General Warns Of 'Spectacular' Plots - Page 2
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  1. #16
    HA Planning continues as 15th MEU (SOC) nears affected regions

    by Lance Cpl. Scott L. Eberle
    15th MEU


    ABOARD USS BONHOMME RICHARD -- In the wake of the recent tsunami that swept across the Indian Ocean and claimed more than 100,000 lives, the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) has begun gearing up for one of the largest Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Operations in history.

    While heading full speed to the affected area, Marines and Sailors have been working hard to prepare thousands of Meals Ready to Eat, pallets full of purified water and other supplies to hit the ground to immediately help relieve the suffering of thousands of victims left devastated by the catastrophe.

    Scores of people were left homeless, in need of food and clean water when giant waves ripped across several coastal nations in the Indian Ocean. The 15th MEU (SOC) was on their way to the Western Pacific when the natural disaster took place. They were scheduled to spend five days of training in Guam before being called to provide assistance in the region. The USS Bonhomme Richard and USS Duluth spent just a few short hours in Guam loading supplies needed for the HAO.

    On New Year's Day a working party of Marines went through more than 750 cases of MREs and removed meals that contained food not appropriate for some of the cultures affected by the tsunami.

    "The entire 15th MEU will not all be going to same location. On January 4th, the USS Duluth will break off from the rest of the pack to provide assistance in Indonesia", according to Staff Sgt. Shannon E. Middleton, the fire support chief and assistant operations chief for the MEU.

    The Marines and Sailors aboard Bonhomme Richard are scheduled to land in Sri Lanka, while the Duluth will be providing critical aviation support to Indonesia, according to Staff Sgt. Julio C. Dominguez, the engineer chief for the MEU Service Support Group.

    Because the Marines and Sailors aboard Duluth will be performing different missions, Marines with the Battalion Landing Team have cross-decked from the BHR to the Duluth, in addition to MEU Service Support Group-15 coming from Duluth to the BHR.

    "The MSSG has been preparing for a humanitarian mission of this type for about 12 months now and is more prepared for [an actual] mission," said Dominguez. "By bringing more MSSG Marines to the Bonhomme Richard, we are trying to raise our capability to meet the requirements of the HAO [in Sri Lanka]."

    Originally, 15th MEU was headed to the Arabian Gulf for scheduled training, but since this event occurred, many of the Marines said they are more than happy to lend a hand. "Anything we can do to help is good," said Lance Cpl. Pedro Garcia Jr., a 22-year-old radio operator with the BLT. "As long as the disaster gets cleaned up and the people get food and water, that's what is important."

    The ACE will be playing a key role in supporting the HAO, according to Michael C. Callaghan, a CH-46 pilot for the 15th MEU. "Our first objective is to get our humanitarian aid supplies from our ships into camps established in the country. Once all of our supplies are in the camps, our focus will shift to distributing the supplies throughout the country."

    Two CH-46s will move from the Bonhomme Richard to the Duluth to help support them with their side of the mission according to Callaghan.

    It's not just Marines that are cross decking from the Duluth to the Bonhomme Richard. "The Duluth is handing over a bulldozer, sea tractor, and a tram, and we already have an M-9 Ace to take into country with us," according to Gunnery Sgt. Jason E. Cornelison, the Combat Cargo assistant for well deck operations. "We are basically taking all the supplies of a construction crew to help tear down the rubble and rebuild the area."

    "Along with the tractors, the MEU will be packing chainsaws, shovels, lumber, over 750 cases of MREs, and 900 cases of purified water to distribute to the victims," said Cornelison. " Combat Cargo is ready and standing by to help in any way necessary to support the humanitarian mission."


    Ellie


  2. #17
    Iraqi Police Trained in Special Ops
    Officers Prepare for Elections
    January 8, 2005


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    by Jim Kouri

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Civilian Police Assistance Training Team, as part of their on-going effort to organize, train and equip Iraqi police services, recently began a Hostage Crisis Negotiation course at an undisclosed location. Iraqi police officers from all over Iraq and from different Iraqi police agencies are attending the course.

    “This course is a tool,” said instructor Wayne Lehman. “We’re giving them tools, resources, and ideas. We give them some concepts to be able to work things out for themselves.”

    The course has 31 students from the Iraqi Police Service, Department of Border Enforcement, the Iraqi Highway Patrol, the Major Crimes Unit and other agencies. The two-week course was implemented recently and it gives officers skills in coping with the rash of kidnappings occurring in Iraq. Many of Iraq’s kidnappings target Iraqis.

    As part of the formal training, ten Iraqi police officers in Magdad traveled to a residential neighborhood as part of their regular street patrol when they ran into a hostage scenario. A suspicious man was reported in the neighborhood and as police investigated the report, a gun fight broke out.

    It was then that police noticed that there was a boy being held hostage. After a 45 minute standoff, the five year-old boy was removed safely and four suspects were taken into custody. The boy, the investigation revealed, was a hostage who had been kidnapped for ransom by the suspects.

    The course covers principles of negotiation, negotiation criterion, considerations, techniques and guidelines, as well as other topics. But the course, Lehman says, is not all inclusive and it is not designed to prepare police officers for high-profile political kidnappings.

    “It’s a philosophy we’re going to give them here,” Lehman said. “We’re here to try to teach them how to deal with the day-to-day stuff that the local cops have to deal with. It’s got to start somewhere. They’re on the street everyday.”

    Lehman, who taught the FBI’s hostage negotiation lesson plan in the United States, assembled the course plan from scratch. Ordinarily, most hostage courses also include a segment where a psychologist teaches a block of instruction. CPATT’s course doesn’t include a psychological segment, but Lehman says the organization is working on it.

    “It’s got to start somewhere,” Lehman said. And this course will help officers with a kidnapping problem that Lehman called, “Immense.”

    Capt. Hatim Uthman, a police officer in Baghdad since 1995, and a graduate of three training courses since the fall of Saddam Hussein, said the course broadened his thought process on the job.

    “This course gets me to think about things differently,” Uthman said. “It offers new information for me. We’re here to try to learn how we can help in kidnapping scenarios.

    “We’re all experienced here, but this is new to us,” Uthman said.

    Other Police Training Activities

    Iraqi Police Service officers in Bayji, near Kirkuk in Northern Iraq, commenced “train the trainer” courses with international police advisors and multinational forces on November 1.

    The classes run Bayji officers through personnel and vehicle searches, countering force-protection threats, traffic control point operations, police leader and trainer skills, patrol distribution, duty roster management, and joint coordination center operations instruction.
    Train the trainer courses are typically designed to provide Iraqi Security Forces personnel the ability to train future classes.

    The Iraqi Police Service graduated 67 officers from three advanced instruction courses at the Adnan Training Facility, here, today, as part of the Iraqi government’s ongoing effort to train up its security forces. Officers spent two weeks negotiating the specialty skill courses intended to augment the standard eight-week police training all officers undergo prior to service. The courses, consisting of a basic criminal investigation, a first-line supervision, and a kidnapping course ran 20, 23, and 24 students, respectively through the training.

    Specialized Police

    The Iraqi Police graduated 1,938 specialized police officers; 1,190 Public Order Police and 748 Mechanized Police officers Dec. 30. The officers completed intensive five week training programs conducted at the Civil Intervention Force Academy.

    The Iraqi Minister of Interior has turned to the Public Order Police to act as a bridging force in cities where the police force has not yet been established or will be reconstituted due to insurgency activity. They provide a critical security presence, maintaining law and order, to ensure the safety and security of the local populace.

    The 8th Mechanized Police Brigade is a paramilitary police force designed to battle insurgents and assist local law enforcement officials dealing with serious insurgent threats or major criminal activity. The unit is equipped with “BTRs,” wheeled armored vehicles with fire power capable of full-combat operations.

    “These units require more training and more advanced equipment. However, once deployed to areas of unrest, they will be effective because of their training, motivation and morale, and dedication to their country,” says Col. Lawrence Pippins, program manager, counterterrorism special operations, for the Civilian Police Assistance Training Team.

    Officers attending the courses came from areas throughout Iraq and will be deployed to their respective assignments following graduation. More than 1,000 officers who previously completed the course have been outfitted, equipped and deployed in support of security operations.

    Sources: US Department of Defense, National Association of Chiefs of Police Extension Services Unit

    Ellie


  3. #18
    Soldier Gets Six Months in Iraqi Drowning

    By ANGELA K. BROWN, Associated Press Writer

    FORT HOOD, Texas - An Army platoon sergeant who ordered his soldiers to throw Iraqis into the Tigris River was sentenced Saturday to six months in military prison, but will not be discharged.


    Army Sgt. 1st Class Tracy Perkins was convicted Friday of two counts of aggravated assault, assault consummated by battery and obstruction of justice. He was acquitted of involuntary manslaughter and making a false statement.


    He did not testify during his trial, but before he was sentenced Saturday told the jury of Army officers and enlisted members that his actions were wrong — although he did not apologize to the Iraqis. He said he still loved the military and did not want to lose his job.


    "If I had to go back, I would definitely do something different on those days," Perkins said, wiping away tears.


    Perkins, 33, and another soldier were accused of ordering soldiers to push two Iraqis into the river in Samarra in January 2004. Prosecutors say Zaidoun Hassoun, 19, drowned and his cousin, Marwan Hassoun, climbed out the river.


    Defense attorneys contended Zaidoun may still be alive, but say if he is dead it was not at the hands of U.S. soldiers.


    The six-man military jury — which decided against the manslaughter conviction — also reduced Perkins' rank by one grade to staff sergeant, which cuts his pay and responsibilities.


    Jurors considered a sentencing range of no punishment to a dishonorable discharge, rank reduction and 11 1/2 years in prison. Prosecutors had recommended five years in prison and a dishonorable or bad conduct discharge.


    Perkins was taken to the Bell County Jail because Ford Hood has no jail. It could take up to a week to determine where he will serve his sentence.


    Prosecutors and defense attorneys declined to comment after the sentencing.


    Before deliberations began, the prosecutor, Capt. Megan Shaw, said Perkins had jeopardized the U.S. mission because insurgents were using the incidents to spread anti-American propaganda.


    The defense attorney, Capt. Tom Hurley, urged the jurors to consider Perkins' numerous military awards.


    Marwan Hassoun testified that he tried to save his cousin by grabbing his hand, but the powerful current swept Zaidoun away. Marwan said the body was found in the river nearly two weeks later.


    Perkins did not discuss specifics of the incident on the stand Saturday, but admitted he had ordered his soldiers to throw an Iraqi man into the river in December 2003.


    Perkins said the man had made a gesture of slitting his throat. He said he never meant to injure or kill the Iraqi by throwing him in the river; and he ordered him thrown in the river to teach him a "hard lesson" about threatening U.S. troops. He testified he saw the man climb out alive.


    "Basically the enemy would test your resolve. ... I didn't want them to think we were soft or weak," said Perkins, who has 14 years of military service.


    Perkins was convicted of assault consummated by battery in Zaidoun's purported death, which carries a maximum sentence of six months. He was convicted of aggravated assault in connection with the attack on Marwan Hassoun and for ordering the other man thrown into the river in December 2003. He was found innocent of making a false statement.





    No soldiers disputed that the Hassoun cousins were forced into the river. But soldiers testifying for the prosecution and defense said they never heard Perkins order the Iraqis into the river and that he stayed in his vehicle that night.

    The soldiers said the orders came from Army 1st Lt. Jack Saville, the platoon leader, who is to be tried in March on the same charges as Perkins — as well as a conspiracy charge. His trial was postponed until March after a judge ordered the victim's body to be exhumed for an autopsy and identification.

    Several of Perkins' commanding officers testified Saturday that Perkins was an outstanding soldier who tried to find non-lethal ways to deal with defiant Iraqis in the increasingly dangerous region.

    "I will always consider him a war hero. ... No one can ever take away his outstanding service over there," said Lt. Col. Nathan Sassaman.

    Perkins and Saville are part of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team out of Fort Carson, Colo., which is part of the 4th Infantry Division based at Fort Hood.

    Ellie


  4. #19
    U.S., Owner Dispute House Bombing Deaths

    By NICK WADHAMS, Associated Press Writer

    BAGHDAD, Iraq - The United States military said it dropped a 500-pound bomb on the wrong house outside the northern city of Mosul on Saturday, killing five people. The man who owned the house said the bomb killed 14 people, and an Associated Press photographer said seven of them were children.


    The strike in the town of Aitha, 30 miles south of Mosul, came hours before a senior U.S. Embassy official in Iraq (news - web sites) met with leaders of the Sunni Arab community to apply political pressure against their threat to boycott Jan. 30 elections. The Arab satellite broadcaster al-Jazeera said the Sunnis asked the Americans to announce a timetable for a U.S. troop withdrawal.


    Violence also continued, with at least eight Iraqis killed.


    American officials repeatedly have insisted the vote go ahead, but it is an extremely delicate time, with Iraq's government perceived by many as closely tied to the U.S.-led coalition.


    Late Saturday, a U.S. military statement said an F-16 jet dropped a 500-pound GPS-guided bomb on a house that was meant to be searched during an operation to capture "an anti-Iraqi force cell leader."


    "The house was not the intended target for the airstrike. The intended target was another location nearby," the military said in a statement.


    The homeowner, Ali Yousef, told Associated Press Television News that the airstrike happened at about 2:30 a.m., and American troops immediately surrounded the area, blocking access for four hours. The brick house was reduced to a pile of rubble, according to an Associated Press photographer at the scene.


    An Associated Press photographer said from the scene that 14 members of the same family — seven children, four women and three men — were killed, and six people were wounded, including another child in the house and five people from neighboring houses. By evening, all 14 victims had been buried in a nearby cemetery, Yousef said.


    The U.S. military statement said coalition forces went to the area to provide assistance and said five people were killed. It said there was no other damage.


    "Multi-National Force Iraq deeply regrets the loss of possibly innocent lives," the statement said, adding that an investigation was underway.


    American troops recently sent more troops to Mosul, which has seen heavy clashes in recent weeks between insurgents and American forces. U.S. officials acknowledge the area is still too unsafe for the elections to take place there safely.


    Britain also is expected to announce next week that it will send an extra 650 soldiers to Iraq to bolster security for the elections, a London newspaper reported.


    The Sunday Telegraph said the deployment of a battalion of Royal Highland Fusiliers would boost British troop levels in Iraq to some 9,000. A Defense Ministry spokesman confirmed that the 650-strong battalion was on standby.


    The election is the first democratic vote in Iraq since the country was formed in 1932, and the Sunnis are certain to lose their dominance to the Shiites, who comprise 60 percent of Iraq's 26 million people. Sunni leaders have urged the vote be postponed, largely because areas of Iraq where they dominate are far too restive for preparations to begin.


    In particular, the Association of Muslim Scholars, a powerful Sunni Muslim group, has demanded the vote be put off and threatened a boycott. On Saturday, a senior embassy official met in Baghdad with members of the group, U.S. Embassy spokesman Bob Callahan said. He described the surprise meeting as an "exchange of views."


    "A senior officer in the embassy met with them to discuss how participation would benefit the Sunni community," Callahan said.


    He would not identify the American official who participated, but he said it was not Ambassador John Negroponte.





    Earlier, al-Jazeera reported that the Americans met with Harith al-Dhari, the association's general secretary, and several others. It reported that al-Dhari asked the United States to announce a timetable for withdrawing its forces from Iraq.

    Callahan would not say if that was discussed, but it is unlikely the United States would consider such a request.

    The U.S. military also announced Saturday the arrest of a key al-Qaida-linked suspect in Mosul on Dec. 22. The military identified him as Abdul Aziz Sa-dun Ahmed Hamduni, known as Abu Ahmed and said he was a key leader of the Mosul-based group Abu Talha, which has been connected to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al-Qaida's leader in Iraq.

    The suspect "admitted to receiving money and weapons from Abu Talha as well as coordinating and conducting terrorist attacks in Mosul," the military said in a statement.

    Authorities in Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s hometown of Tikrit said Saturday that gunmen abducted a deputy governor of a central Iraqi province and two other senior Sunni officials after they met with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's most prominent Shiite leader, in the holy city of Najaf to discuss the elections. A fourth person also was abducted.

    The officials were kidnapped about 40 miles south of Baghdad on Friday. The area is in the so-called "triangle of death," a string of Sunni-controlled towns that has been the scene of frequent attacks.

    The U.S. military said the delegation was traveling in two cars, one of which escaped the ambush.

    "Those insurgents and terrorists who intimidate and resort to kidnapping public officials are the true enemies of the Iraqi people," U.S. military spokesman Maj. Neal O'Brien said.

    A Shiite Muslim cleric close to al-Sistani said the kidnappings of Tikrit's deputy governor and three other officials meant to "prevent any contacts" between Sunni Muslims and Shiite Muslims. The insurgents are believed to be primarily Sunni.

    "They don't want to see a delegation from Tikrit visiting a Shiite religious leader," Jalaludine al-Saghir said.

    At least eight more people were killed in ambushes and attacks, capping a brutal week of assassinations, suicide car bombings and other assaults. The attacks killed about 100 people, mostly Iraqi security troops, who are seen by the militants as collaborators with the American occupiers.

    Iraq's insurgents repeatedly have targeted police and security forces, which tend to be poorly armed and less trained than their American counterparts, resulting in higher casualty counts.

    In other violence, insurgents in Baqouba beheaded a translator working with the U.S. Army, police said Saturday. An Iraqi policeman was killed by masked gunmen as he left his house in Baghdad's southern Dora neighborhood.

    A booby-trapped car exploded Saturday at a gas station in Mahaweel, 35 miles south of Baghdad, killing two people and wounding 19, including two critically, said Dr. Mohemmed Dhia, head of Hilla Surgical hospital.

    In Baghdad's western Khadraa neighborhood, gunmen shot dead Abboud Khalaf al-Lahibi, deputy secretary-general of the National Front for Iraqi tribes — a group representing several Iraqi tribes, said his aide, Ibrahim al-Farhan. A bodyguard was killed and three others also were wounded, he said.

    Separately, Iraq's Interior Ministry said it was searching for missing French journalist Florence Aubenas and her translator, Hussein Hanoun al-Saadi, amid a possible witness account that they were abducted in downtown Baghdad. The two were last seen Wednesday morning leaving Aubenas' hotel in the Iraqi capital.

    One of al-Saadi's relatives said the two were abducted near an entrance to the Green Zone, the fortified area that is home to the U.S. Embassy and the interim Iraqi government, but the claim could not be confirmed.


    Ellie


  5. #20
    Marines leave Knoxville for N.C., then Iraq

    January 7, 2005

    By BO WILLIAMS
    6 News Anchor/Reporter

    KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- Marines with the 4th Combat Engineer Battalion based in Knoxville left Friday for Camp LeJeune. From there, they'll go to Iraq.

    Friday morning, family and friends gathered to say goodbye as the 40 Marines boarded the bus at the Marine Reserve Center on Alcoa Highway.

    The unit will spend the next month training in North Carolina before being deployed to Iraq where they're expected to be stationed from six months to a year.

    "This is actually the first time I'm going out of the country," 22-year-old Jake Sacarborough said. "It's a little scary. You never know what to expect."

    "I'm not really worried about myself," Cedric Roach said. "We've been through training. We're very confident in what we're doing. I just want to make sure my family is okay."

    But Friday's send off wasn't only for immediate family members. The soldiers extended family, the second platoon, was also on hand, lining a path to the bus.

    "They'll actually be leaving on Monday," said Company Commander Tim Eichhorn as he watched the Marines send off their own. "This same evolution will be repeated again as they leave. They wanted to wish their fellow Marines safe seas and God Speed."

    While in Iraq, the engineer battalion will work in demolitions. One of their duties is clearing mine fields so infantry units can pass safely.

    Ellie


  6. #21
    In Fallujah, Marines try a new tactic
    Image-building is latest mission
    By Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times | January 9, 2005

    FALLUJAH, Iraq -- As he navigated his Humvee through rubble-strewn streets, Lance Corporal Sunshine Yubeta articulated a question that is key to the Marines' mission here.

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    "I wonder," said the 23-year-old from Madras, Ore., nodding toward several sullen men on a corner, "if they hate us or like us."

    It is a dilemma at the heart of the US policy in this Sunni Triangle city, which was once the center of Iraqi's insurgency. Having routed the guerrillas late last year in combat that left much of Fallujah in ruins, the US military needs the cooperation of residents who once fled the fighting.

    To keep the insurgents from reestablishing a headquarters here, the United States knows it will need information from residents about the movement of fighters back into the neighborhoods. In addition, US officials hope for at least a modicum of participation from Fallujah in Jan. 30 elections that might bolster the credibility of the Iraqi government.

    At five heavily guarded entry points to the city, military interrogators selectively ask residents returning to Fallujah if they have heard of the upcoming election and, if so, which candidate they might support.

    The goal, officials insist, is not to influence how the Iraqis might vote. It is to get an understanding of how well residents of this culturally and politically isolated city understand the changes in their country since Saddam Hussein's regime was toppled in April 2003.

    Inside the city, the Americans have established several relief centers to provide food and water to residents and toys to children. By some estimates, the United States has earmarked $150 million for the city. The Iraqi government plans a compensation program.

    In addition to the humanitarian assistance centers, Marine patrols drive slowly through the streets, talking to residents, handing out water, fruit juice, cigarettes, crackers, cookies, and breakfast cereal, and asking for information about insurgents. Some of the food had been sent to the Marines by their families.

    Posters have been plastered on walls offering rewards for insurgent leaders, although there have been few reported takers.

    Outside the assistance center tents, Iraqis stand for hours to receive water and packets of food stamped with a US flag and the words "A Food Gift From the People of the United States of America." Hands are marked to prevent a return for seconds.

    One center is just blocks from the spot where a mob killed four US contractors last March. Now Iraqis gather not only for aid but for a chance to work in the assistance program, which pays about $8 a day.

    Many of those in line on Thursday were hungry, cold, and seemingly dazed by events that made their city, untouched by the US-led invasion in 2003, into a battlefield against the insurgency.

    "I didn't do anything wrong, but the Americans destroyed my house," said Sami Fafaj, 49, holding two bottles of water and two food packets.

    "I want America to rebuild my house and give me money for what they have done," agreed Allah Abdullah, 37, collecting food for his seven children. "Sometimes I wish they had never come to Iraq."

    While public expressions of anger directed at the Americans seem rare, a widespread feeling appears to exist of having been wronged by US forces.

    While older residents might seem fatalistic, the younger ones show signs of impatience.

    "We are not free to move in our own city," said Maged Haraj, 20. "We want to be free."

    The young Marines say they are confident that residents will come to accept that the destruction was necessary to rid Fallujah of the insurgents who had controlled the city.

    As the patrol vehicles prowled the streets, children ran after the Humvees begging for anything available. Adults asked for rice, water, or cigarettes.

    Some told horror stories of months under insurgent control.

    "I have a nephew that they beheaded," said a truck driver, Adnan Mohammed, flanked by two children. "You are our destiny."

    But other Iraqi men remained on the curb, offering no smiles and returning no waves. One gestured in disdain. Some refused to ask for handouts but sent children to do their bidding, particularly for cigarettes.

    The residents who have returned are living a meager existence. In this western sector of the city, no stores have reopened, although a black market is said to exist. A dusk-to-dawn curfew has been imposed.

    Ellie


  7. #22
    Airborne Marines descend in night operation
    Submitted by: II Marine Expeditionary Force
    Story Identification #: 200516164945
    Story by Cpl. Ruben D. Maestre



    MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP DAVIS, N.C. (Jan. 6, 2005) -- In the twilight dusk, over 30 Marines, most of them assigned to 2d Air Delivery Platoon, 2d Transportation Support Battalion, 2d Force Service Support Group, dropped out of the sky over a desolate drop zone during a crisp and cool evening in eastern North Carolina. The jump, scheduled to take place during daytime, had to be pushed forward into the evening hours. The airborne Marines and the C-130J carrying them, had to jockey for a time in airspace also being used by aircraft from a nearby civilian airfield and New River Marine Corps air station.

    “Because of aircraft flying near the drop zone, our C-130 [transport aircraft] had to take a different flight path,” said Cpl. Joseph L. Pruett, a native Holton, Kan., and the ground safety officer after receiving word through his field radio. “With the sun going down, I would say that is going to be considered as a night jump.”

    With the sun setting, the Marines with 2d Air Delivery conducted a nighttime airborne jump over drop zone Pheasant here recently. A smattering of other units and a pair of Royal Dutch Marines participated in the jump, as the men honed on their airborne skills in the subdued evening sky.

    “I was a little scared that we where not going to be able to jump,” said Dutch Marine Master Sgt. Peter J. Laurier, a native of Rotterdam, Netherlands, currently assigned to the 6th Marine Regiment as a martial arts trainer, of the jump delay. “The exit from the aircraft went well though, when we did get the chance to parachute.”

    For many who participated in the jump, their personal and professional goal was in attaining the famed golden jump wings desired by many in a military branch that has traditionally had more of an emphasis on amphibious landings than airborne operations. The golden wings, designated as the Navy and Marine Corps Jump Insignia, are earned by Marines and Sailors who have conducted five specific airborne jumps. The five jumps consist of two daytime combat jumps with combat packs, two nighttime combat jumps and one airborne jump from an “alternate” aircraft, such as a helicopter or other types of vertical aircraft.

    During this particular airborne exercise, eight Marines out of a total of 11 for this week earned their golden jump insignia.

    Marine pilots from Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, also received additional flight hours flying their C-130Js in this particular type of mission.

    “We are giving the pilots their mission essentials and in return we are getting air time on their aircraft to qualify our jumpers,” said Pruett.

    The nighttime jump capped off a week of airborne operations by the parachute riggers and the other airborne troops. In addition to personnel parachuting into DZ Peasant, 2d Air Delivery parachuted supply loads earlier in the week within pinpoint accuracy of their designated spot.

    “We were pretty successful with dropping supplies within 200 meters,” said 1st Lt. Phillip B. Davis, a native of Bridgeport, W. Va., and the platoon commander for 2d Air Delivery. “That and tonight’s jump was a culmination of a successful week for air delivery operations.”

    Ellie


  8. #23
    Iraq Sunnis May Abandon Vote Boycott Call

    By RAWYA RAGEH, Associated Press Writer

    BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq (news - web sites)'s most influential Sunni group will abandon its call for a boycott of Jan. 30 elections if the United States gives a timetable for withdrawing multinational forces, a spokesman for the group said Sunday.


    Members of the powerful Association of Muslim Scholars relayed their request to a senior U.S. embassy official at a meeting Saturday, the Sunni official said on condition of anonymity.


    The meeting was confirmed Saturday by U.S. Embassy spokesman Bob Callahan, who said an unnamed senior embassy official in Iraq met with leading association members in an effort to persuade them to participate in the landmark election for a constitutional assembly.


    Callahan described the meeting as an "exchange of views" but would not elaborate. He said U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte was not present.


    It is extremely unlikely the United States would consider giving a timetable for a withdrawal.


    In the election — the first democratic vote in Iraq since the country was formed in 1932 — the Sunnis are certain to lose their dominance to the Shiites, who comprise 60 percent of Iraq's 26 million people.


    Sunni leaders have urged that the vote be postponed, largely because areas of Iraq where they dominate are far too restive for preparations to begin.


    The United States insists on holding the vote as planned and strongly opposes a postponement. But some American officials have acknowledged that a low turnout could jeopardize the vote's credibility.


    The Sunni official said the U.S. Embassy initiated the meeting, and the association was represented by its chief, Sheik Harith al-Dhari, and public relations chief Abdul-Salam al-Kobeisi.


    "Dr. Harith al-Dhari insisted that a timeframe for the withdrawal of the occupation forces be set and guaranteed by the United Nations (news - web sites)," the official said.


    "If this happened, the association will call on other parties who declared the boycott to participate in the elections," the Sunni official said, adding that an end to the boycott did not necessarily mean the association itself would participate.


    The Sunni officials said the meeting with the American diplomat was fruitful "because the Americans now know who has a sway on the Iraqi streets. They now know where to go to and who to talk to."



    Ellie


  9. #24
    For Marine Unit, Fallouja Is 'One Big Ordnance Dump'
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    By Tony Perry
    Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
    January 9, 2005

    FALLOUJA, Iraq - The origin of the greenish mortar rounds found Saturday along a row of demolished houses was unclear. Their killing power was not.

    "They're Chinese, probably," said Marine Master Sgt. Michael Dailey, leader of the Delta Team responsible for explosive ordnance disposal. "The green ones are most likely Chinese; the Russian ones tend to be more gray."

    The battle for Fallouja may be over, but the military is continuing its effort to find and dispose of thousands of ordnance rounds, some left from the U.S. assault on this Sunni Triangle city and others from insurgent stockpiles.

    The hunt has taken on new urgency with the Pentagon's acknowledgment Friday that insurgents are packing increasingly large amounts of killing power into the improvised explosive devices that are taking a near daily toll on U.S. convoys.

    Part of Fallouja's significance, officials said, is that it was a "safe zone" for insurgents to store ordnance and assemble roadside bombs.

    "This whole city was one big ordnance dump," said Marine Capt. Joe Winslow, part of a project to write the official history of the Marines in Iraq.

    Within minutes of arriving at the site where patrolling Marines had found the mortar rounds, Dailey's team had taken the ordnance, along with a fragmentation grenade, into a nearby field, away from troops and a row of homes.

    Two packs of malleable plastic explosives called C-4 were kneaded and strapped on top of the bundle. "If you work it enough, it feels like pizza dough," said Sgt. Edward Weis, as he applied the C-4 and a two-minute timer.

    The heavy metal cylinders were positioned so that the blast to destroy them would be absorbed by the soft earth.

    "Fire in the hole!" Dailey yelled, issuing the traditional warning that an explosion was imminent.

    With the Marines at a safe distance, the explosion sent a cloud of dirt into the air.

    Mortar rounds are a common component of what the military calls improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, often set along a road and detonated by remote control as a convoy passes by. These mortars have a "killing radius" of about 27 yards.

    The effort to clear ordnance from the Fallouja rubble began weeks ago, as combat troops were pushing southward to kill or capture insurgents. "We were right behind the front-line troops, clearing things as soon as we were out of frag radius," Dailey said, referring to the distance covered by deadly metal shards.

    American troops in Fallouja have found missiles, rocket-propelled grenades, antitank rounds, mortar rounds of several sizes, grenades and ordnance from virtually every industrialized country. Some caches consisted of thousands of munitions. Homes, schools, businesses and even an ice cream truck were found packed with the explosives.

    Although it is unclear where all the weaponry has come from, some of Iraq's largest munition dumps were looted when they went unguarded or underguarded by U.S.-led troops who invaded the country in March 2003. At the sprawling Al Qaqaa ammunition site south of Baghdad, hundreds of tons of high-grade explosives apparently were hauled off in trucks, according to U.S. troops, who said they were unable to halt the theft because they were outnumbered.

    Most caches found recently in Fallouja could be exploded in place, but some were so large that they had to be packed carefully into 7-ton trucks and taken to an isolated area for destruction.

    Officials are concerned that residents returning to their homes could be killed or wounded by leftover munitions. Residents are encouraged to contact Marines when they see something suspicious.

    Dailey, who has spent 15 of his 23 years as a Marine in the explosive ordnance disposal unit, served in the 1991 Persian Gulf War and in missions in Somalia and Kosovo. Somalia, he said, was packed with explosives. "It was an EOD technicians' playground."

    But nothing compares with Iraq, particularly Fallouja, in terms of the amount, diversity and lethal capacity of ordnance in the hands of insurgents. "This one takes the cake," Dailey said.

    There are indications that when the Iraqi economy was in near-collapse, ordnance became a kind of currency, with civilians being paid with grenades or rockets, which could then be bartered for food and other goods.

    Combat troops said it was not uncommon to find homes with entire rooms used as warehouses for ordnance, much like an American home might have a spare room with athletic equipment or housecleaning tools.

    To a degree unanticipated when the U.S. toppled Saddam Hussein, insurgents have proved resourceful in cobbling together roadside bombs to kill and maim U.S. troops. Larger munitions, such as antitank shells, have been known to destroy even the sturdiest of U.S. vehicles.

    The Pentagon acknowledgment suggests that insurgents have added explosive power in response to the U.S. move to add armor to Humvees and other vehicles, making the roundup of loose ordnance even more important.

    "It feels great," Sgt. Jason Tinnel said after the mortar rounds were destroyed. "I've seen the aftermath of IEDs, the mangled bodies in Humvees.

    "It's good to know that these particular items will never be used to attack our troops."

    Ellie


  10. #25
    Marine tells tales of service in Iraq
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    By Col. FRANK X. RYAN
    The Lebanon Daily News
    Jan. 9, 2005

    As I sit in our workspaces in Baghdad, I can tell you that you would be proud of the wonderful work our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines are doing! What great young people we have (as a 53-year-old, please realize that I find everyone young). Spirits are extremely high. Attitudes are great. Support from home is just tremendous.

    The reason for the great attitude is because we all know, to a person, that we are doing the right thing. Warfare is hard, hours are long. Injuries and deaths unfortunately and quite sadly occur, but these sacrifices are what we are all willing to do to keep our world safe from the claws of tyranny and terrorism.

    As I look at the body armor we all wear, the precautions we take and the leadership we all have for each other, I wish I could find a way to show it to you. On Christmas Day, I visited a young, injured soldier in our hospital. He was telling me that he was disappointed in himself because he was hurt. I was stunned by his comment, so I asked him what he meant.

    He said, "Sir, my squad is my responsibility, and I'm not able to protect them when I'm here."

    I looked at him with tremendous admiration, shook his hand and just said the only words that came to mind, "Semper fi" (always faithful). That Christmas evening in Iraq, this young soldier told me in no uncertain terms that his squad was his squad, and no one can take it from him. If you have friends in Iraq, trust me, they are in great hands.

    Another example is a Pennsylvania Army National Guard staff sergeant from Oil City. The spirit of our guardsmen, here for almost a year, is beyond belief. Sure, they want to go home, but they are staying ever vigilant and on duty so that you can sleep safe. Thank them when they get home. They are quite a success story. I am so proud of them.

    More recently, I ran into Maj. Mark Martin, whose wife is from my wife's hometown of Wapwallopen, Pa. Go figure have to go to Iraq to meet a neighbor! He's doing a great job here, and you would all be proud of him.

    The insurgent activity takes a while to get used to. We know we are being watched. We have to deal with that and make sure that our daily actions and activities don't create a pattern that gets us killed. Just the other day, I suspected someone of acting suspiciously, and we had him questioned to make sure that he was not trying to harm our forces. Strange to deal in this arena, but we are all at a heightened sense of security to look for this type of behavior. I look forward to seeing us achieve the success in Iraq that will help the Iraqis be free.

    About two years ago, I wrote an op-ed piece in the Lebanon Daily News in which I said that the war in Iraq is really a war of patience. Whoever loses patience first will lose this war. The loss will be in the hearts and minds and not on the battlefield. I can tell you that we won't lose it here, but I have to ask you to have the resolve to not lose patience.

    This war on terrorism and tyranny by our enemy is intended to make you lose your will. Please don't let that happen. As I mentioned two years ago, I will say again now you are as much a part of this war as I am, and I know that you, too, will remember the phrase "Semper fi." Stand firm with us in Iraq, and let's convince our enemy that we cannot be divided. If we do that, victory on the battlefield and in the minds of our enemies is ours!

    I work closely with many of the Iraqis' ministries, and you would be proud of these folks. I don't intend to mention their names in order to protect them, but let me tell you, these folks are true heroes. In order to build a free and democratic Iraq, they are willing to risk assassination. What heroes! They love what we are doing for them, and they are wonderful people.

    The weather is different than I thought it would be as well. Someone mentioned "dry" rain to me when I got here, and I had no idea what they were talking about. After the first rain, I understood. There is so little humidity both before and after the very short rainfalls that you really don't get wet when it does rain. Unique. Not sure that I would travel to Iraq just to find that out, so consider it a bonus for being willing to read such a long letter.

    P.S. If you are willing to send packages for our soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines, please send them to: TSgt Jon P. Carden; Any Soldier, Sailor, Airmen or Marine; MNF-I, SPA; U.S. Mission Iraq; APO, AE 09316.

    Frank Ryan, a Cornwall resident and 30-year Marine Corps veteran, is now serving with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve in Iraq.

    Ellie


  11. #26
    In Fallujah, Marines try a new tactic
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Image-building is latest mission
    By Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times
    January 9, 2005

    FALLUJAH, Iraq -- As he navigated his Humvee through rubble-strewn streets, Lance Corporal Sunshine Yubeta articulated a question that is key to the Marines' mission here.

    "I wonder," said the 23-year-old from Madras, Ore., nodding toward several sullen men on a corner, "if they hate us or like us."

    It is a dilemma at the heart of the US policy in this Sunni Triangle city, which was once the center of Iraqi's insurgency. Having routed the guerrillas late last year in combat that left much of Fallujah in ruins, the US military needs the cooperation of residents who once fled the fighting.

    To keep the insurgents from reestablishing a headquarters here, the United States knows it will need information from residents about the movement of fighters back into the neighborhoods. In addition, US officials hope for at least a modicum of participation from Fallujah in Jan. 30 elections that might bolster the credibility of the Iraqi government.

    At five heavily guarded entry points to the city, military interrogators selectively ask residents returning to Fallujah if they have heard of the upcoming election and, if so, which candidate they might support.

    The goal, officials insist, is not to influence how the Iraqis might vote. It is to get an understanding of how well residents of this culturally and politically isolated city understand the changes in their country since Saddam Hussein's regime was toppled in April 2003.

    Inside the city, the Americans have established several relief centers to provide food and water to residents and toys to children. By some estimates, the United States has earmarked $150 million for the city. The Iraqi government plans a compensation program.

    In addition to the humanitarian assistance centers, Marine patrols drive slowly through the streets, talking to residents, handing out water, fruit juice, cigarettes, crackers, cookies, and breakfast cereal, and asking for information about insurgents. Some of the food had been sent to the Marines by their families.

    Posters have been plastered on walls offering rewards for insurgent leaders, although there have been few reported takers.

    Outside the assistance center tents, Iraqis stand for hours to receive water and packets of food stamped with a US flag and the words "A Food Gift From the People of the United States of America." Hands are marked to prevent a return for seconds.

    One center is just blocks from the spot where a mob killed four US contractors last March. Now Iraqis gather not only for aid but for a chance to work in the assistance program, which pays about $8 a day.

    Many of those in line on Thursday were hungry, cold, and seemingly dazed by events that made their city, untouched by the US-led invasion in 2003, into a battlefield against the insurgency.

    "I didn't do anything wrong, but the Americans destroyed my house," said Sami Fafaj, 49, holding two bottles of water and two food packets.

    "I want America to rebuild my house and give me money for what they have done," agreed Allah Abdullah, 37, collecting food for his seven children. "Sometimes I wish they had never come to Iraq."

    While public expressions of anger directed at the Americans seem rare, a widespread feeling appears to exist of having been wronged by US forces.

    While older residents might seem fatalistic, the younger ones show signs of impatience.

    "We are not free to move in our own city," said Maged Haraj, 20. "We want to be free."

    The young Marines say they are confident that residents will come to accept that the destruction was necessary to rid Fallujah of the insurgents who had controlled the city.

    As the patrol vehicles prowled the streets, children ran after the Humvees begging for anything available. Adults asked for rice, water, or cigarettes.

    Some told horror stories of months under insurgent control.

    "I have a nephew that they beheaded," said a truck driver, Adnan Mohammed, flanked by two children. "You are our destiny."

    But other Iraqi men remained on the curb, offering no smiles and returning no waves. One gestured in disdain. Some refused to ask for handouts but sent children to do their bidding, particularly for cigarettes.

    The residents who have returned are living a meager existence. In this western sector of the city, no stores have reopened, although a black market is said to exist. A dusk-to-dawn curfew has been imposed.

    Ellie


  12. #27
    Paycheck-to-paycheck living feeds payday lending industry
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    By: EDMOND JACOBY - Staff Writer

    OCEANSIDE ---- He was in civvies, but there was no mistaking that he was a Marine. His posture said so, as did the quiet "Yes ma'am" with which he answered a question.

    He spoke briefly of being deployed soon to South Asia to set up a communications center as part of the U.S. response to the tsunami that struck on Dec. 26. Then he signed a form authorizing the payday lender, a company called Checkmate at South Coast Highway and Seagaze Drive in Oceanside, to debit his bank account $230, and he walked out with $200 in cash.

    Five minutes later, the same Marine repeated the procedure next door at Marine Advance Pay Site, stuffing another $200 into his pocket.

    The Marine wouldn't give his name and wouldn't talk about his borrowing habits, but his visits to the two storefronts clearly were not his first. Like most of the junior enlisted Marines at Camp Pendleton in pay grades E2, E3 and E4, he probably makes little more than $700 every two weeks, which means more than half of his next paycheck is gone already.

    Companies like Checkmate and Marine Advance Pay Site are members of what is called the deferred presentment industry. They aren't lenders in the classic sense, in that they don't require their customers to fill out credit applications and they don't check references. They verify that borrowers have jobs and checking accounts, then they take a check or an electronic withdrawal authorization in exchange for a cash advance. They deposit the check or process the withdrawal on a day that the customer has agreed, usually the customer's next payday.

    The fees they charge ---- they are careful not to call it interest ---- vary, but in California they are capped at 15 percent. California caps the amount of the advance, too, at $300. The fee is always deducted from the advance, in effect being paid upfront, so authorizing a $300 withdrawal from his bank account will get the borrower $255.

    In the old days, according to Sharon Reuss, a spokeswoman for the Center for Responsible Lending, a Durham, N.C.-based division of a community development lender called the Center for Community Self-Help, the arrangement had a different name.

    "Check kiting, that's what it used to be called, and that's what's happening with payday loans," she said.

    Check kiting is writing a check for which there is not enough money in the bank account on which it is drawn with the object of depositing the money before the check reaches the bank.

    The owner of a payday lending store on Oceanside Boulevard, Checkpoint Check Cashing, said his company filled a void for low-income workers and military personnel by supplying a source of ready cash.

    "I believe the banks and credit card companies are more predatory than we are," said Milan von Sighart, who owns the Checkpoint store at 1950 Oceanside Blvd. and another on Miramar Road across from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.

    "Banks charge fees for overdrawing your account, and for a $2 overdraft they'll charge you $25," he said. "We can prevent somebody from being charged that fee just by borrowing the money from us."

    "There's a difference between a penalty for an overdraft and charging somebody a three-digit interest rate for a loan," Reuss said.

    According to the California Department of Corporations, which took over legal authority for deferred deposit transactions such as payday loans on Dec. 31, the Marine who borrowed $200 from each of two payday lenders is actually paying an annual percentage rate of 391 percent for the money.

    According to the Center for Responsible Lending, payday loan borrowers typically borrow again and again, because when the advance is paid back on payday they're still short. The average borrower, a center analysis shows, borrows eight to 13 times per year. If the Marine borrows just eight times in 2005, each time getting enough cash to make up for paying back what he borrowed last week, his $400 in advances will end up costing him $480, and he'll still owe the money.

    "Because payday loans are targeted to people in financial trouble, there are few borrowers who can pay off their loan" after just two weeks, Reuss said.

    Von Sighart agreed that his customers are principally people in financial trouble, the very people least able to come up with enough cash to pay off an advance and move on.

    "Most of us have credit cards or have money in the bank," von Sighart said. "This service is for people who live paycheck to paycheck."

    About 60 percent of his customers are Marines, he said, and he thinks he sees each of them at least a dozen times a year.

    "Sure, this service can be abused," he said, "by the borrowers: They're short a couple of hundred dollars so they borrow the money from me. Then after a month the money is repaid and they're short a couple of hundred dollars again; it can become a vicious cycle."

    There is a cure, he said. "Tighten the belt. Some of these people have $500 telephone bills. I know, because they bring in their telephone bills to prove their address."

    The Marine Corps advises its enlisted personnel to avoid payday lenders, which it characterizes as predatory lenders.

    "It seems like a low interest rate ---- 15 percent ---- but the loan is due in two weeks, and that's a very high interest rate," said Maj. Mike Renz, director of the joint legal assistance office at Camp Pendleton.

    "The Marine Corps on the whole tries to get Marines educated. We have a financial management correspondence course, and every correspondence course wins the Marine points toward promotion," Renz said.

    According to Renz, the Corps will not enforce debt collection, but "we expect all Marines to pay their just debts."

    A Marine who passes a bad check, like anyone else, is subject to criminal prosecution. But giving a check to a payday lender that is dishonored by the check writer's bank is not classified as writing a bad check and cannot be prosecuted criminally under California law.

    Payday lenders are supposed to tell their customers that they are not subject to any criminal penalty for failure to comply with the terms of the payday loan agreement. The law requires that they supply disclosure statements that say so prior to closing a cash advance deal.

    In addition, payday lenders are required to post notices, "clearly and conspicuously ... in the unobstructed view of the public" in their places of business showing the dollar cost and the annual percentage rate for 14-day and 30-day cash advances of $100 and $200. The placards were not visible in any of the half-dozen payday loan establishments visited Jan. 4 by the North County Times. Tables of fees were posted, but without the required annual percentage rates associated with the fees.

    "What we do is legal," said von Sighart, who opened his first payday advance store adjacent to Fort Ord on the Central California coast in the early 1990s, then opened one near Camp Pendleton when Fort Ord was closed.

    "But if I were the commanding officer of that base, I would certainly counsel those under my command how to manage their finances," von Sighart said.

    "My God, most of the people I see here don't even have check registers in their checkbooks. They don't know what checks they have outstanding, and they can't balance their accounts," he said.

    In a perfect world, he said, "there would be no need for a company like mine." But until then, write him a check for $300 and he'll let you use $255 of his money for a couple of weeks.

    Contact staff writer Edmond Jacoby at (760) 739-6675 or ejacoby@nctimes.com.

    Ellie


  13. #28
    Marines Spend Time With Family Before Heading To Iraq

    Dozens of South Mississippi Marines said good-bye to their loved ones early Sunday Morning

    The Marines are based at the Gulfport Seabee base and are part of the Fourth Marine Division.

    The group of about 80 Marines are travelling to Camp LeJune, North Carolina, before heading off to Iraq.

    But they didn't leave without spending some final moments with friends and family.

    There was a lot of light-hearted conversation and picture-taking at Family Day, a special event held at the Gulfport Seabee Base Saturday afternoon.

    Afterall, these are the moments members of the fourth Marine Division want to carry with them during their time in Iraq.

    "Family is very important, just like with him. I'm going to miss so much being with him. He'll be almost two years old by the time I get back," said U.S. Marine Danny Wade.

    This will mark the second time Danny Wade, and many members of this unit, have been deployed to Iraq.

    Danny's wife believes life back at home will be a little easier, this second time around.

    "I really know what to expect. I've been there, done that. I know how to better prepare myself. There are family, friends, and support here at the Marine Center. There's just a lot of support for us," said Danny's wife, Kim.

    The Marines will leave the base at one o'clock Sunday morning, bound for two months of training at Camp LeJuene.

    "Once we get to Camp LeJuene, we'll be doing our work up phase. During the work-up phase. During the work up phase, we'll be getting these Marines back up to speed. We'll be building upon the skills set they already have, as far as running the vehicles as far as the mechanized perspective," said U.S. Marine Capt. Justin Wilhelmsen.

    These marines will put that training to the test as they head out to Iraq in March to help out with Operation Enduring Freedom.

    But events like this also help strengthen the bonds between the people left behind, who also have an important mission to carry out, holding down the home front.

    By: Toni Miles


    Ellie


  14. #29
    Marines provide relief after tsunami devastation
    15th MEU, ESG-5 diverted to area

    By Gidget Fuentes
    Times staff writer


    OCEANSIDE, Calif. — Instead of ringing in the New Year over the weekend in Guam, more than 2,300 Marines and sailors were diverted to joint relief efforts in countries in Southeast Asia devastated by the Dec. 26 tsunamis that killed more than 100,000.
    Leathernecks of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, along with 2,500 Navy personnel on the seven ships of Expeditionary Strike Group 5, were joining a growing U.S. Pacific Command humanitarian assistance force.

    The 15th MEU and ESG-5 will fall under Joint Task Force 536, led by Lt. Gen. Robert Blackman, who commands the Okinawa-based III Marine Expeditionary Force, Navy officials said. The task force is based in Utapao, Thailand.

    “U.S. forces are moving rapidly to provide the needs and services requested by the governments of the region,” Blackman said in a Dec. 29 statement from III MEF. “Our primary concern is to prevent further loss of life and to conduct sustained disaster relief operations.”

    The Camp Pendleton-based 15th MEU, which left San Diego on Dec. 6 on a scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific and Persian Gulf, will join relief efforts in Sri Lanka, officials said Dec. 29.

    Three Humanitarian Assistance Assessment Teams headed to Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka in advance of the main relief force. The Navy also is providing six P-3C Orion patrol aircraft, which will help in communications, search and rescue, surveillance and assessment in the massive affected area, which ranges from Somalia to Thailand and Jakarta, Indonesia.

    The relief mission prompted the 15th MEU, which had trained for a likely combat tour in Iraq, to shift gears quickly. Humanitarian assistance operations are familiar ground for Marines, however, because MEU predeployment work-up cycles include training for such missions.

    “We’re trying to figure out as much information as possible before we land,” Capt. Jay Delarosa, a 15th MEU spokesman, said by satellite phone from the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard Dec. 29, a day after it left Guam.

    Marines and other U.S. forces expected to deploy for the relief mission include medical personnel, engineers, security forces and transport crews.

    Along with its 2,300 Marines, the 15th MEU has 24 helicopters, including the CH-46E Sea Knight and CH-53E Super Stallion transport helicopters. Navy landing craft, boats and SH-60 helicopters assigned to ESG-5 also could be used in the efforts.

    The new mission was not unexpected, since many troops on the ships had been watching news reports about the tsunami damage. “We knew it was a matter of time before we got the word,” Delarosa said.

    By late afternoon Dec. 28, the Marines and sailors on the Bonhomme Richard prepared to sail from Apra Harbor, after a hectic day of loading supplies, refueling and making last-minute runs across the street to the exchange and McDonald’s, Delarosa said.

    Gidget Fuentes is the San Diego bureau chief for Marine Corps Times. She can be reached at (760) 677-6145 or gfuentes@marinecorpstimes.com.

    Ellie


  15. #30
    Key Talha Leaders Captured
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    American Forces Press Service

    WASHINGTON, Jan. 8, 2005 -- Multinational Forces detained a key leader of the al Qaeda-linked Abu Musab al-Zarqawi terrorist network in Mosul in late December, officials in Baghdad announced today.

    Following a thorough investigation, the individual detained was positively identified as Abdul Aziz Sadun Ahmed Hamduni, aka Abu Ahmed.

    Abu Ahmed, who was captured Dec. 22, served as a deputy to the emir of Mosul, Abu Talha, and assumed command of terrorist operations in Mosul in Abu Talha's absence, officials said. Abu Ahmed admitted to receiving money and weapons from Abu Talha as well as coordinating and conducting terrorist attacks in Mosul.

    "The capture of Abu Ahmed and the subsequent capture of Abu Marwan on 23 December show significant progress in the inevitable destruction of the Abu Talha-led Al Qaeda Zarqawi terrorist network in Mosul," said Air Force Brig. Gen. Erwin F. "Erv" Lessel III, deputy operations director for Multinational Force Iraq.

    Security forces in Iraq have previously announced the capture of Abu Marwan, also a senior-level terrorist in the Talha organization. Security forces also recently captured another senior Talha member whose name cannot be released due to operational security.

    "Currently, security forces in Iraq have three of Abu Talha's four most senior leaders in custody," Lessel said.

    The capture of these key members has led to additional captures throughout the Mosul-based AQ-AMZ network. Officials said more than 20 percent of Talha's key members have been captured in the past few weeks.

    Abu Ahmed's capture removed one of Abu Talha's most valuable officers from the Mosul-based network. Abu Ahmed remains in detention and is providing information regarding the Talha network.

    "These terrorists and Saddamists are doing all they can to stop upcoming elections," Lessel said. "They fear democracy and the day when the Iraqi people vote for a representative government. The vote by the Iraqi people will reject everything the terrorists stand for -- killing innocents, depriving people of food, electricity."

    The use of car bombs and other explosive devices by Abu Ahmed and his affiliates shows disregard for the well-being and security of innocent Iraqi civilians. Officials said the Central Criminal Court of Iraq is committed to providing a fair trial to those allegedly engaging in terrorist activities.

    (Based on a Multinational Force Iraq news release.)

    Ellie


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