Free Republic

Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 4th U.S. Cavalry and the 203rd Iraqi Army Battalion pose with a weapons cache they discovered in the village of Al Montessim on Jan. 11. FORWARD OPERATING BASE MACKENZIE- Soldiers from 1st Squadron, 4th U.S. Cavalry Regiment and the 203rd Iraqi Army Battalion put a major dent in insurgent activity in their area of operations after “Operation Powder River.” The operation, which began on Dec. 31 has been conducted in order to discover caches and improvised explosive devices hidden throughout the villages of Ad Duluiyah and Al Montessim and the island of Hawija. According to...

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Guerrillas killed three U.S. soldiers and an Iraqi guard in a mortar attack on National Guard headquarters in Samarra, north of Baghdad, Thursday. The latest violence erupted a day after Iraq's interim government announced a new security law giving itself tougher powers to combat a bloody insurgency wracking the country. Eighteen U.S. soldiers and three Iraqi guards were also wounded when guerrillas fired four mortar rounds at the Iraqi National Guard headquarters in Samarra, severely damaging the building, also used by U.S. troops, a military spokesman said. The 1st Infantry Division spokesman said U.S. forces used radar...