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thedrifter
05-07-04, 05:57 AM
Cleric's Army, U.S. GIs Face Off in Najaf

By DENIS D. GRAY and SCHEHEREZADE FARAMARZI

NAJAF, Iraq - Hours after American forces seized the Najaf governor's office, militiamen of a radical cleric dug in, taking positions behind earthen mounds in the holy city and firing mortar shells and small arms at a U.S. base.

The defiance late Thursday came amid concerns that U.S. troops were about to move directly against the anti-American cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr. American soldiers responded with a heavy barrage of 120mm mortar fire, U.S. jets streaked across the night sky, and plumes of smoke rose over the east bank of the Euphrates.

Meanwhile on Friday, Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr arrived at the main mosque in Kufa surrounded by gunmen and followers, making his weekly appearance to deliver his prayer sermon despite intensified fighting in his showdown with U.S. troops.


Al-Sadr traveled the appproximately five miles from his office in nearby Najaf to the Kufa mosque, where his supporters chanted, "No one can beat al-Sadr," as he pulled in. His car moved right to the door of the mosque and he quickly slipped inside.

Also Friday, gunmen killed a Polish and an Algerian journalist in a drive-by shooting south of Baghdad, police said.

A second Pole was wounded in the shooting in Mahmoudiyah, about 20 miles south of Baghdad, police Lt. Alaa Hussein said.

Hussein said the journalists worked for a Polish television station but had no additional information.

On Thursday, a suicide car bomber killed five Iraqi civilians and an American soldier at the edge of the Green Zone in Baghdad that houses the U.S. headquarters. The blast wounded 25 people, including two U.S. soldiers.

Also, an audio recording attributed to Osama bin Laden offered rewards in gold for the killing of top U.S. and U.N. officials in Iraq or of the citizens of any nation fighting here.

The 20-minute recording, dated Thursday, appeared on two Web sites known for militant Islamic messages. The voice sounded like that of bin Laden and the words were heavy with Quranic verse, but the authenticity of the recording could not immediately be verified.

Earlier Thursday, U.S. forces moved to outlying areas of Najaf, drawing militants from the city center and enabling other troops to seize the two-story governor's office without resistance.

An estimated 40 militiamen were killed in gunbattles outside the city, said Capt. Roger Maynulet, a tank company commander with the Army's 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment.

Afterward, militiamen took cover behind buildings as American helicopters flew overhead. An increased number of fighters were seen in the city center as the cleric's army tried to regroup after losing the governor's office.

"We will fight until the last drop of our blood," said Dhia Shami, behind a dirt barricade.

"We expect the Americans to retreat," said militiaman Malek Holeicha. "We are fighting for our faith. They don't have any faith."

At the city's Imam Ali shrine, one of the holiest sites in Shiite Islam, a coffin wrapped in an Iraqi flag was brought in _ apparently one of the dead from the fighting.

"This is a martyr for Muqtada," mourners chanted.

The fighting came as chief U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer announced the appointment of Adnan al-Zurufi as governor of Najaf province _ part of the campaign to wrest control from al-Sadr's militiamen. His al-Mahdi Army seized government buildings and police stations throughout the province April 4.

The United States plans to hand some sovereignty to a transitional Iraqi government June 30 and is looking to end al-Sadr's uprising, which has left parts of southern Iraq outside coalition control.

U.S. troops have been stepping up their assaults on al-Sadr's followers in increasingly bloody skirmishes. Moderate Shiite leaders have called on al-Sadr's militiamen to abandon Najaf, isolating the cleric and making it easier for U.S. forces to act against him.

Later, a U.S. convoy of Humvees leaving the Najaf area was ambushed twice in 10 minutes by insurgents firing rocket-propelled grenades and automatic rifles from rooftops. An AP reporter saw five militants apparently killed in retaliatory fire.

Coalition troops exchanged gunfire with dozens of al-Sadr militiamen in Karbala, 50 miles north of Najaf.

A witness told Associated Press Television News that troops fired on the insurgents and destroyed four buses of Pakistani pilgrims, which were seen burning. The witness said "three or four" Pakistanis were killed.

In the past two days, U.S. soldiers estimate they have killed about 80 militiamen. One U.S. soldier was killed Wednesday.

The Baghdad bomb exploded outside a 3-foot-high concrete blast wall that protects a U.S. checkpoint. The American soldier slain was the 21st U.S. serviceman killed in Iraq in May.

An Internet statement signed by a group linked to al-Qaida claimed responsibility for the suicide attack.

The statement, on a Web site known for militant Islamic messages, was signed by the military wing of the "Monotheism and Jihad Group," believed to be led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The Jordanian is wanted by the United States for allegedly organizing militants to fight U.S. troops in Iraq on behalf of al-Qaida. The statement's authenticity could not be confirmed.

Also Thursday, the U.S. military said two U.S. soldiers were killed and two wounded when a roadside bomb exploded in Baghdad just before midnight Wednesday.

Meanwhile, a blindfolded man described as an Iraqi-American being held hostage in Iraq was shown pleading for help on an Arab TV station. The man, speaking English, gave his name as Aban Elias and said he was a civil engineer from Denver working for the Pentagon.

With the tape, shown on Dubai-based Al-Arabiya TV, came a statement from a previously unknown group, "The Islamic Rage Brigade." It said Elias was kidnapped May 3. It made no demands.

AP correspondent Hamza Hendawi contributed to this report from Baghdad.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2004/05/07/ap/Headlines/d82dl8ng1.txt


Ellie

thedrifter
05-07-04, 05:58 AM
Marine honored at Twentynine Palms for bravery in Iraq fighting

By: Associated Press

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- A 29-year-old Marine from upstate New York received the Navy's second highest award Thursday for charging into enemy trenches during an ambush in Iraq and continuing his attack after depleting his ammunition.

Marine Capt. Brian R. Chontosh, of Rochester, N.Y., received the Navy Cross Medal in a ceremony at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Training Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif. The Navy Cross is second only to the Congressional Medal of Honor.

"I was just doing my job," said Chontosh, who is married and expecting his first child. "I did the same thing every other Marine would have done."


On March 25, 2003, five days into the war, Chontosh led his platoon toward Ad Diwaniyah when the troops came under an ambush of enemy mortars, rocket propelled grenades and automatic weapons, Marine officials said.

Chontosh directed his driver into a hail of machine gun fire. His machine gunner returned fire.

Then Chontosh ordered the driver into the enemy trench, where he left the vehicle and depleted the ammunition in his service rifle and pistol. He twice picked up discarded enemy rifles and continued his attack, finally firing an enemy rocket propelled grenade launcher.

In the end, Chontosh killed more than 20 enemy soldiers and wounded several others.

"We're very excited and very proud, obviously very proud of all the young men and women over there and everybody over there," said his father, Rick Chontosh, who flew to San Diego with his wife to attend the ceremony.

Brian Chontosh served with the Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force based in Twentynine Palms.

More than 6,000 soldiers have been awarded Navy Cross Medals since World War I.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2004/05/07/military/21_42_535_6_04.txt


Ellie

thedrifter
05-07-04, 05:59 AM
Iraq war pilots praise satellite-guided bombs at Naval Symposium

By: BILL KACZOR - Associated Press

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Satellite-guided weapons that let U.S. pilots bomb Iraqi targets through a sandstorm and other bad weather last year earned high praise Thursday at the annual Naval Aviation Symposium.

Veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom also recalled their ability to fly off aircraft carriers when the sandstorm grounded most planes, plus some close calls and a threat by President Bush to fire a top general if Saddam Hussein unleashed weapons of mass destruction.

Naval aviation's finest hour came during the sandstorm that began March 25, 2003, said Capt. David Rogers, then-operations officer for the Combined Forces Air Component.


Superiors told a carrier battle group commander "If you don't fly, people are going to die," although conditions at sea also bordered on unsafe, said Rogers, a native of Parshall, Colo.

Navy pilots bombed tanks and other targets with the satellite-guided weapons although they were unable to see them. Iraqi soldiers then began shedding their uniforms and surrendering.

"They realized that we had capability that they never even dreamed of," Rogers said.

The symposium at the National Museum of Naval Aviation included the induction of Apollo 13 astronaut Jim Lovell, a retired Navy captain from Lake Forest, Ill. and Horseshoe Bay, Texas, and three other new members into the Naval Aviation Hall of Honor.

The others are retired Marine Brig. Gen. Robert Galer, of Frisco, Texas, a World War II ace; retired Coast Guard Cmdr. Stuart R. Graham, of Naples, Maine, a pioneering helicopter pilot, and retired Adm. James L. Holloway III, of Alexandria, Va., chief of naval operations in 1974-78. All except Galer, who is ill, were present.

Rogers said he was in the next room but heard President Bush speak to now-retired Army Gen. Tommy Franks, then commander of U.S. Central Command, at a White House briefing before the war.

"He says 'If there is one event where we have a weapon of mass destruction go against either our neighbors or our troops, then I'm finding a new unified commander,"' Rogers said.

Cmdr. Jeffrey Penfield of Lemoore, Calif., who commanded a squadron of F/A-18 Super Hornet jets aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, also lauded satellite-guided weapons.

Penfield recalled leading five planes against 18 targets, a mission that would have required at least one plane per target in the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

"That's 13 less aircraft, 13 less little pink bodies that got to go across the beach," said Penfield, now stationed at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md.

His planes were armed with the Joint Direct Attack Munition, or JDAM, an inexpensive kit that converts "dumb" bombs into smart ones guided by satellite. JDAM was developed by the Air Armament Center at nearby Eglin Air Force Base.

Penfield narrowly escaped being shot down by a missile but was able to spot it in time to take evasive action, again thanks to JDAM. With other bombs he would have had to focus his attention inside the cockpit instead of scanning the sky for trouble.

Lt. Geoffrey P. Bowman of Jacksonville also had a close call. His gun blew up while firing at enemy troops, knocking a 10-inch hole in the plane's nose, but he limped home to his carrier, the USS Truman.

"That's where the food is," Bowman cracked.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2004/05/07/military/21_43_595_6_04.txt


Ellie

thedrifter
05-07-04, 08:47 AM
HMLA-167, HMM-261 squadrons change hands in Western Iraq
Submitted by: 3d Marine Aircraft Wing
Story Identification Number: 2004577152
Story by Staff Sgt. A.C. Mink



AL ASAD, Iraq(May 7, 2004) -- In an unprecedented occurrence here, two East Coast squadrons, attached to a West Coast aircraft group, carried out a dual change of command ceremony, April 30.

Lt. Col. James D. "Stripper" Grace, Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 167, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, relinquished command to Lt. Col. Christopher M. "Tone" Clayton as simultaneously Lt. Col. Michael H. "Shepard" Belding passed the Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 261 colors to Lt. Col. John R. "Bones" Parker.

Though both are 2nd MAW units, they are currently attached to Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"One of the unique things about this deployment is that there are aviation and support units from every Marine Aircraft Wing in the Marine Corps brought together to perform a mission in support of First Marine Expeditionary Force," said Belding, a Waynesboro, Pa., native.

Clayton, who has been the executive officer for HMLA-167 since November 2003, credited his deployment with the unit for benefiting him in the job ahead.

"This opportunity I have been afforded has been absolutely invaluable," said Clayton. "The transition will be smooth, because I have been intimately involved in the plans and execution of the current deployment."

A self-proclaimed military brat, Clayton is originally from Kentucky, but now claims Jacksonville, N.C., "home" for his family.

Speaking of Grace, a Portland, Ore., native, and about taking command of the "Warriors," Clayton remarked, "It's an honor and privilege to take command and accept this squadron - it's like a finely tuned race car, already running in great shape...now it's my turn to drive.

"Stripper and I were friends before, but as I worked for him as his (executive officer), I have only grown to admire him more for his leadership and genuine concern for his Marines and Sailors," Clayton added. "We are closer friends now for that."

The "Raging Bulls" of HMM-261 and the HMLA-167 "Warriors" have flown dozens of missions together, with 167's AH-1W Super Cobras and UH-1N Hueys flying alongside 261's CH-46E Sea Knights or "Phrogs," so the opportunity to change command together just seemed to fit, according to Belding.

"Normally, when we go composite as a Marine Expeditionary Unit (Aviation Combat Element), HMLA-167 provides our Cobra and Huey attachments. We work closely with one another at (Marine Corps Air Station) New River and having an opportunity to share a change of command in a combat theater is just another unique opportunity brought to us by the present circumstances," said Belding.

Obviously the team worked, as both Grace and Belding received Meritorious Service Medals and were lauded for their unsurpassed and unparalleled proficiency in their fields by Lt. Gen. H. P. Osman, commanding general, II MEF.

In his official message to Grace, honored guest, Maj. Gen. James F. Amos, commanding general, 3rd MAW said, "Your squadron has displayed a level of enthusiasm and discipline indicative of a world-class organization. It is readily apparent that the "Warriors" have thrived under your leadership."

To Belding, Amos wrote, "Shepard, ...I have personally flown with your squadron many times and have walked away in each instance totally impressed...I am truly grateful for having had you at the helm leading this fine squadron."

Grace, whose next tour of duty takes him to the Naval War College, gave much credit to his Marines who, after having just returning from an eight-month deployment, spent only a few months home and redeployed in support of OIF II.

"Each of you wanted the chance to deploy with your parent squadron, even if that meant the hard sacrifices of leaving your family behind again. For that I will always be grateful to you and your families.

"This is a humble squadron that goes about it's business with quiet confidence and utmost care and concern for it's Marines," he added during the ceremony, before again thanking the families back home.

Belding began his remarks by thanking his wife, Lisa, and saying she is the "key ingredient to the success of this unit, as well as my career."

He also placed great credit on his Marines calling them "the finest Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron in the fleet," and saying, "I think the real key to our success has been setting realistic goals and teamwork. Each Marine doing the best he can do every day with the (staff noncommissioned officers) and NCOs keeping in sight the ultimate goal."

After returning to MAG-26, Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., and some leave, Belding is scheduled to join the staff at Exercise Desert Talon II in Yuma, Ariz., before attending National War College in Washington, D.C., in the fall.

However, Belding also had this to say to his Marines, "The Marines of HMM-261, the 'Raging Bulls,' have set the standard for Marine Medium Helicopter squadrons. They have provided assault support in hostile conditions to deliver Marines to their destinations, and re-supplied those in need of water, chow and ammunition. They have evacuated the injured for medical care and with dignity, carried fallen comrades from the battlefield. They have acted unselfishly and made significant contributions in the War on Terrorism. I could not be prouder of these Marines and what they have accomplished."

Parker, who floated with Belding in Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm, said of Belding, "He is one of the finest squadron (commanding officers) I have ever seen. He possesses and exercises all the right leadership traits any unit could ask for. His guidance in preparing the squadron for war was established months ago and right on target. Much of the success the squadron has attained here in Iraq is due to his vision and leadership."

Parker, who like Clayton, comes from a military background, claims Greenville, S.C., as his hometown. However, the second-generation Marine pilot also claimed Jacksonville, N.C., and Beeville, Texas, as "home."

Having been Belding's executive officer for seven months, he, like Clayton, has had an opportunity to get to know the Marines and Sailors who are now under his command.

Parker began his comments with a joke, recognizing his wife, Tonya, as the new "head cow" for his "Raging Bulls."

Once the laughter of the close-knit group quieted, he kept his remarks brief saying, "It is an honor and privilege to take command of a unit of true warfighters such as the 'Raging Bulls.' I ask that they keep standing up and being counted, because each and every one of them is making a difference. Both here in Iraq and on the Global War on Terrorism."

Throughout the ceremony, carried out by the Marines and Sailors of MAG-16, there was a noticeable difference from the norm in the number of servicemembers forming the platoons. Even with the festivities of the day, no one forgot that members of all the units present had elements in the air above Iraq carrying out missions, and that there are many challenges to face in the upcoming months.

"I cannot think of anywhere I would rather be than here with you as part of America's 'terrible swift sword,'" said Clayton, closing his remarks. "I am proud to be your commander, and look forward to the challenges which lay ahead."

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200457787/$file/BullWarriorCoC1-lr.jpg

(left to right) Lt. Col. John R. Parker takes the Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 261 'Raging Bulls' squadron colors from Lt. Col. Michael H. Belding, as Lt. Col. Christopher M. Clayton takes the Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 167 colors from Lt. Col. James D. Grace during the first dual change of command ceremony in Al Asad, Iraq, April 30. The Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, squadrons pass the unit colors to represent the official passing of responsibility, authority, accountability and command to members of the command and those present. Photo by: Sgt. Justin Kaleta

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/1A220CB51B29213485256E8D003C98AB?opendocument


Ellie

thedrifter
05-07-04, 06:01 PM
In Fallujah, civility returns

By Scott Peterson | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

FALLUJAH, IRAQ – The eyes of Abbas Aswad shine, as a US Marine lawyer counts out 16 crisp $50 bills, and places them in his hands. The money is compensation to the Mukhtar village, to fix several fragile water lines broken hours earlier by marines, as they set up positions at the nearby Fallujah railway station.
As this Iraqi front line quiets down - there hasn't been any shooting in Fallujah in days - the payout is part of a concerted American strategy to shift away from war, and to resume the campaign to win hearts and minds. Indeed, perceptions that Iraq is a nation spiraling out of US control began to change this week. Thursday, the US ratcheted up pressure on radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, by seizing the governor's office from his fighters in Najaf. Moderate Shiites and tribal leaders have put forward plans to persuade Mr. Sadr to turn himself in.

However, returning to a practice that's been absent for more than a month, a suicide attacker detonated a car bomb outside the so-called Green Zone that houses the US headquarters in Baghdad, killing five Iraqi civilians and a US soldier.

Back in Fallujah, the Iraqi general entrusted with pacifying the city said Thursday that US Marines must withdraw quickly so that stability can be restored. "If they stay it will hurt the confidence, and we have built confidence. They should leave so that there will be more calm," General Muhammad Latif told Reuters.

Until such an order arrives, US soldiers are doing what they can with cash, food, and medical assistance. And this kind of campaign can do more than settle a debt. "It takes away their ability to be mad at you.... It shows people that we are here for them, to improve their lives," says Capt. Kevin Coughlin, the staff judge advocate for 2nd Battalion 1st Marine Regiment who gave out the money. With such payments "you are making an apology for damage done."

US officers here say it is too soon to judge if this Fallujah peace will hold, but they are making post-war amends. It's not an easy task. US forces face deep skepticism about their actions across Iraq, particularly after revelations about the abuse of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison. And the evidence of the ferocity of the past month's battle for Fallujah is everywhere.

Houses are burned or leveled; streets are strewn with rubble; feelings are frayed. The casualty count has been high - for both US Marines and insurgents. "Instability hasn't ended, just because no one has been shooting at us," says Lt. Col. Gregg Olson, commander of the 2nd Battalion from Cumberland, Rhode Island.

The result - in a city that has become synonymous with the anti-American resistance in Iraq - is no shortage of work for US officers now trying to defuse anger with cash and goodwill.

"We've always had two tracks: Be a better friend for those who want a democratic, stable future Iraq. We'll support them with whatever we have," says Colonel Olson. "But at the same time, these things can't exist...when people are afraid. These tasks [like compensation payments] drive out fear."

EVEN during the fighting last month, when this battalion shifted its forward headquarters into an apartment complex, claims were assessed. Families on their way out - to flee the fighting - were often paid $200 or so, for doors or windows that marines broke to gain entry. Officers made clear that premises were to be handed back as intact as possible - as they were on Wednesday, when marines vacated the apartments.

When company commander Capt. Jeff Stevenson of Oceanside, Calif., visited the Mukhtar village to discuss the damaged water pipes, he took a Humvee with him stacked with pre-packaged meals and bottles of water, as gifts.

"Sir, Thursday we damaged your village water pipes," he told Mr. Aswad. "Americans like to take responsibility for their actions, so I need to know who to pay."

A meet-and-greet walk around the hardscrabble desert village of 100 turned up several more men, who all agreed that Aswad was trustworthy enough to receive the cash and supplies for all.

Captain Stevenson asked if anyone in the village had been wounded in the fighting. None had. "God willing the fighting is over, the insurgents are done, and [Iraqi forces] are in control of the city," Stevenson told the men. They joked that their poor village - because it is so close to US positions - is now being called the "Village of Bad Luck."

"By us being out here, we have caused some discomfort," the captain said, as marines gathered boxes off the Humvee, and handed out leaflets with radio frequencies for coalition broadcasts.

Solatia payments are at the discretion of local commanders, and only provided in countries where it is customary to pay such blood money to end a feud. Officers first planned to pay $400 for the broken pipes - a half a dozen lines of brittle plastic tubing snaking just under the surface of the desert. Aswad bargained instead for $800, as villagers promised to put in a more permanent, larger pipe. The Americans agreed. "In my opinion, it was well worth the extra $400 to get them better pipes," says Captain Coughlin, wiping sweat from his brow.

The maximum payout through the commander's scheme is $2,500 per incident, and each battalion can have available up to some $500,000 per month. Far larger claims and projects - some already approved for Fallujah - are handled at a centralized claims office.

But this is the first time that Marine lawyers have been deployed at battalion level, a sign of how much the military recognizes the importance of minimizing the impact of US occupation.

Inside Fallujah, the imam of one mosque has been approached to determine what has been broken, such as buildings and water mains because of "collateral damage due to combat," says Coughlin. The key - and it is a fine line in this city - is to "make sure the people who owned it were civilians, and not using [a house] for insurgents."

Compensation is not the only means US forces use to connect with Iraqis. An older Iraqi woman living in a trailer hovel adjacent to the rail station says she was beaten by insurgents several weeks ago - accused of being a collaborator - and kicked in the stomach.

US servicemen evacuated Farha Abed Saad for medical treatment after dark, when her pain became unbearable. "Thank God, you have come here to Iraq and make us free," said Ms. Saad, kissing a soldier's hands. "When I see you, I see my own sons! Thank you, thank you."

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0507/p01s02-woiq.html


Ellie

thedrifter
05-07-04, 08:48 PM
Issue Date: May 10, 2004 <br />
<br />
The ultimate squad war <br />
Why this time in Iraq, sergeants and corporals are leading the fight <br />
<br />
By Gidget Fuentes <br />
Times staff writer <br />
<br />
FALLUJAH, Iraq — A puff of dust...