Odierno: Iran Should Stand by its Word on Iraq
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON – If Iran really wants stability in the Middle East, it must stop exporting weapons used to kill coalition forces and innocent Iraqis, the commander of Multinational Corps Iraq said yesterday.
Iran should stand by its public statements of support for the Iraqi government, Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno said in a CNN interview. “They've supported the government of Iraq and the way forward,” the general said. “So, we should force them to stand by that. … Let's hold them to their word and what they're saying in public.”
Reports out of Iraq indicate that roughly one-third of attacks on coalition forces are with Iranian-supplied arms. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran, Iran, today in an effort to get Iran to abide by its public line.
The general also discussed the possible future transition of U.S. posture in Iraq. Any change in U.S. force levels in Iraq will be based on conditions on the ground, Odierno said. “I think we need to have a strategy that slowly draws down our presence, and I think that will happen in the future,” he said. “But the importance here is about regional stability, which affects international stability.”
Iraq is between the Arab West and Persian East and has large oil reserves, he said. “It's a country that wants to be part of the international community. They want to be part of the regional stability,” the general said. “The most important thing for the United States is we do not want this to become a safe haven for al Qaeda to train and conduct attacks around the world.”
One mission for coalition forces in Iraq is to increase the effectiveness and reach of the Iraqi government, the general said. Coalition forces are working with nascent Iraqi agencies to stand up and serve the Iraqi people. “I think we're doing this through some of the engagement activities that we're now involved in. We're seeing Sunnis reaching out to us every single day wanting to become part of the government of Iraq,” he said. “They're now helping us to fight al Qaeda.”
The turnaround has been most noticeable in Iraq’s Anbar province. The Sunni majority of the province has realized that al Qaeda is a group of killers who cares little for the people of Iraq.
“(The Iraqis) know they have a much better future with the government of Iraq,” Odierno said. “They now realize that they can reach out to us. They also realize with the additional combat we've had on the ground, we've been able to have a significant effect on al Qaeda. And we freed them from al Qaeda, and they now want to join us against them to eliminate them completely from Iraq.”
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Joint press conference 080807 opening remarks
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A-10 pilot awarded Distinguished Flying Cross
by Airman Mindy Bloem
43rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. (AFPN) -- An Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot has received the Distinguished Flying Cross in a ceremony here July 27 for a nighttime rescue mission in Afghanistan in 2005.
Maj. Keith Wolak, with the 74th Fighter Squadron here, received the honor for a combat search and rescue mission he coordinated July 2, 2005, when he cleared a helicopter landing zone while suppressing the enemy's attacks. The mission was to rescue a U.S. Navy SEAL on the ground.
"I feel very proud and very honored and I'll wear this medal with pride," said Maj. Wolak. "I didn't do anything any other combat search and rescue trained A-10 pilot wouldn't have done."
"We really weren't concerned with any surfaced air threat to the fighters out there," he said. "Our concern was getting the rescue helicopters in an area where, just the week before, we lost one helicopter due to surfaced air fire. Everything we were doing was basically to protect the guys in helicopters -- getting them in and out."
Another A-10 pilot, Maj. Jeff Yost of the 23rd Fighter Group, said A-10 pilots are trained for all types of weather conditions and real-world operational situations. He said that over time, the A-10 has developed into a close-air support asset, which means taking care of troops on the ground, which is exactly what Major Wolak was able to do that night.
When the lead A-10 attack plane's equipment failed to work, Major Wolak had the added responsibility of attacking several fighting positions around the landing zone in addition to being responsible for coordinating the mission.
"Any of the other pilots in the same shoes as me would have done the same thing," the major said. "It really pales in comparison to all the guys on the ground, all the guys in the helicopter who we lost the week before and the entire helicopter crews that night. What I did doesn't really compare to (their actions)."
What he was able to do was mark out the area using infrared technology, thereby guiding the helicopters to the landing zone safely. Without that guidance, the helicopters would not have been able to land, and the rescue would not have been successful.
"I always try to do the best job I can at what I am assigned because that's the right thing to do for the folks you are working with and for," he said.
Sky Soldiers air-assault onto clouds of Nuristan
8 Aug 07
By Army Sgt. Brandon Aird
173rd ABCT Public Affairs
NURISTAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Sailing through the clouds Soldiers from the Afghan National Army and Task Force Saber air-assaulted onto landing zone Shetland July 19 during Operation Saray Has.
The LZ was located in a large meadow near the top of a mountain in here. Local Afghans use the area as a grazing pasture for livestock, while Taliban extremists often use it to stage attacks against TF Saber.
The spot the Soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, and the Afghan 3rd Kandak, 201st Corps landed on was roughly 10,000 feet above sea level. The air-assault was part of a reconnaissance mission to determine the point of origin for rockets, which were fired at Forward Operating Base Naray that injured several Soldiers a few weeks prior.
"We came up here to confirm or deny enemy-use of the hilltop," said Army 1st Lt. Chris Richelderfer, HHT executive officer.
"Seven Soldiers were injured from that attack," said Army Command Sgt. Maj. Victor Pedraza, command sergeant major of TF Saber.
After air-assaulting onto the mountain, a patrol was dispatched to an adjacent mountain to scout out the terrain and possible enemy positions.
The rest of the Soldiers secured the area while Army Capt. Nathan Springer, HHT commander, along with the Naray district Sub-Gov. SamShu Rochman spoke with the local populace.
"I wanted the local government to have the lead when talking with the locals," said Springer.
Rochman spoke with civilians from the villages of Badermashal and Cherigal about security in the area.
While Rochman and Springer were speaking with villagers, wood smugglers accidentally walked their donkeys carrying stolen wood into the meadow.
"The wood on the donkeys had been stolen from the Naray lumber yard two days before our mission," said Springer.
Rochman was adamant about bringing the wood smugglers to justice. The wood smugglers were brought off the mountain, back to Naray to face prosecution.
Operation Saray Has was more productive than both Springer and Rochman had planned.
"It validated the need to conduct future operations in the area to deny [Taliban extremist] that terrain," said Springer.
Marines walk the beat keeping enemies off the street
8 Aug 07
By Cpl. Eric C. Schwartz
2nd Marine Division
HUSAYBAH, Iraq-- It was a quiet morning patrol; a standard Alpha Company mission. Donkeys, attached to carts, were unmanned while their owners were just waking up to the sound of roosters making their morning calls. The Marines were heading directly to solve a mystery. Who shot up a citizen’s house and why?
"We had an intelligence-driven patrol where a house was shot up a week ago,” said Cpl. Travis Banks, a team leader with 1st Platoon, Alpha Company, Task Force 1st Battalion, 4th Marines attached to Regimental Combat Team 2.
Marines are trained in various ways to combat terrorism, whether it is a full-scale battle, investigative searches or looking for rogue Iraqi policeman or local gangsters.
“These people are tired of being threatened by the insurgents,” said Cpl. Brian McNeill, a Springfield, Mo., native and team leader with A Company.
Husaybah used to be a hotbed for insurgency activity, but after years of fighting Marines, the townspeople now want to live in peace and realize the insurgents were only there to cause destruction. The new battle is winning the “hearts and minds” of the people here and that’s done by showing Marines care about the citizens here and by keeping fear away from their homes.
“The big fighting is done, but the insurgents are trying to intimidate the people,” said Cpl. Peter Andrisevic, a rifleman with A Company.
A handful of bullet holes in someone’s door won’t make the strong-willed citizens cower to insurgents, but the quicker the culprits are found, the quicker the people can go on living in peace.
“This is a dramatic change from OIF II,” Banks said. “This is a one-hundred and eighty degree turn around from what I saw before.”
Operation Iraqi Freedom II had major battles in large cities throughout Iraq, but this intelligence-driven war for the safety of Husaybah uses information from its people to capture insurgents and Al Qaeda in Iraq.
“The people who know the most are the average citizens,” Andrisevic said.
Insurgents and AQI know the Iraqi Army and Police, and the Marines are hunting them down through intelligence gathered by citizens looking for justice and peace, so they hide in towns like Husaybah, using guerrilla tactics.
“Insurgents are hiding here as a resting area,” Andrisevic said. “They aren’t trying to find us but we’re trying to find them.”
The enemy can’t hide forever because the people don’t want them in their town. Husaybah thrives off trade and business, and without safety and security, they can’t do either. Working with the newly formed government and coalition forces seems to be the right way in their minds.
“An IP called in with information about a weapons cache,” McNeill said.
The Marine said the IP was a former supporter of the insurgency here but has joined the police force and now fights for the peace and prosperity of his people.
The people here want their families to live in peace. Coalition forces want them to have peace.
“If we don’t stabilize the area and find the insurgents, we’ve wasted the last four years here,” Andrisevic said.
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