Cavalry scout Sgt. Elliot Edmunds, B Troop, 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, directs an Iraqi policeman which direction to cover during an operation south of Tal ‘Afar, Iraq, July 13. Edmunds unit has been deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom for over 12 months now. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Bradley J. Clark, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SR# 071707-74
July 17, 2007


By Pfc. Bradley J. Clark
4th BCT, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs


FORWARD OPERATING BASE MAREZ, Iraq— Troops from Multi-National Division-North conducted a series of cordon and knock engagements July 12 through July 14 with the help of Iraqi security forces in the area between Bi’aj and Tal ‘Afar.

Soldiers from the Blackfoot Troop of 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment went into five villages over the three-day operation to interact with the locals and introduce the ISF to the townspeople.

“We do these missions to check on the locals,” said Sgt. Matthew Kravulski, intelligence liaison for Blackfoot Troop. “We get the town demographics, what the religious make up is, and what kind of support they need from the ISF.”

The troops brought along members from the Iraqi Army and the Iraqi Police for many reasons that are intended to ultimately benefit the local people in the area.

“People don’t really hear about us and this area,” said Spc. Lonnie Sykes, a cavalry scout from Las Vegas. “This is a really big area and when it’s just us trying to help everyone, that’s when problems arise and things don’t get accomplished.”

Another cavalry scout, Sgt. Elliot Edmunds, agreed with Sykes about the difficultly and added, “We can’t support the entire area.”

These Soldiers have seen problems arise in the past when areas get neglected by ISF, but now they can start to see the solution working.

“The Iraqi people don’t yet have complete confidence in areas like their security and healthcare,” said Sgt. Paul Loos, squadron senior line medic. “But those areas are moving towards improvement. The IP are trying and our presence has changed the IA. They are doing a lot more now, so when we go out, we find less and less.”

With the Iraqi security forces advancing in their training, they will soon be able to step up to the challenge and be the glue that helps keep Iraq together.

“We have seen less crime and better living conditions in cities like Sinjar, Tal Afar, and Bi’aj,” said Sykes.

Kravulski agreed with Sykes but added, “There have been a lot of improvements, but there are still many things that need improvement; like better security, so when we do fix up places, they stay in good condition instead of being destroyed days later.”

The results of the three-day operation can show evidence that the level of security has improved. Of the five towns involved in the operation, there were only two people detained for questioning. Those two were only detained because of a search revealing an excess number of weapons found in their possession.

“We do these village engagements pretty often,” said Loos. “And this one wasn’t bad at all. We can see the civilians are helping out a lot.”

Edmunds agreed with his fellow sergeant and added that if they don’t find a lot of insurgents or weapons, it means the Iraqis are doing their part to keep their communities safe.

The operation gave Coalition Forces an opportunity to see that the ISF can establish good working relationships with the occupants of different villages and tribes. It also gave them a chance to see the Iraqis’ abilities to identify things the villagers need for a better quality of life.



Squadron senior line medic, Sgt. Paul “Doc” Loos, 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, applies a bandage to an Iraqi as 1st Sgt. James Taylor, B Troop, 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, looks on during an operation south of Tal ‘Afar, Iraq, July 14. Loos, a Moreno Valley, Calif., native, is on his second tour of duty in Iraq. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Bradley J. Clark, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)


Cavalry scout, Spc. Lonnie Sykes, B Troop, 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, shakes hands with local villagers as Sgt. Elliot Edmunds, cavalry scout, B Troop, 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment looks on July 13 south of Tal ‘Afar, Iraq. Sykes is a Las Vegas native, who has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom for over a year. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Bradley J. Clark, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)

Labels: 3-4 Cavalry, FOB Marez, Good News, Iraq, photos, Tal Afar, US Army

Cavalry Regiment demonstrate the fundamentals of detainee searches to 1st Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Iraqi Army Division soldiers at a combat outpost in Tal Afar, Iraq. (U.S. Army photo courtesy of 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment)


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SR# 051707-63
May 17, 2007

By Sgt. Paula Taylor
4th BCT, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs

TAL AFAR, Iraq—For the first time, members of 1st Platoon, B Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment and 1st Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Iraqi Army Division conducted training together.

The training event, which allowed the cavalry to travel to several Iraqi Army area patrol bases, lasted two weeks and covered several types of searches.

“The searches that were taught were the search and seizure, cordon and search, vehicle search, and personnel search,” said Pfc. Kenneth Malone, cavalry scout. “These searches are important because they are vital to the success of their mission.”

Just after the initial class of students had finished learning proper search techniques, a call alerting the group was received of a possible foreign fighter being spotted in the immediate area.

“The call was from a source that identified a foreign fighter hiding out in the house across the street from where we were training,” said 1st Lt. David Boelens. “The IA went across the street and captured the foreign fighter, using many of the techniques our Soldiers had taught them a couple of hours earlier.”

Throughout the two-week period, Coalition Forces said they trained about 40-50 Iraqi soldiers per day.

“We trained at least 300 IA from first battalion alone,” Malone said. “They took the training well.”

Most of the scouts agreed that the IA soldiers learned valuable techniques that could possibly save lives.

“The combined experiences of my noncommissioned officers and Soldiers gave the IA soldiers good search techniques that may someday save their lives,” said Boelens. “Knowing what to look for and how to mitigate the threat is something that the IA have been instilled with. We are just helping to enhance that knowledge.”
Boelens feels the classes were relevant and will directly impact the Iraqi Army’s missions by making them more effective, and said that his unit will continue the training throughout the HeadHunter’s deployment.



Iraqi Army and Coalition Soldiers assigned to the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, take cover behind a cement barrier after receiving small-arms fire in Tal Afar, Iraq. The CF are working with IA in the area to teach, coach and mentor their fighting skills. (U.S. Army photo courtesy of 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment)

Labels: 1-9 Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division, 3rd Iraqi Army Division, Iraq, Iraqi Army, Tal Afar, US Army