Free Republic

Iraqi workers clean the streets of Jamilla Market, the economic hub of Sadr City, Jan. 28, 2009. Photo by Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jennifer Keefer, 926th Engineer Brigade. BAGHDAD — Under the direction of Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Talley, commander, 926th Engineer Brigade, the last ten months brought significant engineering progress to Baghdad, specifically in Sadr City. The creation of Task Force Gold and Gold Spike provided reconstruction projects aimed at employing the people of Baghdad and improving essential services.“We bring employment back into the community,” said Master Sgt. Tracy Jackson, TF Gold Spike’s operations non-commissioned officer in charge. “And keep...

U.S.-led forces said they shot dead a leader of al Qaeda in Iraq on Friday who was the mastermind behind a series of deadly recent bombings in Baghdad. A spokesman for coalition forces said Mahir Ahmad Mahmud Judu' al-Zubaydi, also known as Abu Assad or Abu Rami, had been al Qaeda in Iraq's "emir" of the Rusafa neighborhood of the capital.