By Pfc. Benjamin Gable, 7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
Apr 27, 2007 - 2:26:26 PM

Burns, Wyo., native Staff Sgt. Brian Long, with Company A., 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Lewis, Wash., delivers a teddy bear to an Iraqi child in Baghdad%u2019s Mansour district April 15. The child%u2019s father, a former Iraqi police officer, was killed in action early last year. Long spoke with the child%u2019s mother and gathered information about everyday activities in the area. (U.S Army photos by Pfc. Benjamin Gable, 7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)

Blackanthem Military News:

CAMP STYKER, Iraq – U.S. and Iraqi Army troops moved in to the eastern part of Baghdad’s Mansour district to work on a mission to provide security to locals and search for illegal weapons.

Soldiers from Company A, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Ft. Lewis, Wash., were tasked with the deliberate clearance of homes in this area, neutralizing weapons caches and performing targeted raids.

With the IA in the lead April 14, the coalition forces moved into the city.

“These clearing operations are to enforce the security of the neighborhood and the people living here,” said Staff Sgt. Brian Long, a native of Burns, Wyo., with Co. A. “We make sure we do a complete sweep of the area and gather as much information as possible.”

During their search for weapons and explosives, the troops handed out flyers, tip cards with numbers to the local joint security stations and head of household forms. Long said that all of these information sheets help lead to better security for the area.

Teams of Soldiers moved through each house on their designated blocks and methodically searched every room.

“Insurgents have been known to hide things all over houses and in the smallest crevices and cracks you can imagine,” said Pfc. Derek Gress, with Co. A. “We have to do whatever is needed to make sure they don’t have something they’re not supposed to.”

After several hours of searching and clearing, the coalition forces headed back to their respective bases to rest and start over again the next day.

The morning of April 15, coalition forces moved back to the same area as the day before. The day’s search called for a more aggressive approach in entering and clearing houses.

After leaving the houses, coalition forces left damage assessment sheets and new locks for the owners of the homes, should they return.

As Iraqi children walked the streets of the neighborhood, the search continued.

Soldiers searched flower gardens, cars in driveways and anything needed.

Toward the end of the day’s search, coalition forces discovered a large cache of ammunition and explosive chemicals. In this particular find, they discovered two large cans of nitric acid, five 40-pound bags of an unknown white powder substance and a stripped down car.

Long said the car could possibly be used as a vehicle-borne explosive device. An explosive ordnance disposal team was then called in to take the items for further investigation while coalition forces provided an outer cordon.

With the day’s mission complete, and after the long hours moving from house to house on consecutive days, the Soldiers of Co. A., headed back to their Strykers and heard two words they love to hear- “Drop ramp.”

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS: Pfc. Derek Gress, with Co. A., 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Lewis, Wash., searches a house in Baghdad%u2019s Mansour district April 15. Gress, with his fellow Soldiers, searched through rooms looking for weapons caches and other illegal items. (U.S Army photos by Pfc. Benjamin Gable, 7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment) Spc. Robert Kern, an infantryman with Co. A., 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Lewis, Wash., uses a battering ram to force his way through a locked door in a home in Baghdad%u2019s Mansour district April 15. (U.S Army photos by Pfc. Benjamin Gable, 7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)

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