Free Republic

WASHINGTON, May 31, 2006 – The U.S. will triumph over murderous extremists because of the daring and ingenuity of its people and armed forces, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said in his commencement address at the U.S. Air Force Academy today. Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld delivers his commencement speech to the 2006 graduating class of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., May 31. Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley, USN  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. "Violent extremists are trying to terrorize and intimidate free people into submitting to their will,"...

An Afghan border patrol officer inspects cargo strapped to a donkey near the village of Ghani Kheyl, Afghanistan. There are numerous trails crossing the border into Pakistan where camels, horses and donkeys are used. Courtesy photo Afghan Border Police, Villagers Secure Border Because there are no major vehicle border crossings to secure in his area, the Afghan Border Police battalion commander instead sends his men out to the trails carved through centuries of trade. By Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan TOWR KHAM FIRE BASE, Afghanistan, May 24, 2006 — Commander Naqeebullah of the Afghan Border Police’s 1st Brigade, 2nd Battalion, says...

THE ILLEGALS ARE COMING…. THE ILLEGALS ARE HERE...Or What we can do to STOP the Invasion! Are you upset about the millions attending the illegal aliens rallies? Do you wonder if there are 11 million or 20 million here illegally? If there is an amnesty will it be 100 million in 8 years? Why is it that we don't see millions of American citizens and those who work to come here LEGALLY gather to show their numbers? Well, they have jobs. But what are YOU doing on the 4th of July? Most businesses will be closed and Americans will be...

WASHINGTON, April 27, 2006 – Military families will soon have a new and secure way to keep in touch with their deployed loved ones. America Supports You: Linda Dennis, founder and president of "Connect and Join," and Dr. Frederic Medway, are launching a Web site for military families. Here, they pose April 25 in the Pentagon with arts and crafts projects they developed to help military families stay in touch during deployment. Photo by Paul X. Rutz  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. "Connect and Join," an Internet-based communications company, provides a forum for military families to keep in...

New Boats Help Iraqi Police Secure Waterways With five new patrol boats, the Iraqi police are now in a position to secure waterways believed to be used as insurgent supply routes. By U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class John J. Pistone Multinational Security Transition Command—Iraq BAGHDAD, April 24, 2006 — The Tigris River runs through Baghdad and, with more than 35 miles of waterways in the Baghdad area, many coalition advisors and Iraqis believe this is the major supply route for insurgents. Until recently, it has gone virtually unprotected. With five new patrol boats provided by the coalition, the...

KABUL, Afghanistan, April 10, 2006 – The Afghanistan National Police made the Towr Kham border crossing point fully operational recently with 100 percent immigration identification and commerce checks, Combined Forces Command Afghanistan officials reported. Towr Kham is on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Temporary barriers to separate and guide traffic were added, and the administrative offices and the evidence storage facility were redesigned, officials said. Within the ANP, the responsibility for securing international borders from threat of criminal and terrorist acts rest with the border police. Working with Afghan customs officials, the border police also ensure compliance with the laws that will...

WASHINGTON, April 5, 2006 – Afghan and coalition forces identified an improvised explosive device attached to a bridge, recovered an IED, and discovered a munitions cache in several operations throughout Afghanistan today, just a day after combined forces detained 10 insurgents. The local police chief reported several artillery rounds wired beneath a bridge in the Dand district, of Kandahar province, to nearby coalition forces. A coalition explosive ordnance team identified the rounds as a remote-controlled IED and Afghan National Police officers cordoned off the area to protect the safety of citizens. "The emplacement of improvised explosive devices is a heinous...

U.S. Army Spc. Michael Sheridan, assigned to the 101st Airborne Division, looks onto Route Redwing in Baghdad. He provides security for an observation point and troops on the ground. U.S. Army photo by Spc. James P. Hunter U.S. Troops Secure Baghdad’s Route Redwing U.S. soldiers are tasked to run security operations and route reconnaissance on Route Redwing, used by insurgents to bring supplies into Baghdad. By U.S. Army Spc. James P. HunterMultinational Corps–Iraq BAGHDAD, April 5, 2006 — To prevent improvised explosive devices from endangering the lives of coalition forces and Iraqis, U.S. soldiers assigned to elements of the...

AL ASAD, Iraq (Mar. 30, 2006) -- With heightened security surrounding the forward deployed bases, several Third County Nationals and Local Nationals are employed by companies who build, repair and otherwise facilitate things on these bases to make the life of service members somewhat easier while in the combat zone. The Marines with the Badging Office at Al Asad, Iraq, are responsible to badge each of these individuals coming aboard their base, so that they can be escorted, moved around the base and identified while doing their jobs. "Security on the base is the main issue," said Cpl. Travis C....

WASHINGTON, March 28, 2006 – Millions of Shiite Muslims from around the Middle East recently were able to make a pilgrimage to the Iraqi holy cities of Karbala and Najaf with few security problems. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said today that this shows a lot about the capabilities of Iraqi security forces. At a Pentagon news conference, Rumsfeld and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Peter Pace also spoke about an operation in Baghdad that freed a hostage, confiscated arms and shut down an improvised-explosive-device factory. Arbaeen, which marks the death of Imam Hussein -- a...

2/23/2006 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- Forty percent of Iraq’s oil and 14 percent of the world’s oil supply comes from Kirkuk, Iraq. Since oil is the lifeline of Iraq, it’s important to secure the country’s pipelines from danger and help make the oil run as efficiently as possible. That’s where the three-man POInT team comes in. Tech. Sgt. Billy Tramel is one part of the power and oil infrastructure team. Part of his mission as the oil infrastructure liaison is to look for leaks in Iraq’s oil pipes and work with Iraqis to secure those pipes so vital to...

A University of Pittsburgh reproductive biologist relied on the now-discredited stem-cell findings of a disgraced Korean scientist to win a $16.1 million federal grant last fall, according to federal documents and letters obtained by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Pitt's Gerald Schatten will use the money for an ambitious stem-cell research program that will occupy four of seven floors of Magee-Womens Research Institute's building, now under construction in Oakland, the documents show. The five-year grant, awarded to Schatten in September by the National Institutes of Health, is based in part on cloning experiments deliberately falsified by Hwang Woo-Suk, the documents show.

Darwin's nightmare: Toxic toad evolves to secure supremacy Wednesday February 15, 07:13 PM PARIS (AFP) - He's fat, ugly and poisonous -- and he's mutating. He's the cane toad (Bufo marinus), a species which was introduced into the Australian state of Queensland 70 years ago to tackle insect pests in canefields and has since become an ecological catastrophe. Weighing in at to up two kilos (4.4 pounds), the unwanted anuran has extended its range to more than a million square kilometers (386,000 square miles) in tropical and sub-tropical Australia, crushing native species in its relentless A team of University of...

BAGHDAD, (Army News Service, Feb. 13, 2006) – Over the past four months, the Soldiers of Company D, 490th Civil Affairs Team met with more than 20 key Iraqi leaders in an effort to promote economic and social growth within their area of operations. One of the ways the CAT promotes financial growth is through a process of micro loans. Micro loans are similar to loans in the United States with one exception, micro loans focus on developing countries but in Iraq they’re focused on families. An average micro loan consists of less than $500 invested toward a necessity that...

KARMAH, Iraq (Feb. 3, 2006) -- Iraq’s national election was a milestone towards making it an independent and free nation. The polling sites in 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment’s area of operations had to be protected from any insurgent activity. The main effort of the Coalition Forces in Iraq is to make conditions where the people can take care of themselves. To further that goal, the Iraqi Police protected the polling sites and the voters waiting in line there. “The IPs did an excellent job of protecting the Iraqi people that wanted to vote,” said 2nd Lt. Bryan R. Kelsey,...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2006 – Coalition forces in Iraq yesterday found and destroyed weapons caches, detained terrorist suspects, and recovered the remains of a terrorist bomber who inadvertently killed himself, U.S. military officials there reported. The terrorist bomber was killed near Tal Afar when a roadside bomb he was emplacing detonated prematurely. Soldiers from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment discovered the bomber's body and part of a shovel near a blast crater. This is the second such incident over the past three days, officials said. Two terrorists were killed Jan. 9 while emplacing a roadside bomb near Samarra. An improvised...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12, 2006 – Iraqi and U.S. soldiers detained terror suspects and seized weapons caches in operations throughout Iraq yesterday and today, military officials reported today. Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 6th Iraqi Army Division, detained a suspected terrorist and discovered a weapons cache during an early morning raid north of Baghdad today. U.S. troops from Task Force Ironhorse, a military training team with the 4th Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, supported the Iraqi soldiers. The soldiers took fire from the insurgents, but quickly suppressed the firefight and captured a suspected terrorist. The Iraqi soldiers also discovered a wide...

BAGHDAD, (Army News Service, Dec. 6, 2005) – Coalition and Iraqi security forces continued to disrupt al Qaeda in Iraq terrorist and foreign-fighter activities during more than 450 company-level combined operations throughout the country Nov. 26 through Dec 2. “Fifty percent of the combat operations conducted this past week throughout the Iraqi theatre of operation were combined Coalition and Iraqi security force operations, while another 21 percent were independent Iraqi security force operations,” said Maj. Brandon Robbins, operations officer, Multi-National Corps, Iraq. “The ability of the Iraqi Army forces to conduct these combined and independent operations is significant.” Coalition and...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2005 – The success of joint Iraqi and coalition operations in Iraq will ensure a safe voting environment for Iraqi national elections, a senior military official in Iraq said today. "We see great progress in our operations," Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, said at a news conference in Baghdad. But one element of concern casts a shadow over that progress: Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi still has 15 days to try and derail the democratic process in Iraq, Lynch said. This mission is becoming an increasing struggle for the terrorist leader, however, the general...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23, 2005 – Operations that have been ongoing in the Iraq's Anbar province since September have had a significant impact nationwide and have limited the ability of terrorists to conduct suicide attacks, a U.S. military spokesman said today in Baghdad. Since operations began, 700 terrorists have been killed and 1,500 have been detained in Anbar, said Army Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, Multinational Force Iraq spokesman. Also, 243 weapons caches have been found and 440 mines and improvised explosive devices have been found and cleared, he said. The U.S. and Iraqi militaries have left behind a persistent presence in...