April 23, 2005 – An Iraqi civilian helped Task Force Baghdad soldiers find and apprehend six terrorists suspected of shooting down a civilian Mi-8 helicopter April 21, coalition officials in Baghdad, Iraq, announced today. “The Iraqi citizen told the soldiers he knew where the blue KIA pickup truck the terrorists used during the attack was parked and led them to the site,” a Multinational Force Iraq release stated. “When the soldiers got there, several other local residents confirmed the f...

Terrorist using roadside bombs and hidden mines in Afghanistan are injuring and killing innocent citizens and children, military officials said during a news briefing in the country’s capital, Kabul, today. The military said one such indiscriminate attack that occurred today injured six innocent Afghan citizens when their vehicle struck a mine near Qalat. Four of those injured were treated at the scene. However, two individuals were medically evacuated to Kandahar Airfield for further t...

WASHINGTON, April 21, 2005 – It's difficult to know whether the uptick in attacks on Iraqi and coalition targets in Iraq is a trend or an aberration, said Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita today. “Every commander we talked to in Iraq … believes that … the development of the Iraqi security forces is proceeding in an effective and appropriate fashion,” Di Rita said. Intelligence is getting better and the ability to interdict attacks is getting better. Still, the enemy is running out o...

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, April 22, 2005 – An Afghan boy whose father received treatment from a visiting U.S. military medical team last week turned a cache of ammunition and drugs over to coalition forces April 21. The boy led Afghan National Army and coalition forces to a house in a village 10 kilometers away from Ghazni. The ANA approached the house's owner, who claimed he had no weapons inside. Afghan and coalition forces searched the dwelling and discovered a cache of 13 rocket-pr...

KIRKUSH, Iraq, March 21, 2005 – With the graduation of nearly 1,500 soldiers at the Kirkush Military Training Base on March 20, all 27 battalions of nine brigades in the new Iraqi army are now operational. Graduations last week at Numaniyah sent more than 3,000 new soldiers to units throughout Iraq, officials said, and next week, another 600 soldiers are expected to graduate from the Iraqi Training Battalion – adding roughly 5,000 new soldiers to the Iraqi army ranks. The graduated soldier...

BAGHDAD, Iraq, March 23, 2005 – The year 2005 will prove to be “very pivotal” in Iraq as the country transitions to a free, representative government with its own police and military forces providing security, according to the chief of staff for Multinational Force Iraq. Marine Maj. Gen. Joseph F. Weber told the American Forces Press Service the year already has begun with “a capstone event” — Iraq’s successful Jan. 30 national elections. The elections, he said, gave the coalition here m...

Does this sound like people who look at the Task Force as a Invading Army? The vast majority of Iraqi's support the new Iraqi government and want it to succeed. BAGHDAD, Iraq, March 19, 2005 — Even as Iraqi soldiers train with U.S. soldiers to secure a new future for their country, they cannot forget the dangers which lurk in the background. “There is a list for people who are in the (Iraqi National Guard) that the terrorists want to kill,” said an interpreter with the 40th Iraqi Army B...

Researching a few places and looking at more reports than I care to here are a few interesting FACTS to come out of Iraq for your reading pleasure. At the end of 2004, despite years of neglect by the Saddam regime, an insurgency intent on intimidating teachers and students, and the damage caused by war, 3,100 schools have been renovated, 364 schools are currently under rehabilitation, 263 new schools are under construction and 38 new schools have been built. The Ministry of Higher Educa...

April 21, 2005 TASK FORCE CLASHES WITH INSURGENTS NEAR SALERNO BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – More than a dozen insurgents were killed late Tuesday night as Coalition helicopters, aircraft and artillery responded to a rocket attack at Forward Operating Base Salerno. “It was a combined-arms effort,” said U.S. Army Maj. J.R. Mendoza, Task Force Thunder’s brigade fire support officer. “We were able to see the launching point of the rockets and we brought everything we had to bear on it.” M...

BAGHDAD – Iraqi security forces and multinational forces responded to multiple improvised explosive device attacks in various districts around the city April 20. In one attack around 10 a.m., one infant was killed, and seven local nationals and two Task Force Baghdad Soldiers were wounded after a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated in western Baghdad. Iraqi Police and Iraqi Army Soldiers secured the scene and treated the wounded civilians. The U.S. Soldiers were evacuated to ...

2d Brigade Combat Team uncovers weapons stockpiles By Staff Sgt. Craig Zentkovich 2nd BCT PAO, April 21, 2005 MADAIN, Iraq – Following an early-morning cordon and search of a city south of Baghdad, Iraqi Security Forces supported by Task Force Baghdad Soldiers, discovered weapons caches at two separate locations Monday. Prior to Monday’s search, Madain (also known as Salman Pak) had for months been known as a terrorist staging ground for improvised explosive device attacks against Iraq...

I ran across this quote again and thought about how much it rings true today. Every time I hear of some college or university ban Military Recruiters, or demonstrations against the war on terrorism, or the person who has never served our country make a derogatory comment I think of this: "War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for whi...

April 15, 2005 By Sandra Jontz Stars & Stripes, Mideast Edition BAGHDAD — For about $200 a month, 24-year-old Mnieer risks his life getting to and from the office. He's an Iraqi police officer. Strike one. He's employed in the U.S. coalition-controlled International Zone police station. Strike two. But the young police officer said he sees a dire need to help protect his country, and the spate of insurgent threats and terrorist bombings that has killed hundreds of his breth...

This photo is a rarity. Chinooks are not normally flown this way and it is a very hard thing to do. If you have ever flown in one of these you know the guys inside must be .... well I leave it to your imagination. Its a great shot.

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq — U.S. and Iraqi security forces say they are gaining ground on insurgents and criminals because more Iraqis are phoning tips to a hotline set up in October. The hotline, known as the Joint Operating Center, has fielded about 1,100 calls in six months, dramatically improving street-level intelligence, says Army Sgt. Major Jerry Craig, a military policeman who oversees the call center. Most of the tips have come from anonymous tipsters. “Not only have the calls increased...