Over the Top Baghdad style

"Soldiers from the Iraqi army and 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, take time between missions for some real international relations and partnership at Forward Operating Base Rashid in eastern Baghdad July 21. The Red Devils, based out of Fort Bragg, N.C., went undefeated, but the Iraqis demanded a rematch. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Sean Ryan, 2nd IBCT, 2nd Inf. Div. PAO)"
Over the Top Baghdad style on Flickr - Photo Sharing!:

Two units’ Afghanistan deployments extended

"ARLINGTON, Va. – Two units’ deployments in Afghanistan have been extended, the Defense Department announced Thursday night.
The 82nd Airborne Division Headquarters will spend about 50 extra days in Afghanistan, and the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade will be extended for about two weeks, a Defense Department news release said.
“The process will be managed to avoid stop-loss for personnel,” the news release said."

Two units’ Afghanistan deployments extended Stars and Stripes:

Paratroopers Own Night in Air Assault Mission

"BAGHDAD – The heavy beating of rotor blades pierces the quiet of the night in farmland east of Baghdad and a dust cloud kicks up, almost concealing the two huge helicopters dimly outlined under the moonlight. Almost as soon as the helicopters touch the ground, ramps drop and dozens of American Soldiers, Iraqi soldiers and federal police storm out into the night and immediately snap into defensive positions.

The two CH-47 Chinooks take off and disappear almost as quickly as they arrived. Left in the darkness in a farmer's field, with its plowed rows sharp and hardened from the desert heat, the paratroopers move out toward their objectives along a series of dirt roads. But it's the Iraqis who are in front. It is their mission, and the paratroopers stand by watching and advising their counterparts.

"I can work with their lieutenants on troop-leading movements," said
Rohrer, a native of Grand Rapids, Mich. "I've got PFCs [privates first class]
running right beside Iraqi PFCs teaching marksmanship."

Close behind the Iraqis are the paratroopers, who stop at intervals to give advice or a critique of the Iraqis' performance. Capt. Andrew Decker, an intelligence officer assigned to the 9th Iraqi Army Military Transition Team, confers with Iraqi Army Lt. Col. Fathil Hassan Al-Dulimay to offer advice on the Iraqi movements."

read full article... Digital Video & Imagery Distribution System:

Panther Brigade Sharpens IA Skills

Spc. Cesar Lopez, of Miami, Fl. gives pointers to an Iraqi Army Soldier appling a pressure dressing on a simulated wound during a training exercise in the midst of a sandstorm, at Combat Outpost Carver Iraq, located in Salman Pak, a suburb of southeastern Baghdad. Lopez is a combat medic assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad. (U.S. Army photo by Pvt. Jared Gehmann, 3rd BCT PAO, 82nd Abn. Div., MND-B


An Iraqi Soldier rushes his comrade to safety using the "buddy carry" technique as U.S. Paratroopers look on during a simulated combat exercise in the midst of a sandstorm, at Combat Outpost Carver, Iraq, located in the Salman Pak suburb of southeastern Baghdad. The Paratroopers are assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad.



A U.S. Paratrooper assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad, instructs an Iraqi Soldier on how to guard the rear of a squad formation during a training exercise in the midst of a sandstorm at Combat Outpost Carver, Iraq, located in the Salman Pak suburb of southeastern Baghdad. The week-long academy advises and mentors Iraqi Security Forces on their combat abilities in order to prepare them handle situation in a combat environment.



Panther Brigade Sharpens IA Skills: "BAGHDAD - After five long days of intense training and battling a pair of fierce sandstorms, more than 20 Iraqi Army Soldiers can now say they are graduates of Combat Outpost Carver's 'Cold Steel Training Academy.'"

RFI - US' Gates in Iraq: 'Nobody's the boss or the occupier'

RFI - US' Gates in Iraq: 'Nobody's the boss or the occupier'

"Nobody's the boss or the occupier," said Gates, describing the relationship between the two countries on the ground. At Tallil Military Base, the US advisors are considered a litmus test for US forces as they shift from combat to advisory roles.

In September, the1st Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division will arrive in the country as the first brigade trained to only advise, not to go to the front lines.

The Obama administration is closely watching the progress of Tallil as part of the draw down of US forces in the country that begins in 2010. The swiftness of the draw down-- and ultimately, the US withdrawal in 2011- depends also on general elections throughout Iraq slated for January and the progress in resolving ongoing sectarian violence.

"We're saying to all the parties involved that they have this window of opportunity that they need to seize between now and the end of 2011," a senior US official told reporters before Gates touched down in Tallil.

Gates met with US and Iraqi commanders on Tuesday and plans to meet with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. He plans on visiting the Kurdish region of the country as well.

Meanwhile, in Baghdad, eight police guards died in a deadly bank heist on Tuesday as armed robbers took at least 2.7 million euros. The money had reportedly been earmarked for salaries for policemen who work in the interior ministry.

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LOYALTY 2.0

"JSS LOYALTY, Iraq - Joint Security Station Loyalty, formerly known as Forward Operating Base Loyalty, has undergone some restructuring recently.

To make room for the Iraqi National Police, many of the support facilities had to be relocated. During this time of transition, finance Soldiers have been participating in R&R Leave. This has certainly put some strain on the operation. However, Loyalty Finance was still able to achieve record numbers despite being understaffed.

The post-exchange has occupied what used to be the old theater. This theater was hit by a mortar attack in early 2008. The move into the remodeled building took only two weeks. With the help of Soldiers and civilians, the transition was quite smooth. The Chaplain's office and the chapel have followed the PX to the old theater. The Loyalty Finance Office has also joined forces with the Postal Office and now occupies what used to be the postal supply room. The new office is more spacious than the old one and easier to clean. Thanks to the new office being either an old bathroom or a kitchen, no one is certain which, the floors and walls are all tile, and very easy to wipe down. A credit to the finance Soldiers is that the entire office was broken down, moved, and reassembled in one day. Business was closed during the move."

LOYALTY 2.0:

Paratroopers reenlist under famed Baghdad landmark

"Eighty-two Paratroopers assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Multi-National Division -Baghdad recite the oath of reenlistment April 23 during a ceremony at the Cross Sabers in Baghdad. The ceremony marked the squadron's accomplishment of meeting its retention goals for the year. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. James Selesnick, 982nd Combat Camera Co. (Airborne), attached to the 3rd BCT, 82nd Abn. Div., MND-B)"
Story...Paratroopers reenlist under famed Baghdad landmark:

Fort Bragg soldier killed in Iraq

"The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Cpl. Brad A. Davis, 21, of Garfield Heights, Ohio, died April 22 near Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to the 82nd Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

For more information related to this release, the media may contact the 82nd Airborne Division public affairs office at (910) 432-0661."

DefenseLink News Release: DoD Identifies Army Casualty:

U.S. commanders favor slower Iraq pullout

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. military planners have drawn up three options to allow President Barack Obama to withdraw U.S. combat troops from Iraq, with senior commanders favoring the slowest of the three, officials said on Saturday.
The timelines under discussion are 16 months, proposed by Obama as a centerpiece of his presidential campaign, 19 months and 23 months, the officials said."


U.S. commanders favor slower Iraq pullout:

U.S. soldiers stand at attention during a handover ceremony of Al-Awad Joint security station from the U.S. military forces to Iraqi security forces north of Baghdad February 4, 2009.(Saad Shalash/Reuters)

Berthoud Fallen Soldier Honored in Iraq

Wednesday, Jan 21st, 2009
By Staff Sgt. Alex Licea3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division FORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY, IRAQ -- A Multi-National Division – Baghdad Paratrooper, who was killed in eastern Baghdad, was honored for his ultimate sacrifice during a memorial ceremony at Forward Operating Base Jan. 16, 2009.
Staff Sgt. Justin Bauer, a 24-year-old infantryman from Loveland, Colo., was assigned to Company D, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. He was killed in action when an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle during a combat patrol Jan. 10 in the New Baghdad District of eastern Baghdad.

More...Berthoud Fallen Soldier Honored in Iraq

Troops Well-Protected Under U.S.-Iraq Agreement, Gates Says

"By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service


WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2008 – Servicemembers should not be concerned about the status of forces agreement between the United States and Iraq, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today.
The secretary told Pentagon reporters that the agreement – now circulating as a draft in Washington and Baghdad – has adequate protections for American servicemembers.

Gates said former Multinational Force Iraq commander Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, current commander Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker have been deeply involved in the negotiations. Gates and Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, approve of the agreement."


The agreement will allow American forces to continue to operate in Iraq and train the Iraqi security forces once the United Nations Security Council mandate expires on Dec. 31. “Admiral Mullen, General Petraeus, General Odierno and I are all satisfied that our men and women in uniform serving in Iraq are well-protected” by the agreement, Gates said. Gates is consulting with Senate and House armed services committee leaders about the agreement, which does not require congressional approval to become effective. “The four leaders I talked to from the armed services committees were generally positive, but clearly are looking forward to seeing the exact text,” Gates said. White House officials discussed the text of the agreement with congressional staffers this morning. The Iraqis want to assume control of their own security, and the draft agreement includes goals for withdrawal of American troops, if security conditions permit.
Related Articles:Gates Works with Congress on Iraq Status of Forces Agreement

DefenseLink News Article: Troops Well-Protected Under U.S.-Iraq Agreement, Gates Says:

Iraq Fact Check: Responding To Key Myths

• Iraq Fact Check: Responding To Key Myths
  
  MYTH: The Iraqi Government is sitting on billions of dollars in oil profits while the American people pay for reconstruction and security costs in Iraq.
  
  FACT: The Iraqi government is taking over reconstruction funding – Iraq's 2008 budget for large-scale reconstruction projects exceeds that proposed by the U.S. by more than 10 to 1 and the U.S. military expects that Iraq will soon cover 100 percent of such expenses.
  
  Since 2003, the Government of Iraq (GoI) has appropriated $85 billion for reconstruction and security costs. The U.S. appropriated $50 billion and has not appropriated any funds for major reconstruction since 2005.
  
  The U.N. and U.S. are focused on providing Iraqis with technical assistance to keep Iraq's economy growing and improve budget execution.
  
  The GoI increased its budgets across the board in 2008 – a base budget followed by a supplemental passed in August of this year brought the total to $72 billion, a substantial increase from 2007's $41 billion. The capitol budget which pays for reconstruction projects increased to $21 billion.
  
  FACT: Iraq's security ministries will pay for more than 80 percent of the annual cost of the Iraqi military and police under the 2008 budget.

• Last week, the GoI took over responsibility for paying the salaries of about 51,000 Sons of Iraq serving in the Baghdad area.
  
  · FACT: The GoI's budget execution has picked up in 2008 – the total GoI expenditure through June 2008 was $19 billion, compared to $10 billion through the same period last year.
  
  · FACT: The GoI does not have $79 billion from oil profits sitting in the bank. Iraq's year-end surplus for 2008 is expected to be about $30 billion. Combined with the previous 3 years, the surplus is expected to be about $60 billion.
  
  MYTH: Iraq has made little progress on the political front.
  
  · FACT: Since September 2007, Iraq's parliament has passed significant legislation dealing with reconciliation and nation building, including:
  Ø A Provincial Elections Law enabling elections to be held in Iraq before January 31, 2009.
  Ø A pension law
  Ø De-Ba'athification reform
  Ø An amnesty law
  Ø A provincial powers law
  Ø A 2008 budget and a supplemental budget that includes record amounts for capital and security expenditures
  
  · FACT: Recently passed legislation is already having an affect – Iraqis held under detention for non-series crimes have been released under the Amnesty law.
  
  · FACT: The national government is sharing oil revenues with provinces despite the absence of a hydrocarbon and revenue-sharing law.
  
  · FACT: Iraq's neighbors are re-establishing diplomatic relations – Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), Bahrain, Syria, Jordan, and the League of Arab States have all named Ambassador's to Iraq. The U.A.E. became the first Arab nation to post its Ambassador to Baghdad and give 100 percent debt relief to Iraq of approximately $7 billion.
  
  · FACT: Regional leaders are traveling to Iraq to pursue productive dialogue – Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan, King Abdullah of Jordan, Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit have all visited Baghdad.

Source: Office of Public Liaison - Military Affairs - whitehouse.gov

N.C. troops' role in Iraq to grow

"Jay Price, Staff Writer Comment on this story In Washington, on the campaign trail and in Baghdad, there has been talk for months about cutting the number of U.S. troops in Iraq. For North Carolina-based troops, though, 2009 is shaping up as another big year there -- maybe the biggest since the war began in 2003."

The Pentagon formally announced last week that three more major units from the
state are to be sent to Iraq in 2009 -- two combat brigade teams from the 82nd
Airborne Division at Fort Bragg and the headquarters unit of the 2nd Marine
Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune.

That makes a total of seven major units and more than 25,000 troops from North Carolina scheduled to be in Iraq at some point in the coming year.

more... newsobserver.com N.C. troops' role in Iraq to grow:

Iraqi Surge Was Keystone to Success in Iraq

"At the end of 2006, Iraq seemed on the verge of a civil war. Al-Qaida was inciting divisions between Sunni and Shiia Iraqis. The newly elected government seemed ineffectual. Militia groups roamed neighborhoods and intimidated those who did not agree with them.
More than 100 U.S. servicemembers per month were being killed in fighting in the country. Today, that number has dropped dramatically, thanks largely to the troop surge and a new strategy that senior military officials credit with laying the groundwork for success throughout Iraq."
...

The first of the surge brigades arrived in Baghdad from Kuwait in January
2007 – the 82nd Airborne Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team. The soldiers went
almost immediately into combat operations. Between then and June, four more
brigades, a Marine expeditionary unit and two Marine battalions deployed to
Iraq. Thousands of “enablers” – combat service and combat service support
servicemembers – also deployed.

...
“The surge allowed us to get control of areas, maintain control using Iraqi troops and police, and pump money and jobs into the economy,” the general said. “It helped us link up with the sheiks and tribal leaders and push the Awakening process along.”
In many parts of Baghdad today, markets are operating, doctors are practicing, children are learning and fathers are working. That would have been inconceivable in 2006, Campbell said.
“I saw the surge in the beginning, and when I left in December 2007 I had seen it turn Baghdad around,” he said. “The surge was very successful and I could see the results. I would have told you maybe halfway into my tour that I would not have felt good about leaving. But later, I saw all the benefits. I thought we really gave the Iraqi people a fighting chance.”


Iraqi Surge Was Keystone to Success in Iraq:

Soldier’s Efforts Bring Fresh Eggs to Troops

"By Army Spc. Aaron Rosencrans
Special to American Forces Press Service


CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq, April 11, 2008 – Through the efforts of a Multinational Division Baghdad soldier, deployed troops can once again enjoy fresh eggs as one of their breakfast options after the nutritious staple was banned from Iraq for a year."

More...DefenseLink News Article: Face of Defense: Soldier’s Efforts Bring Fresh Eggs to Troops:

Gen. Petraeus' View Of Battleground Iraq

"I think everybody recognizes that there has been progress in the security arena over the course of the last six to eight months," but no one, Gen. David Petraeus said, is celebrating. "The progress in Iraq is fragile, it is tenuous. There's an enormous amount of hard work to be done to solidify the gains, to build on them, while there is a draw-down of over one quarter of our combat forces." Five of 20 Brigade Combat Teams - a Marine Expeditionary Unit and two Marine battalions - are scheduled to leave by July. Already, two Army brigades have departed Iraq, one based in Diyala province, the other in Baghdad.

The withdrawals are a test.

'They always leave some gap... that has to be filled. Obviously, we have to thin out in certain areas to accommodate that withdrawal,' Petraeus said, referring to the recent departure of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. At the same time, 'al Qaeda remains a very lethal enemy... capable of lashing out at any given time.'"

More...Gen. Petraeus' View Of Battleground Iraq, Top U.S. Commander Tells Cami McCormick Why Progress Isn't Yet Cause For Celebration - CBS News:

Military Officials in Iraq Praise Soldiers of Redeploying 'Surge' Brigade

"Published 03/10/2008 - 1:33 a.m. GMT (PressMediaWire) WASHINGTON, March 9, 2008 - A military spokesman in Iraq today praised soldiers of an Army brigade that will soon redeploy to the U.S. and mark the first reduction in the number of surge forces sent to stabilize Iraq last year.
Multinational Force Iraq officials announced March 6 that some 2,000 paratroopers from the 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, will return to Fort Bragg, N.C., in the next several weeks, reducing the number of U.S. combat brigades in Iraq from 19 to 18."

..."During a news conference today in Baghdad, Smith told reporters that Iraqi security forces and citizens capitalized on efforts the 2nd Brigade paratroopers made over their 15-month deployment. In that time, he said, 125,000 Iraqis joined military or police ranks, and some 90,000 citizens enrolled in volunteer groups. "

..."The 2nd Brigade paratroopers, known as "Falcon Soldiers," established two of the first combat outposts in Baghdad, said Army Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, commander of Multinational Division Baghdad. As a result, attacks in Adhamiyah, a northeast suburb of the Iraqi capital, decreased from 465 to 15 per month since December 2006. "Falcon Soldiers spent $30 million on reconstruction projects including renovation of schools, generators, water pump repair, trash pickup and micro-loans, revitalizing markets (and) making life better and safer for the residents of northeast Baghdad," Hammond is quoted as saying in a March 6 Multinational Force Iraq news release. "

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Troop Drawdown Resumes With Army Unit

World news Feed Article World news :
"By ROBERT BURNS
AP Military Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - An Army paratrooper unit that led the U.S. troop surge into Baghdad last year is returning home, marking a resumption of a troop drawdown that will test the durability of recent security gains.
The drawdown began last December with the departure of one brigade, numbering about 5,000 troops, dropping the overall U.S. troop level in Iraq to 158,000. A three-month lull was built into the drawdown plan, during which commanders saw insurgent violence shift from Baghdad to northern Iraq.
Although it has not yet been publicly announced, a senior military official told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the 2nd brigade, 82nd Airborne Division is heading back to Fort Bragg, N.C., in coming days and will not be replaced in the rotation. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the movements are not completed."

Special Groups behind Sadr City bombing

"With Muqtada al Sadr's decision to reinstate or drop the self-imposed cease-fire less than nine days away, Multinational Forces Iraq continues to turn up the heat on the Iranian-backed and Sadr-linked Special Groups terror cells. US and Iraqi forces have conducted multiple raids on the terror cells over the past three days throughout central Iraq, continuing the trend that started on Feb. 4. Yesterday's explosion in Sadr City also has been linked to the Special Groups.
The explosion yesterday near an open-air market in Sadr City, which caused the deaths of two Iraqis and wounded 25, was initially thought to be caused by a car bomb attack. But the US Military issued a second press release linking the explosion to the Special Groups."

Since Feb. 12, Multinational Forces Iraq has reported eight raids on Special Groups cells and their weapons caches. During these raids, which were conducted between Feb. 8 and Feb. 12, thirty-one Special Groups operatives, including three cell leaders, were captured. Fourteen explosively formed penetrators, the powerfully deadly EFPs, were seized along with explosives, bomb making material, and weapons. In the recent actions:
• US troops received a tip from a Sons of Iraq fighter (formerly the Concerned Local Citizens) on the location of a large EFP and weapons cache in the town of Jurf Nadaf on Feb. 8
.• US troops captured a cell leader involved in IED and small-arms attacks on US and Iraqi forces in Hurriya on Feb. 10.
• US soldiers captured 25 Special Groups fighters during a series of operations in the Sabak Sur, a neighborhood in northeast Baghdad, on Feb. 11. This is "an area that has recently emerged as a safe haven for Special Groups," Multinational Forces Iraq reported.
• US troops captured a Special Groups cell leader involved in improvised explosive device (IED), EFP, small arms and rocket attacks in the Rashid district of Baghdad on Feb. 11.
• Iraqi Special Operations Forces captured a Special Groups cell leader responsible for IED, EFP, rocket, and mortar attacks against Iraqi and Coalition Forces on Feb. 11.
• US soldiers received a tip from an Iraqi on the location of an EFP and explosives cache in Baghdad on Feb. 11.
• Special Forces arrested a security guard of a Sadrist member of parliament in Hillah on Feb. 12.
• Coalition forces detained two Special Groups operatives in the Suwayrah area on Feb. 12.


More...Special Groups behind Sadr City bombing - The Long War Journal:

The US Troop Surge, a Year Later

"from The Associated Press
BAGHDAD February 12, 2008, 12:08 pm ET · A year ago in Baghdad: Shiite militiamen and Sunni insurgents owned entire neighborhoods and key areas beyond. Iraq's government was adrift, and U.S. commanders weighed the real possibility of being trapped in a full-scale civil war."

More...NPR: The US Troop Surge, a Year Later: