Iraqi Soldiers Seize Weapons, Detain Three Suspects

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21, 2005 - Iraqi army soldiers confiscated a large number of terrorists' weapons and bomb-making materials and detained three suspects today during cordon-and-search operations in the Ghazaliyah area of western Baghdad, military officials reported.

Acting on information provided by Iraqi citizens, soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, discovered explosives, weapons, improvised explosive device components and numerous other devices used by terrorists to attack Iraqi civilians, Iraqi security forces and coalition forces, officials said.

A small group of U.S. soldiers from D Company, 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry, helped with the two-hour search, which started about 9 a.m. The cache was discovered in four different locations. Many items were found in buses parked in the area, while others were buried in burlap bags, officials said.

The find included 17 82 mm mortar rounds, an anti-tank mine, a 155 mm artillery round, 300 rounds of 9 mm ammunition, a sniper rifle, 750 rounds of sniper ammunition, four sets of civilian night-vision goggles, several Iraqi Republican Guard uniforms, two submachine-guns with silencers, five submachine-gun magazines, six various frequency radios, 29 61 mm mortar rounds, a 105 mm artillery round, a light anti-tank rocket, 24 blocks of C4 explosives, 200 machine-gun rounds, a video camera, 12 mortar fuses, 14 artillery fuses, 20 hand grenade fuses, 23 rocket-propelled grenades, a Russian RPK rifle, 80 two-way radios, a laser range finder, 425 feet of detonation chord, 200 feet of electrical cable, 208 blasting caps, 30 Chinese hand grenades and five gas masks.

In other news, 150 Iraqi soldiers and 300 Marines and soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team and 2nd Marine Division concluded Operation Bruins in northern Ramadi Nov. 20.

The two-day operation netted several weapons caches used by al Qaeda in Iraq to conduct direct attacks on Iraqi soldiers, U.S. forces and Ramadi citizens, and to build hundreds of roadside bombs, officials said.

The caches were found Nov. 20 in a sweep through northern Ramadi. Plastic explosives, artillery and mortar shells, fuses and remote and pressure sensitive detonators were among the items found.

Marines conducting a combat patrol in support of the operation were attacked by a roadside bomb. There were no casualties or damage from the bomb, which targeted the fourth armored Humvee in the column.

Marines also were attacked with a single rocket-propelled grenade while on patrol on the perimeter of the cordon area. The grenade hit near the Al Qudar Mosque, but caused no casualties and limited damage.

Twenty-one rocket launchers and 43 rounds of RPG ammunition were discovered, along with 23 medium machine guns, three sniper rifles and thousands of rounds of ammunition. Thirty-two black ski masks also were found in this cache, officials said.

Operation Bruins was part of a series of disruption operations in Ramadi designed to set the conditions for successful elections in December, military officials said, adding that attacks against Iraqi and U.S. forces in the Ramadi area have decreased 60 percent in the last few weeks, as a result of these ongoing operations.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Task Force Baghdad news releases.)

Related Site:

Multinational Force Iraq [http://www.mnf-iraq.com/]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Nov2005/20051121_3405.html.

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America Supports You: Business Goes to the Dogs

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

VIENNA, Va., Nov. 21, 2005 - Supporting the military canine corps serving in the global terror war is for the dogs as far as one Virginia business is concerned.

The furry patrons of Happy Tails Dog Spa in this Washington suburb and their owners have pitched in to help support America's military working dogs with needed items. The pooches worked up a good lather to raise funds during a dog wash last summer.

And their good efforts continue this holiday season with the spa's planned monetary donation to the U.S. War Dogs Association, which will send holiday gift baskets to both servicemembers and their best friends.

Happy Tails owner Amy Nichols starting thinking about ideas when she could find little American support for military pooches serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, Joye Novellino, the spa's general manager, said. That didn't seem fair, she said.

"The dogs are like soldiers. They're attached to the Marine units and the Army units," Novellino said. "They're over there sniffing out insurgents, fighting in the war, sniffing out bombs, and they're not always thought about.

Response to an in-store donation box -- hundreds of pounds of dog biscuits, 1,300 tubes of lip balm to keep the dogs' noses moist, toys and other items -- signaled a need to reach out to the local community, she said. That outreach came in the form of the summer dog wash, with a suggested donation of $10 a dog. About 155 dogs were washed in a five-hour period, Novellino said.

"We exceeded our goals tremendously," she noted. "We initially thought it would be nice to raise $2,000. By the end of the day it was $8,500. People were handing in $100s. We had a couple of people bring us $2,000 checks."

The money was used to purchase cooling mats to keep the working dogs comfortable during the hot summer months in Iraq and Afghanistan, Novellino said. They also supplied K-9 units with "Doggles" -- goggles with shatterproof, anti-fogging lenses and a wraparound design that block ultraviolet light, wind and debris.

Word spread after the first shipment was sent to Army Master Sgt. Chris Burgess, operations chief, 2nd Military Police Battalion, at Camp Fallujah, Iraq.

Then Army Maj. Jennifer Damco in Afghanistan saw a news release about that delivery and contacted the spa with a different request.

"She had seven dogs, and they were sharing one chew toy because they had gone through (the rest)," Novellino said. "We boxed her up something that day and sent it out to her immediately."

The support hasn't stopped either, she said, adding that the total donations to date are about $15,000. K-9 Support Inc., the charitable organization formed by Nichols under the spa's auspices shortly after the dog wash, just sent another 100 chill mats and 100 Doggles to the deployed dogs.

K-9 Support is in the process of obtaining nonprofit status. Meanwhile, the organization will regularly send requested items to military dogs in 12 K-9 units it has adopted in Iraq and Afghanistan, Novellino said.

Related Sites:

America Supports You [http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/]

U.S. War Dogs Association [http://www.uswardogs.org/]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Nov2005/20051121_3404.html.

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Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

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DoD Demonstrates Global Electronic Medical Records System

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

BETHESDA, Md., Nov. 21, 2005 - The U.S. military demonstrated its new Internet-based electronic medical records system to reporters at a rollout ceremony here today.

"This is not just an electronic health record that's built around one hospital, or even a local community of hospitals. It moves information globally," said Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr., assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, who attended the event held at the National Naval Medical Center here.

The system is called AHLTA, and it operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Winkenwerder said, noting all medical data is secured and accessed only by authorized personnel. AHLTA - not an acronym, he said - is the system's name.

The $1.2 billion system uses off-the-shelf technology and began phase-in across the force in January 2004, officials said. Today, it's been deployed to about 60 percent of the military; full fielding is estimated to occur around January 2007, officials said.

The system will potentially serve more than 9 million U.S. servicemembers, retirees and their families across the globe, Winkenwerder said. Future plans include sharing military medical information contained on AHLTA with the Veterans Affairs Department, Winkenwerder said.

AHLTA was tested and proven in wartime conditions, said Army Staff Sgt. Kevin M. Walker, a 32-year-old combat medic assigned to the 1st Stryker Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, at Fort Lewis, Wash. Walker used AHLTA's portable electronic medical-record-gathering device when he was in Iraq.

"I think it's a great system," said Walker, who was in Iraq from October 2004 to September 2005. "Anything that can expedite the process of giving (servicemembers) care and helping their care go on further without the paper trail is just a really exciting experience."

Walker demonstrated a field electronic medical data-collection device at the Bethesda ceremony. Servicemembers' medical data contained on a dog-tag-sized electronic information chip, Walker said, is inserted into the medic-carried, palm-sized device for processing, Walker said.

Walker said the device is user-friendly and makes it easy to update a servicemember's medical information, compared to using old-tech paper forms.

"He puts the dog tags back on, and off he goes," Walker said, noting the information is then forwarded to a main database for the doctor's review.

Widespread use of interactive electronic medical records systems like AHLTA will ultimately produce lower costs, fewer medical mistakes and better care, said U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O. Leavitt, who attended the event with Winkenwerder.

Medical researchers can use data gathered by AHLTA and similar systems to head off outbreaks of disease, said Navy Vice Adm. Donald C. Arthur, surgeon general of the Navy, also at the ceremony.

"We're talking about the ability to aggregate those records, to put them together so that we can locate disease patterns," Arthur said.

Biographies:

Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr. [http://www.defenselink.mil/bios/winkenwerder_bio.html]

Vice Adm. Donald C. Arthur, USN [http://www.navy.mil/navydata/bios/navybio.asp?bioID=20]

Related Sites:

National Naval Medical Center [http://www.bethesda.med.navy.mil/]

Department of Health and Human Services [http://www.os.dhhs.gov/]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Nov2005/20051121_3403.html.

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Cheney: U.S., Coalition Must Stay Course in Iraq

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21, 2005 - To those who advocate a speedy withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, Vice President Dick Cheney posed two questions today.

Would the United States and other free nations be better or worse off with terrorists like Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi running Iraq? And would the United States be more or less safe with Iraq ruled by extremists intent on its destruction?

Cheney, speaking at the American Enterprise Institute here, warned against what he called "self-defeating pessimism" that overlooks solid progress being made in Iraq while advocating a prompt withdrawal of U.S. troops there.

"Coalition forces are making decisive strikes against terrorist strongholds, and more and more they are doing so with Iraqi forces at their side," Cheney said. He noted that nine Iraqi army battalions are fighting alongside U.S. forces.

The vice president cited political progress, as well, with the upcoming election of a new Iraqi government under the new constitution. "Day after day, Iraqis are proving their determination to live in freedom, to chart their own destiny and to defend their own country," he said.

Now, when so much progress is being made, is no time to turn tail and leave Iraq, Cheney said.

"It is a dangerous illusion to suppose that another retreat by the civilized world would satisfy the appetite of the terrorists and get them to leave us alone," he said. In fact, such a move would only embolden the terrorists, he said.

"A precipitous withdrawal from Iraq would be a victory for the terrorists, an invitation to further the violence against free nations and a terrible blow to the future security of the United States of America," he said.

The vice president called debate over U.S. operations in Iraq a sign of a healthy democracy and acknowledged that questions of national security evoke strong opinions on both sides of the issue.

"Nobody is saying we should not be having this discussion or that you cannot re-examine a decision made by the president and the Congress some years ago," he said. "To the contrary, I believe it is critical that we continue to remind ourselves why this nation took action and why Iraq is the central front in the war on terror and why we have a duty to persevere."

Cheney said he disagrees with those who think it's in America's best interest to leave Iraq now. But he had harsher terms for those who charge that U.S. leaders intentionally misled the American people about prewar intelligence, calling them "revisionists of the most shameless and corrupt kind."

The United States entered the war in Iraq based on the best information known at the time and with broad-based bipartisan support, Cheney said. With the hindsight of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, waiting for enemies to attack yet again before going on the offensive would have been "suicide," he said.

Those who argue that the United States "stirred up a hornet's nest" by entering Iraq overlook the basic fact that the United States was not in Iraq on Sept. 11, 2001, Cheney said.

"And the terrorists hit us anyway," he said. "The reality is that terrorists were at war with our country long before the liberation of Iraq and long before the attacks of 9/11."

For too long, the U.S. failure to act gave terrorists the mistaken belief that they attack Americans and get away with it, Cheney said. So now, when the United States is striking back, terrorists are testing U.S. resolve, he said.

The vice president praised U.S. troops who he said overlook political squabbles at home as they fight in Iraq, Afghanistan and other fronts in the war on terror.

"They haven't wavered in the slightest, and their conduct should make all Americans proud," Cheney said of the troops. "They are absolutely relentless in their duties and they are carrying out their mission with all the skill and the honor we expect of them."

Cheney affirmed U.S. commitment to its troops and to winning the war on terror.

"The people who serve in uniform and their families can be certain that their cause is right and just and necessary," he said. "And we will stand behind them with pride and without wavering until the day of victory," he said.

Similarly, Cheney said the United States will keep its commitment to the Iraqis.

"Our forces will keep going after the terrorists and continue training the Iraqi military so that Iraqis can eventually take the lead in their country's security and our men and women can come home," he said.

"We will succeed in this mission, and when it is concluded, we will be a safer nation."

Biography:

Vice President Richard B. Cheney [http://www.whitehouse.gov/vicepresident/]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Nov2005/20051121_3401.html.

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Tips From Citizens Lead Iraqi Soldiers to Weapons Cache

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21, 2005 - Acting on tips from local residents, Iraqi soldiers confiscated a large number of terrorist weapons and bomb-making materials Nov. 20 in western Baghdad, military officials reported.

Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, discovered the weapons cache during a follow-up search of an area where an improvised explosive device was discovered and destroyed last week. A small contingent of U.S. soldiers from D Company, 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, assisted during the search, officials said.

The weapons were hidden in three vehicles in a parking lot. One vehicle appeared to be wired to be used as a car bomb. The soldiers found nine rocket-propelled grenades, 10 AK-47 assault rifles with 23 magazines, 11 hand grenades, three RPK machine guns, three PKC machine guns, a homemade RPG, a sniper scope, a land mine, assorted small-arms ammunition, 400 PKC rounds, and two ski masks.

The 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, found more large weapons caches in southern Baghdad.

Within 24 hours, the soldiers of A Company, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, unearthed three weapons caches, the third of which was discovered Nov. 19. Each cache was located in fields adjacent to roads that allow easy vehicle access for insurgents to get the weapons and ammunition, officials said.

The third cache consisted of 7,000 RPK machine-gun rounds, 20 81 mm mortar rounds, seven aviation bomb shells, four RPG rounds, three 155 mm artillery rounds and a 500-pound bomb. An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the caches through controlled detonations.

Unit soldiers have secured the site and continue to search for more possible weapons caches, officials said.

In other news, Iraqi soldiers in eastern Baghdad launched operations against terrorists in Rusafa and Adhamiyah Nov. 19 and 20.

Two suspected terrorists were detained on the first day of operations. They were thought to be managing terrorist activity in Baghdad, officials said.

The detained suspects led the Iraqi soldiers to other suspected terrorists. The follow-on mission to seize these men took place Nov. 20, and six more suspects were detained. Another suspected terrorist was captured in the day. The Iraqi army was responsible for all facets of this operation, officials noted. All nine of the detainees are in Iraqi army custody and will be processed by the Iraqi judicial system, officials said.

After discovering a large weapons cache Nov. 16, soldiers of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, uncovered even more weapons buried beneath the original cache after a controlled detonation the next day. Soldiers from 1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry Regiment, began their search of the site Nov. 15, and the excavation continued through Nov. 18.

While exploiting the site Nov. 17, the soldiers received information from an Iraqi citizen that insurgents planned to attack the American forces securing the area. At 10:30 a.m. Nov. 18, B Troop, 1/75th Cavalry, searched a house identified by the informant, and captured five individuals suspected of being the insurgents planning to attack the cache site.

Since the discovery of the original weapons cache, the soldiers have uncovered three more 120 mm mortar rounds, 1,000 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, a 60 mm mortar system, a 60 mm mortar and various homemade explosives.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq news releases. Army Pfc. Kelly K. McDowell, assigned to the 101st Airborne Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team public affairs office, contributed to this report.)

Related Site:

Multinational Force Iraq [http://www.mnf-iraq.com/]

Related Article:

Weapons Cache Grows as Soldiers Keep Digging [http://www.dod.mil/news/Nov2005/20051118_3381.html]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Nov2005/20051121_3400.html.

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Iraqi Police, U.S. Soldiers Help Children Hurt in IED Attack

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21, 2005 - Iraqi police and U.S. soldiers responded to help five Iraqi children injured in a Nov. 20 roadside bomb explosion in eastern Baghdad, military officials reported.

Officials said the bomb most likely was targeting an Iraqi police patrol, but missed the target and detonated near a vehicle filled with children.

Police and U.S. soldiers from 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry, secured the site and took the wounded children to a local hospital for treatment.

In other news, Iraqi police and soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team killed one suspect and injured two more Nov. 19 while responding to a roadside bomb attack in Tikrit, officials reported.

Soldiers located the triggermen as they attempted to escape the area and chased them into a hastily prepared roadblock. Once the attackers saw the roadblock, they tried to turn around and began ramming other civilian vehicles on the road in an attempt to escape the containment area, officials said.

Soldiers at the roadblock used several warning measures, attempting to stop the vehicles. When the drivers did not stop, the soldiers opened fire and stopped both vehicles, killing one occupant and injuring two others.

All three men tested positive for explosive residue. A search of the vehicles revealed a large sum of money.
Iraqi police took the two wounded terrorists to the Bayji hospital for treatment.

About 150 Iraqi army soldiers and 300 Marines and soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Marine Division, began Operation Bruins in northern Ramadi on Nov. 19, officials reported.

Operation Bruins is part of a series of disruption operations in Ramadi, military officials said, and is designed to set the conditions for successful elections in December.

Forces are conducting cordon-and-search operations, blocking off known terrorist escape routes and searching for weapons caches. The operation comes on the heels of Operation Panthers, which disrupted operations in the Sophia district of eastern Ramadi. During Panthers, the team discovered weapons caches and detained suspected terrorists.

Bruins also follows the Nov. 17 engagement in which the 2nd Brigade Combat Team successfully repelled a terrorist attack in downtown Ramadi, killing 32 terrorists.

The caches found during Panthers, along with the recent capture of three high-value terrorist targets, have been part of continuous disruption operations in the Ramadi area, officials said.

Attacks against Iraqi and U.S. forces in the Ramadi area have decreased 60 percent in the last few weeks, officials reported, as a result of these ongoing operations.

Iraqi and Task Force Baghdad soldiers saved an Iraqi woman who had been shot by terrorists Nov. 19 in the Abu Ghraib area of western Baghdad. After being hit in a drive-by shooting, the woman was treated by combat medics on the scene from 1st Squadron, 11th Cavalry Regiment, a unit from Fort Irwin, Calif., and immediately was evacuated to a local hospital with the help of soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 6th Iraqi Division.

The woman was shot in the chest with an AK-47 assault rifle fired from a white sedan as it approached a military checkpoint. She was reported to be in stable condition at the hospital.

Soldiers of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, operating in southwestern Baghdad, detained three suspected terrorists in two separate incidents Nov. 19.

After striking a roadside bomb, the soldiers of C Company, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, searched the area and detained a man positively identified to have been tampering with explosive material. He also had multiple timers, detonators and initiators in his possession, officials said.

Later in the day, A Company, 2-101st Brigade Troops Battalion, in support of 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, discovered a roadside bomb consisting of a propane tank with a timer attached to it. The patrol secured and searched the area, detaining two individuals who were positively identified to be tampering with explosives.

Coalition aircraft flew 39 close-air-support and armed-reconnaissance sorties Nov. 20 for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

U.S. Air Force F-16s struck roadside bomb locations near Ramadi, while other U.S. Air Force F-16s provided close air support to coalition troops in contact with enemy fighters near Hawijah and Husaybah.

In addition, 12 U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft flew missions in support of operations in Iraq. Also, Royal Air Force fighter aircraft performed in a nontraditional ISR role with their electro-optical and infrared sensors.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq, Task Force Baghdad and U.S. Central Command Air Forces Forward news releases.)

Related Sites:

Multinational Force Iraq [http://www.mnf-iraq.com/]

U.S. Central Command Air Forces [http://www.centaf.af.mil/]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Nov2005/20051121_3396.html.

====================================================

Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

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Bush Thanks Mongolia for Terror War Support

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21, 2005 - President Bush today thanked the people of Mongolia for helping bring about "a stunning transformation" in Iraq that he said is introducing freedom and democracy to people who had lived under tyranny and terror.

Bush became the first U.S. president to visit Mongolia, where he met with President Nambaryn Enkhbayar inside a ceremonial tent and inspected a Mongolian color guard before delivering an address at the Government House in Ulaanbaatar.

The president praised Mongolia for making its own transformation to democracy and an open economy, and said it has set an example for other countries around the world.

"Many of you still recall the exhilaration of voting freely for the first time after decades of tyranny" and of electing leaders and living under a constitutional that guarantees personal liberties, Bush told the crowd. "And now, because of the courage of Mongolian and coalition forces, the people of Iraq know this feeling as well."

In September, Mongolia sent its fifth rotation of forces to Iraq, where they are serving "with courage and great distinction," Bush said. Mongolian forces also are helping to train the Afghan military.

The president singled out two Mongolia soldiers, Sts. Azzaya and Sambuu-Yondon, who risked their lives to stop a suicide bomber who was attempting to drive a truck full of explosives into a coalition mess tent in Iraq. As the truck hurtled toward them, the soldiers opened fire, killing the terrorist before he could strike.

"As commander in chief of the United States armed forces, I thank these brave Mongolian soldiers, and all who have served on the front lines of the war on terror," Bush said. "The Mongolian armed forces are serving the cause of freedom and the United States armed forces are proud to serve beside such fearless warriors."

Like the communism that gripped Mongolia for decades, Islamic radicalism that terrorizes Iraq and other countries around the world will fail, Bush said. "Free people did not falter in the Cold War, and free people will not falter in the war on terror," he said.

"We see the determination to live in freedom in the courage of Iraqi and Afghan citizens who defied the terrorists to cast their ballots," he said. "And we've seen it in the daily courage of the Mongolian people who claimed their freedom 15 years ago, and are now standing with others across the world to help them do the same."

Bush announced Mongolia's eligibility for assistance under the Millennium Challenge Account, a new U.S. program that helps countries continue their ongoing reforms.

In addition, Mongolia will receive $11 million under the new U.S. Solidarity Initiative, which helps countries supporting the war on terror improve their military forces, the president said.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld visited Mongolia on Oct. 22, when he praised the country's peacekeeping efforts and expressed personal thanks to almost 200 Mongolian soldiers who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"You are a sovereign nation, and you made a choice," Rumsfeld said of Mongolia's decision to support the war on terror during his visit to Ulaanbaatar. "It showed political courage, and it showed personal courage on the part of your troops."

Biography:

Donald H. Rumsfeld [http://www.defenselink.mil/bios/rumsfeld_bio.html]

Related Sites:

Transcript of President Bush's Remarks [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/11/20051121.html]

State Department Background Notes on Mongolia [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2779.htm]

Related Article:

Rumsfeld's Mongolia Visit Focuses on Peacekeeping Operations [http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Oct2005]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Nov2005/20051121_3399.html.

====================================================

Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

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Combined Patrol Engages Enemy in Afghanistan

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21, 2005 - A combined security patrol of Afghan National Army and coalition soldiers located and attacked enemy forces Nov. 20 northwest of Deh Rawood, military officials reported.

The combined patrol called in close-air support, which engaged enemy positions. Initial battle damage assessment is being conducted to define enemy losses, officials said. No coalition or Afghan forces were killed or injured during the engagement.

"The enemy cannot withstand or defeat Afghan and U.S. firepower," said Brig. Gen. James G. Champion, Combined Joint Task Force 76 deputy commanding general for operations. "These combined coalition patrols continue to build the experience, capability and confidence of the Afghan national security forces.

"They lead the fight against the enemies of their nation and will not rest until Afghanistan is free from those who advocate attacks against innocent civilians, freely elected officials and Islamic clerics," the general continued. "Working together with our Afghan counterparts, we will not give the enemies of this nation a moment's rest."

Coalition aircraft flew 21 close-air-support and armed-reconnaissance sorties Nov. 20 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. These missions included support to coalition and Afghan troops, reconstruction activities, and the conduct of presence-route patrols.

A U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber struck enemy militia targets near Kandahar. Air Force A-10 jets provided close-air support to coalition forces in contact with insurgents near Asadabad, Deh Rawood and Oruzgan.

In addition, three U.S. Air Force intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft flew missions in support of operations in Afghanistan. Also, Royal Air Force fighter aircraft performed in a nontraditional ISR role.

In other news, the Afghan National Army wrapped up a major training exercise called Operation Atal Wali near Kandahar last week.

They concluded with a sense that the Afghan soldiers had gained experience in marksmanship and ground combat operations and that their leaders are now more experienced with headquarters operation.

"This training was an important building block for the Afghan army in their step toward spearheading in the fight for democracy in Afghanistan," Champion said. "U.S. forces use realistic situations and training exercises to enhance the knowledge of the Afghan forces as they take on today's modern battlefield and enemy."

The Afghan Army leadership was placed under the same standards of performance that U.S. forces are held to in the same types of exercises, officials said.

The two-part exercise started Nov. 12. It consisted of a live-fire training exercise for Afghan soldiers functioning in different-sized elements from squad level up to battalion level. The objective, officials said, was for the soldiers to learn to fire their weapons in a coordinated manner and therefore be more effective in their operations.

The second part was a command post exercise aimed at teaching the Kandak battalion staff the military decision-making process and how to react to different combat situations. The battalion staff officers from the 1st Kandak, 2nd Brigade, 205th Corps, had never had training this involved and as detailed before, according to Afghan Maj. Azm ul-Din, the Kandak operations officer.

At the end of the training, Afghan officers developed a battalion-level operation and briefed their plan to Afghan Maj. Gen. Muslim Amed, 205th Corps commander.

The exercise involved more then 500 Afghan soldiers and nearly 100 U.S. forces.

(Compiled from Combined Forces Command Afghanistan and U.S. Central Command Air Forces Forward news releases.)

Related Sites:

Combined Forces Command Afghanistan [http://www.cfc-a.centcom.mil/]

U.S. Central Command Air Forces [http://www.centaf.af.mil/]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
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http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Nov2005/20051121_3398.html.

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More Military Funds Committed for Pakistan Quake Relief

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21, 2005 - The Defense Department is nearly doubling its funding for earthquake relief operations in Pakistan - to $110 million - following the country's devastating Oct. 8 earthquake that left an estimated 73,000 people dead, State Department officials announced Nov. 19.

U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Andrew Natsios announced the increased support while leading the U.S. delegation to the Pakistani government's reconstruction conference in Islamabad.

The added military commitment is part of a larger overall U.S. aid package for Pakistan's relief and reconstruction, now $510 million. This includes $300 million in assistance from USAID and at least $100 million in private contributions, Natsios said.

DoD had previously obligated $80 million to cover operating costs for earthquake relief efforts.

This additional aid is particularly important now as winter sets in, officials noted.

Navy Rear Adm. Mike LeFever, commander of the Disaster Assistance Center in Pakistan, told Pentagon reporters Nov. 10 that snow is beginning to fall in the region and temperatures are plummeting. This, LeFever said, makes it crucial that the people affected receive shelter and supplies quickly.

An estimated 1,200 U.S. military personnel and 23 helicopters are currently supporting relief operations in Pakistan, officials said.

So far, U.S. helicopters have flown more than 2,500 sorties, delivered almost 4,300 tons of relief supplies and transported almost 17,000 people, including more than 4,300 who needed medical attention, officials reported.

In addition, more than 178 military and civilian cargo airlift flights have delivered almost 1,900 tons of humanitarian aid, medical supplies and equipment, officials said. U.S. troops have offloaded almost 6,000 tons of relief supplies from U.S. and other aircraft for distribution to affected Pakistani citizens.

U.S. humanitarian aid supplies delivered so far include more than 360,000 blankets, almost 13,000 sleeping bags, more than 3,500 tents, 5,000 water containers, almost 121,000 halal meals, 600 heaters and 18 pallets of medicine, officials reported.

In addition, nine U.S. military and commercial ships have delivered 115 pieces of equipment, 34 containers of supplies and 176 tons of humanitarian assistance through the port of Karachi, officials said.

Members of the 212th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital began operating in Muzaffarabad Oct. 29, and have treated more than 2,400 patients, officials said. In addition, the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force Medical Team arrived in Shinkiara and began treating patients Nov. 15.

DoD engineering teams arrived in Pakistan Oct. 24 and have cleared school and university sites, constructed three airport berms and finished preparations for a United Nations World Food Program tent site in Muzaffarabad, officials said.

A forward area refueling point and water purification unit are operating in Muzaffarabad to support these operations, officials said. Another water purification unit is en route to Pakistan.

Speaking from the White House Nov. 9, President Bush praised servicemembers supporting earthquake-relief efforts in South Asia. They "represent the best of America (and) the generous spirit of our country," he said.

"Our government's response to this tragedy ... should say to the people of the world, 'We care when somebody else suffers,'" Bush said.

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
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