IRAQ SITREP

At Mark's suggestion, I'm going to start posting the news releases I get from the Multi-National Force-Iraq. It will give you an idea of how the MSM is suppressing all good news coming out of Iraq. Not all of it will be good, but most of it will. This feature will last as long as my attention span. I will be adding stories to the posts as they come in.

MOSUL - Deputy Undersecretary of Defense Paul Brinkley, in coordination with the Iraq Ministry of Industry and Minerals and the Ninevah Provincial Reconstruction Team presented two grants August 9 to area businesses valued at approximately $1.325 million to stimulate economic development in the area.

The first grant, valued at approximately $1 million was awarded to the State Company Drug Industry - Ninevah, to help increase production of medicines. The second grant, valued at approximately $325,000, was awarded to the Mosul Ready-to-Wear clothing factory. This factory, which was has produced textiles since 1954, creates clothing that is sold in local markets.

TIKRIT - A new neighborhood watch program established by local citizens has already made significant contributions toward efforts to secure the city according to Coalition Forces.

In late July, Col. Steve Townsend, the commander of the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, met with local citizens interested in contributing to the future security plan for the provincial capital city of Diyala.

That meeting launched the Baqouba Guardians, which have been credited with the recent identification of several suspected members of al-Qaida and leading Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police to uncovering unexploded ordnance found in the city.

TAJI - Iraqi Security Forces, with U.S. Special Forces as advisers, detained four suspected terrorists during a cordon and search operation in the town of Fadiliyah, near Tal Afar, Aug. 9.

While conducting the operation, ISF and USSF followed a suspected terrorist, who fled into a nearby field, and detained the individual.

Iraqi and U.S. Forces later discovered three suspected terrorists attempting to hide in a nearby field and detained all three without incident. One of the suspected terrorists is allegedly responsible for planning improvised explosive device attacks and is believed to be responsible for the deaths of 25 individuals, including U.S. forces. The other three suspected terrorists are allegedly responsible for kidnappings and murders in the local area.

PATROL BASE INCHON - Citizens tired of terrorism in their communities brought 185 cans of ammunition to Coalition Forces Aug. 9. Two men from the town of al Taqa delivered the ammunition to Soldiers of 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) working at Patrol Base Inchon, located along the Euphrates River.

The ammunition was for use in Soviet-made DShKa heavy machine guns, and each ammunition can was estimated to contain 40 rounds, for a total of 7,400 machine-gun rounds.

An explosive ordnance team disposed of the cache in a controlled detonation.

BAGHDAD - Iraqi Special Forces, with U.S. Special Forces as advisers,
detained two suspected terrorist leaders and three other suspected
terrorists during early morning operations in Baghdad, Aug. 10.

During the first operation, joint forces conducted a systematic
search of the three buildings in the town of Yusufiyah and detained
their primary target; a suspected al Qaeda in Iraq Amir.

The suspected terrorist is believed to command a large cell
involved in improvised explosive devices, mortar and small arms attacks.

Two other suspected al Qaeda in Iraq cell members were also detained
during the operation. A passport, a camera, a video cassette tape and
various documents were seized.

In another operation, forces detained a suspected commander of
Jaysh al-Mahdi, a Shi'a extremist group, Aug. 10 in western Baghdad.

The primary suspect allegedly commands a JAM cell whose members
conduct extra-judicial killings of Iraqi civilians. His group is also
believed to be responsible for attacks on an Iraqi National Guard
checkpoint using mortars and small arms. In addition, one other
suspicious individual was also detained.

BAGHDAD - Four Task Force Marne Soldiers were killed and four others
were wounded by an explosion during combat operations south of Baghdad Aug. 11.

The names of the dead are being withheld pending notification of the next of kin.

CAMP FALLUJAH - More than 500 Anbar men joined the ranks of the Iraqi Police today, the first class to graduate from the Habbaniyah Police Training Center in Al Anbar.

The graduation ceremony, attended by Ministry of Interior and Anbar officials, Coalition Forces commanders and many Anbar sheikhs, afforded the police an opportunity to demonstrate some of their newly learned skills. Individual fighting techniques, a vehicle run on a checkpoint, and personnel searches and arrests were followed by the presentation of the certificates.