DTN News - IRAQ DEFENSE NEWS: Iraq Sending 4,000 Volunteers To Help In Ramadi

DTN News - IRAQ DEFENSE NEWS: Iraq Sending 4,000 Volunteers To Help In Ramadi

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources airforcetimes.com 
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 12, 2014: (BAGHDAD) — Iraq is airlifting some 4,000 volunteers to an embattled city west of Baghdad to help bolster government forces locked in a running battle with Sunni militants there, authorities said Saturday.

Around 2,500 of the volunteers arrived in Ramadi, located 115 kilometers (70 miles) west of the capital, on Friday and are to be joined by the remaining 1,500 on Saturday, said Gen. Rasheed Flayeh, the commander of operations in Anbar province. The men are being ferried out to Ramadi from Baghdad by helicopter, he added.

The vast majority of volunteers are Shiites who have answered a call from the country's top Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, to defend Iraq from the militants who have overrun of much of the country's north and west over the past month. The Sunni militant blitz is led by the Islamic State extremist group, which has unilaterally declared the establishment of an Islamic state ruled by Shariah law in the territory it controls straddling the Iraq-Syria border.

The government's reliance on Shiite militias — who have deployed in sizeable numbers to several cities across the country — to help counter the threat from Sunni militants has ramped up sectarian tensions, and helped fuel fears that Iraq could return to the wholesale sectarian bloodletting that engulfed the country in 2006 and 2007.

There are already worrying signs of such violence.

Human Rights Watch said Friday that Iraqi security forces and government-affiliated militias appear to have killed at least 255 prisoners in six cities and villages since June 9. It said five of the mass killings took place when security forces were fleeing as militants advanced, and that the vast the prisoners killed were Sunni.

Most members of the security forces and militias are Shiite. The six incidents appear to be aimed at avenging the deaths of Shiites captured and killed by the Islamic State group, Human Rights Watch said.

There is also evidence the militants have carried out mass killings. The Islamic State group posted graphic photos online last month showing the militants killing dozens of police and soldiers. The Iraqi military confirmed the photographs and said around 170 soldiers were killed. Human Rights Watch put the number between 160 and 190.

Ramadi is the capital of Anbar, an overwhelmingly Sunni province and one of the most active battle fronts in Iraq. The Islamic State group and other Sunni militant groups seized control of the Anbar city of Fallujah and parts of Ramadi in January. The government has since reasserted its control of Ramadi, but Fallujah remains in insurgent hands.

The militant onslaught over the past month has touched off Iraq's worst crisis since the last U.S. troops left in 2011 and sapped public — and international — confidence in Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

The Iraqi leader's opponents, and even many of his former allies, accuse him of trying to monopolize power and alienating the Sunni community, and are pushing him to step aside and not seek a third consecutive term. Despite the pressure, al-Maliki has vowed not to withdraw his candidacy for the prime minister's post, and points to his State of Law bloc's capturing the most seats in April elections to claim he has a mandate.

Iraq's new parliament is scheduled on Sunday to hold its second session since the elections amid hopes that lawmakers can quickly decide on a new prime minister, president and speaker of parliament — the first steps toward forming a new government. It failed to make any progress in its first session, and postponed its second session until Sunday.

On Saturday, the U.N. special envoy to Iraq, Nickolay Mladenov, warned that failure to quickly elect new leadership "risks plunging the country into chaos."

"It will only serve the interests of those who seek to divide the people of Iraq and destroy their chances for peace and prosperity," he said. "Iraq needs a team that can bring people together. Now is not the time for mutual accusations, now is the time for moving forward and compromising in the interest of the Iraqi people."

He urged lawmakers to attend Sunday's session and succeed in choosing a new speaker of parliament.

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DTN News - IRAQ WAR NEWS: U.S. Military Marks End To Nearly Nine Bloody Years In Iraq

DTN News - IRAQ WAR NEWS: U.S. Military Marks End To Nearly Nine Bloody Years In Iraq

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Reuters

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 15, 2011: U.S. forces formally ended their nine-year war in Iraq on Thursday with a low key flag ceremony in Baghdad, while to the north flickering violence highlighted ethnic and sectarian strains threatening the country in years ahead

"After a lot of blood spilled by Iraqis and Americans, the mission of an Iraq that could govern and secure itself has become real," Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said at the ceremony at Baghdad's still heavily-fortified airport.

Almost 4,500 U.S. soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqis lost their lives in the war that began with a "Shock and Awe" campaign of missiles pounding Baghdad and descended into sectarian strife and a surge in U.S. troop numbers.

U.S. soldiers lowered the flag of American forces in Iraq and slipped it into a camouflage-colored sleeve in a brief outdoor ceremony, symbolically ending the most unpopular U.S. military venture since the Vietnam War of the 1960s and 70s.

The remaining 4,000 American troops will leave by the end of the year.

Toppled Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein is dead, executed in 2006 and the worst sectarian violence has, at least for now, passed. But Iraq still struggles with insurgents, a fragile power-sharing government and an oil-reliant economy plagued by power shortages and corruption.

"Iraq will be tested in the days ahead, by terrorism, by those who would seek to divide, by economic and social issues," Panetta told the rows of assembled U.S. soldiers and embassy officials at the ceremony. "Challenges remain, but the United State s will be there to stand by the Iraqi people."

In Falluja, the former heartland of an al Qaeda insurgency and scene of some of the worst fighting in the war, several thousand Iraqis celebrated the withdrawal on Wednesday, some burning U.S. flags and waving pictures of dead relatives.

Around 2,500 mainly Shi'ite Muslim residents of the northern territory of Diyala protested on Thursday in front of the provincial council building for a second day against a move to declare autonomy from the mainly Sunni Salahuddin province.

Police used batons and water cannon to disperse demonstrators who tried to storm the council headquarters, witnesses said. Some protesters climbed to the roof of the building and raised green and black Shi'ite flags.

Some parts of Diyala are disputed territories between the minority Kurds in the north and Arab Shi'ite-led government in Baghdad. The long-standing dispute over land, oil and power is considered a potential flashpoint for future conflict in Iraq after American troops depart.

Iraq's neighbors will watch how Baghdad tackles its sectarian and ethnic division without the U.S. military. Events there could be influenced by conflict in neighbouring Syria that has taken on a sectarian hue in recent weeks.

U.S. President Barack Obama, who made an election promise to bring troops home, told Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that Washington will remain a loyal partner after the last troops roll across the Kuwaiti border.

"WE NEED TO BE SAFE"

Iraq's Shi'ite leadership presents the withdrawal as a new start for the country's sovereignty, but many Iraqis question which direction the nation will take without U.S. troops.

"I am happy they are leaving. This is my country and they should leave," said Samer Saad, a soccer coach. "But I am worried because we need to be safe. We are worried because all the militias will start to come back."

Some like Saad fear more sectarian strife or an al Qaeda return to the cities. A squabble between Kurds in their northern semi-autonomous enclave and the Iraqi Arab central government over disputed territories and oil is another flashpoint.

Violence has ebbed since the bloodier days of sectarian slaughter when suicide bombers and hit squads claimed hundreds of victims a day at times as the country descended into tit-for-tat killings between the Sunni and Shi'ite communities.

In 2006 alone, 17,800 Iraqi military and civilians were killed in violence.

Iraqi security forces are generally seen as capable of containing the remaining Sunni Islamist insurgency and the rival Shi'ite militias that U.S. officials say are backed by Iran.

But attacks now target local government offices and security forces in an attempt show the authorities are not in control.

Saddam's fall opened the way for the Shi'ite majority community to take positions of power after decades of oppression under his Sunni-run Baath party.

Even the power-sharing in Maliki's Shi'ite-led government is hamstrung, with coalition parties split along sectarian lines, squabbling over laws and government posts.

Sunnis fear they will be marginalized or even face creeping Shi'ite-led authoritarian rule under Maliki. A recent crackdown on former members of the Baath party has fueled those fears.

Iraq's Shi'ite leadership frets the crisis in neighbouring Syria could eventually bring a hardline Sunni leadership to power in Damascus, worsening Iraq's own sectarian tensions.

"WAS IT WORTH IT?"

U.S. troops were supposed to stay on as part of a deal to train the Iraqi armed forces but talks over immunity from prosecution for American soldiers fell apart.

Memories of U.S. abuses, arrests and killings still haunt many Iraqis and the question of legal protection from prosecution looked too sensitive to push through parliament.

At the height of the war, 170,000 American soldiers occupied more than 500 bases across the country.

Only around 150 U.S. soldiers will remain after December 31 attached to the huge U.S. Embassy near the Tigris River. Civilian contractors will take on the task of training Iraqi forces on U.S. military hardware.

Every day trucks with troops trundle in convoys across the Kuwaiti border.

"Was it worth it? I am sure it was. When we first came in here, the Iraqi people seemed like they were happy to see us," said Sgt 1st Class Lon Bennish, packing up recently at a U.S. base and finishing the last of three deployments in Iraq.

"I hope we are leaving behind a country that says 'Hey, we are better off now than we were before.'"

(Editing by David Stamp)

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Reuters

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US forces Shot Down An Iranian Drone In Iraq

US forces Shot Down An Iranian Drone In Iraq

(NSI News Source Info) March 17, 2009: US forces shot down an Iranian drone 60 miles (100km) north-east of Baghdad last month, the US military says. A military spokesman said the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was in Iraqi airspace for almost an hour and 10 minutes before it was engaged. The US accused Iran of deliberately sending the spy drone into Iraqi airspace, but a top Iraqi official suggested it had been a mistake. There was no immediate comment from Iran on the 25 February incident. The US has long accused Iran of military interference inside Iraq. "This was not an accident on the part of the Iranians," said US military spokesman Lt Col Mark Ballesteros, who identified the drone as an Iranian-made Ababil 3. Pilots "were directed to shoot the UAV down after determining there would be no possibility of collateral damage", he added. Maj Gen Abdul Aziz Mohammed Jassim, head of military operations at the Iraqi defence ministry, told Reuters news agency he believed the plane's entry into Iraq had probably been a genuine error. "It crossed 10km into Iraq," he said. "It's most likely that its entrance was a mistake." The Ababil 3 is a reconnaissance drone. Israeli forces reported downing several Hezbollah Ababils during the 2006 Lebanon War.

US President Barack Obama has pledged to offer diplomatic engagement with US foes, including Iran, to test if there might be scope for negotiated solutions to conflicts. Last week, however, Obama said he had extended one of the many levels of sanctions against Iran, imposed in 1995 over charges that Tehran dealt in terrorism and sought weapons of mass destruction. And Washington remains cautious about the growing ties between the two Shiite-majority neighbours, repeatedly accusing Iranian-linked groups of attacking US troops in Iraq. It also worries about Tehran's future influence on the now Shiite-dominated government in Baghdad as relations strengthen. Under executed president Saddam Hussein's Sunni-led regime, Tehran and Baghdad fought a devastating 1980-1988 war in which around one million people died.

Pentagon Fields 10,000th MRAP Vehicle / Military Fields 10,000th Mine-resistant Vehicle To Troops In Iraq

Pentagon Fields 10,000th MRAP Vehicle / Military Fields 10,000th Mine-resistant Vehicle To Troops In Iraq

(NSI News Source Info) BAGHDAD - February 23, 2009: The U.S. military fielded its 10,000th mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle in Iraq today during a ceremony on Camp Liberty, just 22 months after it was introduced into the theater of operations. Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected vehicles sit in a row on the Camp Liberty, Iraq, fielding site, Feb. 20, 2009. The day marked the introduction of the 10,000th vehicle into Iraq.

U.S. Army photo by Spc. Christopher Gaylord Service-members and civilians from across Victory Base Complex gathered among rows of MRAPs at the largest fielding site in Iraq to acknowledge the success the vehicle has had in protecting thousands of troops from blasts caused by roadside bombs.

"This is a historic day that represents the enduring power of our military industrial base,” Army Lt. Col. Ron Fizer, commander of the 402nd Field Support Brigade, said. “This type of effort has been indicative of America's manufacturing capability, but it has not been demonstrated in such a fashion since World War II.

"The teamwork demonstrated through the combined efforts of military, civilians, and contractors … has been exceptional,” he continued. “This has set a new standard for the development, fielding and sustainment of capabilities required by our warriors for today's battlefield and future conflicts."

The first MRAP was fielded in Iraq in April 2007. Since then, more than 11,700 vehicles have been fielded across the U.S. Central Command area of operations. In Iraq alone, this marks the 10,000th vehicle fielded and more than 22,000 personnel trained. "MRAPs save lives every time they go out,"

Army Brig. Gen. Michael Lally, commander of the 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Brigade, said at the ceremony. Lally shared an instance in which three soldiers in his unit walked away uninjured when an improvised explosive device damaged the entire front half of their vehicle. "The whole front of the MRAP was destroyed, and all three people walked out the back with no injuries," Lally said. Army Lt. Col. Greg Rawlings, chief of the force management division in Multinational Corps Iraq Operations, was an honored guest at the ceremony for his role in the distribution of MRAPs to Army units throughout Iraq.

Rawlings was recognized and applauded for building distribution plans for the dispersal of new equipment based on unit requirements and the threat in certain areas of the country.

"I'm basically the guy who doles [MRAPs] out," Rawlings said. "I give 50 to this unit and 50 to that unit, based on who needs them most."

Rawlings mentioned that adding armor as a result of the threat of what the military calls “explosively formed projectiles” – roadside bombs made from shaped charges designed to pierce conventional armored vehicles -- is an example of changes based on his assessments.

In its 22 months of use in Iraq, the MRAP has undergone numerous modifications that have increased troops' confidence in theist ability to keep them safe. The program continues to adapt the vehicles even as they are produced and fielded, with improvements such as upgraded armor, better suspension systems, improved seats, safety harnesses, and gunner restraints and improved night driving capability. At the same time, they have maintained a 95-percent operational readiness rate.

"My fellow soldiers and I feel very confident in [the MRAP's] ability to contain an IED blast," said Army Pfc. Derek Sharp, who arrived in Iraq in early December as part of the 82nd Airborne Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team. Lally presented Sharp with a ceremonial key and recognized him as the operator of the 10,000th MRAP in Iraq.

Troops know when they go “outside the wire” they're in the best-protected vehicle with which they can be provided, Lally said.

“They know they'll get from Point A to Point B, and it's not going to break down on them," he said. "The MRAP team has done a phenomenal job over here. There was a lot of training that went on here for our operators, maintainers and crews to safely and effectively operate this piece of equipment."

Spencer Sims, the Camp Liberty fielding site's lead manager, said said soldiers talk about the safety the MRAPs provide.

"I had a couple of soldiers that came in and were getting some work done on their vehicle,” he said, “and they said they had been hit seven times with IEDs, and that very next week they were going on leave. I think it's a great testament to the whole team involved."

DSI Touts T-91 Tank Proposal For Iraq

DSI Touts T-91 Tank Proposal For Iraq

(NSI News Source Info) February 6, 2009: In compliance with the Status of Forces Agreement, U.S. and Allied forces must leave Iraq by December 31, 2011, meaning that Iraq has only a small window of time to reconstitute self-sustaining military forces.

The Iraqi Ministry of Defense has indicated the government’s intention to rebuild the military’s fleet of armored vehicles to levels that existed prior to the April 2003 overthrow of Saddam Hussein (two thousand tanks as compared with 149 tanks today). With the eyes of the world watching, the reestablishment of the Iraq military is clearly an issue of vital importance to the international community.

In January 2009 U.S. defense companies and Pentagon officials announced that the Iraqi Army is planning to buy up to 2,000 retrofitted Soviet-era T-72M tanks. Redesignated as T-91s, the tanks would form the heavy core of a reconstituted force meant to be able to defend its country after most U.S. forces leave in 2011. The tanks would be bought from Eastern European countries such as the Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine and Slovakia, and then stripped to their frames and rebuilt under a contract managed by Defense Solutions of Exton, Pa with advanced gun systems, modern armor, and fire control systems to levels almost similar to the M1A1 Abrams. This proposal has sinced been discredited by Pentagon sources.

“We build armies,” says Colonel (Ret) Timothy D. Ringgold, CEO of Defense Solutions Holding, Inc., an international project management, executive consulting, and business development firm headquartered in Exton, PA, with branch offices on four continents. “If security forces use it, wear it, train with it, or operate it, we can supply it—along with the services to support it.”

With a registered office in Baghdad, Defense Solutions is one of a few American companies working directly with the Iraqi government. The company’s program is based on rebuilding tanks from former Eastern Bloc countries, taking them down to their hulls—which accounts for approximately 80% of the tank’s mass— and remanufacturing and upgrading their battlefield capabilities to include digital, thermal, and laser technologies.

New Abrams tanks will cost between $10 and 15 million per vehicle. By comparison, the rebuilt and modernized tanks provided by Defense Solutions will cost slightly more than $3 million per unit. More importantly, because they are about 50% lighter, the Defense Solutions’ T-91 tanks will be able to operate in Iraq without causing significant damage to the country’s roads, bridges, and dams.

Defense Solutions’ principal offerings are rebuilt and upgraded armored combat vehicles, spare parts, ammunition, and other equipment. The firm prides itself on a business model that includes end-to-end integrated logistics, training, and maintenance. The company is also involved in maritime and port security, having recently won the contract to provide port security consulting services for the Port of Baltimore.

“Our effort to provide Iraq with a self-sustaining military force has been a long and rigorous process,” says COL Ringgold. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help rebuild a fledgling democracy and America’s newest ally in the Middle East.”

OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM....An Iraqi MiG-25 Foxbat Found Buried Under The Sand West Of Baghdad

OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM....An Iraqi MiG-25 Foxbat Found Buried Under The Sand West Of Baghdad (NSI News Source Info) January 3, 2008: A search team discovers a MiG-25 Foxbat buried beneath the sands in Iraq. Several MiG-25 interceptors and Su-25 ground attack jets have been found buried at Al-Taqqadum air field west of Baghda. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sergeant T. Collins) The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 (NATO reporting name "Foxbat") is a high-supersonic interceptor and reconnaissance/bomber aircraft designed by the Soviet Union's Mikoyan-Gurevich bureau. First flown as a prototype in 1964, it entered service in 1970. With a top speed of Mach 3.2, a powerful radar and four air-to-air missiles, the MiG-25 worried Western observers and prompted development of the F-15 Eagle. The aircraft's true capabilities were not revealed to the west until 1976 when Viktor Belenko, a Soviet MiG-25 pilot, defected to Japan. Subsequent analysis revealed a simple-yet-functional design with vacuum-tube electronics, two massive turbojet engines, and sparing use of advanced materials such as titanium. The MiG-25 series had a production run of 1,190 aircraft. The MiG-25 flew with a number of Soviet allies and former Soviet republics and it remains in limited service in Russia and several other nations.