War On Terror News

1-101 FA Medic Provides Care at Car Accident

1st Battalion, 101st Field Artillery Regiment Story by 2nd Lt. Jordan Breau

03.27.2010  KABUL, Afghanistan – Negotiating the busy streets of Kabul city can be a challenge to the most experienced of drivers. In a city that lacks proper driving rules, training and precautions, vehicle accidents are bound to happen.

One of the police mentoring team from the 1-101st FA was on their way to meet with the local Afghan national police force when they witnessed a red Toyota, packed with passengers swerving out of control. The vehicle was being run off the road by another vehicle and veered sharply to avoid hitting a child that was walking down the busy street. In the efforts to avoid hitting the child the vehicle struck a concrete pillar alongside the roadway.

CJTF-HOA Commander Looks Back on Tour

Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Tyler Wilson

CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti -- As Rear Adm. Anthony Kurta, Commander of Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa, prepared for his change of command ceremony, he took time to reflect on his 14-month deployment and the changes he's seen.

"Camp Lemonnier has changed tremendously since I got here. We've increased the staff by nearly a thousand troops." said Kurta. "The increase in staff is a reflection of the more operational nature of CJTF-HOA and the United States' growing importance in Djibouti."

Before coming to Djibouti, Kurta was the director for Policy, Resources and Strategy for U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa in Naples, Italy, and had a clear vision of success for CJTF-HOA.

"To me success will be when people call us

Obama Makes Surprise Trip to Afghanistan

VOA News 28 March 2010

White House officials say President Barack Obama has arrived in Afghanistan on an unannounced visit.

Officials annouced the trip Sunday after Mr. Obama had landed at the Bagram military base north of Kabul. He is expected to hold meetings with top Afghan officials, including President Hamid Karzai, and meet with U.S. troops.

Mr. Obama is expected to leave Afghanistan before sunrise Monday and be back in Washington by Monday morning.

Airpower Summary for March 26

U.S. Air Forces Central Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Coalition airpower integrated with ground forces in Iraq and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan in the following operations March 26 according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.

Air Operations in Afghanistan

Moqor, Regional Command-East
U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle aircrews provided armed overwatch for a Coalition vehicle disabled by an improvised explosive device. The aircrews conducted a show of force, releasing flares, upon the request of friendly ground forces. The ground commander declared the show of force successful.
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Tani, RC-E
U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle aircrews provided armed overwatch for

How Long Should We Be in Afghanistan? Is Winning an Option?

The question could as easily asked: "How long should we stay in Iraq?"  But, unless some thing major changes the current situation, the answer is about a year longer than Candidate Obama said we would.  An agreement has been signed which spells out how much longer we're allowed to stay.   So, let's address the length of stay in Afghanistan, where our ally has not indicated any desire for us to leave anytime soon. 

Our enemy has, of course, repeatedly indicated they want us out.  It's pretty simple to see why: the enemy knows that we impede their desire to impose a tyrannical dictatorship over the Afghan people.  The enemy knows that it would be much easier to establish control over at least some area, if the US, the UK, Canada, and NATO, along with many other allies weren't there.

The pertinent focus of the question is what should be our criteria for leaving?  The American People at

A new year brings a new outlook for Muslims in Nawa

3/24/2010  By Staff Sgt. Luis R. Agostini, Regimental Combat Team 7  

NAWA DISTRICT, Helmand province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan   — Afghans celebrated the Islamic New Year at Nawa’s market square March 21, under a blanket of security provided by the Afghan national security forces and Marines from 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment.

Complete with drama, poetry, feats of strength and demonstrations from Afghanistan’s Olympic Tae Kwon Do team, Afghans celebrated the traditional Islamic New Year, known as Nowruz, which coincides with the annual spring equinox. Islamic culture celebrates this day as the day the Islamic prophet, Mohammad, began the migration, or Hijra, from Saudi Arabia to Medina.

NATO Chief Cheers US-Russia Arms Treaty

VOA News 27 March 2010

NATO's chief has welcomed the new arms control agreement between the United States and Russia.

Speaking at a security forum in Brussels Saturday, Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the new treaty could encourage additional cooperation between Russia and NATO countries.

AFG IJC Op Update, March 27 Road Block Yields 19 Bags of Hashish

ISAF Joint Command

KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan National Security Forces and ISAF partners captured two insurgents in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province yesterday. One of the insurgents is suspected of being a Taliban commander who has planned attacks in Marjah and Nad-e Ali.

Six women and 17 children were protected throughout this operation, in which no shots were fired and no civilians were injured.

This operation was a continuation of efforts to eliminate insurgent threats against the Afghan people and Afghan and ISAF troops.

Last night an Afghan-international security force

Update on TWH Embed with Our Troops

Some quick updates:

1. If you missed the interview with Gold Star Dad Daniel Murphy and SEAL OF HONOR Author Gary Williams you can now listen 24/7 anytime it is convenient for you while you are at your computer.
http://www.facebook.com/l/ab3c1;www.talkshoe.com/tc/19487  Episode 149

2. Working with the North Dakota National Guard our trip to KOSOVO will happen now early July. It is working out better for everybody involved.

Then in October we will be with the North Dakota National Guard in

Somali Government Official Killed After Mogadishu Evictions

VOA News 27 March 2010

A bomb attack in Mogadishu has killed a Somali government official, after Somali forces evicted hundreds of families and destroyed up to 500 makeshift houses near the airport.

Government officials say the district commissioner for Hamar Jajab district, Ahmed Sheikh Mohamoud Qorleh, was on his way to the Afisyoneh neighborhood when a bomb exploded near his vehicle and killed him.  The deputy security official of Mogadishu and a driver were wounded in the blast.

Qorleh was

Reconstruction & Development in Kapisa Province (Video)

The Kapisa Provincial Reconstruction team works to help facilitate reconstruction, improve security and boost development in in the area. Staff Sgt. Tiffany Gordon brings us the story from Afghanistan. Find out more about the International Security Assistance

In Your Face; Marines Train to Be Nonlethal

Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms Story by Cpl. Monica Erickson

03.26.2010  "Close your eyes and take a deep breath." Those were the last words the Marines with Battery M, 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment and two company's with 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, heard before being sprayed in the face with Oleoresin Capsicum, more commonly known as pepper spray, during their level one contamination training at Del Valle Field March 22.

Capt. Nathan Morales, the commanding officer of Battery M, 3rd. Bn., 11th Marines, said the Marines are required to conduct the training in case they are inadvertently exposed during a riot so they can continue to provide support to their fellow Marines before their upcoming deployment with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit in the summer.

Pakistani Airstrikes Target Militant Hideouts in Northwest

VOA News 27 March 2010

Pakistani forces have targeted militants in the northwest for a third day, launching airstrikes that they say killed at least nine suspected insurgents.

Helicopter gunships Saturday pounded militant hideouts in the Orakzai tribal region, where many Taliban militants are believed to have fled to avoid an earlier military offensive in nearby South Waziristan.

The Pakistani military launched its offensive in Orakzai to hunt Taliban insurgents.  So far, nearly 100 militants have been reported killed in the region since Thursday.  

African Sailors Learn About Force Protection on Board Gunston Hall

USS Gunston Hall (LSD44) Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class John Stratton

USS GUNSTON HALL, At Sea - Nigerian, Ghanaian and Benin sailors took part in a force protection skills and applications course aboard the Whidbey Island-class amphibious dock-landing ship USS Gunston Hall while the ship was docked at Sekondi Naval Base, Ghana.

The course of instruction is part of Africa Partnership Station West, and was designed to show techniques for improving security.

Several Gunston Hall Sailors took turns instructing classes on such topics as small boat attack,

After Disappearance 2 Months Ago, Issa T. Salomi has Returned

DOD Announces Army Civilian Returned To Military Control

The Department of Defense announced today an Army civilian employee, supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, was Returned to Military Control (RMC) on March 25.

   Issa T. Salomi, 60, of El Cajon, Calif., became unaccounted for on Jan. 23, 2010, and subsequently declared Excused Absence Whereabouts Unknown (EAWUN). He was believed to have been kidnapped in Baghdad, where he was assigned to U.S. Forces-Iraq. Salomi's permanent duty station is Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

    The circumstances remain under investigation.

 For more information on his assignment and duties in Iraq, media my contact U.S. Forces-Iraq at 240-553-0581 ext. 3598 or 3559.   For information on his reintegration, media may contact U.S. Army South at 210-295-6693 (office) or 210-392-6586 (cell).

Provincial Government, PRT Deliver Trees to Paktika (Afg)

Combined Joint Task Force - 82 PAO

03.26.2010  PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – The Paktika provincial government, along with the Paktika provincial reconstruction team, purchased and distributed tree saplings to land owners throughout the province, March 24.

These trees will be equally distributed and planted throughout the region in order to allow the root systems to hold the soil in place.

As an added benefit, the Paktika government plans to distribute fruit trees, giving the population a chance to produce their own food while simultaneously improving the soil.

Staff Sgt. Derek Dosedel, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment's liaison to the PRT's reconstruction and agricultural projects sees the arrival of the saplings as a great benefit for the local Afghans.

Airpower Summary for March 23

U.S. Air Forces Central Public Affairs

03.25.2010  SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Coalition airpower integrated with ground forces in Iraq and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan in the following operations, March 23, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.

Air Operations in Afghanistan:

Close Air Support

Lashkar Gah, Regional Command-South
U.S. Air Force MQ-9A operators provided armed overwatch for friendly forces and released precision-guided munitions against enemy forces planting an improvised-explosive device in a roadbed. Ground commanders declared the attack successful.

Remak, RC-RC-E

NORTHCOM, NORAD, Guard Inextricably Linked

National Guard Bureau Story by Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill

03.25.2010  NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – U.S. Northern Command and its sister command North American Aerospace Defense Command are inextricably linked to the National Guard, NORTHCOM's operations director said here March 23.

"I don't think you'll ever see a day where NORAD and NORTHCOM can be separated from the National Guard," Army Maj. Gen. Frank Grass told National Guard leaders gathered for a weeklong domestic operations workshop. "It behooves us to stay very closely tied with the Guard.

"Starting back in 1636, and going all the way up to

Pfc Justin Hair, Army, Bronze Star, Iraq, Georgia

Pfc Justin Hair

The Story:

Pfc. Hair and his unit were working a security checkpoint near Radwiniyah, Iraq, on June 13, 2005, when a suicide bomber attempted to pass through in a vehicle rigged with explosives.

Assessing the dangerous situation, Hair advanced on the enemy and killed him before the insurgent was able to detonate the device.

As a result, he was injured in the attack. Hair’s quick thinking and actions likely saved several lives.

Hair was the first to engage and eliminate an enemy in combat for the 48th Brigade Combat Team in 60 years.

For his actions, Hair received the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and the Army Commendation Medal on Aug. 20, 2005.

Home State: Georgia

Awarded: Bronze Star

Joint Base Balad Officials Cut Ribbon at Container Repair Yard

13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) Story by Spc. Michael Camacho

03.26.2010  JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq – Military and civilian officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the grand opening of the new Container Repair Yard March 22 at Joint Base Balad, Iraq.

The ceremony marked a milestone in the growth and development of the Miran Village Company, an Iraqi contractor, said Lt. Col. Chris Mohan, commander of the 80th Ordnance Battalion, 15th Sustainment Brigade, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary).

"It started out with the requirement to repair 150 containers per month and they've grown their business so we've grown their capability," he said. "Now they're repairing 2,000 containers per month."

IJC Op Update March 26 Pressure Plates, IED Making Devices Discovered

ISAF Joint Command

KABUL, Afghanistan - In Ghazni province last night, an ISAF patrol recovered a weapons cache after it was reported by an Afghan citizen. The cache contained a hand grenade, 62 mortar fuses and shotgun ammunition. The cache will be destroyed.

In the Maidan Shahr District of Wardak province last night, an ISAF patrol found a weapons cache containing a 107 mm rocket, four rocket fuses, two 82 mm mortar rounds, two mortar fuses and nine Russian-made projectile fuses. The cache was destroyed by an explosive ordnance disposal team.

Combat Chaplain Provides Ministry to JET Airmen

332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Story by Airman 1st Class Allison Boehm

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq -- As the final rotation of the 732nd Air Expeditionary Group chaplain office draws to a close, the two-person team was sent on a final mission to neighboring forward operating bases around Baghdad International Airport.

Although the purpose of this last trip was to provide pastoral care and help facilitate the best means of continued chaplain corps care for Joint Expeditionary Tasking Airmen, Chaplain (Capt.) Steve Fisher and Staff Sgt. Dewey Landers, chaplain assistant, focused on one squadron in particular -- a group of individuals who put their lives in danger every time they are sent to carry out a mission -- the 732nd AEG Security Forces Squadron.

IED Threat Delays First Day of School in Zarghunshader, Afg.

ANSF, ISAF Clear IED Threat, Help Children Return to School in Zarghunshader

Combined Joint Task Force - 82 PAO Story by Staff Sgt. Jimmy Norris

 

PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Afghan national army soldiers, alongside International Security Assistance Forces, worked to ensure school children in Zarghunshader District could safely return to school, March 23.

Two days earlier, the threat of improvised explosive devices forced a two-day delay in the start of the new school year for a handful of Afghan children

Paktika officials, having received reports that the devices were placed in and around the school, turned to Afghan national security forces and ISAF for help.

Allawi Expected to Start Coalition-Building Talks in Iraq

VOA News 27 March 2010

Iraq's former prime minister Ayad Allawi is expected to start coalition-building talks, after full preliminary results showed his secular alliance won the most seats in parliamentary balloting earlier this month.

Mr. Allawi says his Iraqiya alliance is open to talks with all groups, and that "we will together bury political sectarianism."

As the top vote-getter, Mr. Allawi will be given

A-10 Flies on Synthetic Fuel Blend

Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs  By Samuel King Jr.  96th Air Base Wing

 

03.26.2010  EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - In a step toward cleaner fuel and energy independence, an A-10C Thunderbolt II here took to the air yesterday fueled with a blend of a synthetic fuel known as Hydrotreated Renewable Jet, or HRJ, and conventional JP-8 fuel.

HRJ is a hydrocarbon synthetic jet fuel, created from animal fats and plant oils. Members of the Air Armament Center's 40th Flight Test Squadron conducted this first feasibility flight.

"The Air Force is committed to reducing our reliance on foreign oil," said Terry Yonkers, assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations, environment and logistics. "Our goal is to reduce demand, increase supply and change the culture and mindset of our fuel consumption."

Missile Defense Controversy Remains After START Accord

VOA  Al Pessin | Pentagon 26 March 2010

Friday's announcement of a new U.S.-Russia strategic arms reduction treaty was achieved partly because the negotiators agreed to separate the issue from the controversy over the U.S. missile defense program.  Russia has strongly opposed the program, but U.S. officials say missile defense has become an integral part of security for the United States and its allies, and they predict significant advances during the next two years.

After President Barack Obama announced the agreement at the White House Friday morning, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates made this simple declaration. "Missile defense is not constrained by this treaty," he said.

AFG Three Civilians Wounded Near Shah Wali Kot - Updated

ISAF Joint Command

03.26.2010 KABUL, Afghanistan - Three injured civilians were brought to an ISAF forward operating base near Shah Wali Kot around noon today. The civilians were given immediate medical attention and evacuated for further treatment, although none of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening.

Official: US Not 'Watering Down' Terms for Iran Sanctions Resolution

VOA  David Gollust | Washington 26 March 2010

The Obama administration Friday rejected suggestions that it is watering down its terms for new U.N. Security Council sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, in order to win Russian and Chinese support for a new resolution. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will discuss the issue with fellow foreign ministers of the big-power G-8 grouping next week in Canada.

Officials here acknowledge differences of opinion among the five veto-wielding permanent Security Council member countries on what a new sanctions resolution should contain.

But State Department Spokesman P.J. Crowley says there were significant inaccuracies in U.S. newspaper reports this week that the United States is backing away from an insistence on tough penalties against Iran to preserve a Security Council consensus.

Crowley said that since

Key Al-Qaida Leader Killed in Baghdad

Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs

03.26.2010 WASHINGTON - The suspected Baghdad "sharia emir" for al-Qaida in Iraq was killed today during a combined security operation in the northern part of the Iraqi capital, military officials reported.

A sharia emir is responsible for enforcing radical religious rules imposed by groups such as al-Qaida and the Taliban.

Working Together at JTF (Gitmo)

Joint Task Force Guantanamo Public Affairs  Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Shane Arrington

02.26.2010 Combining all five military branches into a tightly woven tapestry, Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, work together daily to carry out the mission in one of the most highly scrutinized pieces of real estate on the planet.

"To conduct safe, humane, legal and transparent care and custody of detainees," that's the mission of Joint Task Force Guantanamo. Not only do the service members come in variety, so goes the variety of individual missions that work toward the total mission.

Countries to Receive Special Defense Department Funds

Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs
 

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department has notified Congress that eight countries will receive special funds from the department this year, Pentagon officials said March 26.

Georgia, Croatia, Estonia, Lithuania, Hungary and Latvia will receive funds to help troops from those nations operate with U.S. and coalition troops in Afghanistan. Yemen and the Philippines will receive money to strengthen their militaries inside their countries.

"Section 1206 funding" - named for the portion of the 2006 National Defense Authorization Act that enabled it -- provides countries with funds to

NDS Embed Program Brings Rule of Law to Salerno

Combined Joint Task Force - 82 PAO Story by Staff Sgt. Jimmy Norris

03.25.2010  KHOST PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Coalition forces and Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security took a leap forward in strengthening rule of law in the country's eastern provinces, March 25, with the initiation of the NDS embed program at Forward Operating Base Salerno.

The embed program, which kicked off with a site survey by NDS officials, members of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, and Task Force Paladin, marked the first time Afghanistan's prosecutors would establish a permanent presence on a U.S. military installation.

The result of the program, said Capt. Jill Glasenapp, provost marshal for Task Force Rakkasan, should mean

Army Special Forces SFC B. Charles Good, Silver Star, Iraq, Pennsylvania

B. Charles Good

The Story:

Then-Staff Sgt. Good and his team were on a mission on Oct. 31, 2003, to halt foreign fighters who were infiltrating Iraq from Syria.

Their convoy drove into the enemy-friendly town of Sadah when one of the vehicles was hit by a RPG. Eight members of the team went after the enemy fighters, while Good and two others provided security.

A soldier was hit, and Good provided cover fire while the injured soldier was loaded into the vehicle. Good’s vehicle was disabled, but he negotiated with an Iraqi man in a run-down Toyota to drive them to the camp.

After dropping off the wounded soldier, Good returned to the fight along with other soldiers to assist those still trapped in the village. Good was awarded the Silver Star Medal on Dec. 15, 2004.

Home State: Pennsylvania

Awarded: Silver Star

Raven-B UAV: Small Aircraft With Huge Capabilities

506th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs Story by Senior Airman Mindy Bloem

03.25.2010KIRKUK, Iraq -- Because the Raven-B unmanned aerial vehicle weighs only 4.2 pounds, has a 55 inch wingspan and measures 3 feet in length, its operators believe its unimpressive dimensions feed a common misconception. But don't let its looks fool you. It's tougher than it appears.

"People think it's a Styrofoam plane," said Master Sgt. Bryon Griffin, 506th Expeditionary Security Forces Raven-B NCOIC, deployed from Patrick AFB, Fla. "They think it's something you throw up in the air. Then it crashes and falls apart. But it's actually an innovative, technological aircraft that prevents people from getting injured outside the wire because we can provide the same footage and coverage from an aerial view instead of having personnel on the ground."

Iraq Election Results Announced; Allawi Bloc Wins Most Seats

VOA  Edward Yeranian | Cairo 26 March 2010

Iraq's electoral commission has announced final results of the March 7 parliamentary election and in a surprise, the bloc led by former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi won 91 seats in the parliament, two more than the coalition led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who says he does not accept the results.   

The long-awaited results of the Iraqi parliamentary election surprised and angered some and brought cheer to others.  

As the top vote-getter, Mr. Allawi will be given 30 days to try and form the next Iraqi government. If he fails to do so,

RIP SgtMaj Robert J. Cottle, LCpl Rick J. Centanni

DOD Identifies Marine Casualties

    The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two Marines who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

    The following Marines died March 24 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan:

    Sgt. Maj. Robert J. Cottle, 45, of Whittier, Calif.

    Lance Cpl. Rick J. Centanni, 19, of Yorba Linda, Calif.

    Cottle and Centanni were assigned to 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4thMarine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, based out of Camp Pendleton, Calif.

 

"He which hath no stomach to this fight let him depart. But we in it shall be remembered. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers!! For he today, that sheds his blood with me, shall always be my brother”. Rest in peace my Brothers, you have not been forgotten. (W.Shakespeare)

Disabled Veteran Trains for Inaugural Warrior Games

Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs Story by Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden

FAIRFAX, Va. - Doctors once told Matthew Bilancia that playing sports and competing in athletic competition would be difficult, if not nearly impossible.

But the Air Force veteran is defying those odds with a demanding workout regimen and by being selected to participate in the inaugural Warrior Games slated May 10-14 in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Bilancia is among 25 wounded Airmen and disabled veterans expected to represent the Air Force at the games.

The competition is open to military members and veterans with bodily injuries as well as mental wounds of war, such as post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury. The Defense Department announced in January that about 200 disabled service members and veterans are expected to participate. An official announcement to inform the selected athletes is expected to be made in the coming weeks.

Typical adaptive sports competitions hosted by the military and the Department of Veterans Affairs are open to anyone. The Warrior Games, however, are expected to be highly competitive because of the selection process. Independent panels have been reviewing applications since January to determine who will represent each of the military services.

U.S., Russia Agree to New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty

Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs Story by John Kruzel

WASHINGTON - The United States and Russia have agreed to a new arms reduction treaty that will slash each of their nuclear arsenals by a third and improve the way the terms of the agreement are verified, President Barack Obama announced March 26.

Pending Senate approval, the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, known as New START, replaces a predecessor agreement that expired in December, and would represent the achievement of an arms reduction goal that has figured as a centerpiece of President Barack Obama's national security agenda.

"Today, we have taken another step forward in leaving behind the legacy of

Pakistani Troops Kill 84 Taliban Fighters

VOA  Ayaz Gul | Islamabad, Pakistan 26 March 2010

Pakistani troops have killed at least 84 Taliban fighters and lost five of soldiers in two days of clashes in a northwestern tribal region believed to be a militant stronghold.

Top military officials in Pakistan say that clashes in the Orakzai tribal region erupted early this week after militants launched repeated attacks on security forces in the area.

The fighting intensified on Thursday when Pakistani planes bombed several militant bases in the area and killed at least 50 Taliban as well as al-Qaida linked fighters.

Tennessee Guardsmen Making Their Rounds in Iraq

278TH Armored Cavalry Regiment, Tennessee Army National Guard  Story by 1st Lt. DesiRee Nicely

03.25.2010  CONTINGENCY OPERATING LOCATION Q-WEST, Iraq -- Before dawn, March 17, Tennessee Soldiers from Headquarters and Engineer Troop, 1st Squadron, 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment with the 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) were out performing inspections on their vehicles and preparing for a long convoy south.

Pfc. Zachery T. Johnson, a gunner for Engineer Troop, 1st Squadron, 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment takes a break from the Gunner\'s turret while their convoy halts at COL Speicher for fuel and food. Photo by 1st Lt. DesiRee Nicely

"Our mission over the next four days is really