WAR NEWS

CRACKING THE CODE: Army LTC Morschauer of the 2nd Bn., 2nd Bde, 15th Artillery, 10th Mountain Division, says U.S. forces have "cracked the code when it comes to working with the Iraqi Army" in Mahmudiyah. LTC Morschauer's unit is working with the "Baghdad Eagle Division" of the Iraqi Army.

Since September, 847 joint patrols, 29 air assaults, and numerous small unit operations have resulted in the detention of over 3,000 suspected terrorists, as well as the discovery and demolition of 271 IEDs and 72 weapons caches. Joint forces also recently captured Jawad Ubadd Khalif, a local Al Qaeda HVT. Several hundred Iraqi Army soldiers have also completed U.S. or Iraqi run advanced combat training.

HONORING FALLEN BRITS: United States Marines of HSC, 3rd Bn., 6th Marine Regiment, have completed the restoration started by other American units of a British military cemetery. The British Royal Air Force Cemetery at Habbaniyah, established by treaty in 1927, holds the remains of 289 Brits and Poles. The Marines removed weeds and trash, as well as resetting stones where necessary. The cemetery had fallen into a sad state of disrepair, and it is only appropriate to show the respect due to our allies who have fallen.

TOUGH GUYS: Think the Air Force flyboys don't really fight? Think again. Members of the 732nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron Detachment 6 will back me up on this. The 45 person unit supports Iraqi Police at the provincial and district level around Tikrit. This work obviously involves many convoys, and the unit has seen its share of IEDs, including one airman KIA. These folks even went through two months of Army training before deployment. The USAF security forces involved are doing magnificent work and should be highly commended.

IRANIAN WEAPONS BUST: A suspected Iranian weapons network has been demolished in the Shia district of Sadr City in Baghdad. A combined air and ground operation resulted in 30 enemy KIA. Among the dead was the main target, a dirtbag acting as liason between the militants and the Quds Force of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. In a related item, LTG Raymond Odierno told CNN that there were 99 EFP attacks last month, and that Iranian weapons accounted for one-third of the 79 U.S. dead. It is well past time this issues was, shall we say, more directly addressed at the source (see below).

AL-MALIKI WASTES HIS TIME: Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki flew off to chat with the Iranians. He was seeking security assistance, and was told the problem lies with "occupying forces". That is laughable and once again demonstrates the need for Iran to feel a little American steel.

KHARZAI SPEAKS OUT: Afghan President Hamid Kharzai spoke to a meeting of 650 Pakistani and Afghan tribal leaders in Kabul. Pakistani President Musharraf pulled out of the powwow at the last minute to deal with the escalating fight with Al Qaeda. President Kharzai took the terrorists to task for the attacks on and kidnappings of women and children. Finally, we hear a leader in the Muslim world speak out against the mad men who are too cowardly to launch their attacks against legitimate military forces, and instead attack innocents. It's refreshing, and once again points out that Kharzai is a good man and invaluable ally.

JINGOCON