Free Republic

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2007 – The decrease in violence seen in Baghdad’s northern and western outskirts has created a sense of stability and fueled economic activity that Iraqis view as a presage to the return of normalcy, a U.S. commander posted in Iraq told Pentagon reporters today. “From a security perspective, there has been significant progress,” Army Col. Paul E. Funk, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team, told reporters during a satellite-carried news conference. The 4,000-soldier-strong 1st Brigade has been responsible for security issues in areas north and west of Baghdad since December 2006, Funk said,...

Brig. Gen. Obd al-Karim, commander of the 6th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi National Police Division, holds up a homemade grenade seized from an improvised explosive device facility during recent operations in the Al-Doura district of Baghdad as Col. Michael Beech, commander of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division looks on during a press conference to discuss Operation Together Forward. Story and photo by Sgt. Trevor Snyder124th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment BAGHDAD -- Iraqi and Coalition forces are systematically combing through businesses and homes in the southern Baghdad neighborhood of Al-Doura as part of a continuing operation to stem the...

WASHINGTON, April 7, 2006 – Three years ago April 9, the world looked on, captivated by compelling television images of Iraqis ripping down a towering statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad, and burning images of the Iraqi dictator on the streets. The statue of Saddam Hussein topples in Baghdad's Firdos Square on April 9, 2003. Three years later, Iraqi forces increasingly are taking the lead in securing their country.   Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld lauded it as an important sign of things to come. "We're seeing history unfold and events that will shape the course of a country, the fate...

U.S. Army Spc. Michael Sheridan, assigned to the 101st Airborne Division, looks onto Route Redwing in Baghdad. He provides security for an observation point and troops on the ground. U.S. Army photo by Spc. James P. Hunter U.S. Troops Secure Baghdad’s Route Redwing U.S. soldiers are tasked to run security operations and route reconnaissance on Route Redwing, used by insurgents to bring supplies into Baghdad. By U.S. Army Spc. James P. HunterMultinational Corps–Iraq BAGHDAD, April 5, 2006 — To prevent improvised explosive devices from endangering the lives of coalition forces and Iraqis, U.S. soldiers assigned to elements of the...

BAGHDAD (Army News Service, Feb. 17, 2006) – Responsible for the rebuilding of Baghdad’s infrastructure – restoration and improvement of electricity, water, sewer and transportation systems, members of the 4th Brigade Combat Team Infrastructure Coordination Element – known as ICE – have their work cut out for them. It’s a daunting task that requires support from the Iraqi government, several U.S. governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations, reconstruction efforts are one of the many missions facing the 4th BCT, 4th Infantry Division. “We bridge the gap by developing relationships not only with the Iraqis to gain their priorities – that is...

Baghdad's Highway of Death 'now safe' By Oliver Poole in Baghdad (Filed: 10/12/2005) The US military says it has secured the road linking Baghdad airport to the city - two and a half years after American troops first entered the capital. Attacks on the five-mile route have dropped from 142 between April and June to fewer than a dozen last month. The road had been a glaring symbol of the US failure to control Iraq. It became known as the Highway of Death since the journey meant risking shootings, suicide car bombs and booby traps. In April, 13 people were...

Baghdad's mortuary reels under the weight of killings By Oliver Poole in Baghdad (Filed: 07/11/2005) The bodies are arriving at the mortuary in Baghdad in such large numbers that the orderlies have run out of places to store them properly. They are forced to leave them in piles in the overloaded freezer compartments or send them for burial in anonymous graves. Grief at the funeral of a driver, killed on Saturday by gunmen Last month there were 972 corpses received, almost all victims of violent death. The vast majority were brought in with bullet holes. Many had their hands bound...

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A sport-utility vehicle packed with artillery shells blew up Thursday in a crowd of people waiting to volunteer for the Iraqi military, killing at least 35 and wounding 138. Another car bomb north of the capital killed six members of the Iraqi security forces. The explosion in Baghdad, the deadliest attack since a bombing outside another recruiting center in February, was part of a surge of attacks on U.S. coalition forces and their Iraqi allies ahead of the transfer of sovereignty to Iraqis on June 30. The blast scattered bodies and debris across a four-lane highway outside...