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Sunday, February 13, 2005

Operation Spurs

from http://www.defendamerica.mil

U.S. Marines from "America's Battalion" leap from a CH-47 Chinook helicopter hovering just above the snowy hills of Korangal, Afghanistan, during their insertion for Operation Spurs, Jan. 29, 2005. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Rich Mattingly


U.S. Marine Corps 2nd Lt. Caleb Weiss, platoon commander, and Sgt. Nick Lentz, squad leader, both with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines, lead their Marines toward the next house during a cordon and search of a village in Korangal Valley, Afghanistan, during Operation Spurs, Jan. 20, 2005. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Rich Mattingly



U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dan Robert, squad automatic weapon gunner with Lima Company, charges forward through the deep snow of the Hindu Kush mountains to his squad's next objective during cordon and search operations as part of Operation Spurs, Jan. 29, 2005. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Rich Mattingly



U.S. Marine Corps Lance Corporal Tyler Corbaley, Lima Company rifleman, and U.S. Army Sgt. Ashley Schroeder-Petersen, a military policeman with 58th Military Police Company, 25th Infantry Division, pass bars of antibacterial soap to an Afghan medic during a humanitarian and medical assistance operation in the Korangal Valley, Afghanistan, Jan. 30, 2005. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Rich Mattingly



U.S. Marine Corps Cpls. Michael Lazzari and Thomas Rooney, riflemen with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines, quickly search houses in the Korangal Valley, Afghanistan, while U.S. Navy Seaman Nathan Monteil, Lima Company hospital corpsman, keeps an eye out for enemy movement, Jan. 29, 2005. The Marines searched houses believed to be hideouts for insurgents in the valley during Operation Spurs. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Rich Mattingly



U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Thomas Rooney, rifleman with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines, surveys the village in the Korangal Valley, Afghanistan, Jan. 29, 2005, where he and his platoonmates participated in Operation Spurs. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Rich Mattingly



U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Paul White, rifleman with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines, monitors satellite communications during Operation Spurs in the Korangal Valley, Afghanistan, Jan. 29, 2005. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Rich Mattingly



U.S. Marine Josh Ploetz, Lima Company machine gunner, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines, looks over the sights of his M240G machine gun as a CH47 Chinook helicopter prepares to drop medical supplies near the Marines' position high in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan, Jan. 29, 2005, during Operation Spurs. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Rich Mattingly



U.S. Marines and sailors from America's Battalion, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines, "stack" on a fence moments before entering another house during their exhaustive search of a village in the Korangal Valley, Afghanistan. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Rich Mattingly



U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Robert High gives a winter coat to an Afghan boy during a medical and humanitarian assistance effort in Korangal, Afghanistan. After securing the village, Navy corpsmen and Afghan medics provided locals with much-needed medical care and supplies. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Rich Mattingly



U.S. Marines from 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines, charge on to an Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter in the Korangal Valley, Afghanistan, Jan. 29, 2005, as a part of Operation Spurs. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Rich Mattingly

In Today's News - Sunday, February 13, 2005

JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press
Israel OKs list of prisoners to be freed
Israel's Cabinet on Sunday approved a list of names of 500 Palestinian prisoners to be released in coming days, in line with agreements reached at a Mideast summit last week.

New DNC head Dean looks to rebuild party
New national Democratic Chairman Howard Dean promised Saturday to rebuild the party in the most conservative regions of the country, help develop state and local organizations and let congressional Democrats set the tone on policy.

Iraq to divulge results from Jan. balloting
Iraqi election commission officials said they will announce the final results from the country's landmark Jan. 30 balloting Sunday, and the majority Shiites claimed to have won well over 50 percent of the vote.

China will push to revive nuclear talks
China has pledged to try and revive talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear programs, after the isolated, Stalinist state's declaration that it had atomic weapons and was boycotting disarmament negotiations.


Ananova: War In Iraq
Protesters warn against Iran attack
Anti-war protesters highlighted the "danger" of an attack on Iran as they kept up their protests over coalition action in Iraq. Ananova: War In Iraq

Sinn Fein attacked over policing
Sinn Fein has been accused of lacking the courage to sign up to new policing arrangements in Northern Ireland because the IRA is prospering from crime. Ananova: War In Iraq

Downing Street denies SF freeze-out
Downing Street has distanced itself from claims by nationalist SDLP leader Mark Durkan that it canvassed its party vigorously on forming a devolved executive in Northern Ireland which would freeze out Sinn Fein. Ananova: War In Iraq

Nineteen killed in Iraq violence
Two car bombs kill at least 18 people and a judge is shot dead in attacks at the end of a week of violence in Iraq. BBC: Conflict with Iraq (UK Edition)


Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Air Force Grounding Some Older Planes
The Air Force said Friday it is grounding 30 of its oldest C-130 cargo planes and putting flight restrictions on 60 others after discovering unexpectedly severe wing cracks. Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

CNN Executive Jordan Quits Over Iraq Remarks
CNN's chief news executive EasonJordan quit on Friday over remarks he made in Switzerland lastmonth about journalists killed in Iraq, possibly by U.S.forces, the television network said. Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Zarqawi Could Be in Iraq's Kirkuk - Police Source
Jordanian militant Abu Musabal-Zarqawi may be hiding out in the northern Iraqi city ofKirkuk, local police sources said on Saturday, days after theinterim government said it was hot on his trail. Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Weather
Weather information from The Weather Channel

Iraq
Al Azamiyah Al Basrah Al Hillah Al Karkh Al Kazimiyah Al Kut An Nasiriyah Baghdad Baqubah Mosul Najaf Nineveh Tall Kayf

Afghanistan
Bost/Laskar Ghurian Herat Kabul Qandahar


From Fox News
Shiites Claim 60 Percent of Iraqi Vote
Report: U.S. Using Drones to Probe Iran
Iraq Election Results Available Sunday
Iraq Election Results to Be Delayed
Army's 'Stop-Loss' Policy Still Stands
Wounded Soldiers Get Therapy on Slopes
Paper: Italian Journalist Alive
Bomb Kills 21 at Iraq Recruiting Center
China to Push for N. Korea Nukes Talks
Israel to Release 500 Palestinian Prisoners
Troops Begin Afghan Plane Crash Recovery
U.S. Boaters Detained in Cuba
Gunmen Kill American Nun in Brazil
Castro: Blame U.S. If Chavez Is Killed
Elephants Used to Clear Tsunami Debris


From the Department of Defense
Rumsfeld Stresses Unity, Cooperation
MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 12, 2005 — Allies must cooperate, while respecting and understanding one another's points of view in the interest of their collective security, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here today. Story

Abizaid Visits Multinational Forces, Marines
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb. 12, 2005 — The commander of the U.S. Central Command stressed the importance of passing along knowledge from experienced troops rotating out of the country to newly arrived replacements during a visit today with multinational and U.S. Marine troops. StoryAbizaid Underscores Importance of MissionDefense Leaders Outline Progress in Iraq

Visit Gives Rumsfeld Look at Iraqi Forces
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb. 11, 2005 — Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told several hundred U.S. soldiers in Mosul today that he was "every bit as proud" to be there as he was during his pride-filled moments attending Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai's inauguration in December. Story Photos

ON THE GROUND
Marines, Iraqis Celebrate Improvement Project
AL MADINAH, Iraq, Feb. 11, 2005 — Local residents and U.S. Marines from the 1st Marine Division of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force celebrated the completion of a village improvement project here with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Feb. 10. Story

Command Change Marks Year of Transition
WASHINGTON, Feb. 11, 2005 — Army Lt. Gen. Thomas Metz handed off command of Multinational Corps Iraq to Army Lt. Gen. John R. Vines during a Feb. 10 ceremony at Al-Faw Palace near Baghdad. Story

Operation Cracks Down on Illegal Weapons
WASHINGTON, Feb. 11, 2005 — Iraqi police and U.S. soldiers with Task Force 1-6 Field Artillery teamed up Feb. 8, knocking on the doors of 100 homes in Mufrek, Iraq, a suburb of Baqubah, to look for unregistered weapons and other illegal items as part of efforts to discourage enemy activity in the area. Story

Iraqi Police Commandos Get Connected
UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, Iraq, Feb. 11, 2005 — The Iraqi Police Commando Headquarters is now home to a nationwide command, control, communications, computer and intelligence operations center. Story

Troops Bring Donations to Uzbek School
KARSHI-KHANABAD AIR BASE, Uzbekistan, Feb. 11, 2005 — Visiting the nearby village of Khanabad Feb. 3, soldiers, airmen and contracted civilians stopped at the village to bring donations of school supplies to the town’s elementary school. Story

Engineers Help Expand Kandahar Airfield
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Feb. 10, 2005 — U.S. soldiers from Company B, 204th Engineer Battalion, are putting the final touches on Kandahar Airfield’s Rotary Wing Expansion Project. Story

IN IRAQ
Soldiers Foil Hand Grenade Handoff to Child
Marine Expeditionary Unit Ends Ops in Iraq
Task Force Troops Help Rebuild Balad Schools
Soldiers Secure Iraqi Police Station
Predators Protect Troops in Iraq
Battalion's Heroism Honored

IN AFGHANISTAN
Team Helps Afghan Police Train for Future
Jalalabad Team Assesses Needs, Delivers Aid
Afghan Academy Welcomes First Cadets
'America’s Battalion' Takes Fight to Enemy

IN UZBEKISTAN
Airmen Drop Supplies to Troops in Afghan Mountains

TOP NEWS
IN IRAQ
Troops Uncover Explosive Devices
NATO Allies to Join Training Mission
School Renovation Rekindles Hope
Iraq Daily Update
Year in Review 2004 Fact Sheets (pdf)
Iraq Reconstruction
Maps
Weekly Progress Report (pdf)

IN AFGHANISTAN
Forces Secure Weapons, Render Aid
Enduring Freedom Marks 3 Years
Afghanistan Daily Update
Maps

WAR ON TERRORISM
Officials Reject Abuse Allegations
Rumsfeld Discusses NATO Role
Waging and Winning the War on Terror
Terrorism Timeline
Terrorism Knowledge Base

MILITARY NEWS
Army Confident in Transformation
Air Force Looks Toward the Future
Navy Keeps Eye on Future Force
Marines Project Future Demands
National Guard, Reserve Update

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