Good News from Iraq Report
Monday, March 26, 2007
LT Fishman from Stratcom sends a weekly report detailing the good news from Iraq compiled from open sources. It is extensive and a great reminder that there is more to the story than defeatist propaganda.
How 'bout this for starters:
1) 39 terrorists killed today in Iraq http://www.news24.com/News24/World/Iraq/0,9294,2-10-1460_2086580,00.html Baghdad - Iraqi security forces killed 39 "terrorists" in a fierce battle in the western Sunni province of Al-Anbar on Tuesday, said a top Iraqi official. Brigadier general Abdel Karim Khalaf, director of the operations centre in the interior ministry, said seven other militants were arrested, including some Arab nationals. The clashes broke out early on Tuesday in Ameriyah, southwest of the former rebel town of Fallujah and the site of a recent chlorine gas attack. Khalaf said security forces supported by paramilitary units formed by Sunni tribes fought the militants in a battle that lasted several hours. Two top militants, Shakir Hadi Jassim and Mohammed Khamis, were among the dead. About 25 Sunni tribes from Anbar have formed an coalition - Anbar Awakening - to take on the militants, largely from the Al-Qaeda network, who are operating in the western province.
Good News Iraq-Afghanistan 24 March
Lt. Jarred Fishman J2 StratCom
1) 39
terrorists killed today in Iraq http://www.news24.com/News24/World/Iraq/0,9294,2-10-1460_2086580,00.html
Baghdad - Iraqi security
forces killed 39 "terrorists" in a fierce battle in the western Sunni
province of Al-Anbar on Tuesday, said a top Iraqi official. Brigadier general
Abdel Karim Khalaf, director of the operations centre in the interior ministry,
said seven other militants were arrested, including some Arab nationals. The
clashes broke out early on Tuesday in Ameriyah, southwest of the former rebel
town of Fallujah and the site of a recent chlorine gas attack. Khalaf said
security forces supported by paramilitary units formed by Sunni tribes fought
the militants in a battle that lasted several hours. Two top militants, Shakir
Hadi Jassim and Mohammed Khamis, were among the dead. About 25 Sunni tribes
from Anbar have formed an coalition - Anbar Awakening - to take on the
militants, largely from the Al-Qaeda network, who are operating in the western
province. These tribes have been sending thousands of young men to join the
government security forces or their paramilitary units to co-operate with US
and Iraqi commanders to fight insurgents. In response, the insurgents have
launched attacks on them and modified their tactics to add gas bombs to their
arsenal. On Friday, bombers detonated three dirty bombs in Anbar province
poisoning 350 civilians, six American soldiers and killing two policemen. “The
Al-bu Issa tribes in Amiriyat al-Fallujah, backed by local police and the
MNF, clashed today with members of the al-Qaeda linked “Islamic State in Iraq”
terror organization, according to al-Hurra TV. The tribe involved in the
clashes has opposed al-Qaeda for months now and is part of the Anbar Awakening
Council. The battles that are still ongoing have so far left 39 terrorists
killed including the “ministers of oil and war” of the terror organization. Six
policemen and 11 tribal fighters were also killed during the fighting. The
report adds that US troops found and securely detonated a tanker filled with
chlorine gas the terrorists were planning to use in chemical attacks on the
area. Meanwhile, a police force of 500, conducting raids in northern and
central parts of Ramadi, captured weapons and bomb-making material, and
arrested dozens of suspects.”
2) Iraqi Police detain
suspected chlorine bomber
Man caught attempting to
detonate chlorine-filled truck in Ramadi MSNBC News Services http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17783212/
Updated: 7:59 a.m. ET March 25,
2007 BAGHDAD - Iraqi police detained a man as he was trying
to detonate an explosives-laden truck filled with chlorine in Ramadi, the
military said Sunday.The incident occurred Friday afternoon when a white cargo
truck stopped near the entrance to a police station, about 150 yards from a
water treatment plant in the Sunni city, according to a statement.Police
detained the driver after discovering the truck was rigged with more than two
tons of explosives. Five, 1,000-gallon barrels filled with chlorine also were
hidden under several 55-gallon drums, the military said.The driver was being
held for questioning and the explosives were destroyed by demolition experts,
the statement added.There have been seven chlorine attacks launched since Jan.
28, when a suicide bomber driving a dump truck filled with explosives and a
chlorine tank struck a quick-reaction force and Iraqi police in Ramadi, killing
16 people.The use of the toxic gas in attacks has prompted the U.S. military to
warn that insurgents are adopting new tactics in a campaign to spread panic.
Meanwhile, south of Baghdad gunmen attacked a Sunni mosque, setting it ablaze a
day after a suicide truck bomber struck near a Shiite mosque in the same area,
police said.Police in Hilla, close to the town of Haswa, where the attack
occurred, said at least four people were wounded. An Interior Ministry official
said a curfew had been imposed.Gunmen stormed the mosque in Haswa, a
religiously mixed town about 35 miles south of the Iraqi capital, and destroyed
its minaret in a blast. The building was set on fire, a police official said,
describing it as an apparent revenge attack.A suicide truck bomber exploded
near a Shiite mosque in Haswa on Saturday, killing 14 and wounding 21, Hilla
police said. The provincial health directorate and the Interior Ministry
official put the toll at 16.Mosques and other religious buildings have been
frequent targets of attack. The bombing of a revered Shiite shrine, the
al-Askariya mosque, in the town of Samarra in February 2006 sparked a wave of
sectarian fighting between Iraq’s majority Shiites and minority Sunnis that has
killed tens of thousands.
3) US military claim victory with V-shaped truck
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21431127-2703,00.html
Robert Lusetich, Los Angeles correspondent
A RELATIVELY minor redesign of
military Humvees could save the lives of thousands of US soldiers in Iraq. The
Pentagon is spending $US210 million ($260 million) - and eventually probably
billions - on almost 400 mine-resistant-ambush-protected (MRAP) combat trucks
after the success of 200 prototypes in the Iraq war. The MRAP has a V-shaped steel body to deflect blasts from
improvised explosive devices, which have been responsible for 70 per cent of
the almost 3200 US military deaths in Iraq. No US soldier in Iraq has died
while in an MRAP. "The shape channels the full force of a blast up the
sides of the vehicle rather than through the floor," said Joaquin Salas, a
spokesman for Osh Trucks, one of the MRAP's makers. "It's all physics -
vehicles with that shape are extremely effective." The Pentagon has been
under fire for years for not doing enough to protect US soldiers in Iraq, who
have complained they are vulnerable to insurgent attacks on their Humvees. But
attempts to reinforce the Humvees have previously met with limited success.
After seeing the success of the new V-shaped sides, US commanders in Iraq have
increased their request for 4000 new MRAPs to almost 7000. If Congress approves
the funding, the vehicles will replace more than 140,000 Humvees deployed
throughout different branches of the US military.
3) THE
IRAQ SURGE: WHY IT'S WORKING
By GORDON CUCULLU New York Post
March 20, 2007
-- 'I WALKED down the streets of Ramadi a few days ago, in a soft cap eating an
ice cream with the mayor on one side of me and the police chief on the other,
having a conversation." This simple act, Gen. David Petraeus told me,
would have been "unthinkable" just a few months ago. "And nobody
shot at us," he added. Petraeus,
the new commander managing the "surge" of troops in Iraq, will be the
first to caution realism. "Sure we see improvements - major
improvements," he said in our interview, "but we still have a long
way to go." What tactics are working? "We got down at the people
level and are staying," he said flatly. "Once the people know we are
going to be around, then all kinds of things start to happen." More
intelligence, for example. Where once tactical units were "scraping"
for intelligence information, they now have "information overload,"
the general said. "After our guys are in the neighborhood for four or five
days, the people realize they're not going to just leave them like we did in
the past. Then they begin to come in with so much information on the enemy that
we can't process it fast enough." In intelligence work - the key to
fighting irregular wars - commanders love excess. And the tribal leaders in
Sunni al Anbar Province, the general reports, "have had enough." Not
only are the al Qaeda fighters causing civil disruption by fomenting sectarian
violence and killing civilians, but on a more prosaic but practical side, al
Qaeda is bad for business. "All of the sheiks up there are
businessmen," Petraeus said. "They are entrepreneurial and involved
in scores of different businesses. The presence of the foreign fighters is
hitting them hard in the pocketbook and they are tired of it." A large
hospital project - meant to be one of the largest in the Sunni Triangle - had
been put on hold by terrorist attacks when al Qaeda had control of the area.
Now it's back on track. So are similar infrastructure projects. The sheiks have
seen that the al Qaeda delivers only violence and misery. They are throwing
their lot in with the new government - for example, encouraging their young men
to join the Iraqi police force and army. (They are responding in droves.)
Petraeus has his troops applying a similar formula in Baghdad's Sadr City:
"We're clearing it neighborhood by neighborhood." Troops move in -
mainly U.S. soldiers and Marines supported by Iraqi forces, although that ratio
is reversed in some areas - and stay. They are not transiting back to large,
remote bases but are now living with the people they have come to protect. The
results, Petraeus says, have been "dramatic." "We're using 'soft
knock' clearing procedures and bringing the locals in on our side," he
notes. By being in the neighborhoods, getting to know the people and winning
their trust, the soldiers have allowed the people to turn against the al Qaeda
terrorists, whom they fear and loathe. Petraeus says his goal is to pull al
Qaeda out "by its roots, wherever it tries to take hold." Another
change: an emphasis on protecting of gathering places like mosques and
marketplaces. "We initiated Operation Safe Markets," Petraeus said,
"and have placed ordinary concrete highway barriers around the vulnerable
targets." Car bombings have dropped precipitately - the limited access
thwarts them. As a result, "The marketplaces, including the book market
that was targeted for an especially vicious attack, are rebuilding and doing
great business. It is helping the local economy enormously to have this kind of
protection in place." With jobs plentiful and demand growing, the appeal
of militia armies declines proportionally. Nor is the Iraqi government simply
standing aside and allowing U.S. and Coalition forces to do their work. The
Shia prime minister walked the Sunni streets of Ramadi recently, meeting and
greeting the people - "acting like a politician," Petraeus said,
without malice. "He is making the point with them that he intends to
represent all sectors of Iraqi society, not just his sectarian roots."
Rules of engagement (ROE), highly criticized as being too restrictive and
sometimes endangering our troops, have been "clarified." "There
were unintended consequences with ROE for too long," Petraeus
acknowledged. Because of what junior leaders perceived as too harsh punishment
meted out to troops acting in the heat of battle, the ROE issued from the top
commanders were second-guessed and made more restrictive by some on the ground.
The end result was unnecessary - even harmful - restrictions placed on the
troops in contact with the enemy. "I've made two things clear,"
Petraeus emphasized: "My ROE may not be modified with supplemental
guidance lower down. And I've written a letter to all Coalition forces saying
'your chain-of-command will stay with you.' I think that solved the
issue." Are the policies paying off? "King David" as Petraeus is
known from his previous tour of duty up near the Syrian border, is cautiously
optimistic. "Less than half the al Qaeda leaders who were in Baghdad when
this [surge] campaign began are still in the city," he said. "They
have fled or are being killed or captured. We are attriting them at a fearsome
rate." Virtually everyone who knows him says that David Petraeus is one of
the brightest, most capable officers in today's Army. "He is the perfect
person for the job," retired Major Gen. Paul Vallely noted. Early signs
are positive; early indicators say that we're winning. As Petraeus cautiously
concluded, "We'll be able to evaluate the situation for sure by late
summer." That's his job. Our job? We need to give him the time and space
needed to win this war. Gordon Cucullu is a retired U.S. Army officer and a
member of Benador Associates. His book on Guantanamo is due out this fall.
4)
Use Of Deadly Roadside Bomb Plunges March 21, 2007
(CBS) This story was written for CBSNews.com by CBS News
correspondent Cami McCormick, who can be heard frequently on CBS Radio. After warning that the threat of deadly EFPs, or Explosively Formed Penetrators, was
growing at an alarming rate, the U.S. military now says there's been a
"dramatic" decrease in the use of the powerful roadside bombs. EFPs
"can punch through most of the armor out on the battlefield today,"
Army Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, a U.S. military spokesman said of the
devices, which U.S. officials have said come from Iran. They are blamed for
more than 170 American deaths since 2004, when they first appeared on the
battlefield. More than 600 American troops have been wounded by the bombs. EFPs
account for a small percentage of the roadside bombs in Iraq, but they are
responsible for a disproportionately high number of casualties. Garver says EFP attacks have dropped
significantly since December. "In February, we noticed a 77
percent decrease in explosively formed penetrators being detonated against our
troops, a 74 percent decrease in the number of troops wounded and a 64 percent
decrease in the number of troops killed" by the devices, he said. The
reported decrease came as the U.S. military offered to reporters what it said
was proof that weapons like EFPs were being manufactured in Iran. The Iranian
government has denied any involvement in providing weapons or material support
to Iraq's insurgency. According to Garver, the reasons for the marked drop in
EFP incidents could include the detention of three Iranians in Baghdad in
December. One of the men was believed to be a high-level Operations Officer
with the Quds Force of Iran's elite Revolutionary
Guard. Most EFP attacks have occurred in Baghdad, and another reason for their
decrease may be the ramped-up presence of U.S. and Iraqi troops in the capital
due to the ongoing security crackdown. The city is surrounded by checkpoints,
the most critical of which are to the south, according to American military
commanders who believe most weapons find their way into Baghdad from that
direction. The next brigade of U.S. troops arriving in Iraq as part of
President Bush's troop surge will head south of Baghdad to help choke off those smuggling routes.
"We have to control what we call the belts, to the north, west and south.
We're going to have troops in each of those areas, the south being a priority
for the next group of troops coming in, to prevent weapons from coming back in
once we've cleared them all out of Baghdad," Garver said.
5)
In Iraq, Fear Takes a Holiday-Relative Calm Draws Residents to
Play in Baghdad Park By Karin Brulliard and
Salih Dehema Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, March 22, 2007; A18
BAGHDAD, March 21 -- Years had passed since
Muhaned Kamal last went to central Baghdad's vast Zawra Park. By his wartime
risk assessment, it was just too dicey. But Wednesday was Nawruz, a holiday
celebrating the arrival of spring. And Baghdad was five weeks into a security
crackdown that seemed to have brought some calm. So Kamal and his friends were
at Zawra, playing tennis with wooden rackets and poker under tall eucalyptus
trees. They would come back on Friday, Kamal said, waiting for a bus home as
the ginger-colored sun lowered over Baghdad's hazy skyline. And the Friday
after that. "I used to always hold the Koran in my pocket, or a copy of a
prayer my mom put in my wallet, to keep me from danger," Kamal said.
Lately, his vigilance has waned. "These
days are a lot better than before." In relative terms, recent weeks in Baghdad have been quiet --
execution-style killings are down and nearly a month has passed since the last
massive bombing, an explosion at a university that killed nearly 50
people. And so Zawra Park filled on Wednesday with residents picnicking on the
patchy grass, and allowing themselves a bit of optimism. "I hope that this
spring holiday will be accompanied by a spring security," said Ali Jasim,
40, a government employee who brought his children to the park from their home
in Sadr City. "And I hope that Iraq
will go back as it was."But the optimism of many parkgoers was wary.
"We are waiting for our death anyhow, whether from a bomb, or a car bomb
or at the hands of the militias," said Kamal's friend Mustafa Jamil Ahmed,
23, a slim barber with a black goatee. "So we decided to come here to play
poker and tennis. And to take some pictures, so that we can remember each other
if one of us is lost." Outside the park gates, bombs killed at least two
people in Baghdad, and unidentified bodies were found in the city, police said.
In the northern city of Mosul, a car bombing outside the offices of the
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, a Kurdish political party, killed five and
wounded 25. Just north of Baghdad, in Taji, U.S. forces raided a bomb-making
factory, where they killed five suspected militants and detained three others
before destroying the building in an airstrike, the U.S. military reported. At
Zawra Park, 17-year-old Mariam Hameed bounced a red-and-white soccer ball and
laughed as she described her day: swinging on swings, sliding on slides.
"It's for children," she said. "But I feel like I have not lived
my childhood."
6) Iraq says may be
near anti-Qaeda deal with rebels
Thu Mar 22, 2007 12:28 AM ET By Ross Colvin BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A senior Iraqi official said on Thursday
the government was holding talks with some major insurgent groups that might be
nearing a point where a number would join a fight to drive al Qaeda out of
Iraq.Saad Yousif al-Muttalibi, international affairs director at the National
Dialogue and Reconciliation Ministry, said the talks were designed to persuade
the groups to halt guerrilla warfare against the government and help defeat al
Qaeda. "We've already established links and contacts with major insurgent
groups," Muttalibi told the BBC in an interview. "One of the aims is
to join with them into the fight against al Qaeda. We are almost getting there
and to join forces to attack al Qaeda to get them out of Iraq," he
said.Insurgents draw support from Iraq's Sunni Arab minority, once dominant
under Saddam Hussein.he western Anbar province has been a hotbed for the
insurgency but since last September there has been a mounting power struggle in
the area between al Qaeda, which has non-Iraqi Arabs as its leaders, and fellow
Sunnis who oppose the group.Increasing sectarian violence between Sunnis and
Iraq's majority Shi'ite Muslim community has become an additional security
concern in the country.Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who heads a
coalition government of Shi'ites, Sunnis and Kurds, has ordered a major
crackdown against insurgents and sectarian violence in Baghdad.President Bush
is sending about 26,000 more U.S. troops to Iraq, mainly to back the crackdown
in Baghdad.Iraqi Defense Minister Abdel Qader Jassim said on Wednesday the beefing
up of the U.S. military presence in Iraq could last for months but was unlikely
to extend into 2008. Jassim told reporters during a visit to London two Iraqi
brigades of 4,000-5,000 troops each had arrived in Baghdad and nearby Diyala
province and that two more would arrive in the next week or two. He said the crackdown had succeeded so far
in reducing killings by sectarian death squads and criminal gangs. Shibani's
release is likely to boost the standing of Maliki, an Islamist who relies on
Sadr for political support. The Sadrist movement holds a quarter of the
parliamentary seats in the Shi'ite Alliance. The Sadrists hold several
ministries.Shibani was arrested in the city of Najaf with another 17 Sadr
followers on accusations of possessing heavy weapons. Last year, an Iraqi court
found no evidence against Shibani and his colleagues but U.S. forces kept him
in detention.Shi'ite officials said Maliki and the Sadrists had had a tense
relationship in the past few months, particularly since the launch of the
Baghdad crackdown in which Maliki pledged to tackle both Shi'ite and Sunni
militants."The Sadrists saw the Baghdad plan as against them. The release
will put it back on track," said a senior Shi'ite Alliance official.
"Maliki will be their favorite again."U.S. and Iraqi forces have
killed or arrested hundreds of Sadr's followers since the crackdown started. They
extended the crackdown into the Sadr City district, a Mehdi Army stronghold,
but have met little resistance and U.S. commanders say senior militants appear
to have left the capital.
7) Anbar tribes send hundreds of men to join the Police
http:// alphabetcity.blogspot.com...abureeshah.html
http://tinyurl.com/yqjh5w
More than 1,000 men in December and more than that last month, a record recruiting effort for the province. Shaykh Abdul Sattar Abureeshah addresses the Anbar Salvation Council: "The time for dictatorship is gone, and we are welcoming the new dawn of democracy and freedom here. I expect the future to be much better for the next generation for they will live in a better world than we do today."
8) Japan vows continued support for Iraq http://www.kuna.net.kw/home/print.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=963331
TOKYO, March 20 (KUNA) -- Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe vowed Tuesday Japan's continued support for rebuilding Iraq,
indicating extending its air mission there beyond the July 31 deadline.
"The Iraqi government and the United Nations highly appreciate
reconstruction assistance activities given by our troops," Abe told
reporters, adding that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki has requested
Japan's air force mission.The Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) began transport
flights in March 2004 between Ali Al-Salem Air Base in western Kuwait and the
southern Iraqi destinations. It mainly delivered supplies to Japan's non-combat
ground troops involved in a reconstruction mission in Samawah.After the ground
troops pulled out from Iraq last summer, the air force expanded its airlift
support in transporting UN personnel and supplies to airports such as Baghdad and
Irbil, further north of the Iraqi capital.Japan's special law allowing for the
deployment to Iraq will expire July 31, therefore, further extension of the
ASDF mission requires an amendment of the law. Earlier in the day, a ruling
Liberal Democratic Party committee on defense issues approved a bill to extend
the deployment for two years, which Abe's Cabinet is expected to endorse by the
end of this month.Abe, who is keen on a greater global role and presence of
Japanese troops, also stressed that his country wants to continue to fulfill
its responsibility in the international community.Separately, Chief Cabinet
Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki expressed hope that public order in Iraq will be
achieved through Al-Maliki's policies to tackle the security issue in Baghdad,
while reiterating Japan's continued support for the Iraqi people.Besides
humanitarian assistance, Japan, a key donor to Iraq, has also pledged to
provide Iraq a total of USD 5 billion in aid for its reconstruction for a
four-year period from 2004 to 2007, including USD 1.5 billion in grants.Last
month, Tokyo also announced it is to provide new emergency grant aid worth
about USD 104.5 million to Iraq to help improve its security and basic services
such as health and food supply.The government is also making arrangements to
invite Al-Maliki next month, following the upcoming visit of Iraqi Vice
President Tareq Al-Hashimi starting on Wednesday.
9) Improvements
and new development in Baghdad
http://www.sotaliraq.com/iraq-ne...ws.php?
id=48770
“That the Cabinet has decided to appoint a committee headed by the Deputy
Mayor- Technical Affairs and representatives of the Ministries of the Interior,
Electricity, Water supplies, and Construction and Housing, to carry out the
tree planting and greening of the Military Canal- several miles long east of
Baghdad and all its neighbouring areas to become a general picnic/
entertainment areas for the whole population. They will remove all unlicensed
structures on both sides and erect new Electrical lightings system and poles to
all its streets and alleyways, and to build new hydrolic barriers at its source
from the Tigris river and carry out pavings work of stone and concrete as well
as erecting safety fences along the highways. This financial costs will be met
by the Government and work should start very soon.”
10) U.S. opens ad-hoc medical
clinic in Sadr City http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/health/1500AP_Iraq_Sadr_City_Clinic.html
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SEATTLE
POST-INTELLIGENCER BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Ailing Iraqis waited behind concertina
wire at an abandoned schoolhouse Saturday in the capital's Shiite stronghold of
Sadr City where U.S. Army medics had set up a surprise medical clinic.A child
whose legs were stiff with disease hobbled toward U.S. Army medics. Another man
held his head where a gash swelled with infection, according to AP Television
News footage. The ad-hoc clinic was part of a growing military outreach under the month-old Baghdad security plan.
In most cases, such clinics close within hours, to avoid attacks. In Sadr City,
medical services historically were provided by Shiite militias such as the anti-American
cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's powerful Mahdi Army. The military hopes providing
treatment themselves will turn support in U.S. favor. The man seeking treatment
for the infected gash to his forehead said he came for American help because it
had become too hard to get quality treatment in Baghdad. Since the war began,
medications had become almost impossible to find, he said. If we go to an Iraqi
hospital, we don't get the medicines we need," he said. "We come here
so maybe we can get some help."
11) Senator John Sununu: “Baghdad doing better” By NATE PARDUE Staff Writer [email protected] Manchester Leader
John
Sununu said while visiting Iraq on Saturday that he believes the situation in
Baghdad has improved over the past six weeks, but it's up to Iraqis to maintain
the improvements.He was one of four senators in Iraq this weekend to visit with
military leaders, soldiers, diplomats and Iraqi officials. The senators aimed
to get a "first-hand perspective" on security and political issues
there. Sununu, in a telephone conference call from Baghdad, said Iraqi troops
and police have helped bring some stability to the region. "The question
is whether those changes are sustainable and whether we will continue to see additional
improvements," Sununu said.He said some signals of positive Iraqi
involvement include the recent deployment of 6,000 additional Iraqi troops to
Baghdad. Iraqi police also are working with the Iraqi army and U.S. security
forces.
Further action must include passing legislation that lets local elections
happen while including Sunnis. Iraqi troops also must continue to deploy to
Baghdad, he said. Senators also met with Iraqi officials, including the speaker
of the Parliament and the minister for national security. Officers under
Petraeus' command told Sununu they sensed morale was good and there's been a
"real change in attitude" in the past three or four weeks. Morale can
remain healthy as long as soldiers are told accurately how long their
deployments will be, Sununu said. "No one likes to be told their rotation
is nine months and have it be 12 months, or 12 months and have it be 14
months," Sununu said.Sununu said the attacks indicate insurgents are looking
for new methods of attack.Commanders told Sununu chlorine gas was being used in
an effort to "alarm and scare and intimidate the population." Sununu
said commanders showed him different weapons "clearly traced to
Iran," representing an evolving approach to attacks. Sununu, who voted
against the resolution, said it was surprising the vote to reject it was
bipartisan. "I voted no because it's irresponsible to tell al-Qaida and
other terrorists what day we're withdrawing or beginning to withdraw,"
Sununu said.He said the visit re-enforced his belief that stability in Iraq
will make "a huge difference" in the United States' national
security.
12) Iraq navy to acquire 21 new vessels
(Agence France Press) 18 March 2007 BAGHDAD - The Iraqi navy plans to acquire 21 new vessels,
including four new patrol ships from Italy costing 100 million dollars, US and
British naval officers said Sunday. Its manpower will also swell from a current
1,200 personnel to between 2,000 and 2,500 by 2010, US navy Captain Michael
Zamesnik told reporters.The modernisation programme will also see the Iraqi
navy buying three Malaysian-manufactured patrol boats, he added.‘The Iraqi navy
has taken great strides in rebuilding itself from the ravaged effects of war,’
said Zamesnik, who is part of the transition team working with the fledgling
force.He said the navy was being developed with the aim of ensuring ‘the
security and protection of Iraqi territorial waters, key infrastructure and to
counter terrorism, smuggling and illegal activity at sea.’Captain T. Radakin of
Britain’s Royal Navy said the Iraqi navy had already made significant progress
in the past three years.‘There has been significant reduction in piracy
activities, smuggling oil oil,’ he said.Roughly half of the navy’s current
personnel are former members of Saddam Hussein’s armed forces, the two officers
said. ‘In the officers cadre, about 75 to 80 percent are from the previous
regime,’ Zamesnik added.
13) Terror Network
leaders captured over last three days
MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ COMBINED PRESS INFORMATION CENTER
http://www.mnf-iraq.com703.270.0320/0299
Release A070322c 23 March
BAGHDAD -- Over the past several days, Coalition forces in Basra and Hillah [note that there was a
bombing of a mosque yesterday in Hilla following this. Coincidence? Lt.
Fishman] captured Qais Khazali, his brother Laith Khazali, and several
other members of the Khazali network, an organization directly connected to the
kidnapping and murder in January of five American soldiers in Karbala. Yesterday
in Baghdad, Coalition forces captured the individual believed to be the head of
the Rusafa car bomb network, the Al Qaeda-Iraq organization responsible for
some of the horrific bombings in eastern Baghdad in recent weeks. In
yesterday’s operation and in another operation early this morning, Coalition
forces also captured three other individuals believed to be key members of the
network, a vehicle prepared as a car bomb, and a cache of weapons and
explosives.Early this morning in Mosul, Coalition forces captured a former
Saddam Fedayeen leader involved in setting up training camps in Syria for Iraqi
and foreign fighters.These actions, and others underway, reflect intensified
and even-handed efforts to reinforce the rule of law in Iraq. They have also
been complemented by recent initiatives to promote dialogue and reconciliation
in Iraq.
14) Iraq
prepares plan to revive economy http://www.iraqdirectory.com/DisplayNews.aspx?id=3438 |
The News - [18/03/2007] |
|
Iraqi Vice President
Adel Abdel Mahdi on Friday laid out an ambitious five-year plan to revive his
war-torn country’s economy and urged the world community to respond with
pledges of aid and debt relief. Mahdi co-chaired a UN-sponsored conference on
the International Compact with Iraq (ICI), a joint initiative with the world
body established last July with the support of the World Bank. Nearly 90
countries, including Iran and Syria, and several multilateral institutions
attended the parley to review Iraq’s progress in carrying out political,
security and economic reforms in exchange for international aid and debt
relief. “We are very satisfied with the results of today’s conference and we
are looking forward to taking Iraq out of its crisis with the help of the
international community,” Mahdi told a press conference after the meeting. The
United States strongly backs the ICI initiative as part of efforts to
stabilise Iraq. “The US Deputy Treasury Secretary Robert Kimmit said after
the meeting, “The Iraqis have done their part. The question is now what will
the international community do to help Iraq return to self-sufficiency and
financial independence.” Kimmit said the co-chairs of Friday’s meeting -
Mahdi and UN chief Ban Ki-moon’s new ICI special adviser Ibrahim Gambari
planned to schedule a meeting not later than the end of April “at which the
international community would give its response to the document laid out
today.” The venue for that meeting has yet to be fixed. |
15) Security
Increased by 70% in southern Baghdad.
Iraq’s Buratha News agency: Iraqi commander of the fourth Brigade of the Sixth division General Ali Jasin Alfuraigi said, ‘security in southern Baghdad has reached 70% since the implementation of operation ‘Rule of Law’. Alfuraigi said that his Brigade has arrested 63 terrorists in areas of southern Baghdad during the last eight operations in the areas of Mahmudiah, Yousefiah and Latifiah over the last few days. The largest of these operations was in the area of Said Abdulah in Latifiah. In this operation eight weapons cashes were uncovered. Alfuraigi added that the number of rocket attacks on the Latifiah area has declined 90% after the launch of operation ‘Rule of Law’. He added that the number of his troops is not enough for the area for which he is responsible, even with the backing of the multi national forces. www.gatewaypundit.blogspot.com
16)
Conference brings leaders of Tigris River Valley Together
RELEASE No. 20070322-10 March
22, 2007 Conference brings together leaders of Tigris
River Valley Multi-National Division – North PAO
FORWARD OPERATING BASE Q-WEST, Iraq – Community leaders,
commanders in the Iraqi Police and Army, members of the Provincial
Reconstruction Team, and Coalition leaders met March 20 to share information
and assess program successes and failures in their respective areas.The
Southern Tigris River Valley Leadership Conference, attended by Ninewa
Provincial Governor, Kashmoula, and Ninewa Provincial Director of Police, Maj.
Gen. Wathiq, was held in the headquarters of the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army
Division, and provided a forum for all in attendance to voice their issues to
their peers as well as the elected officials within the Government of Iraq’s
Ninewa Province.Following an extensive question and answer session, the
participants were separated into four informal working groups, based upon their
specialization. These included the:and the municipality
managers.Legislative Group – containing the district and sub-district council
members, as well as members of the Provincial Reconstruction Team.Iraqi Police
Group – containing the Ninewa Provincial Director of Police, Maj. Gen. Wathiq,
and the local area police chiefs.Iraqi Army Group – containing several 2nd
Iraqi Army Division commanders, the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry
Division commander, Col. Stephen Twitty, and the 5th Battalion, 82nd Field
Artillery Regiment commander, Lt. Col. Robert McLaughlin.Topics discussed
included water, electricity, fuel, detainee operations, and security.
Participants briefly discussed the funding of future projects, but primarily
focused on ways to improve the standard of living for the local populace.
1) Afghan forces say
at least 28 Taliban dead in fighting Thursday, March 22, 2007 | 11:23 AM ET CBC News
At least 28 Taliban militants are
dead after fighting between Afghan forces and militants in southern Afghanistan
on Thursday, Afghan officials said.Sher Mohammad Karimi, the Afghan Defence
Ministry's chief of operations, said Afghan army and police combined forces to
launch a joint operation against militants in the Gereshk district of Helmand
province.Mohammad Zahir Azimi, spokesperson for the ministry, said that 28
militants were killed.No NATO forces were involved in the operation and NATO
officials could not confirm the death toll.A provincial official, however, said
the death toll was higher.Mohammad Eisah Khan, a deputy provincial police
chief, said the fighting had left 40 Taliban and three police officers dead.
Khan said Afghan forces had also arrested 10 Taliban.Karimi
said he was told that the Taliban fighters were "very badly
demoralized" and ran from the fighting. He said bodies of dead Taliban
were left on the ground so that soldiers could provide an accurate death
toll.NATO, which is leading a force of more than 30,000 troops as part of the
International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, has launched Operation
Achilles in Helmand province. The operation, which began earlier this month,
includes about 4,500 NATO forces and 1,000 Afghan forcesAccording to NATO,
Helmand province produces more opium than any other region in the world.The
operation has involved fighting between British forces and Taliban militants in
Helmand province, but NATO has not reported any large numbers of casualties of
Taliban fighters during the operation.Canada has more than 2,000 soldiers in
Afghanistan, with the majority stationed in the southern province of Kandahar.
About 200 Canadian troops are involved in Operation Achilles.
2) Explosives seized in Mazar ahead of Nawroz festival |
http://www.thefrontierpost.com/News.aspx?ncat=an&nid=591 |
MAZAR-I-SHARIF (PAN): Security agencies said
they had seized over 5,000 kilograms of explosives during raids in different
areas of this northern city. The raids are part of the security measures
ahead of the Nawroz festival, locally known as Mella-i-Gul Surkh. The
explosives were brought into the province for disruptive activities, said a
press release issued from the Balkh national security department on Sunday.
The festival begins on the first day of the new Afghan year, commencing on
March 21. The press release says the explosives were seized from different
areas of Mazar-i-Sharif. Three people have been arrested on charges of
keeping the explosives in their possession. Two of them are residents of
Balkh and the third comes from the central province of Parwan. Ustad Basir
Arifi, official of the disarmament of irresponsible armed groups (DIAG)
programme in Balkh, told Pajhwok Afghan News the weapon caches included guns,
rockets, remote-controlled mines, bullets, pistols and radio sets.
"Enemies of the country wanted to use these weapons and munitions to
disrupt security on the occasion of the new year festivities," he said.
He added the confiscated ammunition had been handed over to DIAG officials in
the province. It will be submitted to the Ministry of Defense. Balkh security
officials had also seized more than 1,000 kilograms of explosives some ten
days back. Nawroz festival begins on the first day of the Afghan calendar
year (March 21). Thousands of people from all parts of the country throng
Mazar-i-Sharif to attend the celebration, which continues for 40 days. Balkh
Governor Atta Mohammad Noor said all measures were in place to ensure
foolproof security in the city during the Mela-i-Gul Surkh. |
3) Merkel Says Germany Will Stay the Course in Afghanistan
DW staff / AFP (jb) |
www.dw-world.de | © Deutsche Welle.
Germany has about 3,000 soldiers
stationed in Afghanistan German Chancellor Angela
Merkel met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai Monday to discuss German
involvement in Afghanistan in the face of a hostage crisis in Iraq. German Chancellor Angela
Merkel warned on Monday that her country would not be blackmailed over demands
to pull its troops out of Afghanistan in return for freeing two Germans
kidnapped in Iraq.
"The German government cannot be
blackmailed," Merkel said after talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai
in Berlin. "Naturally, given the situation, we are greatly concerned. We
know what our commitment to the civilian rebuilding means to the Afghan
government and we should not be blackmailed by people who are
terrorists.".Germany has nearly 3,000 troops in northern Afghanistan as
part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. The Bundestag,
Germany's lower house of parliament, recently agreed to deploy six Tornado
reconnaissance warplanes to the region.Staying the course Karzai told reporters after
the talks that Afghanistan had made significant progress since US-led forces
overthrew the extremist Taliban leadership in 2001. He added that it would be
"many, many years" before Afghanistan achieved its goals."That
time will come with hard work from the Afghan people and cooperation from the
international community," Karzai said, adding that Germany should maintain
its troops stationed in northern Afghanistan. "The presence of German
forces in Afghanistan, the presence of aid workers from Germany in Afghanistan
and the presence of German assistance to Afghanistan has enabled our
desire to be fulfilled partly," he said.Withdrawal a catastrophe Afghan
Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta also warned that a German withdrawal
would be disastrous at a time when the country is facing a renewed Taliban
insurgency"The withdrawal of the German army would be a catastrophe for
the security and the democratic process in my country," Spanta told
Germany's public broadcaster ARD. "I hope the hostages in Iraq are freed
soon, but I also hope that the German commitment to peace and stability is
maintained." Karzai agreed, echoing Merkel by saying
that terror would "have no end" if nations changed their policies
according to terorrists' demands.