TIKRIT ASSAULT - U.S. and Iraqi soldiers head out during an air assault mission geared toward forcing insurgents out of the village of Al Fatah Miaya near Tikrit, Iraq, July 25, 2008. The soldiers are assigned to Troop G, 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Kyle Richardson

Labels: 2-3 ACR, Al Fatah Miaya, Iraq, Iraqi Army, photos, Tikrit, US Army

Shulla Search
Iraqi Army Soldiers watch as U.S. Army Soldiers check an AK-47 handed off to them by the owner during a joint patrol conducting a weapons search in Shulla, Iraq, June 19, 2008. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Manuel J. Martinez.


Weapon Cleaning
Fire Controlman 3rd Class Randy Sorensen, assigned to Combat Systems CS-7 Division, performs maintenance on a close-in weapon system (CIWS) aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), May 28, 2008. U.S Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Johndion Magsipoc.

THUNDERING OVERHEAD
Four Air Force Thunderbird F-16 Fighting Falcons fly in formation behind an F-22 Raptor for more than 6,000 spectators during the June 24, 2008, air show at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. The "Soaring into Solstice" air show provided an opportunity for the local community to visit and get a close-up view and demonstration of the capabilities of the Air Force's aircraft.
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Eric T. Sheler


STALLION PICKUP
A U.S. Marine CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter lands in the Jazeerah Desert, Iraq, to pick up Marines taking part in Operation Defeat al Qaeda in the North, June 24, 2008. They are part of the 3rd Marine Air Wing's Heavy Helicopter Sqaudron 462. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Jason W. Fudge


Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf transits through Chesapeake Bay
PORTSMOUTH, Va.- A 45-foot Coast Guard Response Boat-Medium from Station Little Creek, Va., transfers passengers from the Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf as it transits through the Chesapeake Bay, Va., today. The Bertholf, the 1st National Security Cutter to be built, hosted media and VIPÕs while on its maiden voyage transiting to Baltimore, Md., before it heads out to its permanent home port in Alameda, Ca. (Coast Guard photo/Petty Officer 2nd Class Nathan Henise)

Labels: aircraft, At Work In..., Combat Systems CS-7 Division, CVN 72, Eielson Air Force Base, F-16, Iraq, Iraqi Army, photos, ships, US Army, US Navy, USAF, USMC, USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Bertholf

KIRKUK SEARCH
Iraqi army soldiers conduct a search for hidden weapons in a village located in the Southern region of Kirkuk province, Iraq, June 17, 2008.
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Ave I. Pele-Sizelove

Labels: Iraq, Iraqi Army, Kirkuk Province, photos

SEARCHING FOR BOMBS - U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Thomas G. Anderson and Iraqi police provide security while looking for a possible improvised explosive device outside of Jebadin, Iraq, March 15, 2008. Anderson is assigned to the 3rd Marine Regiment's 2nd Battalion, Foxtrot Company, Regimental Combat Team 1. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Stuart C. Wegenka


WIRED - U.S. Marine Cpl. Colin A. Hayes and Cpl. Joshua T. Dawson move concertina wire at a traffic control point in Akashat, Iraq, March 16, 2008, to make way for concrete barriers. The two are assigned to the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion's Regimental Combat Team 5. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Paul Torres


Soldiers from the 4th Brigade, 7th Division of the Iraqi Army, take a knee in a unique formation at the opening of their Basic Combat Training graduation ceremony here Mar. 9. The course is six-weeks long and provides instruction in military drill, tactical maneuvers and marksmanship. The marksmanship training is supervised and instructed by U.S. Marines at the Advanced Infantry Training Center here. The AITC graduated approximately 14,000 Iraqi Soldiers and Police officers from its course in 2007, which is just 2,000 fewer recruits than Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S.C. The BCT recruits are instructed primarily by Iraqi Soldiers. Photo by: Lance Cpl. Robert C. Medina, 1st Marine Logistics Group, 03/09/2008


Before rolling out, Alfonso Vasquez, tactical safety specialist with Base Safety and Environmental, 1st Marine Logistics Group, ensures the all-terrain vehicle student operators are good to go. One of Base Safety's new goals is to make the roads at Camp Taqaddum safer by ensuring the ATV's are driven by people capable of handling them. Vasquez and Petty Officer 3rd Class Dexter M. Cubol, safety inspector with Base Safety and Environmental, manage an ATV operator's training course that gives service members a chance to get a feel for the vehicle before taking it out on the open road. Photo submitted 03/28/2008; taken by Cpl. Tyler B. Barstow Read the story associated with this photo

Labels: 3rd LARB, 3rd Marine Regiment, 7th Iraqi Army Division, Iraqi Army, Jebadin, photos, Regimental Combat Team 1, Regimental Combat Team 5, USMC

CLEARING OPERATION - Iraqi soldiers with the 8th Iraqi Army Division, 32nd Infantry Brigade, 2nd Battalion, walk down a road leading into Ali Shaheen, Iraq, March 7, 2008, to begin a clearing operation. DoD photo by Sgt. Timothy Kingston, U.S. Army.

Labels: 8th Iraqi Army Division, Ali Shaheen, Iraq, Iraqi Army, photos, US Army

From Multi-National Force Iraq:

Iraqi Army Col. Msfab Yousif reloads his AK-47 after using it to destroy a vehicle that was used in illegal checkpoint activities by insurgents in Ad Dawr near Tikrit. Yousif is the executive officer of the 1st Battalion, 1st Brigae, 4th Iraqi Army and was leading the raid to find insurgents operating illegal checkpoints. Photo by Spc. Eric Rutherford, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.



TIKRIT — Iraqi Army (IA) Soldiers recently led a raid into an area of Ad Dawr with Iraqi police (IP) and a small contingent of U.S. Soldiers to put a stop to insurgent activities there.

The 1st Battalion of the 1st Brigade, 4th IA led the pre-dawn raid into the area to capture insurgents and disrupt illegal traffic checkpoints used by those insurgents to rob and kill local Iraqis. The IP provided security for the team. The U.S. Army Military Transition Team (MiTT) of the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division provided guidance and support for the IA, who planned and executed the mission.

Maj. Jackie Kaina of the 1st Brigade, 4th IA MiTT said the operations are driven by intelligence, which is mostly gathered by the IA. The mission was coordinated by the IA when an informant who had been ostracized by the insurgents came forward with information.

The operation, called Hellstorm, was a success in that the IA captured several of the High-Value Individuals on their list, and in the process seized several vehicles used in the illegal operations. They also discovered an emplaced improvised explosive device (IED) hidden under a bridge. The MiTT called in a U.S. Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, who detonated the IED in place.

The IED is one of the reasons that the MiTT accompanies the IA on larger operations. Their mission is to train, advise and mentor the IA. They bring with them capabilities like aeromedical evacuation, air weapons teams and other military assets that the IA doesn’t have yet, said Kaina.

The present-day IA formed in 2005 when it transitioned to an actual Army, Kaina said, who worked with IA Soldiers during his last deployment.

“As an Army they have come a huge way since 04-05,” said Kaina. “They have come a lot further than I thought they would. Two years later, I really didn’t think they would be at this point. Maturity-wise, the officers act like officers, and the NCO corps is starting to grow.”

Since his last deployment with the IA, Kaina said he has seen them grow by leaps and bounds.

“Their improvement is in their command and control,” Kaina said. “Now they are much more objective focused and much more professional. They are very visible—that is one of the biggest improvements. To the Iraqi populace, they know who the IA is.”

Kaina said that he believes that at this point, The IA is mature enough on the ground that they are taking the lead, and the U.S. forces are no longer in the lead by any stretch of the imagination. The MiTT is there to assist if the IA needs it, but it is the IA making the decisions and conducting the missions on their own.

The IA is already conducting daily patrols and company-sized raids on their own, without the help of the MiTT.

“They are very much in the lead and very much taking control,” Kaina said. “Where before they would have come to us and asked what to do next. Their leadership has matured to the level at which they no longer need to ask us those questions, they have done enough, know enough and are successful enough to know where they are going.”

(By Spc. Eric A. Rutherford, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)


In Other Recent Developments Here:

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — As a new unit transitions in, the Hawr Rajab Concerned Local Citizens group continues to provide Coalition forces with a helping hand in providing security for their city.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — A house-borne improvised explosive device was destroyed near Maderiyah on the afternoon of Nov. 25.

Labels: 101st Airborne Division, 4th Iraqi Army Division, Ad Dawr, Good News, Iraq, Iraqi Army, MiTTs, Operation Hellstorm, Tikrit, US Army

U.S. F-16 fighter jets dropped two 2000-pound bombs on an island in the Euphrates Nov. 16 that was believed to be used by al-Qaida as a staging ground for attacks. (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle footage)


Saturday, 17 November 2007

BAGHDAD — Operation Marne Courageous kicked off the early morning of Nov. 16 with more than (600) Coalition forces and Iraqi Army (IA) Soldiers moving into two villages near the border of Anbar province to drive out al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI), and lay the groundwork for a sustained Coalition presence. Bomb Drop Video

Soldiers of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), were joined by about (150) IA Soldiers in the air assault on the Sunni villages of Owesat and al Betra, west of the Euphrates River, 15 miles southwest of Baghdad.

Troops were transported in four helicopter lifts across the Euphrates, utilizing two CH-47 Chinook and eight UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. A Marine reconnaissance platoon, as well as Soldiers of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, stationed in neighboring Anbar province, secured the landing zone.

Once on the ground, the U.S.-Iraqi force was supported by an air weapons team of Apache and Kiowa helicopters, while approximately (70) members of an Iraqi Concerned Local Citizens (CLC) group assisted in securing the outlying perimeter.

While U.S. and Iraqi forces moved through the villages, other troops set to work constructing a bridge across the Euphrates to allow for the transport of materials and supplies to build a patrol base in the area. The base will allow for a sustained Coalition presence in the area of Owesat, part of Baghdad’s southwestern “belts.”

No enemy fighters were killed or captured during the assault.

Prior to the air assault, U.S. F-16 fighter jets dropped two 2000-pound bombs on an island in the Euphrates that was believed to be used by AQI as a staging ground for attacks. The bombardment was part of a “terrain denial” strategy, cutting off a potential AQI escape route and denying the enemy a location to regroup.

Marne Courageous’ main strategic thrust is to clear AQI extremists from the area of Owesat, establish a Coalition presence, and develop a CLC program in the area as a bulwark against further enemy activity.

Army Col. Dominic Caraccilo, commander of the 3rd BCT, 101st Abn. Div., described the mission to journalists Nov. 11. “We’re going to put a footprint there. We’re going to establish a forward operating base,” he said.

The mission was also conducted because Coalition forces believe AQI operating in the area were involved with the May 12 attack which resulted in two missing/captured U.S. Soldiers, Pvt. Byron Fouty and Spc. Alex Jimenez, belonging to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry). The 3rd BCT, 101st Abn. Div., took over the mission of the 2nd BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. at the end of October.

“The Soldiers that were captured and still missing from the 10th Mountain are now part of the Rakkasan unit, and also part of the Task Force Marne unit. And the mission I have is to exploit every avenue to try to identify where they are,” Caraccilo said.

(Story by By Tim Kilbride, Multi-National Division-Center Public Affairs)

In Other Recent Developments Here:

BAGHDAD — Almost 100 Iraqi Correctional Officers graduated from the Iraqi CorrectionalOfficerTraining Academy at a ceremony held Nov. 8 at Camp Cropper.

BAGHDAD — Coalition forces killed six terrorists and detained 10 suspects today during operations targeting terrorist networks in central and northern Iraq.

Labels: 101st Airborne Airborne Division, 10th Mountain Division, al Betra, Iraq, Iraqi Army, Operation Marne Courageous, Owesat

U.S. Army Spc. David Dorfmueller (foreground) and U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Chris Belch, both assigned to Bravo Troop, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division dismount and walk along the streets during a cordon and search operation led by Iraqi army soldiers assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Iraqi Army Division in the town of Biaj, Iraq, Sept. 28, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Christopher Hubenthal


U.S. Army Spc. David Dorfmueller assigned to Bravo Troop, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division shows an Iraqi army soldier the functions of his M-203 rifle during a cordon and search operation led by Iraqi army soldiers assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Iraqi Army Division in the town of Biaj, Iraq, Sept. 28, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Christopher Hubenthal


U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Chris Belch assigned to Bravo Troop, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division speaks with local nationals during a cordon and search operation led by Iraqi army soldiers assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Iraqi Army Division in the town of Biaj, Iraq, Sept. 28, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Christopher Hubenthal


Iraqi army soldiers assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Iraqi Army Division search a house during a cordon and search operation located in the town of Biaj, Iraq, Sept. 28, 2007. The combined operation was overseen and conducted by U.S. Army soldiers assigned to Bravo Troop, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Christopher Hubenthal


U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Chris Belch assigned to Bravo Troop, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division searches a cabinet during a cordon and search operation led by Iraqi army soldiers in the town of Biaj, Iraq, Sept. 28, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Christopher Hubenthal


U.S. Army Spc. Jarret Taylor assigned to Bravo Troop, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division speaks with Iraqi army soldiers and observes their procedures during a cordon and search operation led by Iraqi army soldiers assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Iraqi Army Division in the town of Biaj, Iraq, Sept. 28, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Christopher Hubenthal


Iraqi army soldiers provide security outside a targeted house during a cordon and search operation located in the town of Biaj, Iraq, Sept. 28, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Christopher Hubenthal


Iraqi army soldiers maintain security at an enter-section during a cordon and search operation located in the town of Biaj, Iraq, Sept. 28, 2007. The combined operation was overseen and conducted by U.S. Army soldiers assigned to Bravo Troop, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Christopher Hubenthal


Iraqi army soldiers assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Iraqi Army Division move to another location during a cordon and search operation located in the town of Biaj, Iraq, Sept. 28, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Christopher Hubenthal




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Labels: 1st Cavalry Division, 3rd Iraqi Army Division, 9th Cavalry Regiment, Biaj, Iraq, Iraqi Army, photo essays, photos

Banners of appreciation from the community adorn the front entrance of the Tisin Playground, located in the ethnically mixed northwest neighborhood of Kirkuk, Iraq. The project is part of a larger plan that will include gardens, lighted walkways and 24-hour security. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Mike Alberts


Lt. Col. James D. Hess (far rear), battalion commander, 325th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, and Command Sgt. Maj. Randy Varner (back right), 325th command sergeant major, pose for a photo with neighborhood children during the grand opening of the Tisin Playground in Kirkuk, Iraq, Sept. 24, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Mike Alberts


Two small girls are among the first children to enjoy one of several swings at the Tisin Playground in Kirkuk, Iraq. Local government officials and military leadership with the 25th Infantry Division's 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team and the Iraqi Army's 4th Division commemorated the grand opening of the playground with a ribbon cutting, Sept. 24, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Mike Alberts


Maj. Zyad Junade, civil affairs officer, 2nd Brigade, Iraqi Army's 4th Division and U.S. Army Lt. Col. James D. Hess, commander, 325th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, pose for a photo at the new playground in Kirkuk, Iraq, Sept. 24, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Mike Alberts


U.S. Army Lt. Col. James D. Hess (right), commander, 325th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, watches a young Iraqi boy enjoy one of four large slides during the grand opening of the Tisin Playground in Kirkuk, Iraq, Sept. 24, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Mike Alberts


A small girl enjoys one of four slides at the new Tisin Playground in Kirkuk, Iraq, Sept. 24, 2007. Local government officials as well as U.S. and Iraqi army leadership commemorated the grand opening with a ribbon cutting. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Mike Alberts




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Labels: 2-4 Iraqi Army, 25th Infantry Division, 325th BSB, 4th Iraqi Army Division, children, Good News, Iraq, Iraqi Army, photo essays, photos, US Army

CORDON AND SEARCH — An Iraqi army soldier searches a large container for possible contraband during a cordon and search operation in Biaj, Iraq, Sept. 28, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Christopher Hubenthal

Labels: Biaj, cordon and search, Iraq, Iraqi Army, photos

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Photo Release# 092507-01
Sept. 24, 2007

Multinational Division – North PAO


Three Iraqi army soldiers from the 5th IA Division begin movement for their objectives during Operation Rock Wrench Sept. 22. Iraqi forces focused on clearing structures while U.S. forces provided security for the mission in the industrial section of southern Baqouba. (U.S. Army Photo by 1st Lt. Richard Ybarra, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)


Spc. Garrett Vogland of 1-12 Combined Arms Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, provides security for Iraqi soldiers during Operation Rock Wrench Sept 22. Iraqi forces focused on clearing structures while U.S. forces provided security for the mission in the industrial section of south Baqouba. (U.S. Army Photo by 1st Lt. Richard Ybarra, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)


Pfc. Michael Strausbaugh and Spc. Carlos Livingston of the 1-12 Combined Arms Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, hurry through an intersection during Operation Rock Wrench, a joint mission with the 5th Iraqi Army Division Sept 22. Iraqi forces focused on clearing structures while U.S. forces provided security for the mission in the industrial section of southern Baqouba. (U.S. Army Photo by 1st. Lt Richard Ybarra, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)


5th Iraqi Army Division soldiers secure a street before clearing the buildings in the industrial section of southern Baqouba during Operation Rock Wrench Sept 22. Iraqi forces focused on clearing structures while U.S. forces provided security. (U.S. Army Photo by 1st Lt. Richard Ybarra, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)


A Soldier from the 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, provides rear security as a weapons cache consisting of grenades and hand-held radios, discovered by soldiers of the 5th Iraqi Army Division, burns. Iraqi forces focused on clearing structures while U.S. forces provided security for the mission in the industrial section of southern Baqouba. (U.S. Army Photo by 1st Lt. Richard Ybarra, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)


An automatic weapons team from the 5th Iraqi Army Division moves through the industrial section of southern Baqouba, Sept. 22. Iraqi forces focused on clearing structures while U.S. forces provided security for the mission. (U.S. Army Photo by 1st Lt. Richard Ybarra, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)

Labels: 1-38th Infantry, 2ID, 5th Iraqi Army Division, Baqouba, Iraq, Iraqi Army, photos, US Army

An Iraqi army soldier assigned to the 2nd Brigade, 7th IA Division, provides security during the final exercise of a week-long training package in Al Asad, Iraq, Aug. 29, 2007. Marines assigned to the 2nd Platoon, 4th Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 2, recently trained nine Iraqi army soldiers in close-quarter combat skills. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Shane S. Keller


Chief Warrant Officer Emad Majeed Eesa, an Iraqi army soldier assigned to the 2nd Brigade, 7th IA Division, gets the go-ahead from his point man and makes entry into an unidentified room. This exercise was part of a week-long training package in Al Asad, Iraq, Aug. 29, 2007, which was taught by Marines assigned to the 2nd Platoon, 4th Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 2. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Adam Johnston


Nine Iraqi army soldiers assigned to the 2nd Brigade, 7th IA Division, fire M-16A2 service rifles at the small-arms range during a recent training package in Al Asad, Iraq, Aug. 29, 2007. Marines assigned to the 2nd Platoon, 4th Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 2, taught the week-long course. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Shane S. Keller


An Iraqi army soldier assigned to the 2nd Brigade, 7th IA Division, fires a M-16A2 service rifle at the small-arms range during a recent training package in Al Asad, Iraq, Aug. 29, 2007. Nine Iraqi army soldiers attended the week-long course, which was taught by Marines assigned to the 2nd Platoon, 4th Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 2. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Shane S. Keller


A Marine assigned to the 2nd Platoon, 4th Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 2, fireman-carries Chief Warrant Officer Emad Majeed Eesa, an Iraqi army soldier assigned to the 2nd Brigade, 7th IA Division, during a recent physical training session in Al Asad, Iraq, Aug. 29, 2007. The PT was also a part of the week-long training package. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Shane S. Keller


An Iraqi army soldier assigned to the 2nd Brigade, 7th IA Division, cleans his M-16A2 service rifle following a day at the small-arms range. This training was part of a week-long course, which was taught by Marines assigned to the 2nd Platoon, 4th Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 2 in Al Asad, Iraq, Aug. 29, 2007. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Shane S. Keller


Staff Sgt. Stephen Bellville, senior instructor of the close-quarter combat course, reviews a map of the objective before students carry out the mission in Al Asad, Iraq, Aug. 29, 2007. This exercise was part of a week-long training package, which was taught by Marines assigned to the 2nd Platoon, 4th Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 2. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Adam Johnston


Nine Iraqi army soldiers assigned to the 2nd Brigade, 7th IA division, recently participated in a week-long training package in Al Asad, Iraq, Aug. 29, 2007. Marines assigned to the 2nd Platoon, 4th Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 2, taught the Iraqi army soldiers a variety of close-quarter combat skills. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Shane S. Keller



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Labels: 4th Reconnaissance Battalion, 7th Iraqi Army Division, Iraq, Iraqi Army, photo essays, photos, Regimental Combat Team 2, USMC

A U.S. Marine assigned to the 4th Marine Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division uses binoculars during an operation while looking for suspicious activities and personnel outside Al Qaim, Iraq, Aug. 22, 2007. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Charles S. Howard


U.S. Marines assigned to the Regimental Combat Team 2 search underneath a railroad car during an operation while looking for suspicious activities outside Al Qaim, Iraq, Aug. 22, 2007. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Charles S. Howard


U.S. Marines assigned to the Regimental Combat Team 2 and a Marine with 4th Marine Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division confer with each other outside an Iraqi railroad station during an operation near Al Qaim, Iraq, Aug. 22, 2007. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Charles S. Howard


A U.S. Marine assigned to the Regimental Combat Team 2 advances on a railroad station during an operation while looking for suspicious activities and personnel outside Al Qaim, Iraq, Aug. 22, 2007. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Charles S. Howard


An Iraqi army soldier assigned to the 2nd Brigade, 7th Iraqi Army Division questions an Iraqi girl in an abandoned railroad station in Al Qaim, Iraq, Aug. 22, 2007. The soldier is a part of an operation used to search for suspicious activities and personnel within the area of operations. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Charles S. Howard


An Iraqi army soldier assigned to the 2nd Brigade, 7th Iraqi Army Division photographs an AK-47 in an abandoned railroad station in Al Qaim, Iraq, Aug. 22, 2007. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Charles S. Howard


A U.S. Marine assigned to the Regimental Combat Team 2 provides security while looking for suspicious activities and personnel outside an Iraqi railroad station during an operation near Al Qaim, Iraq, Aug. 22, 2007. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Charles S. Howard


U.S. Marines assigned to the Regimental Combat Team 2 load onto a CH-53E Sea Stallion helicopter after an operation looking for suspicious activities and personnel outside Al Qaim, Iraq, Aug. 22, 2007. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Charles S. Howard




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Labels: 4th Marine Division, 4th Marine Reconnaissance Battalion, 7th Iraqi Army Division, Al Qaim, Ch-53E, Iraq, Iraqi Army, photo essays, photos, Regimental Combat Team 2, USMC