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MOSUL, Iraq, March 16, 2004 — Lurking in the shadows of infantry patrols, security perimeters and raids, Army snipers are becoming the worst enemy for terrorists in northern Iraq. These highly skilled soldiers are stealthy, disciplined and precise. “In this type of a conflict, enemies use guerilla warfare tactics because there’s no way they can engage us head on. They hide in crowds and fire at you, hoping you’ll return fire into the direction of civilians,” said Sgt. Joseph Danier, a sniper for 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team). “We are here...

Just mentioned on FNC: Dining facility on U.S. Base in Iraq hit by rocket attack- 10 dead Waiting for more info...

NEWS RELEASEHEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND7115 South Boundary BoulevardMacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 October 16, 2004Release Number: 04-10-18C FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TASK FORCE OLYMPIA SOLDIER KILLED IN CAR BOMB ATTACK MOSUL, Iraq -- One Soldier assigned to Task Force Olympia died of wounds Oct. 15 following a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attack on a Multi-National Forces convoy. The attack occurred in the east central area of Mosul at about 1:20 p.m. on Oct. 15. The name of the soldier killed in the attack is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Three more American soldiers have died in Iraq, two from hostile fire and one in a traffic accident, the U.S. command said Monday. One soldier from Task Force Olympia, based in northern Iraq, died Monday of wounds suffered in an attack on his patrol, the command said. It did not say when the attack occurred. A 1st Infantry Division was killed Saturday when a roadside bomb exploded in Samarra. Another soldier was wounded in the blast. A soldier from the 16th Military Police Brigade died Sunday night when his Humvee collided with an American tank, the statement...

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A U.S. Task Force Olympia soldier was killed Saturday in a roadside bomb attack, the coalition said. The soldier died from injuries after an improvised explosive device attack on a convoy south of Qarrayah, about 9 a.m. Two other soldiers were injured and were taken to a hospital in Mosul. Several vehicles were damaged. Two international security workers were also killed Saturday in a separate attack in the area.

Mosul Security Forces Show Way Ahead for Iraq By Jim GaramoneAmerican Forces Press Service MOSUL, Iraq, April 16, 2004 – The threat facing members of the coalition's Task Force Olympia here remains the same, but the people responding to it are Iraqis, not Americans. Mosul, a northern city with Sunni, Shiia and Kurdish ethnic groups, was not immune to recent disturbances. On the night of April 9, former regime elements conducted "well-organized and dangerous" attacks against Iraqi government buildings, said Army Brig. Gen. Carter Ham, commander of Task Force Olympia. Like the rest of Iraq, residents of Mosul had...

  Troop Rotation to Iraq Continues, Units Assuming Control By Jim GaramoneAmerican Forces Press ServiceWASHINGTON, March 31, 2004 – The largest rotation of U.S. forces since World War II continues in Iraq, Defense Department officials said today. In all more than 250,000 U.S. service members are affected. Planning for the rotation began months ago. New units worked with units in Iraq to learn their new missions and to plan the movement. In December, new units began flowing into the region, and in January, they began the relief-in-place process. Officials expect the rotation to continue through May, when 110,000 U.S....

HAMAM AL ALIL, Iraq — One town is home to terrorists, the other is full of criminals. In the middle are the Strykers and soldiers from 2nd Infantry Division’s Company B, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment. It’s their job to keep the peace in one of northern Iraq’s most volatile battlegrounds. While the leaders of Task Force Olympia and the 3rd Stryker Brigade live in comparative luxury in one of Saddam Hussein’s sprawling palace complexes in Mosul, Company B troops find shelter from rocket attacks and sporadic gunfire in muddy hooches at Firebase Aggie on the edge of Hamam Al...

NEWS RELEASEHEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND7115 South Boundary BoulevardMacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 February 28, 2004Release Number: 04-02-51 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Task Force Olympia detains suspects, uncovers explosive device in northern Iraq MOSUL, Iraq - Soldiers from 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) under the operational control of Task Force Olympia in conjunction with Iraqi Police in Mosul detained personnel suspected of anticoalition activities in northern Iraq earlier today. A patrol from 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment responded to a drive-by shooting directed at an Iraqi police traffic control point...

NEWS RELEASEHEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND7115 South Boundary BoulevardMacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 February 13, 2004Release Number: 04-02-25 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TASK FORCE OLYMPIA RECOVERS WEAPONS MOSUL, Iraq - Soldiers from 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, under the operational control of Task Force Olympia, recovered weapons and explosive devices in northern Iraq Wednesday. Soldiers from 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment conducted a patrol near Tall Afar and discovered one 82 mm mortar. Members of the Coalition for Iraqi Unity, a concerned group of citizens in northwestern Iraq, came to the 1st Squadron, 14th...

  Last 101st convoy leaves Iraq, I Corps plants flagBy Pfc. Thomas Day and Sgt. Jeremy Heckler Brig. Gen. Carter F. Ham, commanderl, Task Force Olympia, and Sgt. Maj. Patrick Pacheco, unfurl the colors of 1st Corps during a ceremony held at the palace headquarters in Mosul Feb. 5.SPC Jesse Artis NAVISTAR, Kuwait (Feb. 10, 2004) – The last 101st Airborne Division convoy rolled across the Iraqi border just before 5 a.m. Kuwaiti time this morning, leaving behind a mission that spanned almost a year. Spc. Misael Santiago of Lawton, Okla., pulling rear convoy security with a .50-caliber machine...

NEWS RELEASEHEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND7115 South Boundary BoulevardMacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 February 5, 2004Release Number: 04-02-08 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION TRANSFERS AUTHORITY TO TASK FORCE OLYMPIA MOSUL, Iraq – As hundreds of regional Iraqi leaders and Coalition partners looked on, the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) transferred authority and operational control of Ninewa, Irbil and Dahuk provinces to Task Force Olympia today at the palace headquarters complex in northern Mosul. Task Force Olympia is a sub-element of I Corps headquarters based at Fort Lewis, Wash. The unit includes representatives...

A change made to the Stryker infantry vehicle has proven itself in combat. The 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division – also called Task Force Olympia after its Fort Lewis, Wash., home -- is replacing the 101st Airborne Division in this city. The Stryker, an eight-wheeled infantry transporter, is an armored vehicle designed to stop 124.5 mm rounds. Critics said the main threat in Iraq is rocket-propelled grenades, and that the vehicle would not provide protection from them. Army officials outfitted the Strykers with what the soldiers call a "cage." The slat armor put on the vehicles in Kuwait does look...