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FORWARD OPERATING BASE ISKAN, Iraq, April 29, 2008 – Residents of the Hay Jasmen neighborhood in Musayyib, Iraq, soon will walk on improved roads instead of dirt and jagged rocks, part of transformation that has prompted a local leader to say he wants to change the community’s name to reflect its new ambiance. Roads in the Hay Jasmen neighborhood of Musayyib, Iraq, are being refinished. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The roads are nearly complete; workers are in the finishing stages of constructing gutters on the sides of the streets. In addition to the road refinishings,...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq, April 28, 2008 – After months of intensive training at Fort Benning, Ga., and a rotation to the National Training Center, in Fort Irwin, Calif., the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team deployed here in March 2007, prepared to accomplish their mission. Army Capt. Josh Beard, from Opelika, Ala., the civil-military operations officer for 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery, greets a worker who helped set up a well and filtration system at a girls school in Narhwan, Iraq. The 3rd Infantry Division’s 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team established relationships with citizens through community projects and...

WASHINGTON, April 28, 2008 – Iraqi security forces fought and performed well during recent battles against insurgents in the Iraqi cities of Baghdad and Basra, a senior U.S. military officer posted in Iraq said yesterday. “We’ve had significant achievements in the fight against criminal groups over the last several weeks,” Navy Rear Adm. Patrick Driscoll, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, told reporters at a Baghdad news conference. “In Basra and Baghdad, Iraqi security forces have demonstrated bravery and professionalism and have made great strides in securing those areas where Iraqis were held hostage by those who oppose the rule of...

CAMP VICTORY — The citizens of Tarmiyah have seen a substantial reduction in violence over the past four months, which can readily be seen throughout the vibrant market places midday as consumers packed the markets to purchase needed goods from vendors. “Things have been very quiet in Tarmiyah over the past four months,” said Staff Sgt. Mikey Fernandez, who is attached to Troop A, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team “Warrior,” 25th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad.“You would not see the markets the way they are now four months ago. The people of Tarmiyah...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER — After months of intensive training at Fort Benning, Ga., and a rotation to the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, Calf., the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team deployed to Forward Operating Base Hammer in March 2007, prepared to accomplish their mission. Their mission in Iraq has been to prevent accelerants from coming into Baghdad, said Col. Wayne W. Grigsby, Jr., from Prince George’s County, Md., commander of the 3rd HBCT. “I’d say we were very successful doing that, in addition we came to the Mada’in Qada and helped stop the criminals that were harming the...

FOB MAHMUDIYAH — In an effort to deal a blow to al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) west of Mahmudiyah, the 2nd battalion, 25th brigade, 6th Iraqi Army (IA) Division established permanent battle positions in the Sa’id Abdullah Corridor (SAC), April 24. “Until only a few short weeks ago, this road was an area where American and Iraqi Soldiers only went expecting a fight,” said Capt. Dennis Call, from Albuquerque, N.M., leader of 4th Platoon, Battery A, 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). “In the past, we did a number of air assault raids,...

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s largest Sunni bloc has agreed to return to Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki’s cabinet after a boycott that lasted nearly a year, several Sunni leaders said on Thursday, citing a recently passed amnesty law and the Maliki government’s crackdown on Shiite militias as reasons for the move. The Sunni leaders said they were still working out the details of their return, an indication that the deal could still fall through. But such a return would represent a major political victory for Mr. Maliki in the midst of a military operation that has at times been criticized as...

I received this list of facts about Iraq in an email from my beloved mother-in-law. You should be able to verify all of these facts on the Department of Defense website: http://www.defenselink.mil/ Facts: - 47 countries' have reestablished their embassies in Iraq. - The Iraqi government currently employs 1.2 million Iraqi people. - 3100 schools have been renovated, 364 schools are under rehabilitation, 263 new schools are now under construction; and 38 new schools have been completed in Iraq. - Iraq's higher educational structure consists of 20 Universities, 46 Institutes or colleges and 4 research centers, all currently operating. -...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq, April 24, 2008 – Eight months ago, opening a bank in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad sounded like a good way to stir up trouble. Iraqi ladies become the first customers of the newly reopened Rashid Community Bank on April 20, 2008, in the Doura community of southern Baghdad. The bank is located a block from the renowned Doura Market, a center of commerce for many Iraqi residents. Photo by Army Spc. David Hodge, Multinational Division Baghdad  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Times have changed in the area, however, and local residents...

WASHINGTON, April 23, 2008 – The commander of Multinational Corps Iraq said today he is “absolutely encouraged” by the progress he has seen during his first two and a half months in the country. In his first news conference as Multinational Corps Iraq commander, Army Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III told reporters in Baghdad today that Iraqi forces are standing up to the country’s enemies and said Iraqi security forces are in control of Basra. Austin reminded reporters that Iraq has seen a 60 percent drop in violence from the summer of 2007. “While this change is significant, we...

Maj. Eric Kerr, Co. B, 415th CA, who also works with the 4th BCT, 3rd Inf. Div. ePRT, watches as a local store owner signs for his microgrant April 20 in Haswa, Iraq. Photo by Spc. Amanda McBride, 4th BCT Public Affairs. FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — Iraqi shop owners received grant assistance April 20 after proving the money would be put to good use renovating their businesses. “Today we made final payments for microgrants to property owners in the Haswa area,” said Maj. Eric Kerr, Company B, 415th Civil Affairs, attached to 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division....

FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA — The Wasit Provincial Reconstruction Team leader and 214th Fires Brigade commander briefed the Wasit Provincial Council last week on reconstruction efforts in the province. More than $38 million dollars have been spent on those efforts in Wasit province since Jan. 1, 2007 by Coalition forces and the PRT. “We have done a lot as a team, and it has been a team effort,” said Col. Peter Baker, the 214th FB commander, “but there is more to do so that essential services are available to all. “We are working on developing processes and systems to put...

WASHINGTON, April 21, 2008 – The commander of Multinational Forces West’s Regimental Combat Team 1 described the enemy in his area of operations as “neutralized" during a briefing in Camp Fallujah, Anbar province, Iraq. “We still see occasional [al-Qaida] violence in the area, [but] we’re very watchful to ensure we don’t allow a resurgence of [al-Qaida] activity,” said Marine Col. Louis Craparotta. “Most people believe that [al-Qaida] has fled al Anbar, at least for the time being.” It’s his team’s responsibility make sure al-Qaida doesn’t reestablish itself in the area, which covers about 5,000 square miles from the western border...

An Iraqi soldier kicks down a door at the Bayji train station during an operation ridding Al Qaida fighters from the city of Bayji, Iraq, in November 2007. After several months of U.S. and Iraqi-led operations cleansing the city of enemy extremists, leaders in Bayji are now primarily focused on the needs of the people rather than security. Photo by Spc. Richard Rzepka. BAYJI — After several months of combat operations in the northern Iraqi city of Bayji, tribal leaders and local officials have shifted their focus. Full-scale U.S. and Iraqi-led operations have cleansed the area of numerous “high-value individuals,”...

Iraqi Pvt. Kalieph Qayes, military policeman with Military in Transition Team-0720, 7th Iraqi Army Division, searches an Iraqi national before coming aboard Al-Asad Air Base, Apr. 6. All local nationals coming on base are subject to a search by the Iraqi Soldiers manning the gate. Photo by Cpl. Scott McAdam, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Fwd) Public Affairs. AL-ASAD — In Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Iraqi people are showing progress through their government works, rebuilding projects, and police and military operations. At Al Asad Air Base, Iraqi Soldiers work in conjunction with the Marine Corps, keeping the air base secure by...

WASHINGTON, April 17, 2008 – In the past year, the Iraqi army has transformed into a national force that has deployed across the country in operations that show its increasing combat capabilities, a senior commander there said today. “There should be no mistake on the behalf of anyone that the Iraqi army is a national army,” said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Robin Swan, commander of the Coalition Army Advisory Training Team. “Just over the past year, it has made a tremendous, tremendous impact in areas throughout Iraq. In as short as nine to 12 months ago, [it was unimaginable] that...

A local Iraqi fills his automobile from a recently re-opened gas station in the Al-Quibla district of Basra, Iraq, April 14. DoD photo. BASRA — Since the arrival of Iraq’s 1st Army Division, peace and order are becoming a norm once again in the town of Al-Quibla, Iraq. Local businesses such as kiosks, food markets and gas stations are re-opening and offering job opportunities for the citizens of Iraq.“The jobs created by small business stimulate the local economy and advances positive economic incentives in the daily lives of the Iraqi people,” said Maj. Tom Holloway, a spokesman for Multi-National Division...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE MAHMUDIYAH — Operation Marne Piledriver launched in the Mahmudiyah area April 15 as Iraqi Army and Coalition forces conducted joint clearance missions. Soldiers with 1st and 2nd Battalions, 25th Brigade, 6th IA Division and 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) combined to conduct dismounted patrols and an air assault. “The Iraqi Soldiers took initiative from the start,” said Pfc. Nathan Krueger, from St. Clair, Mich., Battery A, 3-320th FA. “Every time I went into a building, there would already be an IA Soldier clearing or searching the area. Once...

WASHINGTON, April 16, 2008 – The Afghan National Army is growing, and the police force is nearly through its rank and pay reforms, helping eventually to put in place competent, professional security forces across the country, a senior commander there said today. “Once the people realize what a professional, noncorrupt, police force looks like, they want some of that,” said Army Brig. Gen. Andrew Twomey, deputy commander of Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan, based at Camp Eggers in Kabul. His organization’s mission is to train, advise and develop the Afghan security forces, both police and army. The agency’s first challenge...

WASHINGTON, April 14, 2008 – Iraqi security forces are continuing to lead operations against insurgents in Basra and Baghdad and have made significant progress toward establishing security, a U.S. military spokesman in Iraq said yesterday. Speaking to reporters in Iraq, Navy Rear Adm. Patrick Driscoll, Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, detailed recent operations, including those in the southern city of Basra, where Iraqi and coalition forces have been conducting increased operations since March. “In Basra this week, Iraqi security forces continued operations against illegally armed gangs, intimidation and extortion groups, and other criminals,” Driscoll said. “Although there still is much work...