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Gangsters operate own prisons as kidnapping soars in Iraq By Patrick Cockburn in Baghdad 15 January 2004 Kidnapping is now the crime of choice among gangsters in Baghdad. Colonel Feisal Ali, a veteran Baghdad policeman, said: "Criminals who used to steal gold and jewellery now specialise in kidnapping because it is easier and more profitable. Some actually maintain their own private prisons." Even the very moderately wealthy in Baghdad are terrified that kidnappers will strike at them or their families. They drive their children to school fearing that, otherwise, they will be seized at the school bus stop. Some of...

NEWS RELEASEHEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND7115 South Boundary BoulevardMacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 January 14, 2004Release Number: 04-01-36 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TF "ALL-AMERICAN” WORKS WITH IRAQIS TO MAKE THEIR COUNTRY SAFE RAMADI, Iraq – The 82nd Airborne Division and its subordinate units continued missions to bring peace and prosperity to the residents of the Al Anbar province. During the last 24 hours, Task Force “All-American” conducted 194 patrols, including nine joint patrols with Iraqi forces, cleared five caches and conducted three offensive operations – two cordon and searches in Fallujah and Husaybah and...

TF 1 AD Honors Iraqis for Service to Baghdad’s Communitiesby Spc. Chad D. Wilkerson, 372nd MPAD BAGHDAD, Iraq – Soldiers from Task Force 1st Armored Division, along with personnel from the Coalition Provisional Authority, recognized Baghdad’s police, facility protection and civil defense guardsmen who acted valorously or made significant sacrifices in the line of duty Jan 9. More than 180 awardees were honored during the ceremony at the Iraqi Convention Center in central Baghdad for outstanding acts in the name of peace and security in their country. During the ceremony, Brig. Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, 1st Armored Division commander,...

January 2, 2004: With over a hundred thousand Iraqis armed and performing security duties, the crime rate had rapidly come down, and most American troops are now concentrating on operations against terrorist and pro-Saddam Iraqis who are still fighting. A data collection system for crimes has also been installed, and it showed that Baghdad's murder rate in October was lower than New York City's (which has the lowest rate of any major city in the United States). Baghdad had six murders per 100,000 population, while New York had seven. This, however, does not count the deaths from American military operations,...

Women on Patrol Near Iran Brave Insults to Catch Terrorists BASHMA BORDER CROSSING, Iraq -- "How can your family allow you to work a job like this?" "You are shameful." "Women were created for being in the house." Each day, the name-calling and barbs begin almost as soon as Shinaa Rasul slings her AK-47 rifle over her shoulder and steps out of her barracks to the snowy valley that separates her country from Iran. Rasul and 53 others are part of an Iraqi Border Patrol unit stationed on the 920-mile Iranian frontier. And as the patrol's first all-female outfit, they...

NEWS RELEASEHEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND7115 South Boundary BoulevardMacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 December 24, 2003Release Number: 03-12-60 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE HIGH LEVEL FORMER REGIME ELEMENTS HELP 101ST PROVIDE SECURITY IN NORTHERN IRAQ MOSUL, Iraq – High-level former regime elements and other Iraqi citizens helped the 101st make northern Iraq a safer place Tuesday by turning over weapons caches. Three Shua’bah, or third-tier, Ba’athists in northwest Iraq turned over rifles and ammunition to 3rd Brigade compounds. The Shua’bah of Avgani, who turned in three caches in the previous three days, handed over 11...

NEWS RELEASEHEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND 7115 South Boundary Boulevard MacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101 Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 December 22, 2003Release Number: 03-12-55 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TASK FORCE “ALL AMERICAN” CONDUCTS OFFENSIVE OPERATIONS AR RAMADI, Iraq – Soldiers from Task Force “All American” continue missions aimed at assisting local Iraqis in the reconstruction effort and stopping violence in the Al Anbar province. During the last 24 hours, we conducted 204 patrols, including 25 joint patrols with the Iraqi Border Guard and Iraqi police. Soldiers also carried out 16 offensive operations. During these operations, there were...

NEWS RELEASEHEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND 7115 South Boundary Boulevard MacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101 Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 December 22, 2003Release Number: 03-12-56 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 101ST AIRBORNE, MOSUL POLICE OPEN NEW MAIN STATION MOSUL, Iraq – The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) opened a new downtown police headquarters in Iraq’s second largest city Sunday. The police headquarters will now serve as a nexus for the 4,200 policemen in Mosul, just seven months after it had been thoroughly looted following the defeat of Saddam Hussein in April. The station is located next to another police...

BAGHDAD (AFP) - About 300 of the 700 members in the first new Iraqi army battalion set up by the US-led coalition have resigned, a coalition official said. "There are about 300 of these individuals out of a total of about 700 of the First Battalion of the new Iraqi army (who) have therefore resigned or effectively resigned," the official told a news conference on condition he not be identified. Under daily attack by insurgents, the coalition is seeking to transfer more security responsibility to Iraqi forces. "They weren't happy with terms and conditions and didn't obey the instructions of...

DoD, Coalition to Look into Iraqi Army Resignations By Jim GaramoneAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Dec. 11, 2003 – Defense Department and coalition officials will look into why about a third of the men in the first battalion of the new Iraqi army have resigned, Pentagon officials said. Officials in Baghdad said the first indication is that many of the men left over pay issues. Officials said between 200 and 250 men in the 600-man battalion resigned. Many said they could make about $10 a month more if they entered other Iraqi security forces. Pentagon officials said they recognize...

<p>Plans to deploy the first battalion of Iraq's new army are in doubt because a third of the soldiers trained by the U.S.-led occupation authority have quit, defense officials said Wednesday.</p> <p>Touted as a key to Iraq's future, the 700-man battalion lost some 250 men over recent weeks as they were preparing to begin operations this month, Pentagon officials said.</p>

NEWS RELEASEHEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND7115 South Boundary BoulevardMacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 December 8, 2003Release Number: 03-12-20 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TASK FORCE “ALL-AMERICAN” TRAINS NEW IRAQI SECURITY FORCES The 82nd Airborne Division and attached units, also known as Task Force “All American,” continue in the establishment of Iraqi security forces. Current enrollment shows Iraqis actively seeking to secure their own country and taking responsibility for their own safety and protection. Iraqi Civil Defense Corps (ICDC) recruits began moving from Fallujah to the Navea Training Center for the next ICDC class, which is...

Plans to deploy former armed opponents of Saddam Hussein to quell the bloody insurgency in Iraq gathered steam as the country's interim leadership lined up behind the United States in calling for a NATO role to help restore security. Interim foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari backed coalition efforts to use the militiamen and said Iraq, wrestling with armed resistance to the US-led occupation, would greatly welcome involvement by the North Atlantic alliance. "We as Iraqis would welcome very much all international efforts coming from other members of the international community to help us," he said. "They can be helpful in this...

NEWS RELEASEHEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND7115 South Boundary BoulevardMacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 December 4, 2003Release Number: 03-12-10 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 5TH ICDC CLASS GRADUATES AR RAMADI, Iraq - Civil Affairs personnel continued a police-training seminar today in Al Amariyah for the current Iraqi Police and Facilities Protection Service forces. The seminar is five days in length and the officers each receive training on search techniques, apprehension of suspects, evidence handling, and crowd control along with practical exercises. Thirty-four police officers have completed the course to date and many citizens have commented on...

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi political parties and coalition authorities are discussing the creation of a 1,000-member militia to bolster the U.S. military's fight against a guerrilla insurgency, U.S. and Iraqi officials said Wednesday. The militia would be formed by uniting fighters from five Iraqi political parties under the joint leadership of the U.S. military and the emerging Iraqi Civil Defense Corps, American officials in Baghdad and Washington said on condition of anonymity. Also Wednesday, U.S. soldiers captured a former Iraqi general suspected of recent contacts with Saddam Hussein (news - web sites). In another raid, Iraqi police and U.S. troops...

Tribes move to fill in security vacuum Baghdad, Iraq Press, December 5, 2003 – The continuing unrest and lack of security has prompted the authorities to rely on tribes to reinstate law and order. The Interior Ministry invited tribal chiefs in the area of Baghdad and its districts and asked them to form their own vigilante groups. The lightly armed groups will be responsible for security in their areas in the absence of Iraqi police or US-led coalition troops. Interior Ministry reports say that some tribes have done an excellent job in their own areas, with their vigilante groups inspecting...

US allocates billions for security Baghdad, Iraq Press, December 5, 2003 – The United States has earmarked $3 billion dollars to return security to the country, according to top US civil administrator in Iraq. In remarks to local newspapers, Paul Bremer said the money will be spent to “boost the police force and reinstate stability and security in the country.” It is the first time Bremer gives a separate interview to local reporters, representing scores of newspapers of different political and religious hues. And the remarks come amid reports of unrest and lack of security in several parts of Iraq....

<p>BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi political parties and coalition authorities are discussing the creation of a 1,000-member militia to bolster the U.S. military's fight against a guerrilla insurgency, U.S. and Iraqi officials said Wednesday. The militia would be formed by uniting fighters from five Iraqi political parties under the joint leadership of the U.S. military and the emerging Iraqi Civil Defense Corps, American officials in Baghdad and Washington said on condition of anonymity.</p>

NEWS RELEASEHEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND7115 South Boundary BoulevardMacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 December 3, 2003Release Number: 03-12-05 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ENEMY, ARMS CAPTURED DURING OPERATION BAYONET LIGHTNING KIRKUK, Iraq –In a joint operation with Iraqi security forces the 173rd Airborne Brigade, part of Task Force Ironhorse completed Operation Bayonet Lightning. This was a cooperative brigade-wide operation, capitalizing on the successful joint patrols conducted by 173rd soldiers, Iraqi Civil Defense Corps and the Iraqi Police. All of the forces worked together and employed raids to capture targeted former regime elements that, with their...

Thailand may pull out of Iraq From correspondents in Bangkok December 2, 2003 THAILAND will consider withdrawing its troops in Iraq if the security situation there worsens, Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said Tuesday. "At this time we are able to function like every other country but if the situation worsens and our troops cannot perform their duties then I will consult with the prime minister," Surakiart told reporters. Surakiart said the defence ministry was assessing the situation on a daily basis and so far it believed the presence of the 440-strong Thai contingent in the central city of Karbala was...