War On Terror News

Returning Warrior Workshop Focuses on Mental Health

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Charles White, Commander, Navy Reserve Force Public Affairs

TAMPA, Fla. (NNS) -- Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for National Guard Matters and approximately 150 combat-tour veterans and family members participated in a Returning Warrior Workshop (RWW) in Tampa, Fla., March 25 - 27.

Funded by the Department of Defense's Yellow Ribbon program, the RWW focuses on psychological health and is designed to aid in service members' post-deployment, reintegration into family and community life. The workshops are intended for Navy Reservists, but both active duty and reserve members of all services are invited.

A reservist and father of a deploying soldier, McKeague lauded the Navy, its Reserve component and its unwavering commitment to individual and family welfare.

"Operation Purple" Camps application time NOW

 

 

 

Operation Purple Program

When you hear "Operation Purple camp" you should think: Kids Serve Too! The National Military Family Association's Operation Purple camps are a time for having fun, making friends, and reminding military kids that they are the Nation's youngest heroes.

The Operation Purple program was created in 2004 in response to parent’s call  to "help us help our kids." The mission of the Operation Purple program is to empower military children and their families to develop and maintain healthy and connected relationships, in spite of the current military environment. We do this through a variety of means, including the healing and holistic aspect of the natural world. The program is joint or "purple"— and open to children and families of active duty, National Guard or Reserve service members from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, or the Commissioned Corps of the US Public Health Service and NOAA.

Japan: VP-4 Wrapping Up Business in Misawa

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jose Lopez, U.S. Naval Air Facility Misawa, Japan Public Affairs

MISAWA, Japan (NNS) -- Patrol Squadron (VP) 4 departed Naval Air Facility Misawa, Japan, March 30, after completing their mission in support of Operation Tomodachi.

VP-4 will return to Kadena Air Base, Japan, where they are currently on a six-month deployment from Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. The squadron arrived March 12 to assist after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake triggered a tsunami that devastated northeast Japan.

RIP SFC Ofren Arrechaga, SSG Frank E. Adamski III, SPC Jameson L. Lindskog

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.  They died March 29 of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with small arms fire in Konar province, Afghanistan. 

            Killed were:

            Sgt. 1st Class Ofren Arrechaga, 28, of Hialeah, Fla.;

            Staff Sgt. Frank E. Adamski III, 26, of Moosup, Conn.; and

            Spc. Jameson L. Lindskog, 23, of Pleasanton, Calif.

            They were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

"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.”  (W.Shakespeare)  Rest in peace my Brothers, you have not been forgotten.

Better Care Through Hospital Comparisons

Better Care Through Hospital Comparisons

March 29, 2011

By Alex Horton

 

Last November, I talked about the introduction of Hospital Compare, which allows the public to view and compare hospitals based on measurable statistics, like surgical death rate and hospital readmission rate. The theory went like this: if hospitals were compared to each other in what is essentially quality of care, then directors and staff would be pressured to improve services.

 

On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal tackled the story:

“The VA secretary pays attention to this,” says William E. Duncan, the agency’s associate deputy undersecretary for health quality and safety. “Unless people in the VA system have an organizational death wish, they will pay attention to this, too.”

UK Combat teachers take education to the front line

A Military Operations news article

30 Mar 11

The Army is making sure that while soldiers are on operations in Afghanistan they are receiving the education they need to progress and develop, with dedicated education officers taking lessons to the front line.

Every day in Afghanistan unit education officers are travelling to forward operating bases and checkpoints to ensure that even troops in the remotest of locations don't miss out on the opportunity to learn new skills.

To some this may seem a strange idea - but the reasoning is clear.

Libya: RAF and Navy patrol skies and seas

RAF and Navy patrol Libyan skies and seas

A Military Operations news article

31 Mar 11

RAF Tornados conducted further patrols over Libya yesterday, launching missiles against military assets of pro-Gaddafi forces in the Misurata area, while HMS Cumberland patrolled the waters off Libya to enforce the arms embargo.

 

A Tornado GR4 aircraft being refuelled from a TriStar tanker aircraft
[Picture: Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]

 

 

Major General John Lorimer, the Chief of the Defence Staff's Strategic Communications Officer, said today, Thursday 31 March 2011:

"In support of the UK's ongoing commitment to enforcing UNSCR [United Nations Security Council Resolution] 1973 to protect Libyan civilians, RAF Tornado aircraft flying from Gioia del Colle in Italy conducted a series of armed air reconnaissance and overwatch patrols over Libya yesterday.

Libya: HMS Cumberland joins embargo operations

HMS Cumberland ready for embargo operations in Libya

A Military Operations news article

29 Mar 11

HMS Cumberland is ready to move into the next phase of operations in Libya by enforcing the arms embargo under UN Security Council Resolutions 1970 and 1973.

The Royal Navy Type 22 frigate has been a key part of the UK's response to the crisis in Libya since the beginning of the troubles in February.

 

HMS Cumberland with the ship's Lynx helicopter flying overhead
[Picture: Petty Officer (Photographer) Sean Clee, Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]

 

 

One way she is able to enforce the arms embargo is through her embarked Lynx helicopter which can search a wide area of the sea quickly to assess the activities of Libyan forces and search out any vessels which are in breach of the UN-sanctioned arms embargo on Libya.

'The Fighting G' gets royal welcome home

A Military Operations news article

30 Mar 11

Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Gloucester joined Type 42 destroyer HMS Gloucester as she sailed back into Portsmouth last week from her seven-month deployment to the South Atlantic.

 

HMS Gloucester sails into Portsmouth
[Picture: LA(Phot) Jenny Lodge, Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]

 

 

The sun shone for the Portsmouth-based warship as she returned to cheering crowds of families, friends and well-wishers at 1000hrs on Friday 25 March 2011.

Kuwait Expelling Iranians Over Spying Charges

VOA News

Thursday, March 31st, 2011

Kuwait is expelling a number of Iranian diplomats for their alleged links to a spy network.

Kuwait's foreign minister, Sheik Mohammed al-Sabah, announced the deportations on Thursday, two days after a Kuwaiti court sentenced two Iranians and a Kuwaiti national to death on convictions of spying for Iran.

He did not say how many Iranians would be expelled.

Afghan Rams NATO Patrol, 2 civilians Killed

VOA News

Thursday, March 31st, 2011

NATO says two civilians were killed when an Afghan tried to ram his vehicle into a coalition patrol in southern Afghanistan.

The coalition says the driver of a civilian vehicle deliberately struck three service members Thursday in Kandahar province. Other members of the patrol in Kandahar district fired on the vehicle, which went into a ditch and flipped over.

Afghans Fight Fire in First Ever Excercise

Afghan firefighters conduct first live burn at KAF
by Senior Airman Jessica Lockoski 16th MPAD

KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan -- Afghan firefighters from the Kandahar Air Wing participated in a live-burn exercise, March 29, which marked the first time the group demonstrated battling an internal structure fire at Kandahar Air Field.

“Before the live-burn exercise,” said Air Force Master Sgt. Jason Berry, 738th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group fire protection advisor, Afghan firefighters have done only simulated structural firefighting with basic searches, drags and carries.”

Libya: Koussa Defection Shows Gadhafi Government ‘Crumbling’

VOA News

Thursday, March 31st, 2011

Britain's foreign secretary says the resignation of Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa, who traveled to London Wednesday, shows Moammar Gadhafi's government is “fragmented, under pressure and crumbling.”

William Hague added Thursday that Britain had not offered Koussa diplomatic immunity from British or international prosecution and that he was talking with British officials voluntarily. There are allegations that the Libyan diplomat was involved in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, that killed 270 people.

TF Bastogne Putting Kunar Taliban on Heels

Afghan, Coalition Troops Reinforce Security in Kunar province

Afghan National Security and coalition forces from Task Force Bastogne continued operations in the Marawarah district, Kunar province, today.

The combined security force moved into the mountainous area in order to disrupt insurgent activities in the region and protect the Afghan people who live there. The operation began yesteray with the deployment of security forces near the villages of Sarowbay and Barawarlow Kalay.

4/4th ID Honors SSG Travis M Tompkins

Patriot Brigade soldiers honor fallen military policeman

CJTF101: LOGAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Comrades remembered U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Travis M. Tompkins as a dedicated family man and proud soldier with a long family tradition of military service, during a ceremony on Forward Operating Base Shank, Afghanistan, March 20.

Tompkins, military policeman assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, Task Force Dagger, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, TF Patriot, based at Fort Polk, La., died as the result of an enemy attack in Afghanistan, March 15.

The 4th BSTB fallen hero was a 31-year-old Lawton, Okla., native, attached to Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 5th Bn., 25th Field Artillery Regiment, TF Thunder, when he was killed during a complex small-arms and rocket-propelled grenade attack in Logar province.

Tennessee University Affords US Navy New Tech Tracking Tools

U.S. Navy patents Alouani's method of improved defense tracking
by Karen Lykins - Tennessee Technological University, Office of Communications & Marketing

Our nation's defensive tracking methods are improving thanks to the work of a Tennessee Tech University electrical and computer engineering professor.

TTU's Ali T. Alouani — along with co-inventors John E. Gray of King George, Va., and Denis Hugh McCabe of Fredericksburg, Va. — have created a method recently patented by the U.S. Navy that distributes the processing of information and measurements gathered from multiple sources at varying times to make threat assessment more accurate.

Royal Navy bomb disposal experts head to Helmand

Navy bomb disposal experts are Helmand-bound

A Training and Adventure news article

31 Mar 11

Two Portsmouth-based Royal Navy explosives experts are heading to Afghanistan to help train the Afghan security forces in bomb disposal.

Petty Officer (Diver) Gareth Buffrey and Leading Seaman (Diver) Simon Day of Fleet Diving Unit 2 based at Horsea Island will spend six months in Afghanistan supporting the British Army's 101 Engineer Regiment.

Petty Officer (Diver) Gareth Buffrey and Leading Seaman (Diver) Simon Day of Fleet Diving Unit 2
[Picture: LA(Phot) Jenny Lodge, Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]

 

 

 

War In Afghanistan News 31 March 2011

An Haqqani and a HIG leader were sent to the Iron Bar Hotel, along with other terrorists in recent operations.  Aussie SpecOps also ventilated a pair of Talib while capturing two of their key leaders.

Several bad guys were ventilated in Kunar on 30 March 2011.

Two thousand pounds of illicit drugs were captured, and more than 3/4 tons of explosives were captured in recent operations.

Four Sniper Rifles were captured in the East.

Tailor the way you get your War in Afghanistan News 
ISAF Details follow:

RIP SSG Bryan A Burgess, PFC Dustin J Feldhaus

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.  They died March 29 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with small arms fire in Konar province.

                 Killed were:

                 Staff Sgt. Bryan A. Burgess, 29, of Cleburne, Texas.

                 Pfc. Dustin J. Feldhaus, 20, of Glendale, Ariz.

                 They were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

"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.”  (W.Shakespeare)  Rest in peace my Brothers, you have not been forgotten.

Aussie Special Operations Capture Key Talib Leaders

Special Operations Capture Two More Key Taliban Targets

SOTG: The Afghan police and their Australian Special Operations Task Group (SOTG) partners have captured two prominent Taliban targets in a single day.

Concurrent operations on 27 March 2011 between members of the SOTG and the Provincial Response Company-Uruzgan (PRC-U) resulted in a high value target captured in Mirabad, and another in Deh Rafshan.

The commander of Austrailan Forces in the Middle East, Major General Angus Campbell, said capturing two objectives is keeping the pressure on the insurgency and restricting their operations.

“Special Forces operations in March alone have resulted in four key targets no longer posing a threat to local nationals and Coalition forces in Uruzgan province."

Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day

“Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans”

March 30 marks the anniversary of the day in 1973 that Congress ended combat and combat support unit operations in South Vietnam.  It is also recognized as "Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day"

Below you will find a few videos I found for my tribute to our Vietnam Veterans.

Thank you for your service.  Welcome Home!  God Bless You All.

Afghan children learn law through comics

Combined Joint Task Force 101

03.29.2011 Story by 1st Lt. Emily Chilson PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Mohammad Aziz, Urgun District deputy director of education, distributed rule of law comic books to more than 250 children March 27 and 28.

Members of Paktika Provincial Reconstruction Team delivered the comic books to Aziz so he could give them to the students of Abu Herera School in Balish Kalay and Khullafai Rashedeen Primary School in Ali Haydar, Afghanistan, on their first day at school after winter break.

“We encourage our kids to go to school,” Aziz said. “There are 11 schools with boys and girls, and we are very proud of that.”

Fawzia, an 11-year-old student at Abu Herera School, reads a rule of law comic book March 27.  (Photo by U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Ashley N. Avecilla, Paktika Provincial Reconstruction Team Public Affairs)

U.S. Army Capt. Mike Butler, Paktika PRT Urgun civil affairs officer from Chicago, works closely with Aziz to improve education in the district.

Loved Ones Deploy Together

Written by Spc. Matthew Wright

Tuesday, March 29, 2011 CAMP TAJI, Iraq – When Soldiers are deployed to a warzone, separation from families and loved ones can be a difficult experience. Even with modern technology, such as web cameras and online chatting, being apart isn’t easy.

Sgt Eric N. Fuentes and Spc. Trena Reyes, both from HSC 640th Aviation Support Battalion, are married and deployed together at Camp Taji, Iraq. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Matthew A. Wright)

However, in today’s Army it isn’t uncommon for Soldiers to deploy with their family members and loved ones. This holds true for several members of the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB) in Iraq today.

Lawmakers Warned US Still Vulnerable to Evolving Terror Threat

30 March 2011 VOA News The former leaders of the bi-partisan 9-11 Commission say the United States has not done enough to protect itself from the ever evolving terrorist threat.

Commission Chairman Thomas Kean (the former Republican governor of the eastern state of New Jersey) and Vice Chairman Lee Hamilton (a former Democratic congressman) testified before a Senate committee in the first of a series of hearings to review the U.S. response almost 10 years after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Kean told lawmakers, while the United States is better prepared to prevent attacks like those on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, there are significant gaps that require urgent attention.

US Marks 30th Anniversary of Reagan Assassination Attempt

30 March 2011 VOA News The United States took time Wednesday to remember the 30th anniversary of the assassination attempt against President Ronald Reagan.

John Hinkley opened fire as the president left a Washington hotel, seriously wounding Mr. Reagan and three others, including former White House Press Secretary James Brady.

Brady was shot in the head and left partially paralyzed. He and his wife Sarah have since become two of the country's strongest voices for tighter gun control laws. The Brady Bill, mandating background checks for gun buyers, is named for the couple.

Brady said at a Washington news conference Wednesday that he would not be sitting in a “damn wheelchair” if there were more of what he called “common sense” gun laws in force.

Rollout Approaches for Young Adult TRICARE Enrollment

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 30, 2011 - Qualified young adults up to age 26 soon will be able purchase TRICARE military health plan coverage on a month-to-month basis.

TRICARE officials announced plans to roll out the new Young Adult Program -- including an option to make coverage retroactive to Jan. 1 -– in the near future.

This, officials said, will ensure military families aren't left out as the new national health care reform law extends parents' health insurance for their children up to age 26.

The new program will allow qualified, unmarried military children up to age 26 to buy health care coverage under their parents' TRICARE plans through age 26. That's up from the current maximum age of 21, or age 23 for full-time college students whose parents provide more than half of their financial support.

Stationing of Two Combat Aviation Brigades, to include 16th CAB

The Department of Defense announced today the stationing of two Army combat aviation brigades.  The 16th Combat Aviation Brigade will be split-based and established at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., and Fort Wainwright, Alaska, using existing aviation units not currently assigned to a combat aviation brigade.  A new brigade will be activated at Fort Carson, Colo.

            The 16th CAB stationing action realigns existing assets resulting in an increase of approximately 1,400 new soldiers and 44 helicopters at JBLM.  This action for the split-based CAB at JBLM will begin in fiscal 2012 and is expected to be completed by fiscal 2014.

            The Army recognizes Alaska as a strategic location and will continue to maintain a significant aviation presence there.  This stationing increases

Civilian Hero Award for Crossing Guard Mom who died protecting a child

Marine receives award on behalf of hero mother

3/29/2011  By Cpl. Tommy Bellegarde, 2d MarDiv 

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C  — The Armed Forces of the United States has fought in numerous conflicts throughout the nation’s history and its troops have committed heroic acts during every battle of every war along the way. Even today, Marines and sailors stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., continue to uphold our military legacy while deployed to Afghanistan and other parts of the world. Regardless, one doesn’t need to be in the military to be a hero and ordinary citizens are certainly capable of extraordinary action.

Photo by Sgt. Michael S. Cifuentes

The Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation recognizes civilian heroes with its annual Citizen Service Before Self Honors during a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery every March 25.

One of the recipients for 2011 was Marie Conley, a crossing guard from Boston who was killed in the line of duty when she sacrificed herself to save the life of a young boy crossing the street in October 2008. Conley was seriously hurt after being struck by an automobile while shielding the child with her body to protect him from harm. Sadly, she succumbed to her injuries several days later.

Study Addresses Suicide Prevention Efforts

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

HAMPTON, Va., March 25, 2011 – A new study commissioned by the Defense Department affirms many of the suicide-prevention efforts being made within DOD and the military services and recommends ways to strengthen them.

In preparing “The War Within: Suicide Prevention in the U.S. Military,” the Rand National Defense Research Institute examined data on military suicides, identified what scientific literature and leaders in the field consider the best prevention strategies and recommended ways to ensure existing programs reflect the state of the art, officials said.

“This is a very thorough effort,” Dr. Mark Bates, director of the resilience and prevention directorate at the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, said of the report. “Rand interviewed each of the services and went outside the military to look at suicide-prevention practices and identified gaps for the way ahead [and] recommendations for the military suicide-prevention programs.”

The study’s findings track closely with those in the Defense Department’s own DOD Suicide Task Force Report, Bates told military health care professionals attending the first Armed Forces Public Health Conference held here this week.

UK and US troops work together to train Afghan Police

A Military Operations news article

30 Mar 11 British soldiers and US Marines have been working closely for the past six months to improve the capability of the Afghan National Police (ANP).

Afghan National Police Officers patrol the crowds gathered for a concert to celebrate Nawruz, the Afghan New Year, at the Karzai stadium in Lashkar Gah
[Picture: Sergeant Rupert Frere RLC, Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]

Teams from The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (5 SCOTS), and the 1st Marine Division of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) have been jointly responsible for the training of the ANP in Afghanistan's Helmand province.

Canterbury-based 5 SCOTS, which recruits predominantly from central and western Scotland, are now in the final weeks of a seven-month deployment to Helmand province, during which time they have fulfilled the role of Police Development Advisory Training Team (PDATT) within Task Force Helmand.

The US Marines from the 1st Marine Division have formed a unit known as

AEY, Inc., given the Boot by Army Procurement for fraud

Final Debarment: Army procurement branch imposes debarment of AEY Inc., and Associates

ISAF HQ Press Office  KABUL, Afghanistan (Mar. 28, 2011) – On Thursday, the United States Army Procurement Fraud Branch issued the final debarment of a Miami-based company, AEY, Inc., and six additional corporations associated with AEY, Inc. for criminal violations committed while under contract with the U.S. Army Sustainment Command. Efraim Diveroli, President of AEY and his associates, David Packouz and Alexander Podrizki were convicted in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida with one count each of conspiracy to commit false statements, commit major fraud against the United States and commit wire fraud. All individuals named under this debarment are American citizens and each corporation listed is American-based.

UPS Again Ships Fake Bomb, This Time from London to Turkey

March 30 2011 UPS is once again responsible for the shipment of a fake bomb on one of its flights.  This time, a wedding cake box was used to transport a timer, detonator and wires, which went undetected until the flight reached its destination in Istanbul, Turkey.

A UPS spokeswoman said: "Two weeks ago, a suspicious package travelled within the UPS network aboard an all-cargo aircraft from the United Kingdom to Istanbul, Turkey. 

Metropolitan Police arrested a 26 year old man in north London on March 23. 

Britain Expels 5 Libyan Diplomats

30 March 2011 Voa News Britain says it has expelled five diplomats from the Libyan embassy in London because they could pose a “threat” to British security.

It was not immediately clear if the diplomats expelled on Wednesday are supporters of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, who is fighting a rebel uprising against his 42-year rule.

Britain has been part of a Western-led coalition carrying out airstrikes to enforce a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for protection of Libya's civilians and authorizing all necessary measures to stop attacks by Mr. Gadhafi's forces.

Medvedev Orders Security Forces to Crush Islamic Militants

29 March 2011 VOA News Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is ordering his security forces to crush Islamic insurgents in the Caucasus, saying their criminal activities must be wiped out.

The president met with security officials Tuesday as Russian authorities announced that airstrikes and an attack on a rebel base in Ingushetia killed 17 militants Monday.

Map "Courtesy of the University of Texas Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin."

The authorities say Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov, who has been charged in the January Moscow airport suicide bombing, may be among the dead.  Officials are carrying out DNA tests for confirmation.

Russian officials say the militants killed in Monday's operation were training suicide bombers.

Mr. Medvedev said all those he calls bandits and scoundrels must realize that they can either give up or stay and be destroyed.

DOD Launches Online Career Transition Training for Service Members

   The Department of Defense today announced the launch of an online Career Decision Toolkit that will allow service members to self assess transition needs and thoroughly explore an array of transition related subjects such as: career exploration, financial planning for transition, job search success, effective resumes and cover letters, interviewing excellence, and negotiating your ideal compensation.

            “The toolkit is customized to a service member’s own transition needs and assists them in cataloguing their military skills and experience in a way that helps them effectively communicate their skills to prospective employers,” said John R. Campbell, deputy assistant secretary of defense for wounded warrior care and transition policy.

            The online toolkit will deliver

Chinooks return to the Afghan Skies

The Australian Defence Force’s air operations capability has returned to Afghanistan to support International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) operations for 2011. The Rotary Wing Group recently commenced full operational duties.

A CH-47D "Chinook" Load Master provides rear protection to the accompanying CH-47 from the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade on a combat service support mission to patrol bases in Uruzgan Province. Photo by:Sergeant Neil Ruskin

Commanding Officer of the Rotary Wing Group, Lieutenant Colonel Neil Monaghan, said that this partnership had great impact in terms of strengthening the relationship with Coalition partners.

Somaliland Opens Prison for Pirates

29 March 2011 VOA News Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland has opened a prison to hold pirates, funded by the United Nations.

The U.N. spent $1.5 million to refurbish a prison in the regional capital, Hargeisa. The project is aimed at making conditions in Somalia acceptable for countries wanting to repatriate captured pirates instead of releasing them.

However, local officials say they have not agreed to house prisoners who are not from Somaliland, including those who are from other parts of Somalia.

Top Indonesian Terror Suspect Arrested in Pakistan

29 March 2011 VOA News Intelligence officials say top Indonesian terror suspect Umar Patek, wanted in connection with the 2002 Bali nightclub bombing, had been arrested in Pakistan earlier this month.

Patek, a suspected member of the al-Qaida-linked militant group Jemaah Islamiyah, is believed to have served as the group's field commander in the bombing that killed 202 people, most of them Australian citizens.

In 2006, the United States offered an $11-million reward for information leading to the arrests of Umar Patek and his associate, Dulmatin.

Also Tuesday, Pakistani military officials said friendly fire killed 13 paramilitary troops in the country's Khyber tribal region as they were battling a militant ambush.

Kuwait Imposes Death Sentences on Convicted Spies

29 March 2011 VOA News Kuwait has sentenced three people to death on charges of spying for Iran. The sentences were imposed on Tuesday in a Kuwaiti criminal court.

The French News Agency (AFP) quotes a judicial source who says the accused spies are two Iranians and a Kuwait national.

Word of the alleged spy ring first surfaced last May. News reports said Kuwaiti security forces had arrested at least seven people after dismantling a spy cell that collected information on Kuwaiti and U.S. targets for Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards.

The incident had strained relations between Kuwait and Iran, which denied the allegations.

Criminal court verdicts in Kuwait can be appealed to the nation's supreme court.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.

Operation Rawhide: ABV Platoon, 3rd LAR Deny Insurgents a Spring Offensive

ABV Platoon Paves Way for 3rd LAR During Operation Rawhide

2nd Marine Division

A mine clearing line charge is detonated by Engineers with the Assault Breacher Vehicle platoon, 1st Combat Engineer Battalion during operation Rawhide, March 14. Photos by Cpl. John McCall

03.28.2011 Story by Cpl. John McCall BAHRAM CHAH, Afghanistan – In the early morning hours of March 14, elements from 1st Combat Engineer Battalion pushed into Bahram Chah, clearing a path for 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, and began a three-day operation known as Rawhide.

In the early morning hours of March 14, elements from 1st Combat Engineer Battalion pushed into Bahram Chah, clearing a path for 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, and began a three-day operation known as Rawhide.