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May 14, 2005 www.mnstci.iraq.centcom.mil Official Weekly Command Information Report for the Multi-National Security Transition Command - Iraq Safer travels Iraqi armored battalion joins Coalition forces to provide 24-hour security on a Taji roadway Vol. 2 Issue 20 Myers addresses violence in Iraq May 14, 2005 putting them in the toilet to stop it up By Donna Miles as a protest," Myers said. American Forces Press Service MNSTC-I Meanwhile, in Iraq the surge in ter- Commanding General WASHINGTON – The recent spike rorist attacks, many using vehicle- U.S. Army in violence in Iraq represents an borne improvised explosive devices, Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus attempt to discredit the new Iraqi generally involves "Iraqis blowing up government and cabinet, the chair- Iraqis," Myers said. Command Sergeant Major man of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told U.S. Marine Corps Pentagon reporters here May 12. "I don't know how (the insurgents) Sgt. Maj. Ronnie L. Edwards expect to curry favor with the Iraqi Similarly, U.S. Air Force Gen. Rich- population when we have Iraqi-on- Public Affairs Officer ard B. Myers said, a May 11 incident Iraqi violence," he said. U.S. Army in Jalalabad, Afghanistan -- in which Lt. Col. Frederick Wellman at least three people died and In response, Myers said, Coalition scores were injured -- appears tied forces are continuing their ongoing Deputy Public Affairs Officers up to the political process there, in- strategy, which he described as "to U.S. Army cluding President Hamid Karzai's Capt. Larry George get the Iraqis in front of this proc- reconciliation program. ess." U.S. Army Capt. Tim Jeffers An after-action report by U.S. Army Polls show that Iraqis "are sick and Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry, com- tired of this violence" and are in- Operations NCO mander of Combined Forces Com- creasingly coming forward with intel- U.S. Army mand Afghanistan, determined that ligence about insurgent activity. Sgt. 1st Class Allen R. Thomas the Jalalabad incident "was not nec- "The intelligence is better and better essarily the result of allegations every day from the Iraqis," Myers Editor about disrespect for the Koran" by said. U.S. Army guards at the detention center in Sgt. Lorie Jewell Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Myers The increase in violent attacks un- said. derscores the fact that the Iraqis CPATT Public Affairs Liaison and Coalition are dealing with "a Ann Bertucci A magazine article said U.S. interro- very violent insurgency" and "a gators in Guantanamo Bay had thinking and adapting adversary," he flushed a copy of the Koran down a The Advisor is an authorized publication for said. members of the U.S. Defense Department and toilet, and the Jalalabad violence multinational partners. was widely reported to have grown Their use of vehicle-borne impro- Contents of this paper are not necessarily the from anti-American protests sparked official views of the U.S. government, by the article. U.S. Army Gen. Bantz vised explosive devices, which multinational partners or the U.S. Dept. of J. Craddock, commander of U.S. Myers called "a very tough device to Defense. The editorial content of this publication Southern Command, is in Guan- thwart," demonstrates their adapta- is the responsibility of the Multi-National Security bility, he said. Transition Command - Iraq Public Affairs Office . tanamo Bay "digging into this issue," Myers said, but no interrogation logs Direct questions and comments to: reviewed so far have confirmed Insurgencies typically last three to [email protected] such an incident. nine years, and countering the one MNSTC-I PAO in Iraq is a "tough fight," Myers said. APO AE 09316 One log entry, still unconfirmed, did DPN: 318-852-1334 "In the end, it is going to have to be note that a detainee had been found To subscribe to The Advisor, "ripping pages out of the Koran and the Iraqis that win this," he said. visit us online at: www.mnstci.iraq.centcom.mil/advisor Cover: An Iraqi T-55 tank crew makes “For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s its way along a Taji road during a chains, but to live in a way that respects and route security patrol. Elements of the 1st Iraqi Mechanized Brigade are con- enhances the freedom of others.” ducting patrols with Coalition forces. — Nelson Mandela (1918 - ) Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. Lorie Jewell May 14, 2005 Multi-National Security Transition Command—Iraq The Advisor 2 Iraqi mech brigade joins Coalition troops on missions By U.S. Army Sgt. Lorie Jewell MNSTC-I Public Affairs Soldiers with the 1st Iraqi Mecha- nized Brigade’s TAJI, Iraq – A joint task force of Iraqi Armored Battal- mechanized brigade soldiers and ion return from a 24-hour security Coalition troops is giving motorists a patrol in a MTLB safer journey with 24-hour route secu- armored person- rity patrols and traffic checkpoints. nel carrier. The unit is conduct- ing joint opera- The task force is about a week into tions with U.S. Soldiers with the the operations, focusing primarily on 70th Engineer a heavily traveled road near the Taji Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat military base known for frequent im- Team of the 1st provised explosive device attacks. Armored Divi- sion. The Iraqi element includes T-55 tanks Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. and MTLB armored personnel carri- Lorie Jewell ers. “It’s going very well,” said U.S. Army more receptive to the searches be- With the exception of an IED detonat- Lt. Col. Anthony Wright, commander cause of the Iraqi soldiers, Wright ing on the first night of the operations of the 70th Engineer Battalion, 3rd Bri- said. – which U.S. officers believe was gade Combat Team of the 1st Ar- placed before the security patrols mored Division, which is working with Wright said he has been impressed started – the attacks have stopped, elements of the Iraqi Army’s 1st with their level of efficiency and the leaders said. Two Iraqi soldiers in- Mechanized Brigade’s armored bat- discipline they’ve shown – from little jured from the IED blast, which threw talion. “I’ve been really impressed things like keeping their areas clean them from the top of their tank, have with their training, discipline and moti- to larger tasks, like how they set since returned to work. A motorcy- vation.” themselves up on route patrols. clist, believed to have played a role in setting off the IED, ignored warnings The Iraqi and Coalition soldiers also “I’m seeing professional Iraqi Army to stop and was shot by an Iraqi sol- conducted a cordon and search mis- soldiers with leaders that are capable dier on a nearby rooftop. The motor- sion of a nearby village, finding a of making and executing missions,” cycle rider was not seriously injured, number of weapons and detaining Wright said. “It makes me very opti- officials said. eight individuals. The residents were mistic.” U.S. Army Maj. Lawrence White, a senior advisor with the Coalition Mili- tary Assistance Training Team of the Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq, agrees. He has been working with the armored battal- ion since February with a team that includes one captain and four non- commissioned officers. “This unit has good, strong leader- ship,” said White, noting that the ma- jority of the battalion and brigade sol- diers were tankers in the former Iraqi Army. “We have little issues here and there, but they really take responsibil- ity for themselves. Every day they surprise me.” Iraqi soldiers on a T-55 tank take up a position while conducting route security patrols on a roadway near See ‘Armor’ Taji. Attacks with improvised explosive devices have stopped on the road since the patrols with Coalition Page 4 forces started recently. Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. Lorie Jewell May 14, 2005 Multi-National Security Transition Command—Iraq The Advisor 3 Armor expected to start operations From Page 3 within the next month or so. The brigade played a role in helping provide security on In the motor pool, for example, White said he and other Election Day, Jan. 30. More advisers have stepped back and let the unit’s maintenance recently, the soldiers have officers and soldiers take care of business. Now, when been out in their tanks and tanks and armored personnel carriers come in from mis- armored personnel carriers for sions, there are teams waiting to inspect each vehicle and, route security missions and if necessary, make repairs. joint operations in Abu Ghraib. Iraqi Gen. Kassim, the bri- gade’s commander, said citi- zens are always surprised to Iraqi Mech Brigade soldiers go through a map reading training see their soldiers in tanks class with Coalition advisers in bearing the Iraqi flag. preparation for upcoming mis- sions. Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. James Allsup “They didn’t know they had Iraqi tanks,” Kassim said. “When they see them, they always clap and yell. They are very happy.” Protecting the people is a big motivation for serving, some soldiers in the unit said. They also returned to serve in the new Iraqi Army because they wanted the opportunity to prove they are capable of taking care of their country. A maintenance crew works on a T-55 tank in the 1st Iraqi Mechanized Brigade’s Hearing terrorist propaganda that accuses Iraqi Security motor pool. None of the units vehicles have missed a patrol since joint opera- tions began recently. Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. Lorie Jewell Forces of betraying their country by working with the Coali- tion makes them angry, they said.