Of the 110 FOBs operated by the Coalition at the start of 2005, 30 have been transferred to the Iraqi Transitional Government, transferred to the Iraqi Security Forces, or closed.
Task Force Band of Brothers will turn over control of the former Saddam Hussein presidential compound to Iraqi government officials in a ceremony in Mosul July 20.
The Mosul site, built over 2.2 square kilometers and completed in 1994, contained Saddam Hussein’s northernmost presidential site and includes several palaces and residences, three lakes, and man-made waterfalls.
The compound was secured by the 101st Airborne Division in April 2003. Since then, the area has changed U.S. commands three times.
The secured area will be transferred to Ministry of Interior for the Iraqi Police to use as a headquarters in the Mosul region.
The compound has served as a military headquarters during some of its greatest successes in Iraq. Notable among those many successes was the May 5, 2003, Mosul city and Ninewa provincial council elections, the first post-Saddam Hussein election in Iraq.
Since the departure of Task Force Freedom in December 2005, the compound has been home to elements of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team and other Coalition forces. Earlier this year, they began the task of vacating and restoring the compound in preparation for the hand over to the Iraqis.
After the hand over, Iraqi security forces, with Collation support, will continue to provide a security environment that enables the political process to move forward.
In other developments around Iraq:
- U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad and Commander, Multi-National Force-Iraq, Gen. George Casey make a joint statement July 19 condemning the recent attacks by terrorists and death squads against innocent Iraqi civilians in Kufa and Mahmoudiya. more…
- Iraqi police and Multi-National Division – Baghdad’s 1st Battalion, 66th Armor, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division detained four terrorist cell members July 16 afternoon after receiving a call from a concerned citizen, who informed them of an attack planned against the Rashadia police station. more…
- Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, captured and detained a suspected terrorist at a checkpoint northwest of Baghdad at approximately 3 p.m. July 18. more…
(Compiled from official DOD sources)