SCORPION AND SIDEWINDER CONTINUE TO YIELD RESULTS

CENTCOM ^ | Tuesday, July 1, 2003

[JohnHuang2]

SCORPION AND SIDEWINDER CONTINUE TO YIELD RESULTS

BAGHDAD, Iraq – A total of eight raids were conducted in the last 24 hours by the 4th Infantry Division. Operation Sidewinder resulted in 32 detained individuals and 10 AK-47s, two pistols and one mortar being confiscated. In one successful raid, the 4th ID detained a Ba’ath party colonel along with five other individuals. Eight million Iraqi Dinar and assorted weapons, including eight AK-47s, were also confiscated in the raid.

Meanwhile, as a part of Desert Scorpion in Baghdad, the 1st Armored Division detained 148 individuals and secured 247 sites by conducting raids, cordon and search operations, checkpoint operations, presence patrols and a river operation.

Coalition forces continued aggressive patrols throughout the country during the last 24 hours conducting 1,317 day patrols and 1,052 night patrols. They also jointly patrolled with the Iraqi Police, conducting 213 day patrols and 161 night patrols. The total patrols resulted in 319 arrests for various criminal activities including one each for murder and kidnapping.

For additional information contact: CJTF-7 COALITION PRESS INFORMATION CENTER 914 360 5082/5089

[JohnHuang2]

Tuesday, July 1, 2003

Quote of the Day by Southack

[Smile-n-Win]

You wouldn't know it from the media reports, but our boys are actually making great progress in sweeping the bad guys out of Iraq.

[boxerblues]

As usual the media is taking the stance of America Bad-Terrorists Good. The phone calls and letters I get from a couple of boys over there give me a better view of what is going on over there than any news outlet.

[Napoleon Solo]

Great job as usual by our GI'S!! Too bad that our administration looks down on the Israeli's when they do the same!! The difference is that we are 6,000 miles away from our borders while the Israeli's are only 6 feet away. So it must be the Israeli's fault that they go after the "bad" Palis

[MizSterious]

Yes, you have to listen to the U.S. media with a good b.s. filter on. I'm hearing the Q word more often, and this morning I noticed ABC News stating matter-of-factly that "the honeymoon is over" between the U.S. and the Iraqi people.

I don't believe there ever was a honeymoon as far as the Ba'athists and Sadam-ites were concerned, and that is where the trouble is coming from. From what I've heard, there are plenty of Iraqi people who are mighty glad we're there--but the U.S. press is not going to report it, or if they do, they'll try to make it look less important than it is.

[1Old Pro]

You wouldn't know it from the media reports, but our boys are actually making great progress in sweeping the bad guys out of Iraq.

This is totally expected:
1) Our troops did and will continue doing an impressive job.
2) The media will distort this progress.

[CedarDave]

Yes, you have to listen to the U.S. media with a good b.s. filter on. I'm hearing the Q word more often, and this morning I noticed ABC News stating matter-of-factly that "the honeymoon is over" between the U.S. and the Iraqi people.

Exactly what I posted on another thread here.

[ken5050]

BTTT

[WoofDog123]

"Operation Sidewinder resulted in 32 detained individuals and 10 AK-47s, two pistols and one mortar being confiscated. In one successful raid, the 4th ID detained a Ba’ath party colonel along with five other individuals. Eight million Iraqi Dinar and assorted weapons, including eight AK-47s, were also confiscated in the raid. "

With these 18 kalashnikov's off the streets, how many are left now? How many millions of soviet small-arms are floating around out there?

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on or off this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

[Valin]

Iraq SITREP
received in email | ?


Posted on 06/30/2003 11:15 PM CDT by WSGilcrest


Received this in an email from my Dad tonight. Interesting insight inside Iraq....

---

From: Willand [Lt.Col. 160/40th ID] Date: Sunday, June 29, 2003 7:36 AM To:... Subject: Re: SITREP?

A Suburban driven by our group had a grenade dropped on the roof from an overpass 2 days ago. Fortunately it bounced off the roof and exploded on the side of the vehicle on or near the ground and no one was hurt. But for the windows blown out and 80+ holes in the side of the car, tire and fuel tank.

Last night there were 2 RPGs launched near our hotel. An Iraqi woman manager of one of the electrical plants that has been working with one of our guys was asked to come to the door 3-4 days ago and shot 3 times in the heart.

Some of the interpreters on our team refuse to ride in our Suburbans now because they are afraid the vehicles, and they, are being targeted as soft targets. So they take taxi's and meet us at various places when outside of the compound.

I have no personal experience with what is going on outside of Baghdad and can't really speak to that. My job is setting up security at 115 municipal facilities throughout Baghdad including some in surrounding areas. I have an Iraqi that works for me a State Department Egyptian interpreter and an office at city hall. I move all around this city almost every day. The rules require an MP escort vehicle front and back for any movement outside the compound (I have heard of some rogues).

Because the locals have a difficult time using maps since they had none they have a hard time even identifying the municipal sites I need to visit. So I pick up a guide at city hall who directs us to the sites I am visiting that day. I do not use the Suburbans for this and ride in the MP HUMMV with the guide. Once on site I do a short assessment like was it looted, was it burned, how many people work at the site and a few other questions? Then I take some photographs and get an all important 10 digit grid so we know where the place is and can plot it. This is the most important thing because it allows us to let the US units in the AO know that there will shortly be armed Iraqi guards at that facility. I am also making them place "Authorized entry only" type warning signs at each of these sites and getting uniforms and brassards for the guards.

Most of the sites were severly looted down to removing the window frames and every electrical fixture and some are completely destroyed. But some were protected like the water treatment plants who are all operational (my heroes are the water people of Baghdad).

Do I feel safe? No! Let me start with the Al Rashed hotel where many of us have been forced to move. It was the former government hotel that catered to all manner of people doing business with the regime. You may have heard of it or seen it on TV. It is the one with Pres. Bush's face on the marble floor so you had to step on his face when you entered the hotel. Rumor has that if you stomped on it well enough you got a better room (the image has been removed). The original staff has been allowed to remain and they are slimy and untrustworthy. Why they were allowed to stay is beyond anyones comprehension and is frankly, disgusting. There have been many complaints of belongings being messed with in some way.

I was lying on my bed on Friday (Sunday for us since it is prayer day and the Iraqi's don't work), the woman housekeeper came in without knocking and before she saw me immediately went into the closet for no good reason. She left immediately upon seeing me looking at her with my 9mm lying on my chest.

With the recent attacks and deaths of our people we are being much more wary when driving around town and I now keep my 9mm in my hand with a round in the chamber and the safety off. It gets a little hairy when you get stuck in these massive traffic jams or in tight market type areas. I also feel better having mail ordered and received some body armor including front and back rifle plates (we were issued flak jackets without plates, although the troops have plates).

Most of the people are decent people and they want us here to help get this mess straightened out and I think they know that there is no one else who can or will do it. The kids are great and the waving and smiles from 99% of the children is a good sign. Mainly because their parents are not objecting to them doing it and they are not throwing rocks. Many, perhaps most, but not all adults will smile at you or give you the thumbs up if you smile at them. The kids have almost turned the waving and thumbs up into some kind of sport and it continues. I also see some of the young women checking out and smiling at our young soldiers.

As I have tried to illustrate, it is not all bad, people generally like us and are very decent. They get a little frustrated at times when the electricity goes off for 2 days and of course the water then stops. And some of the severe sewage problems that exist does not help. Massive traffic jams also do not help. Little by little it is all either being fixed or will be fixed. They just have an expectation that the US can do anything and they wonder why we can't fix it now.

Some of our local interpreters I have spoken with have remarked that people are just extremely tired and worn out. Between Saddam and his wars and the sanctions as well as the latest war with us, they are simply tired.

There are bound to be a lot of bad guys around here since there are a lot of former Ba'ath Party guys that were in power who no longer are and now have to somehow earn a living. Then there are the outside influences from Iran and other places. I don't know how much of this planned or criminal activity. As I said, most people wants us here but it is definitely dangerous.

I probably have not answered your question adequately and there is much, much more to this story but that is all for now. You come back from being around town with you gear and body armor and you are soaking wet and the heat burns you out so I'm done for the day.

[Sabertooth]

I find this to be true every time I leave one in someone's mailbox.

[gitmogrunt]

Great unfiltered update from the front!

I hope your Dad stays safe and makes it home A - o.k.

[Valin]

PLEASE NO! That's not my dad (He went home a number of years ago) I believe it's WSGilcrest father.
in case you want to send him the message
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/938425/posts

[McGavin999]

You wouldn't know it from the media reports, but our boys are actually making great progress in sweeping the bad guys out of Iraq.

I know, and I'm really fed up with it. Even FOXNews has been a real disappointment. I don't mind hearing the bad news but it should also be accompanied with the news of the progress that is being made.

I've been toying with the idea of hiring a bunch of Iraqi actors to run around with microphones chasing after journalists yelling "Is it Vietnam yet?"

[squidly]

How much is 8 million dinars in U.S. dollars?

[Valin]

It's a real good thing you didn't listen to National Socialist radio tonight. Did you know that any day now we;ll be send packing of Iraq because
1 President Bush is an idiot
2 We REALLY don't have any idea what we're doing in Iraq.
3 there are not now nor ever were any WMD.

In other words the same old pile of male bovine excretment.

[cajungirl]

The scary thing is that the campaign to trash Bush and the war seems to be making inroads,,I just hate it.

[Valin]

I'm a blue collar factory worker and I don't see it, at least with the folks I work with.