4th ID Commander Reports Iraqis Providing Information, Attacks Lessening

DoD - American Forces Press Service ^ | July 25, 2003 | Sgt. 1st Class Doug Sample

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

4th ID Commander Reports Iraqis Providing Information, Attacks Lessening

By Sgt. 1st Class Doug Sample, USA
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 25, 2003 — The July 22 deaths of Saddam Hussein's sons Uday and Qusay at the hands of U.S. forces who were tipped of by an Iraqi citizen is bringing forth intelligence information that has led to weapons seizures and the arrests of Saddam loyalists.

During a video-teleconference briefing from Tikrit, Iraq, Army Maj. Gen. Ray Odierno told Pentagon reporters that recent tips from Iraqis have led to the discovery of several large caches of weapons and the detention of what may prove to be some of Saddam's personal security detachment.

Odierno said that in the past 24 hours his soldiers visited five separate cache sites and have detained or killed at least 60 Iraqi subversives.

The more Iraqi citizens feel coalition forces will act on their tips, the more likely they are to come forward, the general explained.

Last night, for example, an Iraqi came into one of the unit's brigade headquarters and gave the location of a cache of weapons buried near a house near Samarra, Odierno said.

There, soldiers using mine detectors found a container with 10 AK 47s, 34 rocket-propelled grenade launchers, 150 RPG rounds, 80,000 feet of detonation cord, 45,000 sticks of dynamite, 11 improvised explosive devices, 33 SA-7 launchers, and 28 submachine guns.

Odierno said another Iraqi informant provided information that led to a raid on a house south of Tikrit in which 13 individuals were detained, some of whom are believed to be from Hussein's personal security detachment.

Meanwhile, Odierno noted, attacks against his troops have lessened over the past two months. Asked to quantify that downturn, he cited a 50 percent decrease.

"We've detained an awful lot of people," he said, noting that over the last 30 days the units have arrested more than 1,000 individuals. "I think we've taken a lot of the middle managers. So, they had to cut down the number of attacks. … I believe we were cutting into the number of people that were available to make those attacks."

Odierno said that over the pasts two months 4th ID soldiers have conducted search and attack missions and presence patrols to defeat and disarm remnants of the former regime who are responsible for attacks on American troops. "These efforts have been highly successful, producing a stabilizing effect throughout the region," he said.

One such assault, "Operation Ivy Serpent," which concluded last week, led to the capture of 52 "mid-level" Baathist members, he said.

The operation also netted $100,000 and 38 million dinars, money that he Odierno said he suspects was being used to finance attacks against U.S. and coalition troops. The operation also netted more that 250 AK-47 assault rifles, over 1,000 RPG rounds, 3,000 mortar rounds, and 2,700 pounds of C-4 explosives.

Odierno reported that his unit continues to work to better Iraq through several civil service projects throughout the country. He noted that such projects have included the repair of 27 hospitals and 174 health clinics. In addition, 11 schools have been rebuilt, and 35 more are currently under construction. Five water treatment plants in major cities are also undergoing repairs.

As for the duration of the 4th ID's stay, the general said, "Undoing 35 years of repression and tyranny will not be quick or easy, but it is the right thing to do. In support of this long-term effort, I believe the division will be here about a year. If conditions are met that allow (return of forces sooner), it might not be that long. But all of our soldiers and family members are planning on being here for a year, and we all understand the commitment that we must have in order to accomplish the mission.

"The road ahead will be challenging," he added. "But our soldiers are professionals. They will persevere and complete this continuing mission with the same motivation and dedication they have displayed since the beginning of this operation."

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

NEWS RELEASE HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND 7115 South Boundary Boulevard MacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101 Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894

July 25, 2003
Release Number: 03-07-76

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WEAPONS CACHE FOUND

TIKRIT, Iraq – Soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division on July 24 seized a large weapons cache located in a house and three adjacent bunkers near Samarrah.

Weapons confiscated from the house and one of the bunkers include: 10 AK-47 rifles, 42 SKS rifles, 21 submachine guns, seven machine guns, 42 rocket-propelled grenades launchers, 152 rocket-propelled grenade rounds, 45,000 sticks of TNT and other ammunition.

The contents of the other two bunkers are currently being assessed.

[PMCarey]

I think the death of Saddam's sons will be seen as the tipping point ...

[oceanview]

Centcom should not announce that "attacks are lessening". Because when another soldier is tragically killed, the media scum will come out and say "despite claims from DoD that attacks were lessening, another US soldier was killed today, bringing the total....."

just shutup, and do what is needed to stop the attacks, and let the results speak for themselves.

[finnman69]

ping

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/951858/posts?page=8#8

i think since the twin spawns from hell are now enjoying getting the crap kicked out of them by 144 Virginians 3 thigns will happen.

Us troops will be the subject of fewer attacks.

US troops will get more tips on Saddam and possibly nail him soon.

US troops will get more WMD tips and make some interesting discoveries.

8 posted on 07/24/2003 11:01 AM EDT by finnman69 (!) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies | Report Abuse ]

[Maceman]

This really is turning into the Democrats' week from Hell, isn't it?

[MEG33]

It seems at times that Iraq is one big ammo dump.

[hang 'em]

Tiny Tommy d'asshole and the seven dwarves must be nearly suicidal by now. Double up on the Prozac, punks.

[Cicero]

An earlier story, just before the Saddam brothers bit the dust, said that American casualties were up precisely because the new program was working and they were finding a lot of bad guys.

Apparently they took the effort to find the bad guys out of the hands of the CIA and gave it to the military, who are doing a much better job.

[Pro-Bush]

Great News

[Only1choice____Freedom]

NO NO NO!!!

I was watching CBS this morning and they said just the opposite. If I can't trust them, who can I believe?

CNN?
NYTimes?
BBC?
ABC?

Don't tell me Dan Rather is lying to me!
Say it ain't so!

[Rennes Templar]

This really is turning into the Democrats' week from Hell, isn't it?

LOL, true, for the Dems, its the Mother of all weeks from hell.

[CyberAnt]

I'm beginning to see that too.

I think part of it was the fear there would be reprisals (when the boys were alive), and secondly, the money being actually paid to the informant.

I'm not sure the Iraqi people really believed we would pay the money - when they find out we really do - it should inspire even more revelations!

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

You were correct, Sir!

Another good week for the good guys. (^:

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

I agree. Big news for the Iraqi people. Press today: 'Should the Bush administration have shown the photos?'

Tomorrow's headline: 'Hitler was someone's son once.'

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

Supposedly Saddam's strategy was predicated on the movie Blackhawk Down. He apparently figured that he just had to reprise Mogadishu and he'd be in the driver's seat. Not the first and not the last to be taken in by Hollyweird! Not exactly a military genius!

[RoseofTexas]

Don't know about that, but they are sure strongly in my prayers! PLEASE HEAVENLY FATHER protect and keep our brave military folk in your loving strong hands!

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

The military leaders have been straightforward about goals, expectations, failures and successes from day one of the war. It's a kick, really, to listen to them - then follow the inaccurate press accounts - only to have the DoD proven right and the press wrong - again. That's a recap of the 4 months of Iraqi news coverage: deceptive, careless press vs. careful, straight-talking DoD.

SOD Rumsfeld, Bremer and Wolfowitz said they expected immediated reprisals from the regime loyalists - of course. It's a pattern (and the 'last gasps of a dying regime' - Rummy).

The attacks will lessen and soon - because of the death of the twisted Hussein boys.

You know the press is rotten when the people have to go to the military websites to discover their brave troops have been kicking bad guy derriere daily across Iraq.

During the last two weeks in June, the troops were conducting a major operation (Scorpion) to take out Saddam loyalists (directly following two other similarly aggressive major operations in June). During these two weeks, the press hysteria grew daily - each ambush or accident became the news that day. At the end of those two weeks, our troops across Iraq - all 146,000 or so - suffered 13 fatalities - 7 from hostile action. They took in - with Operation Scorpion alone - over 1000 bad guys, over $9 million bad guy funds, and a mountain of bad guy weapons - yet all we got around the world and in America - was quagmires, casualties and 'spitting on the troops' (imho) from our press.

*ONE DAY IN IRAQ

*Our troops took out FAR more bad guys this week [July 10 - July 16]

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

It seems at times that Iraq is one big ammo dump.

It is, MEG. Do you remember Ollie's last few embed reports - as they went north to Tikrit - all the warehouses and hospitals full of weapons? Rick Leventhal showing viewers the classrooms packed with crates of RPGs to the ceiling? The whole country was armed by Saddam (and other enemies of America) - with the expectation that the Iraqi people would use them against us. They chose not to. Over 24 million people had easy access to those weapons. Think of what could have happened? Saddam not only expected the Iraqi people to fight, he booby-trapped civilian structures - with women and children still attending - knowing that one stray missile, or a flare from a Hussein loyalist could blow a hole the size of a football field in the middle of town - and take out potentially thousands of innocent civilians. It could have happened in many places across Iraq. It didn't. We were wanted. Case closed.

Security logs - weapons caches:

*COALITION AND IRAQI POLICE WORK TO MAKE IRAQ SECURE

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Dan, who?

*"Things are happening in Iraq after three months that didn't happen after 12 months in Kosovo."
Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz Press Briefing on His Recent Trip to Iraq ^ | 7/23/03 | Dep.SOD Paul Wolfowitz

*VOICES OF FREEDOM [Quotes from the grateful Iraqi people - update]
White House Website -> Iraq -> Liberation Update ^ | July 22, 2003 - weekly (usually) | Various - press

*War Folklore: Don’t listen to the latest groupspeak [Victor Davis Hanson]
National Review Online ^ | July 25, 2003, 8:45 a.m. | Victor Davis Hanson

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Not exactly a military genius!

Just really evil. He had a history of mass-murder, especially when threatened. He was very clever...had Americans selling his anti-American lies. Would arrange the death of innocent women and children - to blame it on the USA (with help from the willing press). See #18.