Coalition SUCCESSES [re. 'weapons turn-in program' press coverage]

CENTCOM, DoD ^ | June 16, 2003 | CENTCOM and me

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

The press is trumpeting the "failure" of the recent weapons 'Turn-In' program in Iraq. A few missing points:

 

We aren't disarming the Iraqis, as some irresponsible reporters are claiming - small arms are fine, RPGs and Seersucker missiles aren't.

 

The press didn't bother to report our 70 + days of successes following the liberation of Baghdad - of confiscating so much ammo one wrong flare could have blown holes in Baghdad big enough to hold the press corps and their egos.

 

How many weapons did we take in in Iraq in just 5 days last week?

 

From CENTCOM's DAILY police logs:

 

COALITION AND IRAQI POLICE WORK TO MAKE IRAQ SECURE

 

June 13:

 

Coalition forces collected seventy to eighty Surface to Air Missiles (SA7's), 75-78 Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs), and approximately 20 AK47's.

 

Iraqi citizens voluntarily turned in a variety of weapons under the Weapons Turn-In Program that began June 1. As of today, Iraqi citizens have delivered to Weapons Collection Points a total of 115 pistols, 75 semi-automatic rifles or shotguns, 406 automatic rifles, 45 machine guns, 152 anti-tank weapons (i.e., rocket-propelled grenade launchers), 11 anti-air weapons, and 266 grenades and other explosive devices.

 

June 12:

 

Al Kut (Iraqi) police detained 4 individuals for possession of a stolen bus and truck. After a search of their home, the police confiscated 100 rockets and propellant mechanisms, a cache of RPGs, an AK-47, a 60 mm mortar, 4 new desktop computers, and a stolen air conditioning unit.

 

In Al Basrah, British forces conducted a raid to disrupt possible criminal elements in a village. They detained five individuals, and seized eight RPG’s and 29 warheads, six assault rifles, one machine gun and 20,000 rounds of mixed ammunition

 

101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) arrested and turned over to local authorities three Iraqi men after they shot and killed a fellow Iraqi in Mosul. Five AK47 assault rifles and 23 magazines, three long rifles, a 30 cal machine gun, assorted ammunition

 

Local citizens in Mosul led an Army patrol to an ammunition cache that contained 160 mortar rounds and 500 anti-aircraft artillery rounds.

Jan. 11:

 

A local farmer led a Coalition patrol to a previously undiscovered weapons cache in Mosul. The patrol confiscated 3,000 x 12.7mm rounds, three mortars with tripods, 3 rocket-propelled grenades, and four firearms.

 

A 4th Infantry Division patrol discovered three ammunition bunkers in Northern Iraq that contained thousands of rocket-propelled grenades, anti-tank/anti-personnel mines, and mortar rounds.

 

While on patrols in north and central Baghdad, US military police came across several types of unexploded ordnance (UXO). The discoveries varied from small missiles, to rocket propelled grenades and launchers, blasting caps, fuses and grenades.

 

Jan.10:

 

Soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division (ID) conducted a raid on a house believed to hold the individuals responsible for an attack on Coalition Forces on June 7. They detained two individuals and were informed four more were at a local hospital. Upon inspection of the hospital, soldiers detained two other individuals. The 4th ID also conducted a raid in at a weapons market in Tayji, detaining three individuals selling detonation cord and explosives. They also conducted a raid on a suspected arms cache in Baqubah, where they detained 31 individuals, and confiscated 13 rocket-propelled grenades and various small arms. Finally, they raided a site in Taji, detaining six people, seizing 40 grenades, 90 rocket-propelled grenades, four boxes of anti-tank mines, and associated small arms.

Forty Seersucker anti-ship missiles were discovered and confiscated by 1st Armored Division (AD) forces in a Baghdad suburb. Coalition personnel will destroy the missiles.

101st Airborne (Air Assault) Division soldiers investigated possible mortar fire in Mosul, and subsequently discovered and seized a 120mm mortar with 39 rounds, and a number of enemy fortifications.

 

(Mosul)- patrol searched the site, and detained two Iraqi gunmen armed with five AK-47s, and two rocket-propelled grenades.

101st Airborne (Air Assault) Division soldiers conducted a cordon and search of a suspect weapons market in Mosul, where they detained five personnel and confiscated two 9mm Sub-machine guns, approximately 6,000 rounds of ammunition, numerous magazines, and approximately.

 

June 9:

 

In raids and patrolling activity during the last 24 hours, the 1st Armored Division in Baghdad seized 130 AK-47 rifles, 13 pistols, 6 grenades, a sword, 3 rocket-propelled grenade launchers with 7 rounds of ammunition and numerous mortar, rifle and machine gun rounds.

 

Soldiers from Division Artillery, 4th Infantry Divsion, raided a site near Baghdad yesterday, detaining six people. They also captured 3 AK-47 rifles, 3 handguns, 3 rocket-propelled grenade launchers with 99 rounds, 16 grenades, a 120mm mortar, large amounts of handgun, rifle and mortar ammunition.

 

Soldiers of the 527th Military Police Company on patrol in Baghdad recently stopped a number of Iraqis who they saw coming out of a military compound. Iraqi police arrived and detained two people for looting. The military police searched the compound and found two warehouses with about 40 aircraft mounted missiles.

Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment raided an arms market in An Nasiriyah yesterday, capturing eight individuals. They also took 9 AK-47 rifles, 3 light machine guns, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and numerous documents and ledgers.

Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment searched five houses suspected of being arms caches near Samarra yesterday. They detained two individuals and took 10 AK-47 rifles, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, 61 hand grenades, and 7,000 rifle and light machine gun rounds.

Iraqi police and soldiers from the 549th Military Police Company served a warrant on two murder suspects in Baghdad recently, apprehending them without difficulty. They searched their house and found a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, a pistol, a sword and a box of heavy machine gun rounds.

---

 

The first weeks after the liberation of Baghdad, local Iraqis led our troops to mountains of ammo - filling schools and hospitals, warehouses and homes across Iraq. Daily CENTCOM logs confirmed this, as did the embedded reporters.

 

Somebody provided enough ammo to arm the Iraqi people - clearly hoping they'd fight us. They CHOSE not to.

 

Our guys are rather BUSY daily:

 

Check out last Friday's Coalition Joint Task Force Seven Commander Live Briefing from Baghdad for a recap.

 

Better yet, read the previous two month's worth of (the other ) daily CENTCOM log: COALITION EFFORTS TO AID IRAQ’S RECOVERY. Our troops, w/  help from the Iraqi people, rebuild power plants, restore clean water, set up courts, schools, hospitals, police stations, hold elections, build soccer fields, open the ports and airports to civilian traffic...making steady progress  across Iraq...day after day, week after week...reported daily by CENTCOM, mostly ignored (and mocked) by the mainstream press.

 

Meanwhile, a French NGO held a lecture on land mine dangers in Baghdad last week using a pile of shoes as a prop. Homeless children, hoping for a pair of shoes, went home disappointed.

 

~~~

 

Over 150,000 Coalition troops are working and living with over 24 million newly freed Iraqis - who have easy access to weapons - in a nation the size of Germany....and we have fewer than 12 Coalition casualties per week - every week - from the day we liberated Baghdad. Care to guess how many regime bad guys we take out weekly? MANY more. Check the CENTCOM daily security logs.

 

"Chaos"? "Unwanted"? Our troops continue to do an awesome job in Iraq - in spite of the press.

 

www.CENTCOM.mil

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

***Operation Infinite Freedom - Situation Room - 16 JUN 03/Day 89***  ^