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BAGHDAD (AFP) — Several hundred thousand Iraqis voted on Wednesday in the first stage of a landmark provincial election, the country's first ballot since 2005...

Iraqi and U.S. Soldiers depart Contingency Operating Base Adder in southern Iraq, Jan. 18, 2009. The Iraqi troops now provide convoy security for the 27 BSB Soldiers. Photo courtesy of 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. COB ADDER — Iraqi Army (IA) Soldiers for the first time escorted a Coalition logistics convoy to remote outposts in southern Iraq, Jan. 18. Iraqi troops from the 10th Motor Transportation Regiment, 10th IA Division provided security for the 27th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Div. while the battalion delivered supplies.“The mission was executed in a very professional manner,”...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 26, 2009 – As Iraqis prepare to choose their provincial leadership this week in their first nationwide elections in three years, an Army colonel near the end of a 14-month tour told Pentagon reporters today he’s amazed by the progress the country has made. “Being here to watch the Iraqis conduct these elections is a perfect conclusion to this tour, and marks an important milestone on this nation's continuing development in democracy and freedom for its people,” Army Col. Todd McCaffrey, commander of the 25th Infantry Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team, said from Iraq during a video news...

BAGHDAD, Jan. 26, 2009 – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Division marked five years of reconstruction progress in Iraq yesterday with more than 4,400 projects completed and turned over to the Iraqi government. “As we mark five years of building strong foundations together with the people of Iraq, I am humbled to be part of this historic effort,” Army Maj. Gen. Michael Eyre, commanding general of the division, said at an afternoon ceremony at division headquarters to mark the anniversary. “With more than 4,400 projects completed and turned over to the government of Iraq, and several hundred...

AR RAMADI, Iraq – Camp Ramadi was signed over to the Iraq government in a memorandum of agreement signed by Iraqi army and U.S. military officials at Camp Ali, Iraq Tuesday. Camp Ali, which is a segment of Camp Ramadi occupied by the Iraqi army, is located about 70 miles west of Baghdad in Ar Ramadi, the provincial capital of the Al Anbar Province. The MOA was signed by Staff Brig. Gen. Adel, the commander of the First Quick Reaction Force Brigade, Iraqi army, headquartered at Camp Ali, and U.S. Army Col. Ronald Kapral, the commander of Camp Ramadi and...

COB ADDER — Amidst cell phone rings and conversations, 17 Iraqis from Dhi Qar province received micro-grant instruction from Coalition forces at a small-business conference here Saturday. Ten Iraqi women and seven men attended a joint seminar hosted by the Dhi Qar Provincial Reconstruction Team, finance personnel from the 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division and the members of the 287th Sustainment Brigade Civil Military Operations cell. The purpose of the event was to help stimulate economic growth in southern Iraq by educating potential business owners on using micro-grants to start and expand small businesses. The $5,000 micro-grants are primarily awarded...

There is an often quoted letter that is used to illustrate how people resist change and the creative destruction that free-enterprise can create. Enjoy this letter for the historical perspective it provides: January 21, 1829 To President Jackson, The canal system of this country is being threatened by the spread of a new form of transportation known as "railroads." The federal government must preserve the canals for the following reasons: One. If canal boats are supplanted by "railroads," serious unemployment will result. Captains, cooks, drivers, hostlers, repairmen and lock tenders will be left without means of livelihood, not to mention...

A coalition of prominent evangelical leaders who've partnered with Third Way, a Washington think tank influential in shaping Democratic Party policy and messaging, is presenting policy recommendations to Barack Obama's transition team today that purport to offer a consensus approach to hot-button issues that have long divided evangelicals and liberals. More News * Hot Docs: Obama and Human Rights, Skewed Nuclear Spending * Is Mike Huckabee Right About Sarah Palin and the Media? * Democrats Push for Stimulus Package to Include Education Spending The recommendations include a framework for reducing demand for abortion without further restricting abortion rights, through initiatives...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14, 2009 – The lack of essential services has replaced security as the major concern in Iraq, pointing to the progress the country has been making, according to a Defense Department report released yesterday. The report to Congress, titled “Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq,” said the security situation in the country continues to improve. The report covers the period through the end of November, and does not address the change of responsibility to the Iraqi government for security under the status-of-forces agreement that went into effect Jan. 1. Iraqi forces are increasing their capabilities, the report says,...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12, 2009 – U.S. soldiers are seeing positive results from their increased presence at the newly built Combat Outpost Terminator in the Maywand district of Afghanistan’s Kandahar province. Gov. Noor Mohammed Akhwand of the Maywand district of Afghanistan’s Kandahar province, distributes food to the residents of Ata Mohammed Kartz on Jan. 6, 2009. The presence of U.S. soldiers at a new combat outpost in the area made it possible for the humanitarian aid and Afghan government officials to travel safely to the village. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Eric Donner  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image...

An Iraqi Army medic, assigned to the 10th IA Division, administers intravenous fluids to a fellow Soldier during advanced combat medical skills training at Camp Mittica, near Tallil Air Base, in southern Iraq, Dec. 31, 2008. U.S. Army photo. CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER — Approximately 15 Iraqi Army medics completed advanced combat medical skills training at Camp Mittica, near Tallil Air Base, in southern Iraq, Dec 31, 2008. Soldiers of the 10th IA Division attended the class offered through a continued partnership with the 27th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. Staff Sgt. Junior St. Hilaire...

AL SHA’ AB — Just days after the International Zone was returned to the Government of Iraq, Coalition forces returned Forward Operating Base Callahan to Iraqi jurisdiction, Jan. 3. FOB Callahan was the former Sha’ab Market and a strategic spot in Adhamiyah, which was taken over in 2007 as part of the surge to monitor routes and more fully secure the area. With the new security agreement and increased security in the area, Coalition forces seized the opportunity to return the building back to the Iraqi Ministry of Trade. “This building has been a Coalition camp since March of 2007;...

BAGHDAD Maybe it was the only shot heard for days in a neighborhood once ordered by the cadence of gunfire. Perhaps it was the smiles at checkpoints and the shouts of Iraqi policemen navigating the always snarled traffic. "God's mercy on your parents," they beseeched. "God's blessings on you." Maybe it was the music box still playing "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" at a kiosk overflowing with Christmas tree decorations and heart-shaped red pillows. For anyone returning to Baghdad after spending time here during its darkest days two years ago, when it was paralyzed by sectarian hatred and overrun...

Multi-National Division South East BASRA – Iraqi authorities took control of the Basrah International Airport from Coalition supervision today in a ceremony in the southern city of Basra. This transfer of authority comes after four years of operation since it closed after the start of the war in 2003. On hand for the event was Basrah Governor Mohamad El Wa'ili, Basrah International Airport Director Abdul Ameer, Director General of the Iraqi Civil Aviation Administration Sebeeh Al Shebany and Multi-National Division-South East Commander British Maj. Gen. Andy Salmon, as well as other officials, members of Iraqi Security forces and Iraqi media....

CAMP TAJI — In a step forward for Iraqi civil capacity, the Iraqi Transportation Network (ITN) made history as it delivered 14 up-armored Humvees to Camp Taji, Dec. 20. ITN is an all-Iraqi consortium of tribally owned trucking companies that moves cargo across Iraq. ITN completed more than 3,700 missions since May 2, 2008 without incident or loss of cargo. This delivery of M1114 Humvees allowed the ITN to prove it is ready to start handling other types of cargo essential to the sustainment of Iraq and Coalition forces. One of the planners for the event, Capt. Carey W. Menifee,...

Economic development in Iraq in 2008 has been "encouraging" according to a review of the country's economy by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Improved security and a more stable political environment mean economic activity has "picked up" on the back of increased oil production and exports. IMF deputy managing director Takatoshi Kato said the authorities had kept the economic programme "on track". Oil revenue in 2009 would be much lower than in 2008, he added. To compensate, the Iraqi government has already prepared measures to reduce spending next year.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 24, 2008 – The military command charged with training Iraq’s security forces and the Iraqi Interior Ministry continue to make progress in the development of the Iraqi security forces and the ministry, a senior military official said. Army Maj. Gen. James M. Milano, deputy director of interior affairs for Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, told bloggers and online journalists during a Dec. 18 teleconference that Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad al-Bulani wants a corruption-free ministry. “One of Minister Bulani’s strategic priorities, both this year and for 2009, is increasing professionalism [and] ethics-based behavior, eradicating corruption from the ministry,” Milano...

Former Sons of Iraq members now serving as an Iraqi policemen in Suleikh speak about the improvements of being an IP versus an SoI while on a break at Joint Security Station Suleikh in northeastern Baghdad, Dec. 21. Photo by Sgt. Zachary Mott. SULEIKH — Fifty former members of the Sons of Iraq program are now protecting the streets of Suleikh wearing the bright blue uniform of Iraqi Police officers. The men, along with more than 400 other former members of the much publicized SoI program from Baghdad’s Adhamiyah District, are now Iraqi policemen charged with protecting the streets and...

DIWANIYA — Coalition forces conducted status checks on highway checkpoints controlled by the Sons of Iraq during a patrol Dec. 15. Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, conducted the patrol and found citizens working diligently to maintain the safety of their city. “I have mid-day duty. I watch the highways and search the areas (around my checkpoint). Sometimes, (the Iraqi Police) call on me to help search cars,” said Calvin, a member of the SoI. The SoI program works with the Iraqi Police and Iraqi Army to make the provinces safe for their citizens. The combined...

Iraqi Soldiers from the 4th Battalion, 54th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, prepare to conduct an operation with Coalition forces from Multi-National Division – Baghdad in the Ameriyah District of northwest Baghdad Dec. 20. The operation netted a number of illegal weapons and displayed the abilities of the Iraqi Security Forces to plan and execute a combat operation. Photo by 1st Infantry Division Public Affairs. BAGHDAD — Iraqi Security Forces, with the assistance of Coalition forces, conducted Operation ‘Foul Dagger’ Dec. 20 in the Ghazaliyah and Ameriyah Districts of northwest Baghdad. The purpose of the mission was to deter a...