Posted on 09/08/2006 3:37:27 PM PDT by Gucho
By Steven Donald Smith - American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sept. 8, 2006 – August saw “a significant decrease in violence” in Iraq, the commander of Multinational Corps Iraq said yesterday.
These areas are seeing the beginning of economic revitalization, Chiarelli said from his headquarters in Baghdad. “And, before too long, we will see some long-term projects, where basic services kick in and, we think, really, really contribute to the security of Baghdad.”
The general said violent militias determined to wreak chaos and division in Iraq must be stopped. “There are small groups of individuals -- we call them death squads -- who are intent on attempting to try to continue this level of sectarian violence,” he said. “It's our job to go out on the security line of operation and find those death squads and bring them to justice.”
Chiarelli said he felt the situation in Iraq has drastically changed from a few years ago. “There's no doubt in my mind this is a different war than we fought two or three years ago,” he said. “This is a different war than the United States has ever fought.”
This different war requires U.S. forces to change the way they operate by using more “non-kinetic elements,” such as winning over the population through rebuilding efforts, he said.
The non-kinetic elements are absolutely critical. “I never thought that I would know anything about how a sewer system in a city of 7.5 million people works, but I do now,” Chiarelli said. “And I know that only because the people of Baghdad want their sewers fixed. It is important that I understand how it works.
“I can help the Iraqi government do what is necessary to make sure that it works, that fresh, potable water works, that sewage systems work, that electricity works, that health care systems work,” he said.
“If we can have the people in Baghdad and all over Iraq believe that their life is getting better, … it will definitely contribute to the security line of operation, and make Baghdad and Iraq a much more secure city and country,” he said.
The new Army field manual on detention operations released earlier this week will help U.S. forces adjust to the evolving situation in Iraq and the overall war against terror, Chiarelli said. “Along with that field manual and many, many others, we're going to have to look at the way we do things across the board to fight this kind of conflict,” he said.
Chiarelli said American servicemembers are working tirelessly to bring stability and democracy to Iraq. “The individual American Marine or soldier is out every single day, trying to bring peace to Iraq and trying to help establish the democratic government of Iraq,” he said.
He added that U.S. forces will continue to help the Iraqi government gain credibility with its citizens, which will ultimately hurt the terrorists in Iraq. “When that happens, it will be very, very difficult for the terrorists to operate anywhere in Iraq,” he said. “This isn't something that happens overnight.”
(American Forces Press Service correspondent Jim Garamone contributed to this report.)
Related Sites:
Thursday, 07 September 2006
By Lance Cpl. Geoffrey P. Ingersoll - I Marine Logistics Group, Public Affairs
CAMP TAQADDUM — As the early morning sun slips over the horizon, it illuminates a group of Marines and their line of humvees, loaded heavy with gear. The industrious Marines suit up, mount up and roll out of their home-away-from-home: a dry, dusty lot they call “Comm Company.”
The Marines of Wire Platoon, Communications Company, 1st Marine Logistics Group, wear enough equipment to make the infantry proud. They leave base every day with heavy machine-guns mounted atop their humvees, on missions to provide the local Military Transition Teams with the tools they need to help train a successful Iraqi Army.
“We provided better service for them, quicker service,” said Sgt. Ratsamy J. Bouttavong, a wire chief from Sacramento, Calif.
Describing the hardware being put in place for the Iraqi Army and U.S.-led transition teams, Bouttavong explained hard wire or fiber optics offer more reliable, more efficient and more secure paths for communication than radio phones and wireless information exchange.
A lot of the equipment that was being used in the field was for tactical or mobile use only, not for establishing a permanent base of communications, Bouttavong said. The only downside to upgrading is the labor required, especially in an urban environment with no existing communication infrastructure.
Miles of concrete to break through, trenches to dig and wires to bury make for tired, but determined, Marines, Bouttavong said. She credits her troops’ mental and physical toughness with relatively quick installation processes, compared to the time the work would normally take.
Manning the 50 caliber machine-gun, Sgt. Bryce F. Catlett provides security for the wiremen Marines at work behind him. (Department of Defense photo by Marine Lance Cpl. Geoffrey P. Ingersoll)
The Marines’ work ethic has been awesome - they are a bunch of work horses - said Bouttavong. She noted that if the power tools break down, her troops will not hesitate to resort to good, old manual labor.
“Everybody pulls their own weight, working together, we’ve got a good bond,” said Lance Cpl. Chris J. Harkey, a communications Marine who is in the beginning of his first deployment to Iraq.
Harkey said the busy pace of the work helps his crew block out the dangers of the civilian areas near which they often operate.
“Our gunners take care of us,” explained Harkey.
Despite daily attacks from improvised explosive devices and mortars in al-Anbar province, the Wire Platoon of Comms Company say they have to worry more about the intense Iraqi sun than dangers posed by the enemy.
“(The biggest challenge is) the sun and the heat,” said Lance Cpl. Nicole K. Estrada, a Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. native.
Estrada has more cause for sun-related complaints than most. Every morning, she puts on a thick, protective, full-body “gunner suit.”
“Out of the whole company, I am the first female to go out as a (.50-caliber machine) gunner,” said Estrada. “Having to be out there for two or three hours at a time in the gun suit is very fatiguing, it’s all about hydration.”
Still, she said, all of the hard work is necessary so that the Iraqi Army possesses a reliable, independent source of communication, able to relay information to units on missions and to the support units responsible for supplies.
“It’s important so the Iraqis can operate on their own,” Estrada explained.
“You have to (appreciate Communications) Company … this couldn’t happen without them. Period, end of story,” said 1st Lt. Steven A. Ekdahl, the acting communications officer for the 1st Iraqi Army Division MiTT.
Ekdahl, a Frankfurt, Ill. native, emphasized the importance of up-to-date communications for MiTT training capabilities.
The hard labor of the wire platoon has afforded the MiTT and Iraqi Army a reliable communication network, so they can now get what they need to continue their training and continue their aggressive fight against insurgents, said Ekdahl.
“You have to have communication in place first, before you can have a government,” added Harkey.
The Flagstaff, Az. native knows well the sacrifices he and his fellow Marines make now will be worth it in the end.
“We were out there in our flaks and Kevlars the other day for about three hours, digging….it needed to be done…better now than when we have kids,” he said. “Better we take care of it, before they have to.”
Harkey and the other communications Marines agree the hard work sometimes makes the long days seem shorter.
Everything they do, they do together. Every trench dug, every wire spliced, is done as a team. They fight together for every tedious inch, through dirt, sun, and dehydration.
“I keep pushing them,” said Bouttavong. “I know their potential, I know what they can do, and they continue to make me proud every day.”
An Iraqi army soldier from the 5th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division looks for weapons on the rooftop of a house while a fellow soldier questions a woman during a raid in Tafaria, Iraq, Sept. 4, 2006. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Jackey Bratt)
Friday, September 8, 2006
Kabul suicide bomb hits US convoy
Friday, September 8, 2006
Fri Sep 8, 12:00 PM ET - Pakistani authorities said they had seized a cache of arms and ammunition being smuggled into the country from Afghanistan after an exchange of fire on the volatile southwestern border. (AFP/Asghar Achakzai)
By Staff Sgt. Shad Eidson - Air Force Print News
Sep 8, 2006
SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Air Force investigators and Kyrgyz police are still searching for Maj. Jill Metzger, who has been missing from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, since Sept. 5.
Major Metzger, deployed as the personnel chief at the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing at nearby Manas Air Base, disappeared during a trip to a shopping center in the capital city.
Since the major vanished, Manas officials have curtailed all off-base, non-official business for Airmen at the base, said Maj. Mike Young, a U.S. Central Command spokesman. In a Sept. 7 release, the Department of Defense listed her as Duty Status: Whereabouts Unknown.
The major said as the search continues there is nothing to suggest any one scenario or any particular thing can account for Major Metzger's disappearance.
"Our number one priority is the safety of Major Metzger and the security of everyone at Manas," Major Young said. "Returning her safely is our number one goal right now."
Investigators are working closely with the Kyrgyzstan government, the local police force and even the shopping center's security service. The major said U.S. officials have reviewed the center's security tapes and are interviewing people there.
"They truly are leaving no stone unturned," Major Young said.
At Moody Air Force Base, Ga., where the major is permanently assigned, she is a valuable member of the community, said Col. Joe Callahan III, the 347th Rescue Wing commander.
"Ensuring she returns home to her family is our top priority," the colonel said. "Jill and her family are in our thoughts and prayers and we are talking daily with her family to ensure their needs are being taken care of.
"We ask that everyone keep Jill and her family in their thoughts," the colonel said.
Major Young said the Air Force is doing everything it can to find Major Metzger. He said Air Force investigators have received "exceptional cooperation" from everyone involved in trying to find the major, even top government officials.
Major Metzger deployed to Manas from the 347th Mission Support Squadron at Moody where she is a personnel officer. The major is also an avid marathon runner. While stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, she won the 2003 and 2004 women's division of the Air Force Marathon, held at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
After winning the second consecutive race, she told the U.S. Air Forces in Europe News Service she was able to finish strong by thinking about everyone on base and in the German community who came to her and told her how she inspired them by winning the first marathon.
"Even though there is a language barrier, it is amazing how well people can communicate when you share the same passion for running," she said in the USAFE article.
In a story released by the Associated Press on Sept. 7, the major's father, John Metzger, said he was waiting and praying for good news.
"We've got a prayer chain all the way across the nation, and it's our hope that God will return her safely," Mr. Metzger told the Associated Press.
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:
Maj. Jill Metzger, the personnel chief at the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing at Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, is still missing after disappearing during a shopping trip at the nearby capital city of Bishkek. Major Metzger, a champion marathon runner, is shown here crossing the line as the first female finisher of the 2004 Air Force Marathon. (U.S. Air Force photo/Spencer Lane)
Maj. Jill Metzger, the personnel chief at the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing at Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan is still missing after disappearing during a trip to a shopping center in the nearby capital city of Bishkek. Major Metzger, a champion marathon runner, is shown here being congratulated by her parents, John and Jeannette, after crossing the line as the first female finisher of the 2004 Air Force Marathon. (U.S. Air Force photo/Spencer Lane)
By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA - American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sept. 8, 2006 – Continual training with coalition forces has increased the capabilities of the Iraqi army and police in northern Iraq and allowed the local forces to take responsibility for more territory and work toward the future of the country, the U.S. commander in the area said today.
“In an area of responsibility that exceeds 47,000 square miles, we have leveraged the full spectrum of assets in order to engage the population and neutralize the enemy,” Army Maj. Gen. Thomas R. Turner, commander of Multinational Division North, said in a news conference via satellite from Iraq. “Iraqi security forces have taken the fight to the terrorists and insurgents throughout Multinational Division North. Numerous combined and increasingly Iraqi-only operations continue to disrupt the enemy's decision-making process and disrupt their freedom of movement.”
A year ago, only one Iraqi army battalion was in the lead in the north, but today, 35 battalions, eight brigades and two divisions have assumed the lead and have been assigned an area of operations, Turner said. The majority of all operations in the region are led by the Iraqi army, he said, and the logistics and sustainment capabilities of the army are developing.
Now that the majority of the Iraqi army combat units are in the lead, the coalition is focused on building combat support and combat service support units, Turner said. When these units are fully established, they will provide critical support, such as logistics, transportation, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, he said.
Iraqi police in northern Iraq also have made great improvements, although they are still behind the army in capabilities, Turner said. More than 31,000 police have been trained in the region, and by December, more than 43,000 should be trained and fully equipped, he said. Almost 100 police stations were constructed this year, and 30 more are under construction, he added.
“It was not so long ago that we saw Iraqi police either abandoning their post or throwing down their arms when attacked or confronted by the enemy,” he said. “Today they are much stronger, and we continue to see progress.”
Progress also is being made along Iraq’s borders with Syria, Turkey and Iran, Turner said. As of today, 132 border forts have been built across the north, and seven points of entry along the eastern and western Iraqi borders have been upgraded, he said.
While developing the Iraqi security forces, coalition forces in the north also have reduced their presence, Turner said. In the past year, the coalition has gone from using 35 forward operating bases to 11, with the vacated bases being either closed or turned over to the Iraqi army or Iraqi government, he said.
Important challenges still lay ahead in Iraq, such as building trust across ethnic lines, defeating terrorists who promote sectarian conflict, establishing security and rule of law for all Iraqis, increasing economic growth to provide jobs, delivering essential services, and fighting corruption, Turner said. The key to the future is the development of the political process, which will allow the government to bring hope to the Iraqi people, who are ready to move beyond the country’s violent past, he said.
“The majority of Iraqis are tired of the bloodshed, and this enemy presents no challenge that cannot be overcome,” he said. “This was most evident after the horrific bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra, where we saw the restraint of the Iraqi people in the face of massive provocation by those who respect nothing except their own destructive agenda for Iraq.”
Related Sites:
August saw “a significant decrease in violence” in Iraq, the commander of Multinational Corps Iraq said yesterday.
----
Other media reported it differently, saying death toll in August was not down much from July.
http://freedomstruth.blogspot.com/
BBC World News Service - LIVE - Click RealAudio - Stream
BBC World News Service - LIVE - Windows Media - Stream
Click Radio Taiwan International (English)
Click LBC 1152 AM London News Radio
Israel News Radio, 0430 UTC - English
Israel News Radio, 2000 UTC - English
Click Here Listen Live~~Israel Radio News UPDATES (on the half-hour)
3 Radio Pakistan News Bulletins (English) ~~ (Left Margin - Scroll Down to "Select")
Voice of Russia, 0300 UTC - English
Voice of Russia, 0800 UTC - English
Radio China International, 1500 UTC - English
Radio Polonia, 1700 UTC - English
Radio Australia, 0700 UTC - English
Radio Australia, 1100 UTC - English
North American Radio Stations List
Click Latest VOA Radio News Headlines (5 Min.)
Radio Japan News (English)
(1, 2 & 3 + Radio)
01:00am ET - 05:00am ET - Coast to Coast AM with George Noory
12:00pm ET - 03:00pm ET - The Rush Limbaugh Show
G. Gordon Liddy Show (10:00 AM-1:00 PM ET)
The Rush Limbaugh Show (12:00 PM-3:00 PM ET)
3:00PM ET-6:00PM ET -- Sean Hannnity
Neal Boortz -- 9:00AM ET-12:00PM ET
06:00pm ET - 9:00pm ET - The Michael Savage Show
9:00am ET - 12:00pm ET - The Laura Ingraham Show
11:00pm ET - 01:00am ET - Fox News LIVE with Alan Colmes
11:45am ET - 12:00pm ET - Paul Harvey News & Commentary
Paul Harvey News Radio Archives
SUNDAY ~ 10:00pm ET - 01:00am ET - Matt Drudge-LIVE!
4:00pm ET - 5:00PM ET ~~ The Kyle Warren Show
6:00PM ET - 8:00PM ET ~~Mark Levin
10:00PM ET - 12:00AM ET~~John Batchelor
12p.m. ET - 2 p.m. ET~~Bill O'Reilly
6:00am ET - 10:00am ET~~Imus in The Morning
9am ET -12pm ET ~~ Glenn Beck Show (Audio Feed)
10:00pm ET -1:00am ET ~~ The Jim Bohannon Show
Click Rollin Down the Road ~~ 12:00am ET - 5am ET
Thr Michael Reagan Show~~ 9:00pm ET - 12:00am ET
The Mike Gallagher Show~~12:00am ET - 3:00am ET
The Hugh Hewitt Show ~ 9:00pm ET - 12:00am ET
Michael Savage Show ~ 9:00pm ET - 12:00am ET (Click Bitcaster)
BAGHDAD, IRAQ
Basrah, Iraq
Kuwait International Airport
Kabul, Afghanistan
Click Daily World Weather Video Forecast 
The current time in (UTC/GMT) is Here. 
#1 Old Radio Shows ~~ 10:00pm EST - 2:00am EST
#2 More OTR Shows ~~ (24/7) ~~ Windows Player or Real Player or Winamp
Thank you for the post, WOSG.
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.
