Top Stories Iraqi Citizens Thwart Car- Bomb Attack, Page 2
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Vol. 1, No. 15 Published by Multi-National Force - Iraq November 23, 2005 Top Stories Iraqi Citizens thwart car- bomb attack, Page 2 U.S., Iraqi medics combine to aid village, Page 3 Operation Clean Sweep nets over 50 suspects, Page 4 Navy corpsmen follow patients to the front, Page 5 An Iraqi instructor shows a recruit the proper way to hold his AK-47 rifle at the Iraqi Army Basic Training Academy at Taji. Iraqi recruits learned crucial, Securing Samarra, Page 7 basic combat skills as part of an expanded program at the academy. This is the second group of Soldiers to go through an extended cycle of basic Coalition, Iraqi Security training where Iraqi sergeants do the bulk of the teaching. Forces operations review, Page 8 Local instructors guide troops The road to democracy, as Iraq expands basic training Page 9 New pumps provide fresh Story and photos by level movement techniques, room-clearing water to Mendeli, Page 10 Sgt. Matthew Wester procedures and how to operate traffic-con- Army News Service trol points. Instructors are able to go into greater Airmen give Iraqi children TAJI – Ten days have been added to detail when teaching the individual skills cheer, supplies, Pages 11 Iraqi basic training and a second group of because they have more time than they did Iraqi Soldiers has begun the new 24-day during the 14-day cycles, Munoz added. Iraqi cycle. Iraqi NCOs now teach recruits Forces hit “It started off as a two-week program,” At the academy, recruits are taught hand- the streets said Staff Sgt. Michael J. Munoz of the and-arm signals. All the instruction is in 80th Division, who serves as operations Arabic, no translator is needed. Iraqi non- on patrol noncommissioned officer at the academy. commissioned officers teach the course. Page 12 During the 24 days of training, Munoz “We’re at a phase now where we mainly said the recruits now learn drill and cere- mony, weapons marksmanship, squad- See BASIC, Page 4 Page 2 This Week in Iraq November 23, 2005 CG’s Weekly Message ... Iraqi citizens thwart ISF grows stronger, they are tak- car-bomb attack By Gen. George W. Casey Jr. ing the lead in providing security Multi-National Force - Iraq for the nation. From one brigade Story and photo by Maj. Russ Goemaere Commanding General and 11 battalions in June 2005, to 2nd Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office one division, five brigades and 36 he other day, Coalition battalions as of Nov. 5, Iraqi BAGHDAD — Alert neighborhood watch members forces transferred the Forces are increasingly in the in east Baghdad stopped a car-bomb attack Nov. 15. Tlargest base lead. The Iraqi govern- Shortly before 6 p.m., local residents noticed a sus- in Tikrit, Forward ment is taking back picious vehicle getting fuel from a roadside gasoline Operating Base more property and bat- dealer. “Danger” to the tlespace from the When the neighborhood watch members approached Ministry of Finance. Coalition, all according the driver, he pulled a pistol and pointed it at them and Also known as the to plan. Battlespace then attempted to flee. Tikrit Palace and key landmark The citizens tried to stop Complex, FOB turnovers are but part the suspect, but were Danger is perhaps the of the incessant march unsuccessful, said Oday most significant of all toward democracy. Fakhan, the leader of the the installation trans- The biggest step is neighborhood watch. fers. About 30 mili- still to come this As he fled, the would- Gen. George W. tary compounds have December when Iraqis be car bomber attempted Casey Jr. changed from coali- vote for their perma- to highjack a getaway tion to Iraqi control. nent government. The vehicle at gunpoint, but The massive complex is more than Constitutional Referendum failed in his first attempt. Iraqi Police secure a 1,000 acres with 136 buildings. In showed that given the right envi- The driver of another vehicle which had addition to the buildings, there are ronment, one safe and free of vehicle, a taxi, allowed been wired as a poten- more than 60 additional structures intimidation, the people of Iraq the suspect to enter and tial car bomb with five on the complex grounds used for will vote for their future. took him to a neighbor- 155 mm artillery logistic, utility, or maintenance The referendum saw about 10 hood in Baladiat, a sub- rounds and other functions. million voters turn out and this urb in east Baghdad. explosives in an east The complex centerpiece is the election promises even more. Meanwhile, Iraqi Baghdad neighbor- Presidential Palace built by To ensure safety and security, Police were called to the hood. Saddam Hussein for his mother. It there will be more than 6,000 scene and secured the is the largest and most elaborate additional ISF on the streets for area around the suspicious vehicle. of the presidential sites built by the election than we had for the The taxi driver returned to the scene after dropping Saddam Hussein. It is also a sym- referendum — 80,000 more than off the suspect. bol of how Iraq’s wealth was we had for the elections in “The taxi driver told us that during the ride, the sus- squandered for his personal use, January. In a way the palace in pect used his cell phone to call his uncle to inform him while the vast majority of Iraqi Tikrit is really two symbols for that the operation had failed,” Fakhan said. people remained in poverty. As of the Iraqi people. An Iraqi Police explosives ordnance disposal team Nov. 22, it belongs to and serves For the past, it is the symbol of was called to the scene to investigate the suspicious the people of Iraq. waste and abuse of the many by vehicle and found it was wired with five 155 mm This transfer is another key step the few. For the future, it is a artillery rounds and other explosives embedded in the in replacing the Coalition Forces symbol of the prosperity possible trunk and doors. with Iraqi Security Forces. As the through democracy. The EOD team deactivated the explosives. MNF-I Commanding General Editor.................................................................Spc. David J. Claffey Gen. George W. Casey Jr. [email protected] Assistant Editor...........................................Spc. Richard L. Rzepka Combined Press [email protected] Information Center Director Command Information NCOIC.........................Sgt. Jeffery M. Lowry Lt. Col. Barry A. Johnson [email protected] [email protected] This Week in Iraq is an authorized publication produced by Multi-National Force Command Information Chief - Iraq. Contents are not the official views of the U.S. Government or DoD. The editorial content is the Capt. Bradford E. Leighton responsibility of the Public Affairs Office of the Multi-National Force - Iraq. Questions and comments [email protected] should be directed to the editor at [email protected]. Page 3 This Week in Iraq November 23, 2005 New power cable brings reliable electricity Story by Jenna Bisenius Iraqi Project and Contracting Office BAGHDAD — Residents in the northern Baghdad district of Adhamiyah will soon have more reliable electricity, due in part to the installation of 2.5 miles of underground power cable. The cable will connect two new substations, helping bring power to about 2,500 to 3,000 homes. Experts expect the power cable project, which began in July, to be finished this month. The Project and Contracting Office’s elec- tricity sector is overseeing the $1.4 million project; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Regional Division, is responsible for quality control. The underground cable will take 33,000 volts of power from one substation to another, where it will be converted down to 11,000 volts. From there, power will feed to a distribution net- work of poles, cables, and overhead lines supplying electricity to homes and businesses. During its active phase, the project employed about 100 Iraqi workers per day. They performed power cable work by hand, Photos courtesy of Iraqi Project and Contracting Office from digging trenches, laying cable to the sidewalk restoration. Workers break up and remove asphalt in preparation for Employing Iraqi workers helped the local economy by keeping the digging of a power cable trench along the streets of more dollars in the surrounding community. Baghdad. The electricity sector is one of four PCO sectors managing completed more than 80 projects totaling an estimated $660 mil- reconstruction projects throughout Iraq. The other sectors are oil, lion. An estimated $1.3 billion is being used on projects that are public works and water, and facilities and transportation. now in progress, leaving $1.2 billion for remaining projects. In total, the PCO Electrical Sector is responsible for 434 proj- The majority of 352 remaining Electricity Sector projects are ects valued at about $3.2 billion. To date, the Electricity Sector has scheduled for completion by December 2006. U.S., Iraqi medics work together; treat families ments were for cold-like symptoms, said. “It was only respectable to have a Story by Spc. Barbara Ospina though they treated a few chronic issues. female treat the women.” 1st Brigade Combat Team Once the medics had set up the tempo- Some patients arrived with serious ill- Public Affairs rary aid station, the battalion’s psychologi- nesses and in need of long-term care. cal operations detachment drove up the “When we received a patient with a ZAGILBANA — Medics of 2nd tallest hill in the small village and broad- chronic illness, we gave treatment for the Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment casted the news that Coalition Forces had present symptoms, but we tried to express joined manpower, supplies and compas- arrived and were providing free medical the fact that they need to make appoint- sion with medics from the Iraqi Army to attention.