Operation Phantom Fury--Day 448 - Now Operations River Blitz; Matador--Day 343

Thank you, Gucho!

Some Iraqi officials prefer troops stay out of towns

Local leaders argue lower U.S. profile would lessen violence

An American Humvee patrol advances down a secondary road south of Tikrit, Iraq. To the soldiers, from the 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, this road is the epicenter of roadside bomb attacks. (Joseph Giordono / S&S)

By Joseph Giordono - Stars and Stripes Mideast edition

Saturday, January 28, 2006

TIKRIT, Iraq — The governor of Salah ad Din province has a deceptively simple solution, one which he believes will satisfy everyone: the American military and public, the average Iraqi citizen and the insurgents fighting a bloody campaign nearing the end of its third full year.

The answer, he says, is to confine American forces to large bases outside of major cities, forbidding contact between anyone other than U.S. military officers and appointed Iraqi officials. The governor, Hamed Hamud al-Shukti, and several other powerful provincial figures repeated the suggestion this week in council meetings, talks with U.S. military representatives, and interviews with journalists.

On first glance, it’s a tempting idea. Fewer American casualties from roadside bombs and ambushes. Fewer Iraqi citizens angry about house raids, blocked streets and the crossfire between insurgent attacks and American responses. More responsibility for the Iraqi police and army.

But the reality is more complicated. In this Sunni-dominated province, ancestral home to Saddam Hussein, the reality always is.

While most Iraqi officials acknowledge the police and army are far from being able to handle security on their own, some say the time is now.

“If the Americans left next week, the security situation would improve, for sure,” said Sheik Rashid Ahmed Osman al-Jabuli, head of the Salah ad Din provincial council. “What they call the resistance would go away. I am resisting also, but believe in peaceful resistance.”

Rashid is one of many Sunnis who refuse to accept the new constitution, saying it is crafted to give power and oil to Shiites and Kurds, and exclude Sunnis. But if American troops pull back, he says, there will be no civil war, though some analysts say one has already begun.

“It’s preferable there be no connection or meeting, other than officials who are seeking to get benefits for people. There is no reason for ordinary people to meet them,” he said, of Iraqis and U.S. soldiers.

In a way, the U.S. military has begun doing just that. They have closed several bases in cities like Tikrit, consolidating some forces at large bases like Camp Speicher, away from major population areas.

But for soldiers like Capt. John Montgomery, an artillery battery commander on his second tour in Iraq, interaction with Iraqis is an integral part of the mission. In towns such as Owja and Wynot, outside of Tikrit, Montgomery and his soldiers are the face of the U.S. military, searching for insurgents, checking in on Iraqi police and army units, and meeting with town councils and ordinary residents to try to solve their problems.

“It’s a frustrating war,” he said.

Montgomery was trained as an artillery officer and performed that job with the 3rd Infantry Division in the initial invasion; now, he must be part cop, part problem-solver and part infantryman. His battery, part of the 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, assumed responsibility for an area previously under the watch of two U.S. infantry companies.

Still, Montgomery says he understands where the fight is now. The battalion, known as the Red Knight Rakkasans, must combat both the insurgents and the public backlash that can come from a raid gone bad or an hours-long traffic jam caused by U.S. movements.

“It can take just one mistake to undo months of work,” he said.

Sunday was a pretty typical day for a squad from Battery B, 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment. Gathering for a patrol brief and a group prayer, the soldiers piled into four armored Humvees and first searched a gas station and the dozens of vehicles lined up outside.

They drove into Wynot, gathering information on who lives in certain houses, then set up “flash” checkpoints on a series of rural roads outside the town. As the sun set, they patrolled a desert road known as a favorite spot for insurgents to plant roadside bombs.

The patrol is long, cold and dusty. The occasional smell of onion fields envelops the patrol. In one Humvee, it is conducted to a soundtrack courtesy of a rigged iPod and some battered computer speakers: Aerosmith, Michael Jackson, The Beatles, Tim McGraw, Li’l Jon, and, as the convoy pulls back into base after dark, the theme from “Top Gun.”

Later that night, a mortar round will hit near the front gate. It is the first time in weeks the base has been targeted.

But the insurgents are out there. By his own count, Hamed, the governor, has been targeted for assassination eight times. He is serving his second term in office, and, Inshallah (“God willing”), he will stand for another four-year term in the next election, he says. If he does gain that third term, Hamed hopes it sees a healing of the “bone fracture” that he describes in the relationship between U.S. troops and the residents of Tikrit.

“The American forces must stay on their FOBs (forward operating bases), on their bases,” he said. “We have a common goal, to achieve security, and that will help us achieve the goal.”

If Americans left, violence will decrease, he believes, but slowly. To get there, he said, the Iraqi police — which cast a wide recruiting net and got “some big fish, some little fish, and some cans of Pepsi” — need to improve.

“Their loyalty must be for the Iraqi people and the Iraqi country,” he said. “Some of them now, their loyalty is to the terrorists. Maybe we can create new recruiting center, filtrate the waters.”

Soldiers from Battery B, 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment say a prayer before heading out on a patrol south of Tikrit. (Joseph Giordono / S&S)

,br>Staff Sgt. Michael Deason, 27, of Farmington, Mo., searches a group of Iraqi men for weapons during an inspection of a gas station south of Tikrit. (Joseph Giordono / S&S)

An Iraqi man walks to his home as U.S. troops gather information about houses and residents in Wynot, south of Tikrit. (Joseph Giordono / S&S)

Pfc. Jared Gordon, 19, of Tupelo, Miss., waves traffic forward during a surprise checkpoint inspection on a rural road outside Tikrit, Iraq. (Joseph Giordono / S&S)

January 25, 2006 Pvt. Sam Johnny, from Company C, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, uses a metal detector to search for weapons in a village near Baghdad. This photo appeared on www.army.mil.

May God keep safe those who serve our country

You're welcome Meg.

Thanks for a great posting Meg. Always appreciated.

U.S. hopes former Iraqi general can help bring stability to Tikrit

Abdulla Jabbar is key player in Salah ad Din province

Abdulla Jabbar, deputy governor of Salah ad Din province, says keeping American troops on bases far from city centers would weaken the insurgency and help speed the process of training Iraqi forces. (Joseph Giordono / S&S)

By Joseph Giordono - Stars and Stripes Mideast edition

Saturday, January 28, 2006

TIKRIT, Iraq — For four days in March 2003, Abdulla Jabbar, a decorated Iraqi army general, fought against invading American forces pressing into Baghdad. On the fifth day, disguised as a farmer, he escaped the city and returned to his home in Tikrit.

He slipped through checkpoints, watching Iraqi units dissolve and towns fall into chaos.

Once he reached his home, he found dozens of other men just like him: proud Iraqi soldiers from shattered units, wondering what to do.

“All of the officers asked, ‘What do you suggest now?’ I told them, ‘Now that the regime has fallen and American forces are everywhere within Iraq, the mess I saw with my own eyes will not be able to be controlled by the Americans,’ ” he recalled this week in an interview.

“So I told everyone with a weapon to hide it away and give the Americans a chance to rebuild Iraq. And when we reach the point we are able to do without American forces, I will be the first to ask them to leave Iraq. If they refuse, I will be the first to fight them.”

Many of the men followed him. Others, jobless, later took up arms.

Jabbar, a meticulously dressed, shrewd man who tends to disguise his obvious command of English, is now deputy governor of Salah ad Din province.

His hair is a close-cropped gray stubble, testament to his recent completion of the hajj, the holy Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca.

He also is a perfect example of a man who could be the American military’s best friend or worst enemy in Iraq: military-trained, well-connected and with influence over a vast family and tribal network.

Right now, he is one of the officials the U.S. military is hoping can help bring peace and stability to the province.

Jabbar says the insurgency comprises three groups: jihadists bent on driving Americans from Muslim lands; jobless former soldiers and regime officials who fight the Americans to earn money; and “thieves, looters and hijackers” who use the lack of security to rob and kill.

In this province, he said, ordinary people are frightened of the first group, sympathize with the second and have turned against the third.

He also stoutly agrees with the notion — proferred by several powerful provincial figures — that American troops should pull back and let the Iraqis take control. The Iraqi forces must get better for that to happen, he acknowledges, but the time is coming soon.

“That could achieve good things. It would decrease the connection between the American forces and the people and decrease casualties of both the American forces and the people of the province,” he said.

Privately, some American military officers question whether Jabbar is playing both sides.

By his own admission, he was detained and released once by U.S. forces.

Jabbar also angrily denies recent reports alleging police and army troops under his control looted Saddam Hussein’s palace complex overlooking Tikrit. U.S. forces handed back control of the complex, dubbed Forward Operating Base Danger, to the Iraqis last fall.

Nevertheless, getting the second group in the insurgency to buy into the new government, find jobs and lay down their weapons will help the country turn a corner. But, he said, he understands why many former regime officials believe that path is closed.

“If I reach such a conclusion, I will not feel any shame to carry a weapon and fight. But we believe we still have time to negotiate and reach our goals,” he said.

Asked by a journalist whether he believes the Sunni population — dominant for so long under Saddam’s regime — can accept a majority Shiite rule, he expresses some optimism, tempered by what he sees around him.

“If you ask the Sunnis now, it is a disaster,” Jabbar said. “For sure, some Sunnis cannot accept this.”

Roadside bomb kills U.S. GI in Baghdad

Jan. 29, 2006

Associated Press

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A roadside bomb has killed a U.S. soldier patrolling in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, the military announced on Sunday.

The soldier was attached to Multi-National Division-Baghdad and the bomb blast struck his vehicle at about 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Baghdad, the statement said.

At least 2,241 U.S. military personnel have died since the Iraq war began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

Thank you ("Gucho") "I am angry... and sad":{{{{{{{{{{{{

Be good strong persons!

Prayers also for the victims and families of the tragic roof collapse in you're country.

More than ever, Iraqi nation must succeed

January 29, 2006

That the United States must succeed soon in its efforts to foster a stable democracy in Iraq has become even more apparent with danger increasing throughout the Middle East in recent weeks.

First, Iran's aggressive refusal to accede to international pressure to disband its nuclear program, has left the United States and its European allies, along with China and Russia, in a precarious position.

The Iranians began transferring currency reserved from European banks in the event that the U.N. Security Council decides to order a freeze on Iran's foreign assets. And Iran has threatened not to sell its oil in the event that the Security Council imposes economic sanctions over the nuclear issue.

And the thought of Iran in possession of nuclear weapons should give even the most die-hard opponent of the U.S. presence in Iraq night sweats.

The Islamic republic has been an enemy of the United States since the darkest days of the Carter administration, and the Islamic revolution in which U.S. Embassy staff were held hostage for 444 days. Now Iran's hardline president has asserted that Israel should be removed from the map of the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Israel -- which once destroyed an Iraq nuclear facility on its own -- must look on with deepening anxiety about the growing military threat Iran poses.

The stakes got higher still this week with the victory of the militant Hamas party in Palestinian elections. Like Iran with which it has ties, Hamas favors the destruction of Israel, either politically or militarily, and has been a prime mover in the Intifada uprising that led to Israel's decision to turn over parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority. Long linked to suicide bombings and other terrorist acts against Israel, Hamas is opposed to peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

While some of the roughly 78 percent of Palestinians who participated in legislative elections last week no doubt were voting not so much for Hamas as against the corrupt and ineffective policies and leadership of the Fatah party -- which was founded by the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat -- there can be no doubt that the situation between Israel and her neighbors just grew much more complicated and dangerous.

Complicating it all is the power vacuum and uncertainty within Israel since the debilitating stroke suffered by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Israel's political and military strength is central to peace in the region, and her enemies now perceive that Israel is weaker than it was just a few months ago.

Finally, the increasingly deadly insurgency within Iraq has served as a magnet for thousands of militants who are eager to throw the United States and the western powers out of the Middle East -- and perhaps to establish another radical Islamic government in the region.

Should Iraq fall into utter disorder and civil war, it is not hard to imagine a nuclear-armed Iran becoming directly engaged and perhaps drawing Israel and others into an expanded conflict fought over the region's critical oil fields. If that were to occur, our stay in the region would last a lot longer and get a lot more dangerous at a financial cost we cannot imagine.

The new Iraqi government must not be allowed to fail, or the world will bear the consequences.

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/01-06/01-29-06/b02op674.htm

Inland Empire soldier awarded Silver Star for heroism in Iraq

Although wounded, Staff Sgt. Shannon Kay, of the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, directs his men onto enemy positions after they were attacked with a car bomb, December 11, 2004, in Mosul, Iraq. (M. Scott Mahaskey/ Army Times)

1/29/2006

By Michel Nolan - Staff Writer

Staff Sgt. Shannon Kay recalls the fireball as the suicide car bomber rammed the rear of his Stryker armored infantry vehicle in Iraq. The massive explosion and subsequent firefight are seared in his memory.

"It was a huge physical force -- the biggest I ever felt," said Kay, who grew up in Rancho Cucamonga and attended Etiwanda High School before graduating from San Bernardino High in 1995. "Some of the guys inside were kind of unconscious so we dropped a ramp and dragged people out. It was just a natural reaction -- any soldier would have done the same."

Kay's actions that day -- Dec. 11, 2004 -- and his courage under fire as he saved the lives of seven members of his squad on a bloody road in western Mosul, earned him the Silver Star, the Army's third-highest award for heroism in combat.

"I wanted to live up to what I thought a soldier is," said Kay, 29, by phone from Fort Benning, Ga., where he is now an instructor in the U.S. Army Squad Designated Marksmanship Program.

He was honored at a special ceremony last week by the Fort Benning post's deputy commander, Brig. Gen. Jim Yarbrough. Accompanying the award was the commendation, "His actions are in keeping with the finest traditions of military heroism and reflect distinct credit upon himself, this command and the United States Army."

According to the military report, "The fireball was enormous and the Kevlar blankets, tires and other components of the Stryker were on fire. The entire area was littered with burning debris."

Kay, who was bleeding from shrapnel wounds to his head, shoulder and hand, refused medical attention and helped put out the vehicle fire while under ambush attack from small arms, rocket propelled grenades and mortar fire.

Later, Kay said, he was operated on in a small field hospital by a "great doctor and physician's assistant. They removed the shrapnel from my head and finger but had to leave the stuff in my shoulder."

"I've seen multiple firefights before but they do kind of surprise you," Kay said. "Once you're over there, you say "this is the drill now' and just do your job."

An all-around athlete, Kay played water polo at Etiwanda and San Bernardino high schools, and later at Chaffey College. He was named an All-American for water polo, swimming and basketball at the University of La Verne, according to his mother, Mary-Chris Kay.

"Shannon is a natural leader. He has a strong sense of duty and honor," she said. "He's always been a risk-taker and daredevil in sports. He was always the "go-to' guy."

According to Mary-Chris Kay, her son didn't have to go to Iraq but went because he didn't want to leave the men he trained with.

"Every one of his men had to have been something special or he wouldn't have chosen to go with them," she said.

The incident for which he was awarded the Silver Star took place along Route Santa Fe, where the platoon had discovered a large cache of enemy mortar rounds, rocket-propelled grenades and partially-complete improvised explosive devices.

While civilian traffic was being diverted, the suicide car bomber broke the traffic pattern and accelerated toward the Stryker, where Kay was manning the left-rear hatch.

After evacuating his men and while still under fire, the report said, "Kay moved from Stryker to Stryker in his unit, securing additional equipment to get his Stryker back in the fight. He put his crew back in the smoldering Stryker and brought its heavy firepower to bear. After approximately 45 minutes of heavy fighting and after Kay killed at least eight of the enemy, the battalion commander called for a gradual withdrawal back to the forward operating base to treat casualties."

"That day was such a morale booster," Kay said. "We got banged up but no one got killed."

Kay, who lives in Georgia with his wife, Julie, and 18-month-old son, Killian, now plans to attend Officer Candidate School.

"I wanted to be with my guys, and so I deployed with my unit and postponed school," he said. "Now I'm back on track and will go to school in the near future."

Kay's mother and his father, Scott Kay, attended the ceremony.

"We both cried. The general had a lot of nice things to say," Scott Kay said. "It was quite an honor -- he acted so bravely. We are so proud and thankful that he survived."

Silver Star recipients from Fort Lewis, from left: Maj. Mark Bieger, Sgt. Joseph Martin, Staff Sgt. Wesley Holt and Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Prosser. A fifth soldier, Staff Sgt. Shannon Kay, also received the medal for valor. (RUSS CARMACK)

THANK YOU MY DEAR GOOD FRIEND ("Gucho")!!!!!

U.S. Troops Kill Three Insurgents in Iraq

Jan 29, 2006 - 2:34 AM EST

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- U.S. troops killed three suspected insurgents wearing Iraqi police uniforms Sunday in the northern city of Kirkuk, the military said.

The U.S. military also announced the death of an American soldier in roadside blast in Baghdad.

U.S. spokesman Maj. Jeff Allen said a gun battle broke out at a checkpoint in Kirkuk, 180 miles north of Baghdad, and three men wearing Iraqi police uniforms inside a car were shot dead.

American troops captured a fourth man in the car, but found no police identity documents on the men. Iraqi police Brig. Serhad Qadir said the four were suspected insurgents disguised as policemen. The U.S. military was investigating the situation.

The U.S. soldier was killed when a roadside bomb struck his vehicle Saturday evening in Baghdad, the military said Sunday. The military had previously reported the death of another soldier in a similar but separate attack Saturday in Baghdad.

At least 2,241 U.S. military personnel have died since the Iraq war began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

Gunmen attacked an Iraqi police patrol Sunday near the prison in Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, killing one policeman and wounding another, Diyala police's Joint Coordination Center said. A civilian was also wounded.

A mortar round was fired toward Baqouba's police headquarters but exploded in a nearby residential area, wounding two civilians and two policemen, police said.

Associated Press

Saddam Hussein Removed From Court Room

By HAMZA HENDAWI

Sunday, January 29, 2006 - 4:50 AM EST

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Saddam Hussein's trial quickly fell into chaos after its resumption Sunday, as the former Iraqi leader was removed after shouting "Down with the traitors!" and demanded to leave.

A co-defendant was dragged out and a defense lawyer was also ejected.

The new chief judge in the trial, Raouf Abdel-Rahman, had sought to show tough control over the court, but the session _ the first in a month _ began to fall apart quickly.

After the defense lawyer was removed, the entire defense team walked out as the judge shouted after them, "Any lawyer who walks out will not be allowed back into this courtroom."

Abdel-Rahman appointed four defense lawyers, but two other defendants, Taha Yassin Ramadan and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, said they did not agree with the appointments and demanded to leave. They were escorted out, and the proceedings resumed, with the court hearing an anonymous female prosecution witness.

The chaos began when Saddam's co-defendant Barzan Ibrahim stood and asked to address the court. Abdel-Rahman, who had already shouted at one defense lawyer for interrupting, told him to get to the point. Ibrahim called the court "the daughter of a whore."

At that point _ after about 15 minutes of transmission _ the delayed television feed showing the proceedings was cut off.

The judge ordered him to sit down, shouting, "One more word and I'm throwing you out." When Ibrahim refused to sit, two burly guards grabbed him by the arms and after some pushing and shoving, dragged him out of the court.

As they scuffled, Saddam stood and shouted, "Down with the traitors. Down with America!" Defense lawyers began shouting as well. "Is this a street demonstration, are you lawyers?" Abdel-Rahman barked at them.

The judge turned to defense lawyer, Salih al-Armouti, a Jordanian who recently joined the team, and said, "Can you do this in your own courts in your country?"

"My country gives me my rights," al-Arnouti replied.

Abdel-Rahman ordered guards to take al-Arnouti out of the court, saying, "You have incited your clients and we will start criminal proceedings against you." When al-Arnouti was removed, the rest of the defense team left in protest.

Saddam then stood and said he wanted to leave the court. "You do not leave, I allow you to leave when I want to," Abdel-Rahman said.

"I was the president for 35 years," Saddam replied.

"I am the judge and you the defendant," the judge said. Two guards pushed Saddam by his shoulders back into his chair, but then the judge ordered them to lead him out of the room.

Associated Press(AP)

Iraq shop attack leaves 10 dead

Last Updated: Sunday, 29 January 2006, - 06:19 GMT

At least 10 people have been killed in a bomb attack south of Baghdad, Iraqi police say.

They said the bomb had been planted outside a shop in Iskandariya, a predominantly Shia town about 40 km (25 miles) from the capital.

At least three other people were injured in the overnight blast.

Sunni Arab insurgents have been waging a campaign of bombings and shootings in an effort to overthrow the Shia-led Iraqi government.

Michael Yon Bump

ABC Anchor Bob Woodruff Hurt in Iraq

News anchor Bob Woodruff poses for a photograph in ABC's 'World News Tonight' studio in this Monday, Dec. 5, 2005 file photo, in New York. Woodruff and a cameraman were seriously injured Sunday, Jan. 29 in an explosion while reporting from Iraq, the network said Sunday. Woodruff and cameraman Doug Vogt were hit by an improvised explosive device near Taji, Iraq. They were embedded with the 4th Infantry Division and traveling with an Iraqi mechanized vehicle. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, FILE)

January 29, 2006 - ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff has apparently suffered head injuries and is undergoing surgery after an explosion while he was doing some reporting from Iraq.

The reports of Woodruff's injuries first came during ABC's Sunday edition of Good Morning America.

Woodruff was apparently taping a report with cameraman Doug Vogt about the Iraqi military from inside one of their mechanized military vehicles near the town of Taji. They were embedded with the 4th Infantry Division, traveling with an Iraqi Army unit in an Iraqi mechanized vehicle. It encountered an improvised explosive device.

Some small arms fire followed, according to reports on Good Morning America.

Woodruff and Vogt both suffered head injuries and are being treated. They are listed in serious condition after being flown to the Balad Air Base, which is about a 15 minute flight.

Officials have told ABC News that Woodruff and Vogt were wearing body armor, ballistic glasses and helmets in an effort to protect themselves.

Iraqi soldiers take a break from a patrol to watch Saddam's co-defendant Barzan Ibrahim as the Saddam trial resumes, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq. Saddam Hussein's trial quickly fell into chaos after its resumption Sunday, as co-defendant Ibrahim was dragged out of the courtroom, then a defense lawyer was ejected, and finally the former Iraqi leader himself was removed after shouting, 'Down with the traitors!' and demanding to leave. (AP Photo/Mohammed Hato)

Bombers target Iraqi churches

Sun, 29 Jan 2006

Six co-ordinated car bombs went off on Sunday near churches across Iraq, four of them in Baghdad, killing one and wounding 14 people, police and interior ministry officials said.

Four car bombs went off near four churches in Baghdad's Kharada area, while two bombs went off near two churches in the northern city of Kirkuk.

"One person was killed in a car bomb near a church in Kirkuk," a police officer from Kirkuk said, adding another car bomb went off next to a second church in the city.

A total of 14 people have been wounded, an interior ministry official said.

http://iafrica.com/news/worldnews/866384.htm

AFP

Thanks to both of you ~ this is great stuff!