Good News From The War On Terror 1/10
Iraqi Air Force Training School graduates 116 new warrant officers
TAJI, Iraq – The Iraqi Air Force Training School graduated 116 new warrant officers from its basic military training course held in Taji Jan 8.
Iraqi Air Force Gen. Kamal, Iraqi Air Force commanding general and U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Bob Allardice, Coalition Air Force Transition Team commanding general and U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Bash, were in attendance.
The course lasted 60 days and focused on basic military training and professional military education.
This day also marked a first for the training school, as this was the first graduating class to be taught by Iraqi Air Force officers during their training.
From the basic military training course, the graduates will continue their training with technical training in the fundamentals of aircraft maintenance, also held in Taji.
Air strike engages suspected IED emplacers during Operation Phantom Phoenix
BAQUBA, Iraq – Coalition Forces killed four enemy personnel and wounded three more shortly after an engineer vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device during Operation Raider Harvest, which is part of the country-wide Operation Phantom Phoenix, Jan. 8 near Muqdadiyah, Iraq.
Soldiers from the 38th Engineer Company, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division were struck by an IED while clearing a route in the Diyala province, a known al-Qaeda in Iraq safe haven. No CF Soldiers were injured in the attack.
An air weapons team operating in the area spotted several armed personnel running from the IED site into a nearby house. An air weapons team engaged the house with a missile, killing four and wounding three others.
Based on the extent of the explosion caused by the missile, military officials assess that the house was being used as an al Qaeda in Iraq safe house and weapons cache.
Air strikes hit more than 40 targets in Arab Jabour
FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – More than 40 targets were hit Jan. 10 after precision air strikes destroyed reported al-Qaeda safe havens in Arab Jabour. Thirty-eight bombs were dropped within the first 10 minutes, with a total tonnage of 40,000 pounds.
The precision air strikes supported Operation Phantom Phoenix, the overarching operation that includes Operation Marne Thunderbolt.
A joint operation between the Air Force and Soldiers of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division required extensive planning to prevent collateral damage and to deny the use of the area for attacks into Baghdad and against Coalition Forces.
Two B-1 Bombers and four F-16 fighter jets, directed bombs at three large target areas. Each bomber made two passes and the F-16s followed to complete the set. Coordination between the Army and Air Force was essential in making the operation a success.
Operation Marne Thunderbolt is an ongoing operation aimed at flushing out remaining al-Qaeda extremists operating in the southern Arab Jabour area, and to create conditions for improved security.
Soldiers from 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division will join Iraqi Security Forces and Concerned Local Citizens to continue these offensive operations to keep pressure on the enemy.
Citizen tip leads Coalition to cache (Baghdad)
BAGHDAD – Acting on a concerned citizen’s tip, Soldiers from Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, reported finding a weapons cache in the 9 Nissan district of eastern Baghdad while returning from a patrol Jan. 9.
The cache contained copper plating, two explosively formed projectiles, two rocket-propelled grenades, one AK-47 assault rifle, five 105 mm mortar rounds, eight anti-personnel mines, wire and three artillery rounds of undetermined size.
BALAD, Iraq – Iraqi Security Forces, advised by U.S. Special Forces, detained two suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq improvised explosive device specialists in separate raids Dec. 28.
The Hillah Special Weapons and Tactics team and U.S. Special Forces detained a suspected AQI terrorist believed to be a primary facilitator of improvised explosive device attacks against Iraqi and Coalition Forces.
Additionally, the suspected terrorist is thought to have helped foreign fighters enter the country and facilitate suicide bombings in northern Babel province.
He is also believed to be responsible for the murder of numerous Iraqi citizens.
Near the city of Balad, Iraqi Special Operations Forces and U.S. Forces detained a suspected AQI terrorist who specializes in IED construction.
He is also believed to belong to a terror cell that is responsible for IED emplacement and weapons trafficking as well as the intimidation of Iraqi citizens.
