The Eagle and Bulldog

MiTT Marine fills many roles in MOS

nobody@vox.com(eagleandbulldog) — Tue, 27 May 2008 03:09:03 -0700

BASRA, Iraq – In the Marine Corps, intelligence drives operations. And as the Iraqi Army progresses more and more toward functioning on their own, they are picking that up from their Marine counterparts as well.

Sgt. Jason M. Adcock, 3^rd Bn, Quick Reaction Force 1, 1^st Iraqi Army QRF military transition team intelligence chief, is one of the Marines helping the Iraqi Army transition to operating without the help of Coalition forces.

The Ducktown, Tenn., native joined the Marine Corps in 1998 to get out and see the world. He joined as a maintenance management specialist and chose Okinawa, Japan, as his first duty station where he deployed to Korea twice.

After Okinawa, Adcock went to Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point followed by Inspect and Instruct duty in Atlanta.

Adcock left Atlanta and lateral moved to the intelligence field where he worked in imagery collection at Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, Texas. From there, he was stationed at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina, again in 2006 and deployed to Iraq for the first time with 2^nd Intel Bn as an individual augment.

He spent all of his seven-month deployment on Camp Fallujah, Iraq, as the imagery and measures and signals intelligence chief for Multi-National Force – West during 2006 and 2007.

Most Marines in his MOS don’t operate in a field environment, said Adcock.

“Last time [deploying], I didn’t leave Camp Fallujah,” said Adcock. “It was a long, seven-month deployment. We worked 17-hour days, seven days a week for seven months.”

Upon his return from Iraq, Adcock became a platoon sergeant at 2^nd Marine Aircraft Wing, where one of his officers, 2^nd Lt. Michael Phillips, MiTT 3-1-1 intelligence advisor, asked him about joining a MiTT for another rotation.

“He was going to MiTT and he like my leadership style, and he wanted me to come do the MiTT with him,” said Adcock.

A short time later, Adcock went down to Camp Lejune, North Carolina for pre-deployment training with the MiTT.

“We got training on weapons, vehicles, Arabic and medical – in my opinion the whole gamut of things we need to survive out here,” said Adcock. “No training could have totally prepared for what we came into, but it was as good as you could get. Its kind of a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants deal working with the Iraqis – you have to adapt to them.”

This deployment with the MiTT takes Adcock out into the field environment, where he works with other the transition team Marines to teach their IA battalion how to conduct operations on their own.

A large part of Adcock’s job is to teach his Iraqi soldier counterparts how to collect and process intelligence.

He also helped teach them how to process detainees to ensure they have enough evidence to retain them in prison, said Adcock.

“We changed the system to start the process in the Iraqi system,” said Adcock. “We phased the U.S. out of the whole detainee process. We let the Iraqis fix an Iraqi problem.”

“It’s gone great with 3^rd Battalion,” he said. “There’s a great group of guys here willing to learn.”

“When we were at the base in Hawas, we would teach [the Iraqi soldiers] classes, and in the field, they took the lead,” said Adcock. “All we would do is back them up or pull them off to the side to give them advice and guide them in the right direction.”

Recent operations in Basra and Medinah, Iraq, have shown the Iraqis’ ability to generate missions based on intelligence gathered in the field. The operations spurred the IA to search areas outside the original area of operation based on intelligence the IA gathered from locals.

“That’s a plus for them, they are having intel drive operations,” said Adcock. “They are running their own sources, now we step back and let them do it, and see how they do.”

The Iraqi soldiers working intelligence for 3-1-1 have learned everything Adcock can teach.

“[This battalion’s intelligence shop] is as far as we can take them, it’s up to them to use what we have taught them and take it the rest of the way,” said Adcock.

The battalion, as a whole, has shown they are capable of operating without much help from Coalition forces.

“At least for this battalion and brigade, they are ready to take the fight to the enemy without Coalition forces, with the exception of air-strike capability,” said Adcock.

Working with the MiTT and the Iraqi soldiers has given Adcock a new perspective on the Iraqi people.

“I’ve met some really good guys,” said Adcock. “There are people here are willing to fight for there country just like we do.”

Adcock has seen what improvements can be made through MiTTs and believes they are the way of the future in Iraq.

“This is not our country,” he said. “What we’re doing here is going to give the country back to the Iraqis.”

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Marines help Iraqi Army provide security in Basra

nobody@vox.com(eagleandbulldog) — Sun, 11 May 2008 03:00:45 -0700

AL-LATIF, BASRA, Iraq (May 3, 2008) – Citizens in the Latif district of Basra, Iraq, greeted Iraqi soldiers from 3rd Bn, Quick Reaction Force 1, 1^st Iraqi Army Quick Reaction Force and military transition team Marines with smiles and waves May 3.

The people of al-Latif lined the streets and opened their doors to the IA, who searched homes and the many date orchards in the area for illegal weapons.

The Iraqi Army also came to provide security for the local people and handed out bottled water and pre-packaged halal meals in an operation planned and executed with minimal support from their Marine counterparts.

Though MiTT Marines advised the Iraqis in the planning process and participated in the mission, along with Marines from 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, the IA has taken the lead in planning and carrying out operations.

“[QRF 1] doesn’t need our help anymore,” said Michael. “We go along and give the Iraqis advice when we have some, but they don’t really need us.”

Many of the IA soldiers pay close attention to the Marines while out on missions.

“We like working with Marines,” said a sniper from 3^rd Battalion who joined the IA six months after Saddam fell. “They go out on missions with us and help us. We watch how they do things and we learn from it.”

QRF 1 is probably one of the best IA units, said Michael. Although they don’t operate at the level of the Marine Corps, they are perfectly capable of completing their mission here without a Marine presence.

MiTT and ANGLICO Marines made up only a fraction of the total forces in the operation, contributing roughly a platoon-size element to their IA battalion.

One local man said he didn’t even notice the Marines were in the city until several hours into the operation as he offered chai tea to the soldiers standing outside his home.

“It’s ok that they search our homes,” said the shopkeeper. “Most of the people here have nothing to hide. We do not fear the government.”

Many local citizens were optimistic their neighborhood would be rid of the violence the criminal gangs brought with them.

“We were excited to see the Army come here,” said a local shop owner. “When the Army comes, it scares away the criminals who hurt our people. God willing, those people will never come back”

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Marines help clear Basra neighborhood

nobody@vox.com(eagleandbulldog) — Sun, 11 May 2008 02:58:26 -0700

BASRA, Iraq (May 3, 2008) – Marines with 1^st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, fire control team 6, bring a lot to the fight here.

Among other things, they provide air-strike and fire-support capabilities to their Iraqi Army counterparts supporting 3^rd Battalion, Quick Reaction Force 1,1st Iraqi Army Quick Reaction Force.

“We’re there mainly to provide air support if needed, but we also provide medevacs, we can use the aircraft for route reconnaissance if needed,” said Sgt. Robert Lower, FCT 6 team chief . “We are basically the liaison between the air and ground.”

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FCT-6 began its tour in Hawas, in northeastern al-Anbar province, but came to Basra in support of QRF-1, along with military transition team Marines, when fighting erupted in the city in late March.

The drive down with QRF 1 from Hawas to Basra was slow due to the large number of vehicles, the frequent stops and the slow speeds convoys travel, taking three days of 15-17 hours of travel per day.

One of Lower’s most memorable days in the Marine Corps was April 1, the day after they arrived in Basra during a mission with the Iraqi Police and IA.

“We were driving through the city to go set up IP checkpoints,” he said. “We started receiving small arms fire and had two [rocket propelled grenades] shot at us.”

They spent the night sleeping in the team’s mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicle in the city and received mortar fire throughout the night, said Lower.

Lower’s team hasn’t had to call in air support in Basra, but other ANGLICO units called in air strikes in early April against criminal elements of the Jaysh ar-Mahdi militia and other outlaws.

“I spotted a mortar emplacement and our other FCT spotted another,” said Lower.

After the other unit called for fire on the emplacement, Coalition forces destroyed the house.

“All his neighbors knew he had mortars and explosives in his house and they thought he had blown himself up, they didn’t know it was us,” said Lower.

The LaPorte, Ind., native joined the Marine Corps in August 2000 shortly after graduating high school as an avionics technician. After a year-long military occupational specialty school in Pensacola, Fla., he was stationed at Camp Pendleton with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron-169 working on Huey and Cobra helicopters, where he deployed twice in Operations Iraqi Freedom I and II.

In 2005, Lower went to Quantico, Va., where he was stationed with HMX-1, the president’s helicopter squadron.

“Working with HMX-1 was awesome,” said Lower. “We stayed in nice hotels and had nice rental cars when we traveled with the president. But we traveled a lot, sometimes for a week at a time.”

Two years later, he changed his MOS to be a forward observer and was stationed with 1^st ANGLICO in Camp Pendleton, Calif.

“It was a little bit of a culture shock when I first came to ANGLICO because I came from the wing side,” said Lower. “There’s a lot more camaraderie on the ground side.”

“We formed shortly before pre-deployment training with the Army and have become pretty close. We live together and work together. When we came down here [to Basra], we were pretty much living together out of the MRAP.”

This deployment, which began in March, is Lower’s third to Iraq, and has been very different from his previous tours.

“The biggest difference between my first deployment in OIF I and this deployment is that now we are working with some of the Iraqi Army soldiers that we were fighting in OIF I,” said Lower.

Along with the MiTTs, the FCT helps the Iraqi soldiers build on their operational capabilities, said Lower. Having ANGLICO alongside them helps provide the confidence to conduct operations on their own.

“Now, we are focused on making them do the job instead of us doing it for them,” he said. “If an area needs to be cleared, we’re going to let them do it. We go along with them to help in case things go bad.”

When his ANGLICO team came to Iraq, the Iraqis kept to themselves and the Marines kept to themselves without much social interaction, said Lower. But things have started to change.

“At first, we kept our space with the Iraqis and they kept theirs,” he said. “Iraqis are more focused on personal relationships. They’re starting to open their arms to us more. The IAs have been teaching us the language and culture.”

“My favorite part of being in ANGLICO is working in small teams and working with different units,” said Lower. “It makes me feel like I’m contributing more to the war … working with units like the MiTTs and the IA.”

by Cpl Daniel Angel

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Basra comes back to life

nobody@vox.com(eagleandbulldog) — Sun, 11 May 2008 02:53:26 -0700

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SHAIBA AIRBASE, Basra, Iraq (May 11, 2008) – When the 1^st Iraqi Army Quick Reaction Force arrived in Basra April 1, they fought their way into the city.

Criminal elements of the Jaysh al-Mahdi had taken over parts of the city from local Iraqi security forces and imposed their own rule on a city that had once been a cultural and commercial beacon for all of Iraq.

Music and western influence were prohibited, women faced death threats if they ventured outside their homes dressed in anything other than a full burkah and intersections were used as mortar positions.

In less than a month, life in Basra couldn’t be different. The 1^st IA (QRF) continues to pursue criminals and outlaws through Basra’s neighborhoods, but as Quick Reaction Force 1, formerly 1^st Brigade, moved through the neighborhood of al-Jumhuriya April 28 the sound of gunfire was almost non-existent.

“The people are happier now,” said Maj. Robert S. Washington, 2^nd Battalion, QRF 1 military transition team senior adviser. “They can go out, they can go to the markets.”

Stores opened early in the morning as the soldiers cleared houses next door, looking for weapons, improvised explosive devices and wanted criminals. Kids walked to school past Iraqi Army humvees and posed for pictures with the soldiers.

During operations in al-Jumhuriya alone, local citizens volunteered information that led to the arrest of nearly ten suspected local gang members and the discovery of illegal weapons and improvised explosive devices.

“[The Iraqi soldiers] are getting a lot of their information by going out and talking to the local civilians,” said 2^ndLt Matthew S. Weant, 2^nd Battalion, QRF 1 staff intelligence adviser. “We’ve had people lead us directly to weapons caches and IEDs; even bringing them to us.”

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There is surely more to be done in Basra. With the criminals gone, the Government of Iraq and Coalition Forces are working together with local leaders to address issues with sanitation, infrastructure and economy that will provide long-lasting improvements to the quality of life for local residents.

Recently, local officials opened an open-air market in the neighborhood of al-Jameat in an effort to boost the local economy.

“This city was being held hostage by a small group of criminal militias,” said Col. Robert F. Castellvi, 1^st IA (QRF) MiTT senior adviser. “Otherwise they wouldn’t have greeted us with open arms, like they have.”

Local Iraqi security forces continue to hold the ground taken by the 1^st IA (QRF) to guard against a possible resurgence of the criminals. But, boosted by the confidence of success, they are ready for whatever may happen.

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QRF-1 clears al-Latif

nobody@vox.com(eagleandbulldog) — Mon, 05 May 2008 03:59:22 -0700

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AL-LATIF, Basra, Iraq (May 3, 2008) – Quick Reaction Force 1, 1^st Iraqi Army Quick Reaction Force continued its successful operations in Basra today by clearing the neighborhood of al-Latif.

At dawn this morning, QRF 1 moved into al-Latif and began searching homes for illegal weapons, explosives and criminals.

QRF 1 was deployed to Basra from al-Anbar province by the Government of Iraq April 1 to assist local Iraqi security forces in bringing peace and security back to the city during Operation Charge of the Knights. Operation Charge of the Knights is a Government of Iraq initiative to eliminate criminal gangs that had been attacking government forces and Coalition units in and around the city.

To date QRF 1 has participated in the clearing of al-Quibla, al-Hyyaniyah, al-Huteen, al-Jumhuriya and now al-Latif. All told, these operations have netted hundreds of mortars and rockets, dozens of machine-guns and detainees and thousands of rounds of ammunition that now cannot be used by the criminals to further disrupt daily life in Basra.

The clearing of al-Latif alone resulted in several cache discoveries, that included 33 AK-47s, 2 machine-guns, a rocket propelled grenade launcher, six 82mm mortars, four 122 mm artillery rounds, and more than a thousand rounds of small arms ammunition. QRF 1 also detained 30 suspected criminals for further questioning and raided and demolished the residence of a known IED maker and militia leader.

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Business as usual in Basra

nobody@vox.com(eagleandbulldog) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:48:51 -0700

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AL-JUMHULIYA, Basra, Iraq (April 28, 2008) – Business continued as usual while the Iraqi soldiers of Quick Reaction Force 1 moved into the al-Jumhuliya neighborhood of Basra.

Shops selling everything from fresh fruit to electronics opened up, children went to school and played soccer in the street and men sipped chai and ate kebabs at roadside cafes.

The al-Anbar based QRF 1, elements of the 14^th Iraqi Army Division and Iraqi Police conducted clear and search operations in al-Jumhuliya during the latest stage of Operation Charge of the Knights, the ongoing effort to reduce the influence of criminals, outlaws and militias in Basra.

After initially encountering resistance from the local militias when they first arrived in the city April 1, QRF 1 has begun to win over the population by showing the citizens that they are here to bring back the peace and security shattered by the militias.

After each operation they distribute humanitarian supplies, including water and halal meals, and cooperate with coalition forces to help the people in each neighborhood rebuild infrastructure, improve sanitation and enhance the local economy.

Many local citizens welcomed the soldiers into their neighborhood during the morning’s searches.

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“We are happy now,” said Ibrahim abd el-Amir, a local youth. “We can go out after midnight, listen to music and have girlfriends.”

U.S. and British military transition teams accompanied the Iraqi units during the operation, as they have since arriving in Basra. The MiTTs are embedded with the Iraqi units to provide advice and mentorship, but have largely stepped back during Operation Charge of the Knights and let the Iraqis accomplish the missions themselves.

In the quiet streets of al-Jumhuliya it was usually the Iraqi Army helping Marine advisers control the crowds of excited children.

“Everywhere we go, as soon as we’re done, the kids are out playing and people are walking around,” said Capt. Ryan J. Bauman, 2^nd Battalion, QRF 1 military transition team staff maneuver adviser.

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Today’s searches yielded several caches and approximately ten detainees suspected of involvement in criminal activities and attacks on Iraqi Army and Coalition units. Many of those discoveries were the result of local people coming forward with information.

“If people are comfortable, they have no problems bringing in a bad guy,” said Bauman. “It seemed like the longer we stayed out the more stuff people turned in.”

-USMC-

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QRF 1 continues Basra success in al-Huteen

nobody@vox.com(eagleandbulldog) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 04:31:36 -0700

AL-HUTEEN, Basra, Iraq (April 24, 2008) – Quick Reaction Force 1, from the 1^st Iraqi Army Quick Reaction Force kicked of the latest stage of Operation Charge of the Knights this morning when they began clearing and searching

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homes in al-Huteen.

Al-Huteen, part of the Five Mile Market neighborhood of Basra, had been considered a stronghold for criminal elements of the Jaysh al-Mahdi militia.

But when the soldiers of QRF 1 moved into the city this morning the local citizens actively welcomed and cooperated with them.

“The extremely successful operations earlier this month by the Iraqi Army in al-Quibla and al-Hyyaniyah showed the people that the army is here to help them by getting rid of criminals and outlaws,” said Capt. Daniel C. Lammers, 1^st IA (QRF) Military Transition Team assistant operations officer.

Many of the soldiers took a quick break during the clearing operations to get a cold drink or an ice-cream bar from one of the many local shops that remained open throughout the day.

In addition to the shops, local citizens quickly filled the streets after the initial clearing phase was over and the streets were safe. Children brought water to the Iraqi soldiers and many of the men sat down on the curb to share a glass of chai with camouflage-clad soldiers of Quick Reaction Force 1.

Marines and soldiers embedded with the Iraqi units as advisors were present during the operation to provide support, but the Iraqi Army took control of the operation themselves from planning to execution.

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“The military transition teams have provided support, advice, mentorship and valuable tactical links to Coalition resources,” said Col. Robert F. Castellvi, 1^st IA (QRF) MiTT senior adviser. “But make no mistake, this has been an Iraqi Army led operation and the results have been stunning.”

The searches themselves turned up several weapons caches including one buried beneath an outdoor prayer area that consisted of eight improvised explosive devices, four rocket propelled grenade launchers and 24 warheads, three PKC machine guns, over a thousand rounds of machine gun ammunition, a complete 120 millimeter mortar system, various IED making materials and explosives along with more than twenty mortar rounds of various sizes.

Discovering caches like this one, often with the help of local citizens severly restricts the ability of the criminals to attack Iraqi and Coalition forces.

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Prior to the clearing of al-Quibla indirect fire attacks on Iraqi and Coalition positions were almost routine, but have become rarer and rarer as the Iraqi Army and police have returned to neighborhoods like al-Huteen to provide security and stability.

“In less than one month’s time [the Iraqi Army] has conducted five major operations,” said Castellvi. “All of them were Iraqi Army led, maneuvering multiple units on an urban battlefield. They have taken back the city and given the initiative back to the Government of Iraq.”

-USMC-

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Iraqi Army clears Hyyaniyah of criminal militias

nobody@vox.com(eagleandbulldog) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 05:26:29 -0700

(HYYANIYAH, BASRA, Iraq (April 19, 2008) – Operation Charge of the Knights entered its second phase today as soldiers from Quick Reaction Force 1, 1^st Iraqi Army Quick Reaction Force and the 26^th Brigade, 7^th Iraqi Army Division began securing the al-Hyyaniyah neighborhood of Basra.

Iraqi soldiers search a home

Along with elements of the 14^th Iraqi Army Division and the Iraqi Police, QRF 1 and 26^th Brigade went house-to-house through the densely packed streets of al-Hyyaniyah searching for illegal weapons, explosives and other contraband materials.

The two brigades quickly swept through the town, once a stronghold for the Jaysh al-Mahdi militia, with little resistance from fighters who had battled with Iraqi government forces this March.

Using information from local citizens within the neighborhood, the Iraqi Army discovered numerous large caches, improvised explosive devices and heavy weaponry.

QRF 1 alone found 337 rockets and 5 launchers, 35 mortars and 15 mortar tubes, 102 rocket propelled grenades and 27 launchers as well as an assortment of small arms,

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grenades, explosives and IED materials.

Criminal elements of the Jaysh al-Mahdi militia had been using those weapons to attack government forces and intimidate the local population until the Government of Iraq began a crackdown in late March.

Operation Knights’ Campaign has brought a sense of normalcy back to Basra by limiting the ability of the criminal elements to threaten and terrorize the people of the city. QRF 1 previously led the clearing of the neighborhood of al-Quibla April 12, in the first stage of Operation Charge of the Knights.

Now the al-Anbar based QRF 1 has partnered with the 26^th Brigade, 7^th IA Division, also from al-Anbar, to bring similar security gains to the residents of Hyyaniyah.

With peace and security restored in Hyyaniyah, the Iraqi Army plans to begin distributing humanitarian aid supplies, like water and halal meals, to the residents as soon as possible.

Iraqi solider treats wounded civilian

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1st Iraqi Army Quick Reaction Force lives up to its name

nobody@vox.com(eagleandbulldog) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 02:13:11 -0700

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Shaiba Airbase, Iraq (April 14, 2008) – The 1^st Iraqi Army Quick Reaction Force has come a long way. Literally and figuratively.

As the first Iraqi division formed in 2004, the 1^st Iraqi Army Division, renamed the 1^st IA (QRF) in February, has developed, with the help of dedicated military transition team advisors, into the one of the premier units in the young Iraqi Army.

Within the last year, the al-Anbar based 1^st IA (QRF) has deployed brigades to Baghdad and Diyala to fight terrorist groups like al-Qaeda in Iraq and anti-government militias, while still providing security for the citizens of al-Anbar.

Most recently, the 1^st IA (QRF) has been deployed to Basrahh since April 1, 2008, with forward elements in the city even before that, to assist local Iraqi Army and police units in combating militias and other criminal elements in the city.

Within three days of receiving the order to deploy, the 1^st IA (QRF) moved a full division headquarters along with the brigade-sized Quick Reaction Force 1 and its three battalions with hundreds of vehicles from their bases around Habbaniyah, Ramadi, and Hawas to Shaibah Airfield on the outskirts of Basrah.

Without missing a beat, QRF 1 and the 1^st IA (QRF) began cordoning off militia-controlled sections of the city and actively pushing forward into what had traditionally been areas that Iraqi security forces would not go.

“There are more good people than bad here in Basrah. We need to protect those people, and all good Iraqi people,” said Sgt. Jassim Muhammad from QRF 1.

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On April 12, QRF 1, along with elements of the 14^th Iraqi Army Division and Iraqi Police, went house-to-house through the neighborhood of al-Quibla, on the ouskirts of Basrah, searching for illegal weapons, improvised explosive device materials and other contraband items.

“Today’s operation is very good,” said Sgt. Hasib abu Qadir of QRF 1 about the searches. “It is very necessary to provide security to the people of this area.”

The operation netted hundreds of weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition. Many of the weapons were found as a result human intelligence sources.

“Their ability to sincerely engage the population is their greatest strength,” said Marine Capt. Christopher D. Wills, 3^rd Battalion, QRF 1 military transition team senior adviser. “From that came today’s success.”

Along with the searches, QRF 1 has been delivering humanitarian supplies, like water and halal meals, to the citizens of Basrah since their arrival. The Motor Transport Regiment assigned to 1^st IA (QRF) has conducted 21 missions to date carrying supplies into the city for distribution by QRF 1 and its battalions.

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The most remarkable part of all these accomplishments has been the lack of Coalition involvement.

“They’ve been doing great,” said Marine Capt Daniel C. Lammers, 1^st IA (QRF) MiTT assistant operations officer and Military Police Company adviser. “This definitely shows the resolve of the army. They’re not backing down and that shows a huge improvement on their end.”

While military transition teams of Marines and soldiers are embedded with the Iraqi units, planning and executing operations has largely been the responsibility of the Iraqis themselves.

“We throw ideas back and forth,” said Lammers. “But they do the majority of the planning themselves.”

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During Operation Charge of the Knights, the house-to-house search of al-Quibla, only Iraqi soldiers and policemen entered the houses being searched, Iraqi bomb disposal experts cleared improvised explosive devices, Iraqi soldiers and policemen collected weapons and Iraqi soldiers distributed the humanitarian supplies.

While the soldiers of the 1^st IA (QRF) have had the benefit of time to develop their abilities and have worked hard to become as competent as they are, this division’s success truly demonstrates the progress being made by the Iraqi Army.

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Quick Reaction Force 1 secures Quibla from criminal militias

nobody@vox.com(eagleandbulldog) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 01:53:26 -0700

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Quibla, Iraq (April 12) - As dawn broke over the town of Quibla, Iraq, soldiers from Quick Reaction Force 1 of the 1^st Iraqi Army Quick Reaction force fanned out and began searching the city house-by-house for illegal weapons.

QRF 1, deployed from al-Anbar province on April 1 had been setting the stage for Operation Charge of the Knight since their arrival. In the previous two weeks they, along with elements of the 14^th Iraqi Army Division and local police cordoned off the city and established basis at strategic points on the perimeter.

Operation Charge of the Knight represented the first large-scale push into areas that until now had been strongholds of the local militias and other criminal elements.

“Today’s operation is very good,” said Sgt. Hasib abu Qadir of QRF 1. “It is very necessary to provide security to the people of this area.”

After crossing the line of departure the brigade immediately began working with the local citizens to collect heavy weapons, explosives and other contraband items.

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At the end of the day combined efforts of QRF 1 and the other Iraqi Army and police units resulted in 57 suspected militia members and other criminals detained, 82 mortars and rockets along with 6 mortar tubes, 74 rocket-propelled grenade warheads and 23 launchers, nineteen machineguns of various varieties and more than 6,000 rounds of ammunition, as well as 15 artillery shells of different varieties and other explosives

Following the end of the days operations, the QRF 1 units remained in place to continue to provide security for the citizens of Quibla and continue to deliver humanitarian supplies, such as water and halal meals, to the members of the community.

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