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Blackanthem Military News
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Last Updated:
Nov 20, 2008 - 8:44:25 PM |
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Cavalry Soldiers Still on the Hunt for Insurgents
By Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Doheny, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division
Sep 24, 2008 - 7:33:37 PM
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Blackanthem Military News
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| Major Jason Tussey, operations officer for the 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, awaits extraction from UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters during Operation Abbeville near Darwish Village Sept. 19, 2008. Abbeville was an air assault operation aimed at locating individuals facilitating insurgents seeking refuge from Coalition and Iraqi operations in the Salah ad Din province, Iraq. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Doheny, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division [Air Assault]) |
BALAD, Iraq - In 2006 the city of Balad was a melting pot for sectarian violence. Today, it is an example of security and economic progress.
This progress is a direct reflection of 12 months of successful coalition and Iraqi operations which have placed a clamp on major insurgent activities in and around the predominately Shia city.
With the organization of Sons of Iraq groups or "Sawha", and the ever increasing capabilities of the Iraqi security forces, criminal activity in the once restive city has decreased dramatically.
Also playing a major factor is the successful targeting of insurgent cell leaders and weapons facilitators operating in the area, by the Soldiers of the 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division.
All three elements partnered to rid the area of the majority of illegal activity, setting the stage for mass reconciliation and a growing economic atmosphere.
Even with the overall successes in the Balad Qada, the Cavalry Soldiers are still actively pursuing the enemy. Operations aimed at maintaining a secure atmosphere in the Qada are still a priority to the squadron.
In an effort to continue the positive trend, Soldiers from Bravo Troop and members from the national police's Justice Battalion, conducted Operation Abbeville, Sept. 19, 2008.
Abbeville was an air assault operation targeting Al Qaeda in Iraq facilitators in the village of Darwish.
Shortly after completing the infiltration via UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, the joint force swiftly moved to secure each of their multiple target buildings leading to the capture of their pre-operation target.
"This operation confirmed reporting that the people of the village were intimidated into providing sanctuary to AQI members," said Capt. Tony Keller, Bravo Troop commander. "Hopefully the intelligence we received from this operation will allow us to develop future operations targeting these AQI elements."
According to the squadron, the operation was more than just a show of force; however, it does demonstrate to the enemy that they are still being targeted.
"The enemy must be aware that coalition and Iraqi forces will not stop pursuing them," said Maj. Jason Tussey, squadron operations officer. "We retain the ability to strike at a time and place of our choice."
The result of the operation was the detention of five individuals from the village and the removal of miscellaneous weapon systems.
The village of Darwish is a rural area east of Balad, and coalition and Iraqi forces rarely patrol the area. This has allowed AQI to frequently use the village as a place of safe haven from the pressures of Coalition and Iraqi operations.
"It is of utmost importance that the people of the village were able to see that their national police can provide security for them," Tussey said. "As we continue to operate in the rural areas where CF [coalitian forces] and ISF [Iraqi security forces] have not been before, people see that they are not forgotten and the Iraqi government is working to provide much needed assistance."
Once the initial "shock" factor of the air assault was over and potential detainees had been identified, the Blackhorse Soldiers began to assist the other people in the village. Some of the villagers asked for medical attention, while others bottled water.
According to Keller, it is how his Soldiers conduct themselves after the enemy threat is eliminated that makes the largest impact.
"Any Soldier can conduct an air assault and we will always have superior combat power," said Keller, "but to the local it is what we do after the ‘shock' factor that can ultimately influence the operation."
Keller said that the enemy no longer has this location as a place of sanctuary. He says that population there is tired of AQI disrupting the village.
"The majority of the population in our area of operations wants essential services," Keller said. "It is the minority that supports the enemy that is our focus."
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:
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| Captain Tony Keller, commander of Bravo Troop, 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, looks off the rooftop of a house during Operation Abbeville near Darwish Village Sept. 19, 2008. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Doheny, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division [Air Assault]) |
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| Captain Tony Keller, commander of Bravo Troop, 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, relays a message via tactical radio as he looks at a map during Operation Abbeville near Darwish Village Sept. 19, 2008. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Doheny, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division [Air Assault]) |
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| An OH-58 Kiowa Warrior flies overhead as Soldiers from Bravo Troop, 1st Squardon, 32nd Cavalry prepare to move to extraction locations during Operation Abbeville in Darwish Village near Balad Sept. 19, 2008. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Doheny, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division [Air Assault]) |
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| The Justice Battalion of the Iraqi National Police and Soldiers from the 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, await extraction from UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters during Operation Abbeville near Darwish Village Sept. 19, 2008. Abbeville was an air assault operation aimed at locating individuals facilitating insurgents seeking refuge from Coalition and Iraqi operations in the Salah ad Din province, Iraq. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Doheny, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division [Air Assault]) |
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| Specialist Charlie Macias, Bravo Troop, 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, watches as two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters extract Soldiers from his unit during Operation Abbeville Sept. 19, 2008. Abbeville was an air assault operation near Darwish Village, which was aimed at locating individuals facilitating insurgents seeking refuge from Coalition and Iraqi operations in the Salah ad Din province, Iraq. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Doheny, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division [Air Assault]) |
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| A Soldier from Bravo Troop, 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment pulls security as a man from Darwish Village is asked questions about facilitating Al Qaeda in Iraq members inside the village during Operation Abbeville Sept. 19, 2008. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Doheny, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division [Air Assault]) |
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| Captain Tony Keller, commander of Bravo Troop, 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, relays a message via tactical radio as he looks at a map during Operation Abbeville near Darwish Village Sept. 19, 2008. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Doheny, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division [Air Assault]) |
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| A Soldier from Bravo Troop, 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, pulls security during Operation Abbeville, an air assault operation targeting Al Qaeda in Iraq facilitators in Darwish Village near Balad Sept. 19, 2008. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Doheny, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division [Air Assault]) |
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| A Soldier from Bravo Troop, 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, pulls security during Operation Abbeville, an air assault operation targeting Al Qaeda in Iraq facilitators in Darwish Village near Balad Sept. 19, 2008. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Doheny, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division [Air Assault]) |
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| Soldiers from Bravo Troop, 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment sit in "pick-up zone" posture as they wait for UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to extract them from Darwish Village, near Balad during Operation Abbeville Sept. 19, 2008. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Doheny, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division) |
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| An OH-58 Kiowa Warrior flies overhead as a Soldier from Bravo Troop, 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment pulls security during Operation Abbeville in Darwish Village near Balad, Iraq Sept. 19, 2008. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Doheny, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division) |
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