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Iraq
[Update 2] Iraqi and Coalition forces have conducted an even amount of raids against Sunni insurgents and Sadr’s Mahdi Army. Sixteen high level Mahdi commanders have been captured and 1 killed. Five are Sadr City commanders. Over 600 Mahdi fighters are in custody awaiting trial. Thirty Three Sunni extremist cell leaders have been captured as well. Coalition Forces killed 16 terrorists and detained 10 in the Baghdad and Haditha areas. The U.S. military is reporting a dramatic increase in the number of police recruits in Anbar province, particularly Ramadi.
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Iraq
At least 78 Iraqis were killed and 156 wounded during a coordinated double suicide attack in a Shia section of Baghdad. al Qaeda claims to have shot down the US Blackhawk helicopter in Diyala over the weekend. A Sunni-Shai meeting condemned the sectarian war in central Baghdad.
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The Iraqi Army and the MTT in Khalidiya
Prepping for a night patrol into Khalidiya. Click image to view. Successes and shortcomings in the 3/3-1 of the Iraqi Army KHALIDIYA, IRAQ: This post discusses the successes and setbacks with the 3/3-1 “Snake Eaters” of the Iraqi Army in the Habbaniyah-Khalidiya region. Many of the successes and problems experienced with the 3/2-1 Iraqi Army in Fallujah are present here with the 3/3-1 in the Habbaniyah-Khalidiya region. See The Military Transition Teams and the Development Iraqi Army to compare and contract the two battalions.
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Iraq
The ten day Shi’ite rite of Ashura begins, commemorating the death of Husain in Kerbala. 19 American troops were killed in Iraq, including 12 dead in a helicopter crash and 5 in Kerbala. Moqtada al-Sadr called an end to his party’s two-month boycott of parliament, smoothing over a rift with its Shi’ite allies. One terrorist was killed and 18 were captured.
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Patrolling with the Snake Eaters
On the streets with the Iraqi soldiers of the 3/3-1 “Outcasts” of the 3/3-1 MTT. Click image to view. KHALIDIYA, IRAQ: The Snake Eaters of the 3/3-1 are held in high esteem by the Marine and Army trainers at ASP Outpost. As with the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 1st Iraqi Army Division in Fallujah, the logistics and pay issues, along with a lack of heavy weapons, are what is holding the battalion back from operating without Coalition support. “This battalion can be independent if not for logistics,” said Major Owen West, the commanding officer of the 3/3-1 Military Transition Team…
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Iraq
Muqtada al-Sadr’s spokesman Abdul Hadi al-Daraji and an al Qaeda in Iraq leader have been captured by Coalition forces. 15 members of al Qaeda’s Omar Brigade have been killed by US-supported elite Iraqi police forces.
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Iraq
Sunni insurgent group claims it killed American
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Iraq
Moqtada al-Sadr’s political movement says US wants confrontation
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Habbaniyah and the 3/3-1 Snake Eaters
Joint Army, Marine Military Transition Team works with the Iraqi Army in one of the most dangerous regions in Anbar province The 3/3-1 rolls out on a mission. Click image to view. KHALIDIYA, IRAQ: Despite major clearing operations in Anbar province in 2004 and 2005 (what I’ve termed the Anbar Campaign), the province remains one of the most deadly regions of Iraq. The Anbar Campaign cleared the region of overt insurgent and al Qaeda control (regions such as Haditha, Fallujah and Qaim were declared ‘Islamic Republics’ by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi for periods of time), al Qaeda havens and ratlines, and…
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Iraq
A prominent follower of Muqtada Al-Sadr, a high-level, illegal armed group leader according CENT-COM, was arrested. Defense Secretary Robert Gates visits Iraq. Iraqi police and soldiers are targetted in violence in Anbar province. In Samarra, Iraqi Police Forces captured the suspected leader of several Al Qaeda in Iraq terror cells.
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Iraq
Officials Predict Shiite Militia Will Lower Profile in Baghdad
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Iraq
Sunnis Linked to al Qaeda Claim Killing of American
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Iraq
Over 400 fighters from the Mahdi Army have been arrested. PM Nuri al-Maliki says Iraq would need far fewer U.S. troops if the United States gave Iraqi security forces sufficient weapons. Over 20 were killed in violence in Baghdad. “The Council,” a terrorist group, is defeated.
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Iraq
Give us guns – and troops can go, says Iraqi leader
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Iraq
Suicide car bomb kills 17 in Baghdad
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Iraq
US wins backing for Iraq buildup from Gulf states
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Iraq
Back from Baghdad
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Iraq
Assessing Iraq
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Iraq
Mahdi Army Commanders Told ‘Not to Resist’ US Troops
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Iraq
Arab leaders express alarm that Iraq could fall into all-out civil war
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Iraq
Thanks, guys, for keeping us alive – Marines shielded Free Press staffers in face of death
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Iraq
Video of Two Saddam Aides Executions Shown
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Iraq
A United Nations human rights report states that 34,000 Iraqi civilians were killed in 2006, while the Iraqi government claims a third that number. At least 103 were killed in violence in Baghdad, including a bomb at Al-Mustansriyah University. Iranian president sent message to Saudi Arabia about cooperation on Iraq, despite evidence that Iran is supporting Iraqi violence.
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An Interview with PFC Alanko
While in Iraq last December, I was made aware of Acute Politics, a military blog (or MilBlog) from a soldier in the field. Acute Politics is written by Private First Class Gordon Alanko, an engineer serving in the Fallujah region with Alpha Company, Task Force 321 Engineers (Task Force Pathfinder). PFC Alanko and his fellow engineers are tasked with route clearance on the Iraqi highways, and are on the roads daily. His blog is a must read for a window into the daily life of a soldier in Iraq. Below is an interview with PFC Alanko.
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Iraq
Barzan Ibrahim, Saddam™s half brother and former intelligence chief, and Awad Hamed Al Bandar, former head of Iraq™s Revolutionary Court, have been hanged. A senior official of the Sunni Endowment was gunned down in Baghdad. 50 insurgents were arrested in Diyala, and another 32 in Abu Ghraib. Seven Iraqis, including a policeman, were killed by insurgents in Mosul.
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Iraq
Violence kills, injures 11 Iraqis in Mosul
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Iraq
Tribal leaders in Jazeera join with US forces to fight insurgents, form police station
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Iraq
Dozens of al Qaeda in Iraq arrested
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Iraq
Iraq’s Talabani visits Assad seeking closer ties
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Iraq
Sadr’s Mahdi Army is reported to be going to ground in anticipation of the Baghdad Security operation. Sadr is moving some forces to Diwaniyah while Sunni insurgents are heading to Diyala. A Kurdish brigade is training to fight in urban settings, and deploying to Baghdad, while the 4th Brigade, 1st Divison is deploying from Fallujah. During December operations in Ramadi, 44 insurgents were killed and 172 captured, and 4 tribes switched their support to the government.
