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| Iraq-Jordan |
| âFallujah Battalionâ Nabs More Than 6 Tons of Weapons |
| 2004-06-03 |
| Two companies from the Iraqi National Task Forceâs 2 nd Battalion, here netted more than 6 tons and seven truckloads of cached weapons on the outskirts of Al Tarmiya in a previously unreported four-day operation in May after sweeping through a hidden insurgent arms depot just south of the city. The operation, from May 20 to 24, 2004, a coalition coordinated mission, comes only weeks after widespread reports roundly criticized the unit for its role in an early April operation north of Baghdad. Battalion soldiers were alleged to have turned and run on their American partners before heading into a planned operation in Fallujah â a report disputed by the actual participants in the engagement. The find, consisting of nine sites in a roughly 4 kilometer-square area of dense âtriple-canopyâ palms just off an improved dirt and gravel road in the area, is being reported as the largest single-operation haul in many months as the Iraqi National Task Force and coalition forces continue the attempt to bring security and safety to the citizens of Iraq... âIt shows to everybody who had doubts about how well the Iraqi army would perform in the face of an adverse situation,â said Coalition Military Assistance Training Team 2 nd Battalion Senior Advisor, Marine Corps Maj. David E. Lane II â an Acquisition Support Team member, along with Garcia, especially familiar with the unitâs operational readiness. âAfter Fallujah, they come back and do the training â work harder than theyâve ever worked before â and still have the confidence to go out and accomplish missions that theyâve been assigned,â Lane said. âAnd the fact that coalition forces actually use them and theyâre actually a part of the coalition demonstrates that they play a vital role in the security of this country,â he added. EFL |
| Posted by:Chuck Simmins |
| #7 Chuck, several marines have sent emails to various milblogs to state that the unit in question actually did not bug out. They were severely delayed by fighting on the way (where they appearently did well). |
| Posted by: David 2004-06-03 6:53:57 PM |
| #6 Chuck, do you know of a "guide for the perplexed" to the current Iraqi forces? Like which ones have "integrated" units, which are more regional in nature, etc.? |
| Posted by: Phil Fraering 2004-06-03 5:43:08 PM |
| #5 Chuck is correct -- but I think an on-site USMC witness wrote recently that the Fallujah bug-out was misreported, and that while several army units did not perform in Fallujah, one in fact did so. I believe this was an Iraqi Army unit. Also recall that the recruits to the new army were specifically told they would NOT be used for fighting other Iraqis -- given the history, that was not a minor issue, and puts the bug-out in some perspective (though it doesn't change the need for capable and reliable Iraqi security forces). |
| Posted by: Verlaine 2004-06-03 4:22:01 PM |
| #4 thanks. What i meant was that this is NOT the group of local ex-soldiers who were recruited in April. |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2004-06-03 4:19:28 PM |
| #3 It's the group that refused to go to Fallujah after being attacked during transport in Baghdad. Not ICDC, but Iraqi Army. The protective services in Iraq consist of the Iraqi Army, the Iraqi Police Service, the Border Police, Iraqi Civil Defense Corps and the Facilities Protection Service. |
| Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2004-06-03 3:46:52 PM |
| #2 note, this seems to be the ICDC, NOT the Fallujah Protective Army. |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2004-06-03 3:21:57 PM |
| #1 :O Color me very surprised and skeptical. It's wonderful if it's true. Hell, it's fucking amazing if it's true. I WANT TO BELIEVE. |
| Posted by: Anonymous4021 2004-06-03 3:10:23 PM |