U.S Troops Recognized for, and Die in, Combat Action

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2005 - U.S. troops in Iraq continue to perform heroically in combat against terrorist insurgents; and some are making the ultimate sacrifice in the country that President Bush has called "the central front in the war on terror."

Indeed, soldiers assigned to 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team received combat decorations during a ceremony at Forward Operating Base Honor on Nov. 6.

The soldiers were awarded 54 Combat Action Badges, three Combat Infantry Badges and three Combat Medical Badges.

"My Grandfather won (a Combat Infantry Badge) in World War II; and my uncle won his during Operation Desert Storm," said 1st Lt. Eric Woolf, a platoon leader with the 6/8 Cav. "Ever since I joined the infantry, I wanted to get this award - so it means a lot."

Spc. Daniel Meservey, B Troop, 6/8 Cav. also earned the Combat Action Badge; however, his situation is different from Lt. Woolf's.

"I am proud to be the first soldier in my family to earn the Combat Action Badge," Meservey said. "It is an honor and a privilege."

Elsewhere in Iraq, five soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, were killed in action, and five were wounded, on Nov. 19 in two separate improvised explosive device attacks on U.S. patrols in the vicinity of Bayji.

Three of the injured were transported to nearby military medical facilities, and two were treated and returned to duty.

A Task Force Baghdad soldier was killed by small-arms fire while on patrol north of Baghdad on Nov. 20. Officials say the incident is under investigation.

A Marine assigned to Regimental Combat Team 2, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, was killed in action when his vehicle was attacked with an IED during combat operations in the vicinity of Hadithah on Nov. 19.

Another Marine assigned to Regimental Combat Team 8, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, died of wounds received from small arms fire during combat operations against in al Karmah on Nov. 19.

The names of all of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of next of kin and release by the Department of Defense.

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Iraqi Police Class Graduates to Join Officers on Patrol

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2005 - As part of the Iraqi government's ongoing effort to train its security forces, officials announced today that the Iraqi Police Service graduated 217 police officers from advanced and specialty courses at the Baghdad Police College on Nov.17.

Sixty officers graduated from the Basic Criminal Investigations course, 25 graduated from the Advanced Criminal Investigations course, 24 officers graduated from an Interview and Interrogations course and 25 graduated from a Violent Crime Investigation course. Also, 21 officers graduated from the Critical Incident Management course, 19 from the Criminal Intelligence course, 14 senior officers graduated from the First Line Supervision course, 10 from the Executive Leadership course and 19 from the Counter Terrorism Investigations course.

The Basic Criminal Investigation course covers topics such as theft, burglary, arson, robbery, sexual offenses, and homicide investigation. Participants also receive instruction and hands-on training in fingerprinting, photography, tool marks, and plaster casting techniques. Officials say that, to date, some 2,738 Iraqi police officers have completed the Basic Criminal Investigation course

The Advanced Criminal Investigation course provides participants with advanced investigative techniques for a variety of situations, particularly homicide investigations, kidnapping, terrorism, and bombings. This course has graduated 141 students to date, officials say.

The Interview and Interrogations course covers advanced interviewing and interrogation techniques - including instruction on the preservation and protection of human rights and the importance of ethical behavior during interviews and interrogations. To date, 804 students have completed this course, officials say.

The Violent Crime Investigation course introduces participants to investigative techniques for a variety of situations, particularly violent crimes involving armed robbery, rape and murder. Thus far, some 806 students have graduated from the course, officials say.

Critical Incident Management is designed to provide participants with the ability to manage critical incidents. Some 653 students have graduated from this course, officials say.

The Criminal Intelligence course provides training in the planning, collection, analysis and distribution of intelligence information. This course also teaches participants to recognize trends that may have an impact on public safety and security. To date, there are some 561 graduates of this course, officials say.

First-Line Supervision focuses on major leadership areas for front-line supervisors, including human rights training, ethics and corruption, policing in a democracy, and interpersonal skills that are critical to effective leadership. To date, 521 students have graduated from this course, officials say.

Executive Leadership covers executive-level concepts of planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting and budgeting. Other topics include visionary leadership, organizational values, interpersonal communication skills, motivational techniques and strategies, and strategic planning. Some 421 officers have graduated from this course, officials say.

Counter Terrorism Investigations is designed for senior police officials who will be assigned to counter terrorist activity investigation. The course explains the counter-terrorism role played by the FBI and various divisions within the U.S. Justice Department. To date, 239 officers have graduated from this course, officials say.

Officers who participated in these courses previously completed either an eight-week basic training course for new recruits or a three-week 'transitional integration program' designed for prior service officers. Officials say the new Iraqi police officers will immediately report back to their respective stations for continued duty.

Iraqi police officers are playing an important role in securing Iraq from terrorists and criminals. For example, they responded to a Nov. 18 detonation of an improvised explosive device in Kirkuk. The Iraqi police detained four suspects at the scene. Officials say these suspects subsequently tested positive for explosive residue on their body.

A joint Iraqi-American coalition patrol discovered the IED; however, it detonated before an explosive ordnance disposal team could arrive on the scene. The blast did not cause any injuries or damage.

Officials say a suspicious vehicle left the scene with the Iraqi patrol in pursuit. The vehicle eventually stopped and the driver tried to flee, but patrol members caught him. He is being detained for further questioning.

_______________________________________________________
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Rumsfeld Calls for Substantive, Mindful Iraq Debate

By Petty Officer 3rd Class John R. Guardiano, USN
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2005 - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld acknowledged that a spirited debate about the Iraq War is justified; however, he urged that this debate be substantive, factually based and mindful of its real-world consequences.

Rumsfeld spoke on the Sunday morning shows.

"There have always been debates over wars; it's understandable," Rumsfeld told Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday. "We live in a free country and it's proper for people to raise questions and to have views ... that's fair enough."

"We had similar debates during World War II, during Korea, during Vietnam; it's always been so," he said on ABC News' This Week. But "we also have to understand that our words have effects."

These effects, he noted, could well mean demoralizing U.S. troops, discouraging the Iraqi people and emboldening the terrorists. "Put yourself in the shoes of a soldier ... . Put yourself in the shoes of the Iraqi people ... . Put yourself in the shoes of the enemy," Rumsfeld said.

The secretary spoke in response to widespread political and media speculation about a sudden or precipitous withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Discussion of such a withdrawal, Rumsfeld said, surely gives our servicemembers and the Iraqi people cause to doubt the wisdom of their sacrifice. It also gives the terrorists reason to believe that they can simply wait out the United States.

The House of Representatives last week defeated, by a vote of 403-3, a resolution calling on the United States to immediately withdraw its troops from Iraq. Moreover, President Bush has repeatedly declared that America will continue fighting in Iraq "until we have achieved the victory that our brave troops have fought for."

Nonetheless, political and media speculation to the contrary has continued unabated.

Rumsfeld said that debate about war is not new. He referenced a book by Winston Churchill in which Churchill said, in effect, "The problem is not winning the war, but persuading people to let you win it."

Toward that end, he detailed the steady progress that the U.S. military and Iraqi security forces are making every day in Iraq, even as the media and the politicians focus relentlessly - and negatively - on the problems and challenges that still lie ahead.

Rumsfeld said that Iraq now has 212,000 trained security forces and more than 100 engaged military and police battalions. These security forces are "well respected by the Iraqi people. They're doing a very good job; they're growing in numbers; and they're growing in competence," he said.

Consequently, he added, the number of tips from informants on terrorist activity and terrorists' whereabouts in Iraq has increased.

Some critics have suggested that because many Iraqi security forces require assistance and support, they are somehow illegitimate and sub-par. Rumsfeld said this is untrue and unfair.

The U.S. Army "provides support for our Marines," he noted. "We provide it [support] for our NATO allies in Afghanistan ... . Iraqi security forces are out [and] engaged in the fight. Some are in the lead; some are working with us in tandem; [and] others are working with us where we have the lead - and that is perfectly understandable ... . The idea that each unit can't do everything is, I think, a misunderstanding and somewhat mischievous."

In fact, Rumsfeld said, Iraqis are assuming increasing responsibility for their own security. For example, 17 bases recently have been turned over to the Iraqis; they also are in charge of one entire province and a large section of Baghdad. The secretary said that as Iraqis stand up, America will stand down.

There currently are 159,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. Rumsfeld said the United States plans to reduce that number to 138,000 after the December 15 Iraqi elections. Additional U.S. troop reductions will depend on the situation in Iraq and the assessment of U.S. and Iraqi commanders on the ground.

U.S. military leaders have gotten every single troop they've requested, Rumsfeld said. The secretary also disputed widespread political and media assertions that the number of terrorist attacks in Iraq each week has increased.

In fact, "the number of attacks each week has not gone up," Rumsfeld said. "What we're seeing is increasing lethality in the attacks that have occurred ... the number of attacks, [meanwhile], has fluctuated." The secretary said that there actually were fewer terrorist incidents in Iraq during the run-up to the Oct. 15 Constitutional referendum than there were during last January's election.

Rumsfeld acknowledged that pre-war intelligence "clearly was wrong." But, he said that he still thinks the liberation of Iraq was justified.

"Our planes were being shot at everyday," he said. Saddam Hussein "was giving $25,000 to the families of suicide killers - murders... [Terrorist leader Abu Musab al-]Zarqawi was in that country during this period."

Moreover, Rumsfeld said, Hussein "used chemical weapons against his own people and against his neighbors; and [he] invaded Kuwait. The world is vastly better off with Saddam Hussein gone," he said.

_______________________________________________________
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Joint Iraqi-American Operations Keep Terrorists on the Defensive

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2005 - Iraqi and American forces in Baghdad and Tikrit have launched a series of operations this past week that have thwarted terrorist activities and disrupted terrorist cells in these two key cities, officials say.

In a Nov. 15 cordon-and-search operation, a platoon from the 1st Battalion, 2nd Iraqi Army Brigade nabbed five members of a terrorist who had been planning an attack on the Italian Embassy in Baghdad. The Iraqi soldiers also seized two vehicles, which the terrorists had planned to use in the attack.

Also on Nov. 15, U.S. soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, discovered wires, computer parts, timers and 14 AK-47 assault rifle magazines. The soldiers made this discovery in a home that they searched while conducting operations in southwest Baghdad. The home owner was detained for further questioning.

Other soldiers from the 2nd BCT, 101st Airborne Division discovered a weapons cache of 22 60-millimeter mortar rounds and 18 fuses on Nov. 15 while searching a farm in south Baghdad. An EOD team later destroyed the munitions.

An alert Iraqi Police officer discovered an improvised explosive device in a black bag near a bus stop in west Baghdad on Nov. 16. An explosives ordnance disposal team confirmed that the bag contained an anti-tank mine wired to a detonation device. Officials say the EOD team recovered the explosives and rendered the area safe.

In a three-day cordon-and-search operation that ended Nov. 16, the Iraqi Army led the way as coalition forces rooted out terrorist cell leaders who have developed, distributed and emplaced IEDs.

The operation took place in Sadr City and involved soldiers from 2nd and 3rd battalions of the 2nd Iraqi Army Brigade, along with U.S. soldiers. This joint force detained 23 terrorist suspects, while seizing weapons, ammunition and anti-Iraq propaganda materials, officials say.

In all, they note, Iraqi Army units conducted more than 1,250 patrols during the three-day period that ended Nov. 16.

U.S. soldiers, meanwhile, continue to capture likely terrorists who are seen loitering around attack sites.

Two Task Force Baghdad units searched and caught a rooftop lurker who was watching an IED attack while talking on his cell phone. This followed an IED attack on a 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry convoy in west Baghdad on Nov. 15, officials say.

11th Cavalry Regiment soldiers detained two likely terrorists who were loitering around an IED site in Baghdad on Nov. 15. The soldiers were standing guard as an EOD team dismantled an IED. Military officials say the likely terrorists later were found to have handled explosives.

Also in Baghdad on Nov. 15, soldiers from the 2nd BCT, 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry, killed three terrorists while detaining eight terrorist suspects after being attacked with small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades. Officials said the soldiers pursued the attackers and returned fire, but suffered no casualties or equipment damage.

In north-central Iraq, two joint missions between Iraqi and U.S. forces resulted in the detention of nine terrorist suspects last week, officials say.

The first mission involved a joint patrol in Kirkuk with Iraqi police officers and soldiers from the 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division; the second a raid near Baqubah with the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division and soldiers from the 3rd BCT, 3rd Infantry Division.

In Kirkuk, Iraqi police and U.S. soldiers reportedly discovered small cache of weapons while detaining two terrorist suspects. Officials say the Iraqi police noticed that one of the men was acting suspiciously, so they questioned him.

The patrol escorted the man to his home where they discovered and confiscated a cache of two AK-47 assault rifles, two bolt-action rifles and hundreds of rounds of sniper-rifle ammunition. The police and soldiers also discovered a supply of batteries that are often used to detonate IEDs.

The raid near Baqubah resulted in the capture of seven suspects, five of whom had been targeted because they were known terrorists, officials say. The other two suspects tested positive for explosives residue and were detained for further questioning.

A Nov. 17 raid near Ad Dawr by the 1st BCT, 3rd Infantry Division, resulted in the capture of one terrorist, the death of another and the confiscation of IED materials. The soldiers reportedly worked off tips provided by previously captured detainees to conduct the raid.

When cornered, one suspect surrendered and the other attempted to flee by driving out of the cordoned area, officials say. The soldiers fired warning shots to deter the suspect; however, when that failed, hey fired into the passenger compartment, wounding the driver and stopping the vehicle.

The driver later died from his wounds while being evacuated to a nearby medical facility. His remains were turned over to the local Iraqi police. A search of the area turned up several devices used to manufacture IEDs and also terrorist videos and compact disks, officials say.

Soldiers from the 2nd BCT, 101st Airborne Division, discovered three 120-millimeter mortar rounds, 1,000 rounds of 7.62-millimeter ammunition, 60-millimeter mortar system, one 60-millimeter mortar and various homemade explosives during a Nov. 18 cordon-and-search operation in Baghdad. An Iraqi citizen then informed them that terrorist forces planned to attack them at that site.

The soldiers responded by conducting a cordon-and search of a house identified by the informant. This resulted in the capture of five suspected terrorists, who are believed to have planned an attack on the cache site, officials say.

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