Free Republic

TF Danger Soldiers Find Large Cache KIRKUK, Iraq - Task Force Danger Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment led explosive ordnance disposal teams to weapons cache near here May 29. The EOD teams recovered more than 70 artillery and mortar rounds, 23 anti-tank munitions, an antipersonnel mine and three hand grenades. While the EOD team was at the site, an Iraqi child brought one SA-7 surface to air missile to the Soldiers. The cache was taken to a Coalition base for destruction.  Release #040530c ~ May 29 ~ 1st ID Soldiers Destroy Car Bomb TIKRIT, Iraq - 1st...

Multinational Force Iraq Reports on Operations American Forces Press ServiceWASHINGTON, May 19, 2004 -- Two 1st Infantry Division soldiers died in separate incidents and a Marine assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force in Iraq's Anbar province died from nonhostile causes May 18, Multinational Force Iraq announced in news releases today. One Soldier was killed by small-arms fire while on patrol near Muqdadiyah around 4:30 p.m. The attacker fired on the patrol from a cemetery, officials said. The second Soldier died after an electrical accident around 6 p.m. at a coalition base near Bayji. Combat lifesavers and medics treated...

Soldiers Keep Promise to Village, Gain Trust ABU ETHA, Iraq - 1st Cavalry Division Soldiers recently set up a soccer field in the tiny village of Abu Etha, fulfilling a promise made by the 82nd Airborne Division.  The village had been a hostile area for the Soldiers up until a month ago when First Team troopers started doing daily patrols in the area. "When we first arrived, the locals were very afraid, very nervous of our presence because this village had seen a lot of turmoil and a lot of raids in the past," said Capt. Ben Ring, company...

New Commands in Iraq to Replace Combined Joint Task Force By John D. BanusiewiczAmerican Forces Press ServiceWASHINGTON, May 14, 2004 – Two new military commands will stand up in Iraq May 15, replacing the current coalition military organization. Multinational Corps Iraq and Multinational Force Iraq will replace Combined Joint Task Force 7. Coalition military spokesman Army Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, at a Baghdad news conference today, said the change addresses a concern that a combined joint task force headquarters was not sufficient to handle the military workload in Iraq efficiently. "It's certainly more than a formality," he said. "It...

Northern Iraq Regional Training Center Graduates 80 New Iraqi Soldiers MOSUL, Iraq - Two ceremonies were held May 13 to celebrate the graduation of 60 Iraqi Civil Defense Corps soldiers from basic training and 20 ICDC soldiers from the Primary Leader Development Course at the Northern Iraq Regional Training Center in Qarrayah. Basic training is a six-week program designed to transform Iraqi civilians into soldiers through classes taught by the U.S. Army. Instructions cover basic rifle marksmanship, the law of war, human rights, security and checkpoint operations, basic communication, and maneuver skills. The 60 soldiers will move to their...

  Iraqi Police Arrest Seven, One Officer Wounded BABYLON, Iraq - Iraqi police arrested five murder suspects and two attackers during separate incidents April 28. The murder suspects, who were also suspected of armed robbery and organizing illegal checkpoints, were captured by a police patrol in Karbala around 2 p.m. About eight hours later, Iraqi police captured two suspects in Al Hillah who fled after firing small arms at the police. One police officer was wounded during the incident.Release #040429f Seven Iraqi Police, One Civilian Killed During Attacks MOSUL, Iraq - Seven Iraqi Police and one civilian were killed...

  Task Force Danger Soldiers Detain Six, Confiscate Weapon Caches TIKRIT, IRAQ - Soldiers from Task Force Danger detained six suspects and confiscated several large weapon caches during three raids in north central Iraq April 28. In a 9 a.m. raid, Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment detained six suspects near Tikrit. The suspects were discovered loading munitions and scrap metal into a vehicle. The soldiers confiscated 30 120mm mortar rounds and 8 with fuses. The detainees were turned over to the Iraqi Police. In a second raid around 10:20 a.m., Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 150th Armor Regiment...

Coalition Chronicles Recent Operations American Forces Press ServiceWASHINGTON, April 26, 2004 – A series of Combined Joint Task Force 7 news releases provided details of various recent operations in Iraq. A Task Force Baghdad soldier was killed and three others were wounded as a result of an improvised explosive device attack on their convoy in Baghdad April 25. While attempting to recover a vehicle damaged in the blast, soldiers came under small-arms attack from both sides of the road. In the ensuing firefight, a number of civilians, including children who were attempting to take cover near the damaged vehicle,...

Tips Lead to Capture of High-value Target, Munitions and IED Components CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq -- After getting a tip from a local Iraqi near Karmah early Friday morning, Marines captured an individual who has orchestrated attacks against Coalition forces. Marines were conducting "knock-and-talk" operations, moving through neighborhoods and asking residents if they had seen suspicious activities. Upon knocking on the door of one house, they discovered a family holding a wake for a teenage boy killed by anti-Coalition forces, according to the father. The father pointed out the location of the man suspected of the crime and Marines detained...

Anti-Coalition Forces Shell Abu Ghurayb Prison CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq - At about 1:20 pm. April 20, Anti-Coalition forces fired 18 mortar rounds into the Abu Ghurayb prison, killing 22 detainees and wounding nearly 100 detainees. No Coalition forces were killed or wounded in this attack. Coalition officials expressed their deepest sympathies for the families who lost loved ones in this attack. The I Marine Expeditionary Force is assisting in the transportation and treatment of the wounded. Anti-Coalition forces have fired on the prison compound before, killing and wounding several inmates. These terrorists who repeatedly kill and maim Iraqi citizens...

  81st Brigade Combat Team Arrives Safely To Iraq BALAD, Iraq – 81st Brigade Combat Team (BCT) arrives safely –The convoy into Iraq was a success. The final leg of the 81st BCT’s journey went smoothly, with nothing worse than a few maintenance challenges. Prior to the departure, the brigade conducted extensive convoy operation training at Fort Lewis, the National Training Center, and Camp New York Kuwait. Soldiers in Kuwait underwent live fire exercises that allowed them the opportunity to engage known threat targets from a moving vehicle. Training also emphasized the establishment of a secure zone after responding...

  2 Soldiers Dead; Enemy Employing New Tactic in Iraq By Kathleen T. RhemAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, April 15, 2004 – Two American soldiers died in Iraq April 14, one of them as a result of enemy action, and five others were wounded. Also in Iraq, coalition officials reported a new tactic used by terrorist forces: using aid convoys to smuggle arms. Two attacks with improvised explosive devices near Samarrah left one soldier from Task Force Danger dead and another five wounded, according to a news release from Combined Joint Task Force 7. The first IED attack on...

1st Cavalry Division Takes on Baghdad Responsibility By Jim GaramoneAmerican Forces Press Service BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 15, 2004 – Task Force Baghdad, made up mostly of the 1st Cavalry Division, has assumed responsibility for Baghdad and its environs from the 1st Armored Division. Maj. Gen. Martin E. Dempsey handed over the responsibility to Maj. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli in a "no-fuss, no-muss" manner. "We weren't going to have a ceremony for this," said Army Lt. Col. Jim Hutton, the public affairs officer for Task Force Baghdad. "Our people have more important things to do." News reports indicate that at...

  Marines Raids Target Terrorists Making IEDs CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq - Raids conducted by Marines and soldiers assigned to 1st Marine Division netted several suspects throughout cities in eastern Al Anbar Province April 14. Raids near Habbiniyah by soldiers with the 1st Brigade Combat Team on a series of objectives turned up an improvised explosive device factory. Soldiers discovered parts for making IEDs, weapons and a suspected IED testing area. Soldiers killed 16 enemy combatants and detained another 10. Soldiers with 1st Brigade Combat Team also captured seven enemy suspected of launching IED and mortar attacks near Khalidiyah, just...

  Children Lead 1st Infantry Division Soldiers to Cache TIKRIT, Iraq - Task Force Danger Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment discovered a weapons cache consisting of 18 60mm mortar rounds near Kirkuk April 11 at around 9:45 a.m. The Soldiers found the cache after following up on information from some children playing near a Coalition base. The Soldiers have secured and transported the rounds to a storage facility for destruction.Release #040412h http://www.cjtf7.com/media-information/April2004/040412h.htm   Central Command, Task Force 1st Armored Division Staying the CourseBy Sgt. Merrion Lasonde122nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment BAGHDAD, Iraq – U.S. forces will remain...

Negotiations Continue As Marines Take Fire Around Fallujah By Gerry J. GilmoreAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, April 12, 2004 – Coalition Provisional Authority and Iraqi officials are continuing negotiations with insurgents in Fallujah and southern Iraq, CPA officials said in Baghdad today. Fighting across Iraq has caused about 70 U.S. and coalition combat deaths since April 1, Army Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt told reporters at a Baghdad news conference. The general estimated enemy casualties to be "10 times" over coalition forces' losses during that period. At present, Kimmitt added, "there's no reliable figure" on the number of civilian casualties...

  Coalition Overpowering Pockets of Resistance in Iraq By Donna MilesAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, April 9, 2004 — Coalition forces today unilaterally suspended offensive operations in Fallujah, Iraq, at the request of the Iraqi Governing Council, officials in Baghdad reported. This move, they noted, will allow council members to meet with the city leadership and leaders of anti-coalition forces in an effort to quell the violence. The coalition called the suspension at noon Iraq time so Iraqi government- provided supplies could be delivered to the area and to enable the city's residents to tend to the wounded and...

  United States Department of Defense.News TranscriptOn the web: http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/2004/tr20040408-0589.htmlMedia contact: +1 (703) 697-5131 Public contact: http://www.dod.mil/faq/comment.html or +1 (703) 428-0711 Presenter: Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, Commander, Coalition Ground Forces Thursday, April 8, 2004 Coalition Provisional Authority Briefing               GEN. SANCHEZ:  Let me start out with an opening statement, and then I've got only about -- a total of about 30, 40 minutes today.  I've got another meeting to go to fairly quickly, so we'll open it up to your questions.  And I don't think there's much going on out there in the battlespace, right?               Well,...

    COALITION UPDATE BAGHDAD, Iraq - Attacks killed 15 Coalition service members April 6 and 7. The casualties occurred in the following incidents:   Twelve U.S. Marines died battling anti-Coalition forces in Ar Ramadi April 6.   One Ukrainian soldier was killed and five were wounded when their patrol was attacked by small-arms fire in Al Kut at about 11:45 a.m. April 6. The condition of the wounded is unknown.  One 1st Infantry Division soldier was killed and another wounded during a counter-fire mission at Logistics Support Area Anaconda near Balad at about 8:35 p.m. April 6. The...

Task Force Danger Soldiers Locate Cache TIKRIT, Iraq – First Infantry Division soldiers from Task Force 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment discovered a cache north of Samarra on March 31st at about 11:20 a.m. The cache consisted of 220 57mm rockets and one 155mm artillery round. The cache was destroyed at about 1:30 a.m. by an explosive ordnance disposal team. Release #040401ahttp://www.cjtf7.com/media-information/march2004/040401a.htm Task Force Danger Soldiers Apprehend Looters TIKRIT, Iraq – First Infantry Division soldiers from the 9th Engineer Battalion and First Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment detained 147 looters near an ammunition storage facility south of Tikrit on March...