From Multi-National Force - Iraq:


Lithuanian Sgt. 1st Class Donatas Krivickas, of LITCON 10, maintains security in a market in the town of Dujayli U.S. civil affairs Soldiers conduct an assessment May 20. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Daniel T. West.


Tuesday, 03 June 2008
By Sgt. Daniel T. West
214th Fires Brigade, Public Affairs Office

FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA — With only a week remaining in their six-month tour in Iraq, soldiers from Lithuanian Contingent 10, Iron Wolf Brigade, faced a difficult choice.

Two options remained following the news that the Lithuanian government had voted to extend the unit’s tour for two more months: the soldiers could volunteer for the extension or continue their redeployment.

“Since they were already packed and I knew how difficult it would be, I chose to ask for volunteers to stay,” said Lt. Gen. Valdas Tutkus, Lithuanian Chief of Defense.

Twenty-nine of the 40 soldiers in the platoon chose to continue the mission.

“Without them, we would be stuck,” said Capt. Caroline Pogge, of Company B, 411th Civil Affairs Battalion. “They are the primary personnel security detachment for civil affairs and Provincial Reconstruction Team Wasit. Without them, we are immobile.”

Selecting to continue their deployment showed a lot about their character, according to Pogge.

“To a lot of people, six weeks (the extension was later changed to eight weeks) isn’t much,” said Pogge, a native of Danbury, Conn. “But over here, it’s a long time.”

Word that the Lithuanians had selected to stay was a welcome surprise, according to Col. Peter Baker, commander of the 214th Fires Brigade.

“We are so dependent on them for movement; we didn’t know how we would move the teams that are so vital to the reconstruction effort,” Baker said.

The Soldiers appreciated the fact that the choice was left to them.

“It is important to serve our country, but in some moments it is more important to take care of home and family,” said 1st Lt Gediminas Alisauskas, a platoon commander. “I’m glad to have the chance to choose. All of us had plans for when we got back – most changed them, some couldn’t.”

Being so close to returning home made the choice difficult.

“I had one week left and it felt like I was already home,” Cpl. Rimvydas Stasaitis said. “I had plans, but changed them when I decided to stay. It’s my duty and responsibility. The mission is not finished when our time is finished. If we wanted to finish it, we had to stay.”

For some, the decision to stay was because of the team, a reluctance to leave while comrades stayed. The platoon bonded over the time here, and for some, the decision was whether to leave one family for another.

“We came as one platoon and have friends here,” said Capt. Karolis Morkunas, the platoon’s senior national representative. “We want to stay with our friends.”

Tutkus emphasized Lithuania’s continued commitment to supporting the U.S.

We came in with the U.S. during the war and will stay in support until the end,” he said. “It’s important to be a credible member of NATO and the Coalition. In order to demonstrate our credibility as a country, we have to share the risk.”

As the soldiers of the platoon performed their duties over the past six months, they impacted on all who interacted with them, from their Chief of Defense to the U.S. Soldiers who worked with them from day to day.

“I’m proud of the soldiers here,” Tutkus said. “From the first part, every time I visit soldiers and their commanders, I hear only the best things. There is a light in their eyes. They are motivated, professional, well-trained and competent.”

The civil affairs team members they escorted echoed the sentiments.

“They are phenomenal, professional soldiers,” Pogge said. “They know their job and do it extremely well. Their competence and confidence is obvious as we travel with them.”

The Soldiers who stayed held no grudges against those who chose to leave.

“Some soldiers had losses, maybe their wife was sick and they had small children, so they had to go,” Morkunas said. “They didn’t want to go… Even those who stayed had compelling reasons to go. The section leader (Master Sgt. Andrius Samusevas) has a two-month-old daughter that he has never seen, I have a two-and-a-half month-old daughter that I’ve never seen, but we chose to stay, to see it through.”

The soldiers were optimistic about their final two months, but did not plan to make things permanent.

“It’s ok to stay for two months, but not one day more,” Stasaitis said. “I am getting married in two months and one day, and I can’t reschedule that.”



Už tai ir pakelkime taures...HOOAH, Lits!

Labels: Coalition Forces, Good News, Iraq, Iron Wolf Brigade, Lithuanian Contingent 10, photos

Report: Iraqi Girl in Love With British Soldier Murdered in 'Honor Killing'

Monday, April 28, 2008

An Iraqi teen was butchered to death by her father in an "honor killing" after she befriended and fell in love with a British solider in Basra, the U.K.'s Daily Mail reported.

Rand Abdel-Qader, 17, had confessed to her best friend Zeinab that she had fallen in love with "Paul," a 22-year-old blond haired, honey-eyed soldier she met at a charity event where she did volunteer work, the Mail reported. Upon hearing the news, her father rushed home and began to strangle her while stabbing her repeatedly and screaming that he was “cleansing his honor.”

He was arrested, but Iraqi police have taken no further action. The man's wife, who reportedly tried to stop the killing by calling for her two sons for protection, is now in hiding.

The Ministry of Defense attempted, Sunday night, to find the soldier, saying he does not appear to have done anything wrong by befriending the teen, the Mail reported. There is no evidence that the two shared a physical relationship. "She was proud to be a virgin and had a dream to give herself to the man she loved only after her marriage," Zeinab said.


More here and here

Labels: Coalition Forces, Iraq, Religion of Peace?

A Polish army unit conducts a convoy brief before heading out on a mission from Camp Echo, Iraq, Dec. 30, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Alan Moos


A Polish army soldier listens to a convoy brief on Camp Echo, Iraq, Dec. 30, 2007, prior to a mission in Diwaniyah, Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Alan Moos


Polish army soldiers walk into a power supply building during a convoy mission in Diwaniyah, Iraq, Dec. 30, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Alan Moos


A Polish army soldier stands in front of a power hub unit during a convoy mission in Diwaniyah, Iraq, Dec. 30, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Alan Moos


Polish army soldiers and an Iraqi contractor discuss business about a power supply unit during a convoy mission in Diwaniyah, Iraq, Dec. 30, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Alan Moos


Polish army soldiers and an Iraqi contractor discuss business about a power supply unit during a convoy mission in Diwaniyah, Iraq, Dec. 30, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Alan Moos


Polish army soldiers and an Iraqi contractor discuss business about a power supply unit during a convoy mission in Diwaniyah, Iraq, Dec. 30, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Alan Moos


A Polish army soldier walks to a humvee after visiting a power supply building during a convoy mission in Diwaniyah, Iraq, Dec. 30, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Alan Moos


An Iraqi walks down the street in Diwaniyah, Iraq, Dec. 30, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Alan Moos


A Polish army soldier surveys the landscape during a convoy mission in Diwaniyah, Iraq, Dec. 30, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Alan Moos



More photo essays at Defenselink

Labels: Coalition Forces, photos

American Forces Press Service


WASHINGTON, Oct. 1, 2007 – A coalition airstrike killed more than 20 militants, and Iraqi security forces accompanied by coalition advisors captured 34 suspected terrorists during operations across Iraq Sept. 29, officials reported.

-- A coalition aircraft fired on and killed more than 20 al Qaeda-affiliated insurgents during a battle northwest of Baghdad. The aircraft’s crew defended themselves after insurgents launched rocket-propelled grenades and small arms at the aircraft. Four enemy vehicles were destroyed during the firefight.

-- Iraqi special operations troops detained a suspected al Qaeda in Iraq leader and two alleged cell members in Yusafiyah.

-- Two more suspects were detained in the Baghdad area. One of the criminals, who is believed to be a member of an explosively formed penetrator cell, is suspected of conducting roadside bomb attacks.

-- Iraqi soldiers detained a senior al Qaeda in Iraq leader and 10 other suspects in the Samarra area. The senior leader is believed to be responsible for facilitating the movement of foreign terrorists between Iraq and terrorist training camps in Syria. He also is suspected of supporting criminal activity in the Tash and Dahwa regions of Ramadi.

-- Iraqi forces accompanied by coalition advisors detained 18 suspected terrorists linked to al Qaeda in Iraq during a series of raids in the Mandali area of Diyala province. The raids targeted a regional al Qaeda cell believed to be responsible for kidnappings and murders of Iraqis in the Mandali area, improvised-explosive-device attacks and weapons smuggling on the Iranian border. Two of the detainees are suspected high-level al Qaeda in Iraq leaders. In addition, two weapons caches, three vehicles and four motorcycles were destroyed.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)



Related Sites:
Multinational Corps Iraq
Multinational Force Iraq

Labels: Coalition Forces, Good News, Iraq, Iraqi Special Operations Forces

Afghanistan Construction
Polish army Pvt. Piotr Oparski, from the Polish Engineer Platoon, works on the final touches of a culvert as a scoop loader hauls the rest of the dirt at Forward Operating Base Sharana, Afghanistan, Aug. 17, 2007. U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Kenya Virginia Saenz

Labels: Afghanistan, Coalition Forces, FOB Sharana, photos, Polish Engineer Platoon

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20070810-06
August 10, 2007

Multi-National Division - North PAO

DIYALA RIVER VALLEY, Iraq - Building upon recent success in the Diyala River Valley, Iraqi and Coalition Soldiers conducted Operation William Wallace, Aug. 8, to destroy al-Qaeda elements in the Abu Tina area.

Conducting an early-morning air assault, the 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division, partnered with Soldiers from Troop B, 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, attached to 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, cleared the village; resulting in four terrorists killed, two suspected terrorists detained and a weapons cache discovered.

"This mission is important because while it provides a secure environment for the citizens of Abu Tina, it also reduces elements within the area that are known to target nearby villages," said Col. David W. Sutherland, commander of Coalition Forces in Diyala province.

"Al-Qaida and other terrorist groups have no place in Diyala. We will find them and they will be brought to justice."

While conducting a thorough clearance of Abu Tina, Coalition Forces killed two al-Qaeda members after being engaged in separate incidents. Attack helicopters from the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade killed an additional two armed men as they tactically maneuvered in a canal system around the objective area.

The detainees, one of whom was discovered with the weapons cache, were transferred to a facility for further questioning.

"We will continue to take advantage of the increased forces in Baqouba, allowing Iraqi and Coalition Forces to aggressively target other key areas that the terrorists perceive as their safe havens," said Sutherland.


FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT MULTI-NATIONAL DIVISION - NORTH AT:
TFLIGHTNING.PAO-AT-US.ARMY.MIL

Labels: 5-73rd Cavalry, 5th Iraqi Army Division, Abu Tina, Coalition Forces, Diyala, Diyala Province, Good News, Iraq, US Army

VETERINARY CARE — Coalition soldiers hold a cow steady while administering her de-worming medicine during a veterinary civic action program in Helmand Province of Afghanistan, Aug. 4, 2007. Defense Dept. photo by U.S. Army Sgt. Steven M. Boone

Labels: Afghanistan, Coalition Forces, Helmand Province, military veterinarians, photos

In a multi-nation, multi-service mission Kandahar Province military forces joined to provide medical and humanitarian support that assisted over 300 local residents, in Kandahar, Afghanistan, July 21, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Capt. Vanessa R. Bowman


An Afghan National Army security force servicemember takes a break in the shade during a multi-nation, multi-service mission that Kandahar Province military forces combined to provide medical and humanitarian support that assisted over 300 local residents in Kandahar, Afghanistan, July 21, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Capt. Vanessa R. Bowman


Children fly kites they received during a multi-nation, multi-service mission that Kandahar Province military forces combined to provide medical and humanitarian support in Kandahar, Afghanistan, July 21, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Capt. Vanessa R. Bowman


Patients seeking medical treatment form a line during a multi-nation, multi-service mission in Kandahar, Afghanistan, July 21, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Capt. Vanessa R. Bowman


Children fly kites and play with toys they received during a multi-nation, multi-service mission that Kandahar Province military forces combined to provide medical and humanitarian support that assisted over 300 local residents in Kandahar, Afghanistan, July 21, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Capt. Vanessa R. Bowman


Children fly kites they received during a multi-nation, multi-service mission that Kandahar Province military forces combined to provide medical and humanitarian in Kandahar, Afghanistan, July 21, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Capt. Vanessa R. Bowman



More photo essays at DefendAmerica

Labels: Afghan National Army, Afghanistan, Coalition Forces, Kandahar, Kandahar Province, photos, US Army

By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service


WASHINGTON, July 16, 2007 – Troops on the ground in Iraq are not as much tired of the war as they are of those who are not in the fight saying that no progress has been made, a top commander in the region said today.

The troops there see progress every day, said British Army Lt. Gen. Graeme Lamb, deputy commander of Multinational Force Iraq and senior British representative in Iraq, speaking to Pentagon reporters via satellite.

“They see the water going to people who didn't have it before. They see electricity coming on line. They see stability to the networks. They see all the stuff that no one really portrays,” Lamb said. “While it's so clear to them that we're making progress, it's not reflected by those who are not in the fight, but [who] are sitting back and making judgment.”

Overall, Lamb called the day-to-day work there by coalition forces “hard pounding,” and said that extraordinary things are being accomplished by ordinary people.

“You should be enormously proud of what I see your Marines, your Air Force, your Navy, your Army and the civilians who are in the fight out here, as to what they do, and gladly,” Lamb said.

The British general has served in Iraq since August 2006. This is his second tour to the region. He said, that in the first month of the surge there has been “good progress, steady momentum, hard fighting, [and coalition forces] going places where they haven't been before. I see -- unequivocally -- that this surge is making a difference.”

Lamb compared the complexities of the mission there to playing three-dimensional chess in a dark room – while being shot at.

But, he said, Iraqi forces are making ground in their training and several units own their own battlespace. This is key as coalition forces begin clearing and holding new sections of the capital city.

Only a few years ago, after coalition soldiers would leave cleared areas, insurgents would return and again take control. Under the new strategy, coalition forces now hold sections of the city allowing for local governments to be formed, construction of key infrastructure, training of security forces and the rebuilding of the economy and workforce.

Now, when coalition forces leave, Lamb said, the “vacuum” is not filled with insurgents, but a trained security force and a growing economy.

He said it is a concerted effort on the parts of coalition forces, the local community, Iraqi security forces and the Iraqi government. “The sum of the parts is so much greater than where we were before, and the difference should not be underestimated,” Lamb said.

Already, several Iraqi units are holding their own north in Diyala and Salahuddin and south in Babil and Basra.

Still, most units require U.S. help with logistics, command and control and intelligence, he said.

Iraqi security forces and the Iraqi government are busy weeding out those who are aligned with the insurgency and sectarian violence, especially within the police force, he said. U.S. forces are arresting, and turning over to the Iraqis, any of their security force who are guilty of using their positions to promote sectarian violence, Lamb said.

“We'll take the individuals, arrest them and put them through the Iraqi criminal justice system,” he said.

Already, 11,000 members of the police force have been removed and 4,000 are in the criminal justice system under review.

“I've seen over my time here people … looking to improve and deliver a force that is Iraqi rather than sectarian,” he said.


Biographies:
British Army lt. Gen. Graeme Lamb

Related Sites:
Multinational Force Iraq

Labels: Coalition Forces, Good News, Iraq

Part II of Death or Glory is up on Michael Yon's site:

The intended target in an ambush never knows when it’s over. Yesterday’s
ambush, which killed two soldiers and wounded three others, is a case in point. Once the Brits had dealt with the immediate aftermath of the ambush—setting up security, calling in air support, tending to the wounded and getting EOD in to deal with the remaining dozens of bombs—our convoy still had its mission objective. So we put the disabled vehicles in tow and continued our journey deeper into the desert.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - Michael is one of the best there is.

Also up are these posts you'll want to check out:

"Seeing" by Chris Muir of the "Day by Day" cartoon, includes audio files of interviews he conducted (including one with a local radio station manager who is sleeping at the station due to threats on his life), and an exerpt from Lt. Scott Beals's journal, covering his experiences in Mosul.

Update on the Books of Salah al Din is an update to his 2005 post about the US medical community's efforts to resupply Iraqi medical libraries. The project is still going strong.

Labels: Blogwatch, British troops, Coalition Forces, Iraq, Michael Yon

After reading "The Final Option," you'd think Michael Yon would be hard pressed to top it.

You'd be wrong.

Michael Yon's latest dispatch, "Death or Glory (Part I of IV)" takes a look at British troops in southern Iraq. It's a rare look at our Coalition allies and what this war is like for them:

British soldiers truly are fighting in Iraq. On three consecutive missions with three different British units, their soldiers killed roughly 40 enemy in combat action that also saw two British soldiers killed in action, and three wounded...

The Brits have gotten their share of bad press in Iraq, and their treatment in the media has paralleled the treatment of our own Heroes. But make no mistake, the Queen's Royal Lancers are fighters, deserving of respect. They know how to go without:

The Queen’s Royal Lancers have been living out in the desert for about six months, like nomads moving from place to place, sleeping under the stars, getting much of their resupply of food and water by nighttime parachute drop as they patrol the Iran-Iraq border...

And they know what it is to be ambushed:

We had taken off nearly three hours earlier at 0830. At about 1120, the convoy entered the ambush. Eight of the 46 bombs detonated. EFPs tore through metal, ball bearings puncturing the vehicles, peppering them with holes...

It's an incredible dispatch, with lots of photos. It's another reminder of why I admire, and respect, Michael as much as I do. What he does takes serious stones.

Don't miss this chance to get to know a little bit about some of Britain's Heroes, who are every bit as 'in the sh**' as ours.

Labels: Blogwatch, Coalition Forces, Iraq, Michael Yon

General Works to Dispel Myths About Iraq
Photo by Sgt. Rob Summitt

May 31, 2007 Color guards of the 13 nations that make up Multinational Division Central – South in Iraq are displayed on the parade grounds at Camp Echo, Iraq, Jan. 24, during an MNDCS change of command ceremony. Polish Maj. Gen. Bronislaw Kwiatkowski passed the MNDCS reins to Polish Maj. Gen. Pawel Lamla. U.S. Soldiers are not fighting alone in Iraq, said Brig. Gen. Steven Anderson, deputy chief of staff for resources and sustainment.

Labels: Camp Echo, Coalition Forces, Iraq, MNDCS, photos

Numerous British units are stationed in Basra, including the Queens Royal Lancers, whose motto is “Death or Glory.” There is no assurance of Glory. I spent most of April 2007 with the Brits, which turned out to have been the most deadly month for British forces since the beginning of the war. The loss of any fallen soldier is significant. We lost about a hundred; the Brits lost about a dozen. The word “about” is not used to suggest a casual callousness about the fallen, but for a more specific conveyance: persons who are listed as wounded in action often later succumb.

While progress in Anbar is robust enough to make mainstream news reports, down in southern Iraq, the enemy is resurging. They are well-resourced, resilient and intelligent, and capable of landing hard punches. They recently “shot down” a C-130 with IEDs planted by the landing strip. The enemy may be good, but American and British forces are much better...

Another great dispatch by Michael Yon; this time, a look at our British allies in Basra, and "a small battle in the media war."


Make sure to stop by and check it out

Labels: Basra, Coalition Forces, Iraq, Michael Yon

“Yeah, breaker one-nine, this here’s the Rubber Duck, you got a copy on me Big Ben? C’mon.”
“Ah yeah, ten-four Big Ben, for sure, for sure. By golly it’s clean clear to Flagtown. C’mon.”
“Yeah, it’s a big ten-four there Big Ben. Yeah, we definitely got the front door good buddy. Mercy sakes alive, looks like we got us a convoy.”

A young British soldier named Simon expected to be driving logistics trucks into Iraq, and so adopted the dusty old hit “Convoy” as his fight-song and personal anthem. A man doesn’t have to wait long to hear Simon play it again, yet instead of barreling up Iraqi highways, Simon finds himself at Basra Air Station, shuttling occasional journalists, and performing base duties, including escorting Iraqis hired for manual labor. Asked for his take on that task, Simon opined with tones of befuddlement and wonder, as when a person sees what appears to be intensely conflicting signals....

So starts Michael Yon's latest dispatch, Rattlesnake. If you haven't checked it out yet, make the time. Lots of great pictures, and a rare look at British forces in Basra. Well worth the stop.

Labels: Basra, British troops, Coalition Forces, Iraq, Michael Yon

Michael Yon sends word that at about 10 a.m. today, he will be posting a dispatch about a firefight he witnessed while embedded with British troops.

The dispatch describes a large firefight the Brits had on Monday. They fought very well, and allowed me to get as close as I dare. I got right in the middle and took photos...

He says that the Brits he's with are "an excellent group of infantry soldiers."

He sends these photos, which are some of those that will be in the dispatch:





Make sure you check it out!!


Michael Yon's photos are posted with permission, and should not be reposted or published without same.


UPDATE: The post is up at Michael's site:

Greetings:

I am in Basra, with our British Coalition partners, who this week launched a clever operation that lured enemy fighters into combat, a decision that proved fatal for more than two dozen of militia members and terrorists. Please click the link to read about Operation Arezzo.

New readers will find the dispatch Tabula Rasa gives context to my work from Iraq.

Another dispatch, with more than 100 photos of the 1-4 Cav at work in Baghdad, is nearly ready. What an excellent bunch of soldiers! I'll send out an announcement when "Desires of the Human Heart" is published and folks at home can see and read about things rarely reported.

I am energized by this embed with British soldiers, which has me in the thick of things with their soldiers who are engaged with the enemy. I broke yet another lens in combat with the British on Tuesday.

Before it got smashed, the lens was taking great photos, some of which you'll see in the latest dispatch, and others will be published in the coming days.

This site is wholly contingent on reader support, for which I'm truly grateful. In addition to keeping me in camera lenses, reader support is the best indication I have of how important it is for me to continue this work.

Respectfully,

Michael

Labels: Blogwatch, British troops, Coalition Forces, Iraq, Michael Yon

From left, Polish army Lt. Col. Andrzej Dylong, Capt. Mirilisz Mignon, and Chief Warrant Officer Mirostaw Czarnik, all from the Polish Civilian Military Cooperation, discuss progress on an electrical project with Haytham Badr Hamza, far right, a local Iraqi contractor, March 13, 2007 near Afak, Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Rob Summitt


An electrical generator station project stands near completion March 13, 2007, near Afak, Iraq. The project is sponsored by the Polish Civilian Military Cooperation and overseen by local contractors. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Rob Summitt


A Polish army gunner, from the Polish Civilian Military Cooperation, watches for suspicious activity at an electrical generator project site near Afak, Iraq, March 13, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Rob Summitt


Polish army Chief Warrant Officer Mirostaw Czarnik, right, from the Polish Civilian Military Cooperation, discusses progress on a water clarification station with Oday Hattim Aggar, a local Iraqi contractor overseeing the project, March 13, 2007, near Afak, Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Rob Summitt


A local Iraqi worker assembles a pump to be used in a water purification station near Afak, Iraq, March 13, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Rob Summitt


A water purification project stands near completion near Afak, Iraq, March 13, 2007. The project is sponsored by the Polish Civilian Military Cooperation and is being overseen by local contractors. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Rob Summitt


Polish army Lt. Col. Andrzej Dylong, left, from the Polish Civilian Military Cooperation, talks with a local Iraqi through an interpreter about progress on a water purification project March 13, 2007, near Afak, Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Rob Summitt


Polish army Lt. Col. Andrzej Dylong, left, provides security for Polish army Chief Warrant Officer Mirostaw Czarnik and Oday Hattim Aggar, center, while both discuss progress on a water clarification station March 13, 2007, near Afak, Iraq. Oday Hattim Aggar is a local Iraqi contractor overseeing the project; Dylong and Czarnik are members of the Polish Civilian Military Cooperation team. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Rob Summitt



More photo essays at DefendAmerica

Labels: Afak, Coalition Forces, Humanitarian Aid, Iraq, photos, Polish Army, reconstruction