Iraqs Inconvenient Truth :: Iraq War News Updates

 Damascus, 18 May 2007 (Asharq Alawsat)

Iraqi Sunni and Shiite clerics met earlier this week in the Syrian capital and called for an end to the sectarian violence in their country without detriment to what they called the right to resistance through combating US occupation. Dozens of clerics who gathered at the Damascus-based Kaftaro Academy, which is close to the Syrian government, said that they have created a gathering to fight division and avoid a civil war through dialogue and fatwa-making.

Syria, which is hosting the gathering called “Iraq Clerics’ Group”, intensified its warnings in the recent period against a sectarian war in Iraq which may spread to the countries of the region and lead to further instability in the Middle East. The secretary-general of the group, Abdul Latif al-Humaym, said in the opening session of the conference: “We are working to activate dialogue and rapprochement between Muslims whatever their schools of thought, so that we can cooperate to free Iraq from the occupier after we rid ourselves of sectarian sedition,” according to a Reuters report.

Al-Humaym further said: “We will start dialogue with all the sides of Iraqi society in order to reach internal peace. We know that Iraq will only be liberated through the determination of all its components.” The leaders of the group said that they decided to hold their conference in Syria because of threats they had received in Iraq. The conference was attended by Syrian Grand Mufti Ahmad Badr al-Din Hassoun. Syrian President Bashar al-Asad said in his speech last week that one way of stopping violence in Iraq goes through holding a national reconciliation conference and resolving the conflicts between the sects. Ahmad al-Jumayri, a member of the general secretariat of the group, who hails from Ramadi Province, one of the most lethal areas in Iraq for the American forces, said: “Our action will be peaceful. Iraq’s crisis is basically political and ideological, not military.” He added: “We are working to achieve the unity of the Iraqis and to reach a unified stance to get rid of the occupier. We want a national unity government which will rehabilitate the state institutions and reform the armed forces and the security services so that Iraq is able to rely on itself.” Al-Jumayri said that his group, which is not represented in the parliament, includes 600 clerics.

Despite the fact that the conference called for the establishment of national Iraqi institutions, it did not openly call for an immediate withdrawal of the US forces. However, the participants said that resistance is a legitimate right. The member of the higher fatwa commission in Iraq, Rafi Zahir al-Rifai, said: “The enemy is beginning to make us doubt about our fundamental truths, so we started seeking fatwas emphasizing our brothers’ belonging to Islam and stressing our right to Jihad against the occupier.” Al-Rifai said: “We must all support everyone who stood up and fought the aggressor occupiers, without forgetting to distinguish between them and whoever has killed Iraqi people. Let us always remember that God ordered us to have consultations with all Muslims.”

Dr. Abdel farmer Hassan, the Sudanese Minister of Trade optimistic successful future negotiations with the World Trade Organization to be held in Geneva later this month. Sudanese announcement during the Iraqi negotiating team that Iraq had completed all the mechanisms and questions addressed to him by the International Organization

In addition to the complete set of laws, legislation and sent to the State Consultative Council and the Council of Ministers to be studied in order to keep abreast of Iraq’s participation in the World Trade Organization, adding that the negotiating team for three years and succeeded in completing all’ll requirements of the World Trade Organization and develop appropriate responses for each organization offers Therefore, we are optimistic that the outcome of future talks held in Geneva with a team represented by the exit of the recommendations of the task could accept Iraq in the light of the implications of the results.

The Sudanese to the importance of education and public awareness through media releases and in the importance of Iraq’s accession to the WTO that this economy will gain (strength and evolution), and inform the experiences of the developed countries of the Organization for the freedom to control the operations of the global economy and trade, pointing out that the government had issued several laws that serve the economy and facilitate coordination with the global economy, where the form of the investment major turning point future results will be significant movement of the market economy and to develop the country and most of the provinces that suffered greatly as a result of their negligence and reliance on central control of the State on the economic movement and the minister stressed that Iraq’s accession to the WTO does not necessarily mean acceptance of new restrictions imposed on the Iraqi economy, laws and regulations of the organization and that some Yatekadha Thus Thus but some team work places this side the best interest of the country and the interests of the Iraqi rights before taking any action addition, we find that the Iraqi economy has great potential able to overcome all the problems of the present and to come back to the top of the economics of the world.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20070516-05
May 16, 2007

BAGHDAD — Iraqi Security Forces, along with Coalition Soldiers from Multi-National Division – Baghdad continued clearing operations in southwestern Baghdad neighborhoods May 14 and 15, detaining two suspects believed to be involved in anti-coalition activities and seizing seven caches containing explosively-formed projectiles, artillery and mortar shells, weapons and other bomb-making materials.

Soldiers from the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division and the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, along with national police and Iraqi Army troops, continued Operation Dragon Fire/Arrowhead Strike 10 to rid the Rashid District of southwestern Baghdad of terrorists and criminals and protect the population.

Iraqi Army troops from the 2nd Brigade, 1st Iraqi Army Division and Company A, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment “Black Lions” found six EFP arrays, as well as multiple caches of weapons and munitions in two houses located in the Amel neighborhood. In addition to the EFPs, 82mm mortar rounds, rockets, rocket-propelled grenade warheads and an anti-tank missile were found and disposed of by explosive ordnance disposal teams.

Stryker troops arrested two individuals at the residence where one cache was found, and turned them over to Iraqi National Police for questioning. The cache included 75 57mm anti-aircraft rounds and more than 50 pounds of explosives. The munitions and explosives were confiscated and disposed of by EOD.

Five other caches consisted of numerous AK-47 assault rifles, several machine guns and sniper rifles, small arms ammunition, assorted artillery and mortar shells and other bomb-making materials.

The two days of operations included approximately 250 Iraqi Army and Iraqi National Police working with more than 800 U.S. Army Soldiers to keep pressure on against the extremist elements.

By Sgt. Juan Santiago, 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment
May 15, 2007 - 5:01:23 PM

Staff Sgt. Larry Metcalf holds an Iraqi child while Pfc. Willie Green gives her an immunization during a medical assistance mission in Baghdad%u2019s Hurriyah neighborhood May 8. The Soldiers are members of 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, which teamed up with Iraqi Ministry of Health physicians to treat more than 400 patients. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Juan Santiago, 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment)

Blackanthem Military News:

BAGHDAD, Iraq —

Members of the Iraqi Ministry of Health along with Soldiers from Multi-National Division - Baghdad, conducted a joint medical operation on May 8, to provide needed medical attention to the people in the western neighborhood of Hurriyah.

The Iraqi Ministry of Health spearheaded the operation with four physicians providing medical attention to patients.  Coalition Forces also provided two Army surgeons, a physician’s assistant and nearly a dozen medics to help screen and process all of the patients.

This is the second operation in two months that the Ministry of Health has worked side-by-side with the paratroopers of 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division.

In addition to providing immunization shots for the local children, the medical providers screened more than 400 patients, treating everything from minor bumps and bruises to severe illnesses and mental disabilities.  The medical team also donated boxes of medical supplies to the Hurriyah Clinic #2 to augment the clinic’s pharmaceutical stock.

As the patients left the clinic, children were handed toys, t-shirts, Iraqi flags, school supplies and personal hygiene items. Their parents were handed blankets, vitamins for their children, boxes of perishable goods and a brochure with information on how to contact Coalition Forces to provide tips on terrorist activity.

Paratroopers from Company A, 1-325th AIR provided security for the duration of the operation; conducting crowd control, traffic control and over-watch security while members of Company E, 1-325th AIR provided transportation and helped establish support infrastructure.

As the day came to an end, the residents showed their appreciation for the care they had been given, all thanking the Ministry of Health and Coalition Force healthcare providers.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:

Staff Sgt. Cain Sonney, of 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, hands out water and candy to the women and children as they wait to be seen by a medical providers during a medical assistance mission in Baghdad%u2019s Hurriyah neighborhood May 8. The paratroopers teamed up with Iraqi Ministry of Health physicians to treat more than 400 patients. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Juan Santiago, 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment)

Maj. Andrew Landers, 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, checks the vital signs of an Iraqi child complaining of suffering from symptoms of heat exhaustion during a medical assistance mission in Baghdad%u2019s Hurriyah neighborhood May 8. The paratroopers teamed up with Iraqi Ministry of Health physicians to treat more than 400 patients. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Juan Santiago, 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment)

Pfc. Willie Green, of 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, gives an Iraqi child an immunization while the child%u2019s mother watches during a medical assistance mission in Baghdad%u2019s Hurriyah neighborhood May 8. The paratroopers teamed up with Iraqi Ministry of Health physicians to treat more than 400 patients. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Juan Santiago, 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment)

Pfc. Matthew Taylor, 1-12 Combined Arms Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, moves with his platoon to an Iraqi Police station in Judidah, Iraq. Taylor%u2019s platoon is a closely knit brotherhood and they treat each other like family instead of friends. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Ben Fox, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

By Pfc. Ben Fox, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division
May 16, 2007 - 7:13:39 PM

Blackanthem Military News:

KHAN BANI SA’AD, Iraq — Gathered around a makeshift table made from a sheet of plywood resting on Meals Ready-To-Eat boxes, Soldiers at Khan Bani Sa’ad played a game of cards in the middle of their compound.

These Soldiers talked, joked and fought the entire game as if they all had known each other their whole lives. The truth is, many of these men have known each other for just over a year, some even less.

“I just came to this platoon four or five months ago,” said Spc. Miguel Luzunaris, or “LZ” as his friends call him.

Yet, at this compound run by the 1-12 Combined Arms Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, the men have bonded in the same way a family would after years of living together.

“I would put my life on the line for everybody out here,” said Luzunaris.

“It’s more of a brotherhood than anything out here,” said Spc. Jeffrey Marder.

“We are with each other 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” he said.

In this “brotherhood,” the Soldiers have built their bonds from the experiences they share.

“When you’re out there and you have to trust your life to your friends, it brings you a little bit closer,” said Pfc. Matthew Taylor, the platoon’s combat medic.

“If you’re pulling 360 security or doing (small kill teams) at night, you are watching out for each other,” he said.

“Infantry, we are in the fight a little deeper than anybody else,” said Luzunaris. “You have to trust the man behind you, and you have to trust the man in front of you.

“I think we are a lot closer because we go through a lot of stuff together,” he said.

“We go on numerous missions, and the missions are always more than one person,” said Marder. “Everybody is helping each other out.”

Not only do the Soldiers come closer together through combat experiences, but personal experiences also increase the bond they share.

“We are all dealing with close to the same things,” said Luzunaris.

“We all have family… back at home,” he said. “We are all trying to get back to them.

“It’s the support, ‘I know you have your family and I have mine so let’s help each other make it back to them,’” said Luzunaris. “We all just gather up… and take care of each other.”

“We are always going through certain instances… or certain personal problems that may happen within the platoon,” said Marder. “People just need to come to you to talk or you need to go to somebody else just to talk to.”

Many of the Soldiers feel like they are just as close to each other as they are to their families back home.

“I treat them like I do my brothers,” said Taylor. “I have two younger brothers and a younger sister.

“They are as much family as my own family,” he said. “If they need something, I’m there for them and they are there for me.”

“You get to know everybody around you,” said Marder. “You get to know their lifestyle and their home life, even their personal life.

“I know the same amount about my brother as I do these guys,” he said.

“I just wasn’t born from the same family,” said Marder. “Brothers from another mother basically.”

The men also get into brotherly fights.

“We rag on each other like you wouldn’t believe,” said Taylor.

“Griff and I as roommates…every day we are messing with each other,” said Luzunaris. “If he isn’t messing with me, I’m going to pick a fight with him.

“Just because, I guess we feel comfortable like that,” he said.

“It doesn’t feel right if we don’t bicker with each other at least once a day,” said Luzunaris. “If I can fight with you and five minutes later we are back laughing, that’s when you really know that is a real friend right there.”

These Soldiers are also willing to put their lives on the line for each other.

“Friends are friends but… family, you always have them,” said Luzunaris.

“Even if I don’t get along with one of them, if we are in a firefight out there… they are going to protect you,” he said.

“I have friends back at home… now that I think about it, they are more acquaintances,” said Marder. “I’m not too sure that my friends back at home would jump in front of a bullet like these guys would for me.”

“And I would do the same for them,” he said.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:

As a group of school children follows him down the street, Pvt. Brad Griffith, 1-12 Combined Arms Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, talks to his convoy commander over the radio in Judidah, Iraq, May 10. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Ben Fox, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)

Spc. Miguel Luzunaris and Pfc. Matthew Taylor, 1-12 Combined Arms Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, patrol together through palm groves in Judidah, Iraq May 10. Taylor and Luzunaris%u2019 platoon share a bond of brotherhood as close as their own families back home. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Ben Fox, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)

 17 May 2007 (Associated Press)

Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Wednesday and met with top Iraqi officials, including Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Kaczynski, whose country has 900 soldiers in Iraq, traveled to the Green Zone, according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Robert Szaniawski in Warsaw. The heavily fortified area on the banks of the Tigris River in central Baghdad is where Iraq’s government meets and the U.S. and British embassies are located.

During his meeting with Kaczynski, al-Maliki said his country is interested in boosting its relations with Poland, al-Maliki’s office said.

Al-Maliki considered the visit an attempt to “enhance the cooperation between the countries,” the statement said.

Warsaw contributed ground troops to the U.S.-led war in Iraq in 2003, and has since led an international force south of Baghdad. Twenty Polish soldiers have been killed in Iraq.

President Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Australian Prime Minister John Howard, and Romanian President Traian Basescu and Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu have all visited Iraq. IraqUpdates

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 15 May 2007 (AFP)

British military officers in Iraq have been party to secret talks with Sunni insurgent leaders there, Iraq’s president said in an interview published Tuesday.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph while in London, Jalal Talabani added that Sunni rebels were shifting their perceptions to view Shiite-dominated Iran as more of a threat than foreign forces.

“There are resistance movements that are now meeting with the prime minister, with me, with British military officers and the ambassador for reconciliation talks,” Talabani told the paper.

“The biggest step forward would be to have the full participation of all the main groups in Iraq … We need national unity. We must convince the Sunni Arabs they are a real partner.”

Talabani reiterated comments made at Cambridge University last week when he said coalition troops would have to stay in Iraq until the end of next year, at which point they would be able to leave.

He also said Sunni insurgents felt more threatened by Iran than by coalition troops.

“There is a big change in the mentality of the Sunni Arab,” he said.

“They are now considering Iran is the danger and no longer considering America the danger.”

Talabani also linked Iran’s battles against internal dissent with attacks against British forces in southern Iraq.

“When there are some attacks (in Iran) they think it is British-backed activities, so they (the Iranians) do some limited things in Basra,” he said.

Statement by Mr. Takatoshi Kato
Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund
Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt

As Prepared for Delivery

Mr. Secretary General, Prime Minister Maliki, Vice-President Mahdi, your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, it is a great pleasure for me to address this important meeting on the occasion of the launching of the International Compact with Iraq. I congratulate the Government of Iraq, together with the United Nations and Iraq’s partners, for their work in developing the Compact. The medium-term framework for political, security, and economic reform endorsed by the Compact aims to secure a better future for the Iraqi people. It is certainly encouraging that the Compact enjoys the strong support of the international community as demonstrated by the large gathering present here today.

The Fund has been closely engaged with Iraq since 2003. Initial work focused on setting up a macroeconomic database, including the preparation of a debt sustainability analysis, and on providing technical assistance and policy advice, mainly on monetary and fiscal policies and key structural reforms. In September 2004 the Fund approved Emergency Post-Conflict Assistance for Iraq, and this—in combination with the debt sustainability analysis—paved the way for the critical November 2004 debt reduction agreement with Paris Club creditors.

The current Stand-By Arrangement was approved in December 2005. It supports the authorities’ broad economic reform program, aimed at maintaining macroeconomic stability and improving the conditions for sustainable growth over the medium term. The macroeconomic framework of the Stand-By Arrangement underlies the economic component of the Compact.

Despite extremely difficult circumstances, the Iraqi authorities have continued to implement their economic program. They have taken some courageous measures, including the gradual increase in domestic fuel prices and, starting in 2007, the elimination of all direct budgetary fuel subsidies, except for kerosene. Iraq has also embarked on an ambitious structural reform program, in order to make the transition to a more market-based economy. The government is working to modernize public financial management, streamline the social safety net, and amend the pension law to make it fiscally sustainable. The central bank is overhauling its accounting, reporting and auditing systems, and a modern payments system was established. Steps are also being taken to restructure state-owned banks and to bring the banking supervisory system in line with international best practice. In the oil sector, legislation was enacted to liberalize imports of fuel products and progress is being made in establishing a modern and transparent legal and regulatory framework. In that context, Iraq has indicated that it intends to participate in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.

The sharp deterioration in the security situation during the past year was not foreseen at the outset of the program. As the daily news brings home to all of us, this has precipitated a dramatic increase in human suffering, directly as a result of the violence, as well as through the worsening of living conditions and the displacement of large numbers of people.

The unstable security situation has also exacted a heavy toll on the economy by disrupting its normal functioning and increasing the emigration of skilled labor. It has also hampered the execution of reconstruction and investment projects, and worsened shortages of key commodities, especially fuel products. The shortfall of investments in the oil sector together with the interruptions caused by the insurgency prevented the expected expansion of oil production, keeping economic growth low at 3 percent in 2006. Fuel shortages were a major factor behind the jump in inflation from 32 percent at end-2005 to a dangerously high rate of 65 percent at end-2006.

In response to these developments, and against the background of efforts to improve the security situation, the immediate challenges that Iraq faces in establishing a stable macroeconomic framework are lowering inflation and expanding oil-related investments. To combat inflation, action has been initiated on three fronts. First, the Central Bank of Iraq raised its policy interest rates sharply and allowed a gradual appreciation of the dinar. These measures aimed to de-dollarize the economy in order to enhance the central bank’s control over monetary conditions, and also to reduce imported inflation. Second, the government budget for 2007 aims to contain current spending so as to limit inflationary pressures on the small non-oil economy. And third, the government is in the process of facilitating private fuel imports to ease shortages and help reduce black market prices. The first signs of the effects of these policies are encouraging: the annual inflation rate in February and March 2007 has fallen to about 37 percent. Of course, it is yet too soon to know whether this recent outcome represents the beginning of a sustained downward trend, and the authorities remain committed to continued action to reduce inflation further. The 2007 budget envisages a high level of oil-related investments and practical steps are being taken to improve project implementation.

In view of the encouraging progress made by the Iraqi authorities in strengthening economic policies and undertaking structural reforms, the IMF Executive Board completed the third and fourth reviews under the Stand-By Arrangement in early March 2007. At that meeting, the period covered by the arrangement was also extended by six months through September 2007, in order to provide more time for the program to achieve its growth and inflation objectives.

Looking ahead, the discussions on the fifth and final review under the current Stand-By Arrangement and on the 2007 Article IV consultation are scheduled to begin this summer. The Iraqi authorities have also indicated that they intend to request a successor arrangement to cover the period needed to reach the last stage of the Paris Club debt reduction agreement by December 2008. In the meantime, it will also be important to make further progress in reaching debt reduction agreements with non-Paris Club creditors.

I would like to emphasize that with the launching today of the International Compact with Iraq, the country is entering a crucial period in its political and economic recovery. Much remains to be done. It is our hope that this new partnership with the international community will help to improve the political and security situation, which is an indispensable condition for future economic development. The Fund is ready to contribute to the success of the International Compact with Iraq through the medium-term macroeconomic policy framework supported under the Stand-By Arrangement and its possible successor arrangement, as well as by providing policy advice and technical assistance in the areas of our expertise. The medium-term framework and the reviews of the Stand-By Arrangement can provide valuable information on economic developments in Iraq for donor countries subscribing to the International Compact with Iraq.

In conclusion, we wish the Iraqi authorities much success in the implementation of the measures envisaged under the Compact.

BAGHDAD, May 12 (KUNA) — The Iraqi Accord Front is posed to make “significant” decisions on several choices in few days’ time, Iraqi Vice-President Tariq al-Hashemi said on Saturday, expressing optimism on “the new political scene in the country.” During an extraordinary meeting for the Front held today, Al-Hashemi reviewed the results of his meetings with the Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki and other officials over the past few days.

“The Iraqi Accord Front has few days to make important decision over many choices tabled before it. Priority will be given to dialogue” Al-Hashemi told the meeting “These decisions will be significant and will hit the deep roots of the political process, but not at all to rise to the level of a coup as the rumor goes.” Al-Hashemi, however, did not reveal the nature of such decisions, nor the tendencies of the Front, one of the biggest in Iraqi parliament.

He noted that during the meeting with the Premier, he found fresh atmosphere that aroused his optimism, adding “there are many steps, requiring government decisions, that will, undoubtedly, contribute to secure success for these meetings and will have their positive impact on the political process and stability of Iraq.” The Iraqi Vice-President had last week ended a weeks long boycott with Al-Maliki when he visited the Premier in his office in Baghdad coinciding with a phone call from US president George Bush and Al-Maliki. This was a day before the visit by the US Vice President d$#@ Cheney to Baghdad.

Meanwhile, a source at the Iraqi parliament, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that Al-Hashemi’s son had escaped an assassination attempt in Al-Ameriya, west of the Iraqi capital. It said that the son was seriously injured and carried to a nearby hospital.

Sources at the Iraqi police would not confirm the news “just now.” Terrorists assassinated two Al-Hashemi’s brothers in separate attacks in Baghdad last year.

By Staff Sgt. W. Wayne Marlow, 2nd IBCT, 2nd Inf. Div. Public Affairs
May 10, 2007 - 1:53:24 PM

Children at a Baghdad preschool take turns being given a medical check-up May 2. Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment and Iraqi police medics conducted a medical needs analysis to learn if any of the children had health issues. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. W. Wayne Marlow, 2nd IBCT, 2nd Inf. Div. Public Affairs)

Blackanthem Military News:

FORWARD OPERATING BASE RUSTAMIYAH, Iraq — Soldiers with the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, enter a Baghdad preschool May 2, and at first glance, they frighten the youngsters.

The helmets and full gear give the Soldiers an otherworldly look, an appearance multiplied by the dark eye protection.

But then the glasses come off, followed by the helmets. They are replaced by coloring books and stuffed animals. Slowly, the frowns are replaced with smiles. When candy is passed around, the transformation is complete.

Convinced the Soldiers are the good guys, the children cheerfully line up for the man with a thermometer and stethoscope.

“We’re doing a medical needs analysis,” explained 2nd Lt. Ryan Wood of Salt Lake City, a medical services officer for 2-16th. “When we did a walk through Baghdad, we identified certain schools and clinics where we could come back and do a needs analysis.”

One of the reasons this preschool was chosen was the presence of special-needs children. Although U.S. personnel will do the analysis, any follow-ups will be done by Iraqis.

“We’re bringing IPs (Iraqi police) with us, and their medics,” Wood said. “They are going to be taking the lead. We will help with the diagnosis, but our main role is to help them figure out what they can do to help their own people. Right now, they’re pretty limited in their medical assets. We want to offer them a venue to use their skills while under supervision.”

Getting out in the community can pay big dividends, according to Wood.

“There are two things we hope to transmit to the people,” he said. “Number one, IP medics are taking an interest in the well-being of everyday Iraqis. Number two, Americans are here to make their lives better and to get them the supplies and skills to do their jobs.”

Wood said the Iraqis have limited resources when it comes to dealing with special-needs children, so part of the U.S. assistance will be to better acquaint them with tools to do the job. For instance, they will seek out Arabic language pamphlets or make sure they know what assets are available at Medical City.

“We want to be able to streamline the process…and get information in their hands,” Wood said.

First, though, it must be determined what the children’s medical needs are.

“They do a really basic look at the kids to identify trends or problems so the administrators can let the parents know if anything is wrong,” Wood said.

Maj. Albert delaGarza, the 2-16 battalion surgeon from Los Angeles, oversaw the analysis.

“There had been concerns expressed about a couple of kids,” he said. “We came to see if coalition forces could offer assistance.”

He said one of the children was likely autistic, while another probably suffered some malnutrition. So, delaGarza advised the preschool directors about what course to follow, and he will try to get more information to them on how to deal with the issues.

While the day will help make a difference in the children’s lives, they weren’t the only ones impacted.

“For two hours, we can sit down with some kids and figure out what their needs are,” Wood said. “These are the missions that everyone loves to go on.”

ADDITIONAL PHOTO:

Chaplain (Capt.) John Hall of the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment meets with Iraqi children at a Baghdad preschool as Iraqi and U.S. medical professionals conducted a medical needs analysis at the school May 2. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. W. Wayne Marlow, 2nd IBCT, 2nd Inf. Div. Public Affairs)

By Pfc. Nathaniel Smith, 4th IBCT, 1st Inf. Div. Public Affairs
May 10, 2007 - 1:56:01 PM

Spc. Jessica Bailey, a unit supply specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division from Dayton, Ohio, looks at a picture of her son, Caleb, at Forward Operating Base Falcon May 2. Bailey said she sleeps with Caleb%u2019s hoodie every night to keep a part of him close by. (U.S. Army Photo by Pfc. Nathaniel Smith, 4th IBCT, 1st Inf. Div. Public Affairs)

Blackanthem Military News:

BAGHDAD, Iraq – “I’m going to explain to him that I was out defending our country, and taking care of my family and doing what’s right,” Spc. Jessica Bailey said.

To hear the young mother of one talk about her son, 2-year-old Caleb, her love for him is obvious. The unit supply specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, is currently serving at Forward Operating Base Falcon in southern Baghdad and will miss spending her second Mother’s Day with Caleb.

While it is tough being away, the Dayton, Ohio, native said she finds ways to keep in touch.

“I call him almost every day,” she said. “I talk to him so he can at least hear my voice,” she said.  “He looks around and looks for me when he’s on the phone with me.”

Even for those mothers who have been away from their children for long periods of time, it doesn’t get any easier. Capt. Trisha Meyer, the personnel officer for the Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th IBCT, 1st Inf. Div., answered her nation’s call to serve in Korea for six months when her son, Crispin, was three months old.

Now, she is serving at FOB Falcon while Crispin, who is two now, waits with his sister, Savanna, who recently turned one, on Mom to come home.

“He kind of gets the whole ‘Momma’s across the ocean, saving other little boys and girls,’” Meyer said. “He thinks it’s cool.”

As cool as it may seem, Meyer said she’s looking forward to having time to bond with her son once she’s done with her current tour in Iraq. Until then, video, e-mails and photos help her keep in touch with her children.

Bailey said she has her own ways to deal with being away from her son.

“On my off time, I think about him,” she said. “I try to stay busy and keep my head up.  I’ve found that the busier I stay, the easier it is.”

Bailey said she recently purchased an Iraqi cell phone to better stay in touch with Caleb. At night, she sleeps with her son’s hoodie that she bought for him to keep a little piece of him close by.

“It means a lot to me because it’s his,” she said. “It’s the only thing of his I have out here.”

While Bailey and Meyer agree that it is tough being away from their children, both are optimistic about the future.

“Hopefully, by next year I’ll be home.  We’ll have a bigger Mother’s Day,” Meyer said. “There’ll be other Mother’s Days.”

“You can always make up for the time that you missed,” Bailey said. “I love my son dearly, and I can’t wait to go home and see him.”

By Staff Sgt. W. Wayne Marlow, 2nd IBCT, 2nd Inf. Div. Public Affairs
May 10, 2007 - 2:10:48 PM

Spc. Latoya Roberts watches her son via webcam during one of her weekly %u201Cvisits%u201D with her 1-year-old son, X’Zavier. She keeps her son’s picture near her desk in the personnel office at Forward Operating Base Loyalty as her motivation. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. W. Wayne Marlow, 2nd IBCT, 2nd Inf. Div. Public Affairs)

Blackanthem Military News,

FORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY, Iraq — Spc. Latoya Roberts will be spending this Mother’s Day away from her 1-year-old son, but she’s doing everything she can to shorten the distance.

“I have pictures of him everywhere and I talk to him on the webcam every weekend,” she said. “He gets so excited; he points at the camera and blows kisses.”

Roberts, a human resources specialist from Anniston, Ala., who serves with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, had to leave 21-month-old  X’Zavier in October.

“It’s hard,” she concedes. “It’s terrible.”

But the weekly webcam contact keeps her fresh in X’Zavier’s mind and gives her the impetus to drive on.

Last Mother’s Day, she went out to dinner with her then 9-month-old son. This time, they will be brought together by the webcam. It’s certainly not the same, but just seeing and hearing him will help, she said.

Before deploying, she explained it as best she could to a 1-year-old.

“I said, ‘I’m going to be gone, but I love you, and I wouldn’t leave if I didn’t have to,’” Roberts recalled.

She had spent time with nieces and nephews before becoming a mother, so she had some idea what parenthood would bring.

“Every child is different,” Roberts said. “To have your own is just trial and error, especially with the first one.”

While she waits to be reunited with X’Zavier, Roberts is content with photos and memories.

“I would pick him up from daycare and he would smile and run toward me,” she said. “It’s quite a feeling just knowing you have that person’s life in your hands and you’re responsible for them.”

The hardest part of being away from her son is “just his smile and his laughing, and being able to see him grow up.”

He seems to coping relatively well with his mother gone. “He’s still a happy-go-lucky kid,” Roberts said.

X’Zavier is staying with his father in Georgia during the deployment, and Roberts said he has developed some hobbies.

“He watches lots of cartoons or anything with real vivid colors,” she said. “And he likes to dance.”

Like Roberts, Staff Sgt. Constance Woods clearly remembers her last Mother’s Day. She received handmade cards from her children and also enjoyed breakfast in bed.     This year, she will have to settle for a telephone chat with Phillip Jr., 8, and Brianna, 5. But both Woods and her children are making the best of it.

“It’ll be hard to be away from them and not be there,” said Woods, an automations noncommissioned officer for HHC, 2nd IBCT. “But they seem OK when I talk with them on the phone. They’re happy to hear from me and are always in a rush to tell me exactly what they’ve done since the last time I talked to them. And they tell me to buy them something to bring home to them.”

As she prepared to deploy, Woods tried making it easier for her children by breaking the deployment in half.

“I just told them I had to go on a deployment for six or seven months because I knew I was coming back on leave at the end of March,” she said.

Her son, Woods added, “kind of understands” that the unit has been extended, although “my daughter doesn’t really get the idea yet.”

But however long they’re apart, they will be staying in touch.

“I call at least once a week,” Wood said. Also, when she shoots her daily Instant Message to her husband, “I tell him to tell them I love them and miss them.”

Brianna will start school in the fall and missing this, as well as not being able to help Phillip with his homework, is the toughest part of being away.

“And both have grown about four inches since I’ve been gone,” Wood said.

With Woods away, her children stay busy riding bicycles, watching movies, and playing sports.

“They’re as happy as two young kids can be (under the circumstances),” she said. “They get quiet sometimes, which is not normal for them.”

Woods said motherhood is “everything I thought it would be and more.” While she’s sad to be away from her children on Mother’s Day, she’s keeping a positive attitude.

“I’ll make it through it,” she said. “I’ll live to see next Mother’s Day.”

ADDITIONAL PHOTO:

Staff Sgt. Constance Woods takes time to look at photos of her son, Phillip Jr., and her daughter, Brianna, on her calendar in the communications office on Forward Operating Base Loyalty. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. W. Wayne Marlow, 2nd IBCT, 2nd Inf. Div. Public Affairs)

10 May 2007 (Jordan News Agency)

Minister of Industry and Trade Salem Khazaleh on Monday opened the Fourth International Exhibition for Iraq Reconstruction with the participation of about 1000 exhibitors from 40 countries.

Khazaleh said that Jordan is an important gate for Iraq reconstruction, adding that such exhibitions are important for promoting investment, finding partnerships and building regional centers for international companies. IraqUpdates

 Mosul, 10 May 2007 (Voices of Iraq)

The Iraqi army units on Wednesday arrested 11 persons suspected of having links to al-Qaeda in Iraq Organization in Ninewa’s northwestern area of al-Kasak, an Iraqi army source said.

“The arrested suspects included three senior figures: Muhammad Saleh, Abdul Muhsin, Khalil Sultan and Ghanim Diyaa Bik,” the media spokesman for the Iraqi Army 3rd Division, Capt. Muhammad al-Zibari told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).

“The arrested are believed to have been behind bombings of Iraqi export oil pipelines to Turkey and armed attacks against the Iraqi security forces,” Capt. Al-Zibari added.

Two days ago, the Iraqi army troops foiled an attempt to blow up the Western Mosul pipeline that carries oil to Turkey. Four saboteurs were arrested and 350 kg of TNT were found laid under the pipeline.

Ninewa is a province in northern Iraq. Its capital city is Mosul, 402 km north of Baghdad.

 WASHINGTON, 10 May 2007 (UPI)

Iraqi national security advisor Mowaffak Al Rubaie is lobbying US politicians in Washington to keep US troops in Iraq to avoid anarchy.

Monday and Tuesday, Rubaie visited two Democrats leading the Congressional charge to reduce troop numbers by fixed dates - Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan and Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, The New York Times reported.

“I know that they are running out of patience, and I understand this very well,” Rubaie told The Times in an interview. “And we have to play the political game. But I feel we are on the last mile of a walk toward success, and if they let go and don’t take our hand, I feel that we are going to lose everything.”

President Bush has promised to veto any bill that includes withdrawal dates, and his administration said that it would review troop numbers and tour lengths in September.

Meanwhile, Rubaie said that opponents to the war needed to be more aware of consequences of a sudden-pullout.

“If you ram it down our throats and sync it to Washington because of the election cycle, things will crumble” he said.

 Baghdad, 10 May 2007 (Voices of Iraq)

The Iraqi parliament unanimously agreed on Wednesday to file a lawsuit against al-Jazeera television for allegedly giving offence to Iraqi religious leaders.

At the beginning of the parliamentary session held on Wednesday, presided over by House Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, Iraqi parliamentarians condemned the attack that they said the Qatari al-Jazeera satellite channel launched on top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani when it said “he was appointed by Paul Bremer, the chief U.S. administrator in Iraq.”

“Al-Sistani is fruitful tree. He has a long and well-known history,” al-Mashhadani said in the session attended by a correspondent for the independent news agency Voice of Iraq (VOI).

MP Khalaf al-Alyan from the Sunni Iraqi Accordance Front (IAF) called for taking “strict” measures against the channel, noting, “All religious clerics in Iraq are sacred and their sanctity should not be violated.”

Meanwhile, MP Mahdi al-Hafiz from the secular Iraqi National Slate accused the channel of igniting sectarian sedition. “The falsehoods we heard are unacceptable and we must put an end to them,” al-Hafiz added.

The IAF, led by Adnan al-Dulaimi, is the third largest bloc in the Iraqi parliament, with 44 seats out of 275, whereas the Iraqi National Slate, led by former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, has 25 seats.

On Friday, dozens of Najaf local residents staged a demonstration protesting a program aired by al-Jazeera satellite television last Wednesday, considered as an offense against top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

On Sunday, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zibari urged in a message the Qatari government to intervene to stop what he called “al-Jazeera news channel’s campaign against the government and people of Iraq.

USS NIMITZ STRIKE GROUP ARRIVES IN 5TH FLEET

Posted: 08 May 2007 02:17 PM CDT

USS NIMITZ STRIKE GROUP ARRIVES IN 5TH FLEET

AIRPOWER SUMMARY FOR MAY 7

Posted: 08 May 2007 11:42 AM CDT

AIRPOWER SUMMARY FOR MAY 7

Baghdad, 08 May 2007 (Voices of Iraq)

Iraqi security forces killed one gunman and arrested 86 suspected militants in several areas in Baghdad, during the past 24 hours, under the Baghdad law-imposing plan, the Baghdad operations command said on Monday.

“Security forces have killed one gunman and arrested 86 suspected militants in various parts of the capital over the past 24 hours,” the Baghdad operations command said in a statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).

The statement added further, “two car bombs and 17 explosive devices were defused in different parts of Baghdad.”

“Two captives were also freed in Baghdad,” it added.

Seven Iraqi soldiers were killed and nine security personnel were wounded in a combat mission, the statement also noted.

Iraqi and U.S. troops have been involved in a large-scale operation, since mid-February, in a bid to quell bombings and sectarian violence in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

By Multi-National Force - West PAO

Blackanthem Military News:

CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, AR RAMADI, Iraq – The Al Anbar Provincial Council convened here today after nearly a year of meeting in Baghdad due to the security situation in Ramadi.

Provincial Gov. Mamoun Sami Rashid Al Awani met with representatives from across Al Anbar to discuss the resolution of major issues in the province, including economic development, improved infrastructure and continued improvements in security.   Significant among the issues discussed was the creation of a committee to work with the Ministry of Interior and the Government of Iraq on security enforcement along the Syrian and Jordanian borders.

The council is composed of sheikhs and civic leaders representing Al Anbar, including members of Sahawa Al Anbar (Al Anbar Awakening).  This is the second meeting of the council in the provincial capital this year, a city of about 400,000 roughly 70 miles west of Baghdad.  The last time the council met in the Ramadi area was March of this year, when Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki made a historic visit to Al Anbar to meet with regional leaders.

A site of regular attacks since American forces occupied Al Anbar in 2003, the government center in Ramadi is now being renovated.  The decision to move ahead with the renovation is largely due to an increased level of security in the city, fueled by increased Iraqi police presence and local cooperation with Coalition Forces.  Office spaces and a hotel are also slated for construction to support the provincial government and its guests.

The council will continue meeting monthly at Camp Blue Diamond until renovations on the government center in Ramadi are complete.

ADDITIONAL PHOTO:

CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, AR RAMADI, Iraq - (From left) Sheikh Moyad Al Mumashi, Provincial Gov. Mamoun Sami Rashid Al Awani, and Provincial Council Chair Dr. Abdulsalam meet with the rest of the Al Anbar Provincial Council. The council discussed economic development, improved infrastructure and continued improvements in security in Al Anbar.

By Multi-National Division - North PAO

Sheik Ahmad Abdulla Hassooni, paramount sheik for the Shimouri tribe, signs a peace agreement to stop tribal conflicts with the Karki tribe in Diyala province, April 30. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Serena Hayden, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)

Blackanthem Military News:

TIKRIT, Iraq - In an effort to end tribal conflicts that have been occurring for decades, the paramount sheiks from the Karki and Shimouri tribes signed a peace agreement at the home of the Mujema tribal leader in Diyala province, Monday.

Sheik Thaer Ghadban Ibrahim, Karki paramount sheik, and Sheik Ahmad Abdullah Hassooni, Shimouri paramount sheik, have been meeting for the past three months to work out grievances between tribes.

By signing the agreement, the tribes promised to “consolidate and unify to battle all insurgents that penetrate among [their] tribes.”

“The people have no confidence in the terrorists’ ways and ultimate goals for death and destruction,” said Col. David W. Sutherland, 3rd Brigade Combat Team commander and senior U.S. Army officer in Diyala. “This initiative and agreement by the tribes shows their commitment to their people, this country’s stability, and a positive vision for the future.”

Specifics of the agreement include freeing previous kidnapped victims and stopping all kidnapping and killing operations; stopping indirect-fire attacks; providing the Iraqi police any members of their tribes which may be linked to insurgent groups; supporting the Iraqi army and police against terrorists; and resolving farming issues among the tribes.

“We are all with you against the terrorists,” Ahmed said.

After signing the agreement, Thaer and Ahmad placed their hand on the Koran to signify their commitment to the peace agreement.

Within the upcoming months, more paramount sheiks are expected to meet to come to similar agreements toward peace.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:

After signing a peace agreement with the Shimouri tribe in Diyala province, Iraq, April 30, Sheik Thaer Ghadban Ibrahim, paramount sheik for the Karki tribe, places his hand on the Koran to signify his commitment to the agreement. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Serena Hayden, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)

Sheik Ahmad Abdullah Hassooni (far left), Shimouri paramount sheik, and Sheik Thaer Ghadban Ibrahim (far right), Karki paramount sheik, discuss a peace agreement during a meeting in Diyala province, Iraq, April 30. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Serena Hayden, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)

05 May 2007 (Aljazeera)

US forces have detained 16 men it says have links to Iran during a raid in Baghdad’s Sadr City, the US military has said.

The arrests were made in a raid against suspected members of a cell known for facilitating the transport of sophisticated bombs - explosively formed penetrators (EFPs) - from Iran, military sources said on Friday.

“Intelligence reports also indicate the secret cell has ties to a kidnapping network that conducts attacks within Iraq as well as interactions with rogue elements throughout Iraq and into Iran,” a US military statement said.

They were also suspected of moving fighters from Iraq to Iran for training, it said.

Weapons cache

US soldiers also found a weapons cache which they said included seven Iranian rockets and an Iranian mortar near Mahmudiya, 30km south of Baghdad.

US forces in Iraq detained five Iranians in a raid in January and said they were linked to Iranian Revolutionary Guard networks that provided weapons to fighters. Iran said the five were diplomats and has demanded their release.

Iraq has received promises of co-operation on border sec