam trial session regarding the Dujail case.

The Tribunal's spokesperson, Judge Raed Al-Johi said that the tribunal officially decided to appoint Judge Rasheed to head the court pannel for the second Saddam trial session regarding the Dujail case, to be held next Tuesday.

Judge Rasheed from Irbil, born in 1941, is one of the SICT founders.

SICT confirmed last week, in a written statement that it had received the resignation of Amin, the judge presiding over the trial of deposed leader Saddam Hussein.

Amin "presented his resignation for personal reasons not as a result of pressure from the government", the statement said, affirming that the government does not intervene in judicial affairs.

The decision by the judge, who headed up the five-man tribunal, was not expected to alter the schedule of the trial which will have its next hearing on January 24, the statement concluded.

Saddam and seven members of the deposed regime are being tried on charges of killing 148 people in Dujail, Iraq in 1982.

The trial opened in October 2005.

The Iraq Special Tribunal for Crimes Against Humanity, due to resume hearings on Tuesday, insisted that if Amin's resignation was accepted by the government it would not disrupt the trial of Saddam and seven former aides.

Saudi Shura Council denounces insult of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH)

RIYADH, Jan 23 (KUNA) -- The Saudi Shura Council denounced on Monday the publishing of caricatures offending to the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) and the Islamic religion by Danish and Norwegian publications.

The Council said in a statement that this was irrelevant to the freedom of expression, and helps the spread of hatred among people and violates all constitutions and laws.

The Council urged the Danish and Norwegian parliaments to stop such offences and question those responsible for them.

It also urged Arab and Islamic parliaments to encounter such attempts to offend Moslems and ignite rifts among cultures. The Norwegian "Magazinet" magazine re-published cartoons blasphemous to the Prophet earlier this month.

The cartoons were originally published by the Danish daily newspaper Jyllands-Posten in late September.

Danger for No 10 is at its highest since the Iraq war

January 24, 2006

Political Briefing with Peter Riddell

TONY BLAIR faces a period of maximum danger as Prime Minister, as serious for him as the Iraq war three years ago. The battle over the schools Bill, “a bit of a highwire act”, in his jaunty phrase yesterday, will be a crucial test not just of his political authority, and even of his future in Downing Street, but also of the whole direction of new Labour.

The risk for Mr Blair is that his new Labour coalition has split: that his familiar opponents on the Left have been joined by a group around Lord Kinnock, who were new Labour pre-Blair, but who have always been committed to comprehensive schools. Moroever, many other ministers are, at most, lukewarm about the proposals.

This is in some ways triangulation in reverse, with Mr Blair and his allies being squeezed, rather than the other way round. There are also worrying parallels for Mr Blair with the fracturing of the Thatcherites in the late 1980s, when Margaret Thatcher fell out with Nigel Lawson and Geoffrey Howe, and in mid-1990s, when the Tories were bitterly divided over Europe.

The difficulty for Mr Blair is partly arithmetic: how do you reconcile the 90-plus Labour critics of the Government’s White Paper with a majority of 66? Of course, as in the past, many of the 90 will not vote against the Bill, but many will. Equally worrying is that the possible area of compromise, over putting the banning of selection by ability in admissions into law, may not be enough. A hard core of opponents wants, of course, to get rid of Mr Blair, but even the normally loyalist Kinnock group, in the pamphlet written by Melissa Benn and Fiona Millar, not only reject the new semi-independent trust schools but also want local councils to have greater powers than now.

The Blairites are wary of relying on Tory promises of support. Carrying the Bill on the votes of Tories would underline the impression of a Blairite rump unable to command majority Labour support. Moreover, even though the Bill should get a second reading, the Government could be tripped up by Tory-backed amendments at report stage.

In one of his most revealing news conferences as Prime Minister, Mr Blair dismissed the arguments of the critics, including implicitly, John Prescott, his deputy, that making schools better would create problems by encouraging more parents to apply for places at successful schools. “We are never going to win an education debate in the country on that basis.”

Allowing successful schools to expand and permitting links with other schools and with sponsors would build on what had worked so far. His case is more evolutionary than revolutionary, but it has not always been sold in that way, increasing alarms and opposition.

The debate, he said, was about what people wanted the State to do. “Is the role of government to help you put power in your hands to do what you want? Or is the role of government to tell you what you want?” He presented his approach as going with parental instincts. Mr Blair’s defiant tone was based less on any confidence that he will win majority Labour support, than on his certainty that his policy is correct and that defeat could fatally weaken new Labour and create a big opportunity for the Conservatives. That is why the stakes are so high for him.

Iraqi, Coalition Forces continue Operation Koa Canyon

January 23, 2006

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HIT, Iraq -- Eight days of back-breaking searches through villages and fields along the western Euphrates River valley have yielded thousands of pieces of ordnance as Iraqi Army Soldiers and U.S. Marines continue Operation Wadi Aljundi (Koa Canyon) in Iraq’s Al Anbar province.

Aimed at isolating insurgents and their weapons, the combined Iraqi and U.S. force began the latest sweep Jan. 15, and have uncovered a staggering amount of weaponry. The Soldiers and Marines are making their way inch-by-inch through caves, fields, wadis, and islands in an attempt to disrupt the insurgents.

So far, the combined force has found and destroyed more than 4,300 artillery and mortar rounds, rockets, and mines; 267 kilograms (590 pounds) of explosive powder, 10,000 rounds of various types of ammunition (ranging from small-arms to tank main gun rounds), 300 blasting caps, approximately 100 feet of detonation cord, and several working machine guns and mortar systems.

"Every piece of ordnance that is uncovered is one less potential IED that may be used against Iraqi civilians, Iraqi Security and Coalition forces," said Marine Col. Kenneth F. McKenzie, Jr., the commander of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable).

McKenzie also stated that the future of the Iraqi Army is bright, based upon the individual courage of the Iraqi Soldiers. "The basic ingredient is courage, and these Iraqi Soldiers are showing it," said McKenzie.

The Iraqi Army Soldiers are with the 1st Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 7th Iraqi Army Division and the Marines are with the 22nd MEU (SOC).

The 22nd MEU (SOC) is comprised of its Command Element, Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 2nd Marines, MEU Service Support Group 22, and Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron (Reinforced) 261.

The 22nd MEU (SOC) is conducting counterinsurgency operations with an Iraqi battalion in the Al Anbar province under the tactical control of the 2nd Marine Division.

Source : MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ COMBINED PRESS INFORMATION CENTER - BAGHDAD, Iraq

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Iraqi rebels turn on Qaeda in western city

23 Jan 2006 - 17:17:55 GMT

Source: Reuters

BAGHDAD, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Iraqi nationalist rebels in the Sunni Arab city of Ramadi have turned against their former al Qaeda allies after a bomb attack this month killed 80 people, sparking tit-for-tat assassinations.

Residents told Reuters on Monday at least three prominent figures on both sides were among those killed after local insurgent groups formed an alliance against al Qaeda, blaming it for massacring police recruits in Ramadi on Jan. 5.

"There was a meeting right after the bombings," one Ramadi resident familiar with the events said. "Tribal leaders and political figures gathered to form the Anbar Revolutionaries to fight al Qaeda in Anbar and force them to leave the province.

"Since then there has been all-out war between them," said the resident in the capital of the sprawling western desert province of Anbar, speaking anonymously for fear of reprisals.

Local Iraqi officials confirmed residents' accounts of events but declined to comment publicly.

The bloodshed is the latest example of a trend U.S. military commanders and diplomats have been pointing to optimistically in recent months as a sign that some militants may be ready to pursue negotiable demands through the new Sunni Arab engagement in parliament after taking part in last month's election.

On Thursday, three local Islamist groups around Ramadi -- the 1920 Brigades, the Mujahideen Army and the Islamic Movement for Iraq's Mujahideen -- also met to distance themselves from their fellow Islamists in Qaeda, joining the shift against al Qaeda led by more secular, tribal and nationalist groups.

The pan-Arab Al Hayat newspaper quoted a statement from six Iraqi armed groups on Monday announcing they had united to form the "People's Cell" to confront Zarqawi and preserve security in the Anbar province.

The statement condemned "armed operations which target innocents" and affirmed "a halt to cooperation with al Qaeda".

Both sides have distributed leaflets in the city of half a million claiming killings of opponents.

"Qaeda announces the killing of someone in the Revolutionaries and then the others announce they have killed someone in Qaeda," the resident said.

Another resident following events closely said: "The conflict is now clear between the militant groups and al Qaeda; the Anbar Revolutionaries who were formed after the attacks say they want to eliminate al Qaeda from Anbar."

SUICIDE BOMBINGS

It comes at a time when violence by al Qaeda, committed to a single Islamic state in the Arab world, slackened in Anbar and increased further east, notably in Diyala province northeast of Baghdad, where the Iraqi military has alerted troops to be on the lookout for al Qaeda in Iraq's leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Nationalist militants -- some followers of Saddam Hussein's secular Baath party, others loyal to tribal chiefs -- have voiced increasing frustration with the tactics of al Qaeda in Iraq; keen for a say in parliament, they warned al Qaeda not to attack Sunni Arabs going to vote in the Dec. 15 election.

The international Islamists' suicide bombings, especially those targeting civilians, have been counterproductive, some other insurgent spokesmen have said in recent months. Though influenced by foreign leaders, most al Qaeda fighters are Iraqi.

Since U.S. forces overthrew Saddam's Sunni-dominated government in 2003, disparate Iraqi groups have made common cause with foreign Islamists like Zarqawi and their Iraqi supporters, seeking to force out U.S. troops and bring down the U.S.-backed government of Shi'ites and Kurds.

The foreign-backed groups have brought in young suicide bombers while local insurgents have provided explosives and intelligence; there are signs, however, that their goals may be diverging, with some nationalists seeing political negotiation in Baghdad as a way of attaining some of their goals.

Among victims of the killings in Ramadi, residents said, was Hameed Faisal, a university professor killed after the Revolutionaries denounced Qaeda leaders named Abu Khattab and Abu Maad. In a reprisal, residents said, a militant named Medhat Abu Mustafa was killed and Qaeda claimed the assassination of an Islamist leader, Nasser Abdul Karim, an opponent of al Qaeda.

U.S. Major General Rick Lynch said in Baghdad last week: "We are seeing examples of Iraqi rejectionists (nationalists) taking up arms and informing on terrorists and foreign fighters.

"We are seeing this in Ramadi."

AlertNet news

Outpost to raise Iraq’s border security prospects

Military construction crews prepare to transfer base to Iraqis

Second Lt. Jonathan Rushin, an officer with the 46th Engineer Battalion, adjusts his helmet as he walks inside the fortified dining facility at the recently constructed Combat Outpost South in western Iraq. (Monte Morin / S&S)

By Monte Morin - Stars and Stripes Mideast edition

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

COMBAT OUTPOST SOUTH, Iraq — Right now it stands like a ghost town in the vast khaki expanse of western Iraq, but in the coming days this newly minted outpost could play a critical role in Iraq’s future security, U.S. military commanders said.

As Navy Seabees, U.S. Army engineers and Marines from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force put the finishing touches on a 1,000-person base camp just south of Qaim — near the Euphrates River corridor — military commanders said it was only a matter of days before Iraqi army and border patrol troops moved into the new facility. The handover, they said, would bring Iraq that much closer to full sovereignty and bring U.S. forces a notch closer to leaving Iraq.

“Every time we close a forward operating base, or open up a new Iraqi security force camp, that’s one step closer we are to being finished in Iraq,” said Maj. Daren Payne, operations officer for the Army’s 46th Engineer Battalion, which is attached to the 30th Naval Construction Regiment.

Soldiers with the 46th Engineer Battalion lay a gravel walkway at Combat Outpost South recently. (Monte Morin / S&S)

For the last several months, personnel from all three branches have shared living space in a corner of the camp’s grounds, enduring subfreezing temperatures and enjoying few creature comforts. Each morning, a bulldozer breaches an enormous earthen berm surrounding the Iraqi camp and Seabees and Army engineers clear the job site before settling down to work with skill saws, nail guns and cranes.

The camp consists largely of wooden living huts surrounded by Hesco barriers, a heavily reinforced dining facility, a small section for U.S. troops and separate bathroom facilities for Shia and Sunni Iraqis.

The camp is designed to last for at least two years, but it was unclear how long the Iraqis would inhabit it.

“This camp is basically the top priority of the 2nd MEF,” said Navy Lt. Richard Windham, the project’s officer in charge. “It’s a big stepping stone for the Iraqis to maintain their own borders.”

Engineers with the 30th Naval Construction Regiment designed the camp, and soldiers from the Fort Polk, La.-based 46th Engineer Battalion have assisted them. Marines have provided security.

Initially, Seabees and Marines slept on cots in defensive trenches, under the stars and endured bitter cold winds. Now, hot meals are served once every few days and personnel live mainly on prepackaged Meals, Ready to Eat rations. The camp’s morale tent consists of a large-screen television and a microwave. There are no telephone or Internet stations.

First Lt. Robert Kolb, an officer with the 46th Engineer Battalion surveys Combat Outpost South. (Monte Morin / S&S)

“We still barbecue here,” said Army Capt. Samuel Dallas, referring to the practice of burning human waste in drums of JP-8 diesel fuel.

The main hurdle for engineers has been getting construction materials and equipment to the far-flung outpost. There have also been some problems with the quality of building materials.

“It’s getting better, but at first there were issues with the quality of wood, with it being warped and twisted,” said Windham, commander of Company A, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 22, a Reserve Seabee unit based in Fort Worth, Texas. “A lot of the wood comes from Chile and it’s hard to work with,” he said.

The plywood living structures that Iraqi platoons will move into are called SWA huts, or Southwest Asia huts. The plywood buildings are similar to the SEA huts, or Southeast Asia huts, that were built in camps during the Vietnam War, but are slightly modified.

“The SEA huts in Vietnam were designed with flaps in the walls, near the roof, that could open up and let the air come through. They had screens, too, to keep out the bugs,” Payne said. “But if you did that here, you’d get a room full of dust.”

If all goes as planned, the project will be finished several weeks early, commanders said. “We’re getting close to completion now. Hopefully, within the next few days, we’ll sign it over,” Windham said.

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