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QALAT, Afghanistan, Jan. 26, 2006 – Few infrastructure projects inject the Afghan people with as much hope for a stable and healthy life for their families as a new hospital. Along with many of the new roads and bridges built during reconstruction, a new hospital will now bring that hope to the people of southern Afghanistan. The new Zabul Regional Teaching Hospital is located between Kabul and Kandahar and will provide the middle provinces of Afghanistan with a full-service hospital with state-of-the-art equipment, Qalat's provincial reconstruction team commander said during a tour of the hospital this week with local and...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2006 – President Bush said today he will listen to military ground commanders, not polls or focus groups, when making decisions about force levels in Iraq. The president spoke at Bramlage Coliseum, Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kan., to some 9,000 students, faculty, guests and soldiers from nearby Fort Riley. He then answered questions from the crowd for nearly two hours, covering a full range of issues involving the war on terror. Topics ranged from the rationale for military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq to successes already achieved and challenges still ahead. Combat operations were used as...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20, 2006 – Iraqi Sunnis who may have partnered with foreign terrorist groups in the past will abandon that practice because it's against their interests, the U. S. officer in charge of operations in northern Iraq predicted today. "I think we'll probably see fewer and fewer Sunni organizations aligned with terrorists and foreign fighters," Army Maj. Gen. Thomas R. Turner II, the commander of Multinational Division North, said to Pentagon reporters during a news conference via satellite. "The Iraqi people fully realize that the goals of al Qaeda are not compatible with the Iraq of the future that...

BAGHDAD, Jan. 19, 2006 – Army Lt. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli accepted authority as the commander of Multinational Corps Iraq from Army Lt. Gen. John R. Vines in a transfer-of-authority ceremony at Camp Victory here today. Vines served as the commanding general of the 18th Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg, N.C., before replacing Lt. Gen. Thomas Metz as the MNCI commander in 2005. From Iraq, Vines will return to his previous position as commander of the 18th Airborne Corps, at Fort Bragg. Chiarelli comes to MNCI from his position as the commander of Task Force Victory, from Heidelberg, Germany. During...

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq (Jan. 18, 2006) -- Marines assigned to the 6th Civil Affairs Group, 2nd Marine Division, prove there is another side of the story to tell as they continue to carry out their missions to provide guidance within Al Anbar province, the largest province in Iraq. “The stories that we don’t hear enough about – the good news stories about making lives better and a nation stronger – that’s what the civil affairs Marines do every day in Iraq,” said Col. Paul Brier, commanding officer, 6th CAG. The group arrived in September to help rebuild the infrastructure and...

ELECTRICAL SECTOR: 1,500,000 residents of Basrah and potentially all Iraqi Citizens have more reliable power with the installation of Units #5 and #6 at the Khor Az Zubayr Power Plant together producing 250 MW to the national electrical grid. The completion of underground feeder lines in Baghdad, Erbil, and Mosul cities will mean more reliable power to approximately 1,000,000 people. The 150,000 people of Mashru, Al-Noor, and Al-Askary, Babil Province now have power to distribution kiosks (on-ground transformers) that the Ministry of Electricity will use to complete the connection of the surrounding homes and businesses to the grid. More than...

Haider Ajina sends what sounds like great news from Anbar province in Iraq, a part of the Sunni triangle which has been one of the main centers of the "insurgency." This is a portion of Haider's translation of an article from the Arabic newspaper Dar Alhayat: Dar Alhayat newspaper has learned that Iraqi Prime Minster Aljaafery has agreed to replace U.S. forces spread throughout Anbar province with locally enlisted forces. This agreement was drafted in a meeting between tribal leaders, Aljaafery, the U.S. Ambassador Khalil Zad and commander of the multi national forces General George Casey. The agreement was reached...

Millions Get First Tap Water in Eight Years Iraqi workers completed repairs to two water treatment plants in south Baghdad. By Norris Jones Gulf Region Central District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jan. 18, 2005 — Despite insurgent activity, Iraqi workers completed repairs to two water treatment plants in south Baghdad after nearly four months of work. Due to their skill and bravery, an estimated one million Baghdad residents will benefit from the renovations that continued regardless of insurgent attacks. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region Central (GRC), provided oversight for the restoration project. Local...

<p>WASHINGTON - The number of U.S. troops wounded in Iraq fell by more than a quarter in 2005 from a year earlier, Pentagon records show. Military officials call that a sign that insurgent attacks have declined in the face of elections and stronger Iraqi security forces.</p>

There are at least two elements essential to "success" in Iraq. The first is a central government that meets the needs of the people well enough to secure their sustained support, shows sufficient consideration for minority rights to win the loyalty of those minorities and demonstrates a credible determination to live in peace with its neighbors. The second is an effective, highly disciplined military and security establishment that gives its allegiance not to various elements within Iraqi society but solely to the central government. The fundamental question for the United States is what kind of policy is most likely to...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2006 – As progress continues in Iraq, U.S. forces are "going to put a great deal of focus on the police issue," a senior U.S. general in Iraq told reporters here today. "The Iraqi army has made enormous progress in 2005," Army Lt. Gen. John R. Vines, commanding general of Multinational Corps Iraq and the 18th Airborne Corps, said from Baghdad during a satellite news conference at the Pentagon. Iraqi police forces will get more training and mentoring from U.S. experts this year, Vines said, noting he's very optimistic for Iraq's future in light of the successful...

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jan. 11, 2006 —The insurgency did not end because of the inspiring vote on Dec. 15. Recent suicide bombings and losses during combat operations remind us again that the fight is far from over. We cannot let isolated events distract us from the progress that has been made over the last year. That is what the terrorists want. As a result of the operations to restore Iraqi control to the Syrian border over the past months, we have cut the number of suicide attacks in Iraq in half by denying the people, resources and safe havens necessary for...

Today, President Bush Addressed Members Of The Veterans Of Foreign Wars On Progress On Our Strategy For Victory In Iraq. The President discussed the political, security, and economic elements of the strategy for victory in the central front of the War on Terror, what has been achieved, the challenges faced at the start of 2006, and what the American people can expect to see in the year ahead. The Political Component Of Victory In Iraq: In The Past 12 Months, Iraq Has Undergone A Political Transformation That Is Virtually Without Precedent. Iraqis have completed three successful nationwide elections, voted for...

U.S. Troops Terrorize Iraqi Children!!!* With one Marine continually providing security, U.S. Marines from Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, the ground combat element of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), are swarmed by children while on patrol during Operation Moon River in Kubaysah, Iraq, Dec. 31, 2005. The goal of the one-day operation, undertaken by the Marines and the Iraqi army, was to assess essential civil services in the city and show a coalition presence. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Robert A. Sturkie   U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Thomas Shoemake, a Civil Affairs Officer, pauses...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 4, 2006 – The new year will build on 2005's progress in the war on terror, President Bush said at the Pentagon today after meeting with his national defense team and top military leaders overseeing operations in Iraq. During today's Pentagon meeting, the president met with Vice President Dick Cheney; Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld; Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and three top Army generals supporting the war on terrorism: Gen. John Abizaid, commander of U.S. Central Command; Gen. George W. Casey Jr., commander of Multinational Force Iraq; and Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey,...

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jan. 4, 2006 — The beginning of a new year is a time to reflect on the past and look toward the future. Last year was a monumental year. The year began with the successful election of a transitional government, the Iraqi people wrote and ratified a constitution and recently held another successful election. Along the way, more than 15 million Iraqis registered to vote and an increasing number voted in each event, due in part to an increasingly secure environment. A key to the improved security environment was the growth and capability of Iraqi police and army...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 31, 2005 – This has been a year of strong progress toward a freer, more peaceful world and a more prosperous America, President George W. Bush said in his weekly radio address today. "This year we watched the Iraqi people defy the terrorists and suicide bombers and hold three successful elections, voting to choose the only constitutional, democratic government in the Arab world," Bush said." We also saw the people of Afghanistan elect a democratic parliament in a nation that only a few years ago was ruled by the Taliban. "These are amazing achievements in the history of...

U.S. Air Force Maj. Alberto Mezarina teaches Iraqi engineers to label circuit breakers during final construction inspection. U.S. Army photo by Suzanne M. Fournier U.S. Air ForceMaj. Alberto Mezarina Air Force Engineer Helps Iraqis Rebuild By Suzanne M. Fournier Gulf Region Southern DistrictU.S. Army Corps of Engineers BASE CAMP ADDER, Iraq, Dec. 30, 2005  — Deploying to Iraq with an Army unit offered a unique opportunity for an Air Force officer to be blue in a green Army world. United States Air Force Academy instructor Maj. Alberto Mezarina said he volunteered because he wanted to do his part to...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 30, 2005 – Coalition forces today transferred command of northwest Iraq, and U.S. troops killed two terrorists Dec. 28, Multinational Force Iraq officials reported today. Command of northwest Iraq transferred from Task Force Freedom to Task Force Band of Brothers during a ceremony in Mosul. The transfer consolidates operational areas into a single multinational division under the command of Task Force Band of Brothers, military officials said. With its new command responsibilities, Task Force Band of Brothers includes the 1st and 3rd Brigade Combat Teams from the 101st Airborne Division, 1st and 3rd Brigade Combat Teams from the...

MOSUL, Iraq, Dec. 29, 2005 – Workers have completed the water network in Tal Afar, Iraq, an $85,000 project that improved the water supply of 115 homes, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials reported. The Corps of Engineers awarded the contract and oversaw work quality. "This project is unique, because the work was awarded to a state-owned contractor," said Bill Hood, senior construction manager, USACE Gulf Region North. "It was an opportunity to promote goodwill between the (local) director of water and the USACE by using a local contractor. The final outcome is we received a quality product at lower-than-normal...