|
Blackanthem Military News
|
Last Updated:
Mar 19, 2010 - 6:16:21 PM |
|
|
Blackanthem Military News
 |
| "Above the Rest" Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division prepare to Air Assault onto the banks of the Tigris River. The Soldiers conducted Operation Deadbluff along with Iraqi Army Soldiers, in an effort to reduce the number of enemy weapons caches in the area. (Photo by Sgt. Rick Rzepka, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division (AA)) |
BAYJI, Iraq - As security continues to improve across Iraq, insurgent networks are becoming desperate in their attempts at proliferating weapons and ammunition.
Because they have been marginalized within Iraqi society and are under constant pressure from Iraqi Security Forces and Coalition Soldiers, enemy fighters are frantically seeking to hide large quantities of weapons in the hinterlands of Iraq's north.
"Often the insurgency will attempt to utilize rural areas to hide weapons," said Capt. Michael Sykes, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment. "What they don't realize, is that we are highly mobile through the use of the Air Assault and are training the Iraqis to do the same," he said.
A recent Air Assault mission, conducted by Iraqi Army Soldiers and Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, aimed to track down enemy weapons caches being stored along the lush banks of the Tigris River.
"Our intent is to deny them a place to call home," said Capt. Jeffrey Rottenberg, whose 'Mad Dog' Company has been battling extremist fighters for more than a year. "The enemy here goes to sleep at night wondering if this is the night that the 101st will come to pay them a visit," he said.
The mission, dubbed Operation Deadbluff, was one of many operations carried out by the battalion in order to sever enemy weapons trafficking in the area. "The enemy doesn't just stick to cities," said Rottenberg, "so we don't either."
In utilizing the Air Assault, Rottenberg's 'Mad Dogs' have gained the upper hand. By taking the fight to the enemy, the Soldiers of the 327th go after them from all sides, said Rottenberg. "The major advantage gained through Air Assaults is the ability to move a lot of Soldiers quickly, with little warning to the enemy."
The element of surprise is one brick on the road to success here. Another is having the actual intelligence on enemy weapons locations from sources on the ground.
"The key to finding caches is the Iraqi people themselves," said Rottenberg. "Unless you have someone inform you about them, it becomes somewhat of a guessing game," he said.
For more than a year, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment has detained hundreds of suspected insurgents and has taken thousands of weapons out of the hands of the enemy here.
"Our guys have performed at a high level, under austere conditions," said Sykes. "While there has been some adversity, there has also been a great deal of success," he said. "Our barometer for success is the Iraqi people, and right now they are enjoying a sense of security and liberty that they have not known before."
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:
 |
| An "Above the Rest" Soldier of the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division aboard a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter during an Air Assault mission onto the banks of the Tigris River. The Soldiers conducted Operation Deadbluff along with Iraqi Army Soldiers, in an effort to reduce the number of enemy weapons caches in the area. (Photo by Sgt. Rick Rzepka, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division (AA)) |
|
 |
| An "Above the Rest" Soldier of the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division aboard a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter during an Air Assault mission onto the banks of the Tigris River. The Soldiers conducted Operation Deadbluff along with Iraqi Army Soldiers, in an effort to reduce the number of enemy weapons caches in the area. (Photo by Sgt. Rick Rzepka, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division (AA)) |
|
 |
| An "Above the Rest" Soldier of the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division pulls security near a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter during an Air Assault mission onto the banks of the Tigris River. The Soldiers conducted Operation Deadbluff along with Iraqi Army Soldiers, in an effort to reduce the number of enemy weapons caches in the area. (Photo by Sgt. Rick Rzepka, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division (AA)) |
|
 |
| An "Above the Rest" Soldier of the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division pulls security near a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter during an Air Assault mission onto the banks of the Tigris River. The Soldiers conducted Operation Deadbluff along with Iraqi Army Soldiers, in an effort to reduce the number of enemy weapons caches in the area. (Photo by Sgt. Rick Rzepka, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division (AA)) |
|
 |
| "Above the Rest" Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division move through the dense vegetation during an Air Assault mission onto the banks of the Tigris River. The Soldiers conducted Operation Deadbluff along with Iraqi Army Soldiers, in an effort to reduce the number of enemy weapons caches in the area. (Photo by Sgt. Rick Rzepka, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division (AA)) |
|
 |
| An "Above the Rest" Soldier of the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division takes up a fighting position during an Air Assault mission onto the banks of the Tigris River. The Soldiers conducted Operation Deadbluff along with Iraqi Army Soldiers, in an effort to reduce the number of enemy weapons caches in the area. (Photo by Sgt. Rick Rzepka, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division (AA)) |
|
 |
| An "Above the Rest" Soldier of the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division takes a knee during an Air Assault mission onto the banks of the Tigris River. The Soldiers conducted Operation Deadbluff along with Iraqi Army Soldiers, in an effort to reduce the number of enemy weapons caches in the area. (Photo by Sgt. Rick Rzepka, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division (AA)) |
|
 |
| "Above the Rest" Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division pick up security to Air Assault onto the banks of the Tigris River. The Soldiers conducted Operation Deadbluff along with Iraqi Army Soldiers, in an effort to reduce the number of enemy weapons caches in the area. (Photo by Sgt. Rick Rzepka, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division (AA)) |
|
 |
| An "Above the Rest" Soldier of the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division fights through the brush during an Air Assault onto the banks of the Tigris River. The Soldiers conducted Operation Deadbluff along with Iraqi Army Soldiers, in an effort to reduce the number of enemy weapons caches in the area. (Photo by Sgt. Rick Rzepka, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division (AA)) |
|
 |
| An OH-58 Kiowa helicopter provides close air support during an Air Assault mission near the Tigris River. (Photo by Sgt. Rick Rzepka, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division (AA)) |
|
 |
| "Above the Rest" Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division during an Air Assault near the banks of the Tigris River. The Soldiers conducted Operation Deadbluff along with Iraqi Army Soldiers, in an effort to reduce the number of enemy weapons caches in the area. (Photo by Sgt. Rick Rzepka, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division (AA)) |
|
 |
| An "Above the Rest" Soldier of the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division on patrol during an Air Assault near the banks of the Tigris River. The Soldiers conducted Operation Deadbluff along with Iraqi Army Soldiers, in an effort to reduce the number of enemy weapons caches in the area. (Photo by Sgt. Rick Rzepka, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division (AA)) |
|
 |
| "Above the Rest" Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division on patrol during an Air Assault near the banks of the Tigris River. The Soldiers conducted Operation Deadbluff along with Iraqi Army Soldiers, in an effort to reduce the number of enemy weapons caches in the area. (Photo by Sgt. Rick Rzepka, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division (AA)) |
|
 |
| "Above the Rest" Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division on patrol during an Air Assault near the banks of the Tigris River. The Soldiers conducted Operation Deadbluff along with Iraqi Army Soldiers, in an effort to reduce the number of enemy weapons caches in the area. (Photo by Sgt. Rick Rzepka, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division (AA)) |
|
 |
| An "Above the Rest" Soldier of the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division takes up a fighting position during an Air Assault near the banks of the Tigris River. The Soldiers conducted Operation Deadbluff along with Iraqi Army Soldiers, in an effort to reduce the number of enemy weapons caches in the area. (Photo by Sgt. Rick Rzepka, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division (AA)) |
|
 |
| An "Above the Rest" Soldier of the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division takes up a fighting position during an Air Assault near the banks of the Tigris River. The Soldiers conducted Operation Deadbluff along with Iraqi Army Soldiers, in an effort to reduce the number of enemy weapons caches in the area. (Photo by Sgt. Rick Rzepka, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division (AA)) |
|
 |
| An "Above the Rest" Soldier of the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division takes up a fighting position during an Air Assault near the banks of the Tigris River. The Soldiers conducted Operation Deadbluff along with Iraqi Army Soldiers, in an effort to reduce the number of enemy weapons caches in the area. (Photo by Sgt. Rick Rzepka, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division (AA)) |
|
 |
| An "Above the Rest" Soldier of the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division takes up a fighting position during an Air Assault near the banks of the Tigris River. The Soldiers conducted Operation Deadbluff along with Iraqi Army Soldiers, in an effort to reduce the number of enemy weapons caches in the area. (Photo by Sgt. Rick Rzepka, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division (AA)) |
|
 |
| An "Above the Rest" Soldier of the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division throws a smoke grenade during an Air Assault near the banks of the Tigris River. The Soldiers conducted Operation Deadbluff along with Iraqi Army Soldiers, in an effort to reduce the number of enemy weapons caches in the area. (Photo by Sgt. Rick Rzepka, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division (AA)) |
|
 |
| An "Above the Rest" Soldier of the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division waves goodbye after an Air Assault near the banks of the Tigris River. The Soldiers conducted Operation Deadbluff along with Iraqi Army Soldiers, in an effort to reduce the number of enemy weapons caches in the area. (Photo by Sgt. Rick Rzepka, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division (AA)) |
|
Comments
NO Soliciting.
Comments with links to websites or soliciting services will be removed.
Please read our Terms of use for more information.
Ron "father of Pvt2ndClass" Boehm
07 Dec 2008, 18:41
Who would have imagined that the Iraqi's and US soldiers would be working
together to eliminate the threat of terrorists in the land of the
terrorists? Keep the integrity high and honorable even in your baracks.
The next country's hideout for terrorists will be that much easier to
wipeout by the good word of your good work.
william stucker
19 Oct 2008, 06:48
TO OUR BRAVE WARRIORS IN ARMS THANKS SO MUCH FOR OUR SAFTEY , HOPING THAT
YOUR ALL HOME SOON ...YOU ARE WHY WILL HAVE WON
|
Top of Page
|
|
|
|
