Leaders Highlight Successes of Baghdad Operation

Defend America News ^ | Spc. Jason Dangel

[SandRat]

Sabeehr Al-Kaabi, Rasheed District Advisory Council chairman, and U.S. Army Lt. Col. James Danna, commander, 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, discuss recent security operations in Baghdad’s Risalah neighborhood. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jason Dangel
Leaders Highlight Successes of Baghdad Operation
During the three day operation, Iraqi National police and U.S. Army soldiers rooted out terrorists and death squads.
By U.S. Army Spc. Jason Dangel BAGHDAD, Sept. 19, 2006 -- The Rasheed District Advisory Council (DAC) Chairman and Multi-National Division – Baghdad's (MND-B) 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, hosted a question and answer session with local and international media outlets at the Rasheed District Advisory Council Headquarters in southern Baghdad Sept. 13. Mr. Sabeehr Al-Kaabi, Rasheed DAC Chairman, and Lt. Col. James Danna, commander, 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, took the opportunity to discuss recent security operations in Baghdad’s Risalah neighborhood while highlighting the successes of Operation Together Forward. “We had great support from the Rasheed District Advisory Council members who brought up to us their concerns about the situation in Risalah and what they thought were the causes for the problems - and some potential solutions,” said Dana, during an opening statement to Iraqi and Western media outlets. The operation in Risalah dubbed Operation Relentless Hunt, lasted approximately three days, as Iraqi National Police and U.S. Army soldiers completed the search of the southern portion of Risalah and surrounding areas, said Danna. During that time, Iraqi National Police detained 8 suspected terrorists and confiscated more than 60 illegal weapons during the door-to-door knock and enter operation. Both officials praised the efforts of the Iraqi National Police, particularly the 8th and 6th Brigades of the 2nd NPD, who have been working with MND-B soldiers in neighborhoods throughout southern Baghdad. “The easy part of the operation has been completed,” Danna continued, referring to ongoing security efforts in Risalah, during which Iraqi Security Forces and MND-B soldiers searched more than 2,800 homes and buildings. “The more difficult period of the operation is the holding and the building phase, which is setting the conditions of confidence in the local residents so they can get on with life without the threat of terrorists committing violence in their neighborhood,” he said. Since the conclusion of the search operation in Risalah, citizens once displaced because of violence brought on by terrorists and deaths squads are now beginning to return to their homes, said Al-Kaabi. This operation, like many of the missions in support of Operation Together Forward, paved the way for improvements in essential services while simultaneously providing security for the Iraqi citizens living in the Rasheed District, he said. Now that the neighborhood has been searched, the new focus will be helping the local residents improve their working and living conditions, continued Al-Kaabi. Plans for new water, sewage and electricity systems, and	A soldier from the 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, spends a little time with some Iraqi children while in the Risalah neighborhood in southern Baghdad. U.S. Army photo by Maj. Mark Cheadle construction of new schools and hospitals, will be put into effect as the DAC convenes and finalizes plans with U.S. military engineers. Al-Kaabi and Danna both said they are optimistic that the upward trends will continue as Iraqi Security and Coalition Forces continue to root out terrorists and death squads responsible for civil strife in southern Baghdad. “I have great confidence in the long-term success of this operation because when we talk to the people in those neighborhoods, they do not accept nor condone the violence going on in their areas,” Danna said. “I believe if we give them the chance and set the security conditions, we will achieve a larger lasting effect on the people in the surrounding areas,” he said. During the three-day operation, MND-B soldiers and ISF seized 17 AK-47 assault rifles with 33 magazines of ammunition, 23 pistols, two SKS machineguns, five rocket-propelled grenade launchers with 18 RPG rounds, four grenades, 14 mortar rounds, five rockets and a large amount of bomb-making materials.

[SandRat]

FR WAR NEWS!

WAR News You'll Hear Nowhere Else!

[MNJohnnie]

Thanks for the heads up.

[RedRover]

BTTT!

[oolatec]

What about the 50 bodies they find strewn about Baghdad every day?

[timer]

As always, a good report SandRat. A question that bothers me, and most americans who will vote nov 7 : when does it end? The military war in iraq was over in 3 short weeks, over 4 years ago, and it still drags on and on and on. To many it's become a vietnam quagmire. Do you remember the vietcong body count equation : $250,000 average to kill each one? With the space program and LBJ's(idiotic)war on poverty it broke the US bank. Obviously we have a religious war/culture clash over there, the long term solution could never be purely military. 300 years ago it took the warring catholics and protestants in europe 30 years to finally figure out that violence is not the answer to religious differences, now catholic and protestant churches sit across the street, at peace with each other, all over america. Are we looing at 30 years of sectarian war in iraq for shia/sunni/kurds to be at peace with each other, and us? That's just too long guys, to keep pouring BILLIONS into just this one country's infrastructure....too long.

[KarinG1]

More good news. Thanks SandRat.

[SandRat]

I wish I had that crystal ball information.