Muscatine native puts academic career on hold to serve in Iraq Nov 25, 2008
There are several sites throughout Iraq to which I travel, including Fallujah, Tikrit and Basrah. Life in the military. (Muscatine Journal, IO)
Meet 'FOX & Friends' Nov 3, 2008
Wright also spent time embedded with U.S. and British troops, reporting on the military s humanitarian efforts in Baghdad, Basrah, and Mosul. Wright also provided coverage on U.S. forces training Iraqi security forces. (Fox News -- Politics)
Fact Sheet: Success of the Surge Allows Political Improvements in Iraq Oct 16, 2008
Successful operations led by Iraqi Security Forces in Basrah, Mosul, and Sadr City to take on Al Qaeda in Iraq have helped improve security in cities once plagued by insurgents. High profile attacks have decreased by 70 percent in Iraq, ethno-sectarian violence across Iraq has gone down 96 percent, and civilian causalities have gone down 76 percent since this time last year. (White House News Releases)
Hezbollah Training Hit Squads In Iran: U.S. Aug 19, 2008
But last year, the U.S. military reported capturing in Basrah Ali Mussa Dakdouk, an alleged Lebanese Hezbollah guerrilla leader. Iraqi Shiite lawmakers and a top Iraqi army officer told the AP last month that Hezbollah trainers were running training camps in southern Iraq until April, when they were pushed into Iran by the Iraqi crackdown. (Newsmax)
Soldier and Helena native reports on progress in Iraq Aug 13, 2008
213 billion via the Provincial Reconstruction Development Committee (PRDC) program, the Infrastructure Security Program (ISP), and the Basrah Children s Hospital (BCH) ... Despite the many challenges of working in Basrah, construction is moving forward with an estimated completion slated for the end of this year with a phased opening starting early 2009. (Helena Independent Record, MT)
UK Basra deal claims 'not true' Aug 6, 2008
"The only limit placed on the profile of our support was Mr Maliki's rightful concern that the Iraqi security forces be seen by the people of Basrah to be those enforcing the rule of law in the city.". The British Army's spokesman in Basra, Major Tom Holloway, said any previous deal "had no bearing on the decision to go to the city". (BBC News -- UK)
Iraq's oil windfall goes unspent Aug 6, 2008
An Iraqi military ceremony marks the opening of a new headquarters in Basrah on Monday. Iraq has spent little of the billions of dollars it has budgeted for construction and infrastructure to help rebuild the country. (News & Observer)
NMCB 74 Seabees to come home Aug 4, 2008
While on deployment, at the Ocean Platform Oil Terminals off the coast of Al Basrah, Iraq, the Seabees removed a 200-foot steel bridge, fabricated and installed 500 linear feet of steel safety rails and replaced more than 1,000 square feet of steel decking. They also laid more than 8,130 tons of asphalt in the desert while at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. (The Clarion-Ledger)
JOURNALISM UNDER FIRE IN IRAQ Jul 13, 2008
Last December, I walked down the street without any body armor with a crowd of fully armed former insurgents who had turned against al Qaeda and allied with the US. I recently spent a whole day with the first division of the Iraqi army, as they patrolled one of the roughest neighborhoods in the city of Basrah. On that same visit to Basrah, I was able to schedule an impromptu gathering with about a dozen Iraqi women at a local school. (New York Post -- Opinions)
New high school named for fallen soldier Jun 27, 2008
He was killed in Basrah, Iraq, on April 21, 2008. The Vandegrift family moved to Steiner Ranch in 1994. (Cedar Park Hill Country News Weekender, TX)
AMERICA'S FUTURE: Turning the Tide in Mosul Jun 24, 2008
Iraqi forces now lead operations in all three of Iraq s major cities Baghdad, Basrah and Mosul but they still depend on the U.S. military for critical advice, backup and logistical support. Lt. Col. Robert Molina, an operations officer for the 3rd Armored Cavalry, said Iraqis still need U.S. military forces to stay. (Fox News)
Iraq Closeup: The Next Battleground Jun 18, 2008
I was stationed in Basrah, and had dealings in Maysan province and al Amarah. The place is tough even Saddam did not have the province fully under control. (New York Times)
Stephen Boyd stands in front of Saddams Victory over America Palace in 2006. Jun 17, 2008
The goal is to put the Iraqi army out front, like we did in Basrah and Sadr City recently, and let them fight these terrorists and thugs. It is also to teach the Iraqis to be good citizens, educate them so they can get better jobs and learn to read and write, and find out what is driving the insurgency because unlike the Vietnam Conflict there is no government with an army trying to control the government, just Islamic fascists who want a Taliban like state here. (Thomaston Times, GA)
In Iraq, hope begins to stir Jun 17, 2008
And Shiite militiamen are reeling after military setbacks in Basrah and Baghdad's Sadr City districts this spring. Despite the signs of progress, recent opinion surveys show that more than 60 percent of the American public opposes the war and believes it will end badly. (News & Observer)
Former LHS grad killed in Iraq May 2, 2008
Former Leander High School graduate Matthew R. Vandegrift died Monday while conducting combat operations in Basrah, Iraq, as a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom ... died April 21 from wounds he suffered while conducting combat operations in Basrah. (Cedar Park Hill Country News Weekender, TX)
Buddies remember their friend, hero May 2, 2008
1st Lt. Matthew Vandegrift lost his life from combat wounds on April 21, 2008, in Basrah, Iraq. The Leander High School honor grad only lived in the Hill Country for a few years before proceeding on to Texas Are he graduated from the Mays School of Business with honors. (Cedar Park Hill Country News Weekender, TX)
Iraq purges 1,300 soldiers and police Apr 14, 2008
Government forces laid down weapons during clashes in Basrah and elsewhere ... On March 25, the Shiite-led Iraqi government launched a military campaign in the southern port of Basrah in an attempt to wrest control of the city from rival militias ... The government's failure to capture Basrah despite superiority in numbers and firepower was an embarrassment to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who ordered the offensive and personally supervised it during the first week. (News & Observer)
Bush promises shorter Iraq tours for troops Apr 11, 2008
"Iran would work to fill the vacuum in Iraq, and our failure would embolden its radical leaders and fuel their ambitions to dominate the region."Bush's focus on Iran, while not new, reflected deepening concerns in the administration and the Pentagon about suspected Iranian support for some extremists, which they say became increasingly evident during the indecisive Iraqi operation in late March to wrest control of Basrah from Shiite militias and in a recent spate of rocket attacks on the Green... (News & Observer)
Text of General Petraeus' report on Iraq Apr 9, 2008
The recent flare-up in Basrah, southern Iraq, and Baghdad underscored the importance of the cease-fire declared by Moqtada al-Sadr last fall as another factor in the overall reduction in violence ... As this chart (Slide 1) illustrates, for nearly six months, security incidents have been at a level not seen since early-to-mid-2005, though the level did spike in recent weeks as a result of the violence in Basrah and Baghdad. (MSNBC -- Politics)
Hillary Waffles On Troops In Iraq In 2013 Apr 9, 2008
Petraeus added that the Iraqi military and police continue to grow in number and skills, despite recent setbacks in Basrah. "I think it's time to begin an orderly process of withdrawing our troops, start rebuilding our military and focusing on the challenges posed by Afghanistan, the global terrorists' groups and other problems that confront America," Clinton said. (Newsmax)
Al-Sadr offers a deal to halt fight Mar 31, 2008
Outside a Basrah television studio, Mahdi Army fighters celebrate next to a burning police vehicle ... But aides also vowed to press on with efforts to clear Basrah of "outlaws" who have used violence to establish power and influence in the southern oil hub ... Al-Maliki staked his reputation on the crackdown, which began Tuesday, vowing to remain in Basrah until law and order were restored. (News & Observer)
Basrah fight puts Maliki to the test Mar 28, 2008
In Baghdad's Kazimiyah neighborhood, followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr join in a broad protest against the Iraqi government's crackdown on militias in Basrah ... The Badr Organization is one of the most powerful rivals of the Mahdi Army in Basrah ... Al-Maliki, in office since May 2006, is almost certain to pay a heavy political price if he fails against Shiite militias in battles that began in the southern city of Basrah and then flared in Baghdad and other cities. (News & Observer)
Iraqi leader warns Shiite militias to disarm, or else Mar 27, 2008
Gunbattles rage in Basrah; al-Sadr aides say the cleric will negotiate ... Violence erupted in Sadr City after the Iraqi government began a campaign against militias in Basrah ... Advertisements Alexandra Zavis and Peter Speigel, Los Angeles Times BAGHDAD - Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki gave Shiite Muslim militiamen in Basrah three days to surrender as fighting raged Wednesday in the southern Shiite heartland and parts of Baghdad, leaving more than 80 people dead since the previous day. (News & Observer)
North Dakota honored in Iraq Feb 21, 2008
MSG Marty Kueffler, currently stationed at Basrah Air Station in Southern Iraq, sent this photo ... MSG Marty Kueffler, is currently stationed at Basrah Air Station in Southern Iraq. (Devils Lake Daily Journal, ND)
Jones gets challenges for Dist. 3 House seat Jan 13, 2008
As the manager of Basrah International Airport and later a diplomat, he became disenchanted with the U.S.'s management of Iraq and the war. Iraqi control has gone no better, he said. (The Daily Reflector)
In Iraq, stylists go underground Dec 27, 2007
In the past year, most beauty salons in the Shiite-dominated southern city of Basrah went underground, as they did in the Sunni-controlled neighborhood of Dora in west Baghdad. To people outside Iraq, the prospect of being killed just for frequenting a hair salon might seem a convincing reason not to go to one. (News & Observer)
Edwards: The Faceless & Dead Dec 18, 2007
You wont cry because its just a little trip like the ones you used to take to Mosul or Basrah before the war. It was time to go and I went from room to room saying goodbye to everything. (Zmag.org)
Valuable lessons for Iraq from Canada Nov 20, 2007
But despite of all these things, the people they come, said the 52-year-old, who teaches at the University of Basrah in southern Iraq. The people want to live, to study, to be like everybody in all the world. (Globe and Mail -- National)
Spearfish man helping to get Americans out of Iraq Nov 10, 2007
"I do know when I went to Basrah and issued weapons to the palace protection force down there, I accounted for every single one right down to the serial numbers one-by-one." His trip to Basrah, in southern Iraq, was right before the British forces turned control over to the Iraqis ... When I went to Basrah those soldiers were real positive. (Black Hills Pioneer, SD)
Dorko’s role in Iraq included rebuilding civilian hospitals to treat Iraqi children Nov 1, 2007
BASRAH, Iraq The construction site of the Basrah Children's Hospital is a hotbed of activity these days, with an average of 750 workers on the job each day, according to Navy Lt. Cmdr ... And this number likely will jump to 1,000 or more workers a day as the hospital project enters new phases, said Lorenzana, the resident engineer overseeing the project for the Basrah Office of the Gulf Region South district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ... The Basrah Children's Hospital is only one of a... (Waynesille Daily Guide, MO)
Prescription for change Oct 22, 2007
Meanwhile, in the province of Basrah, construction of a major children's hospital continues ... The Basrah Children's Hospital will cover 71,000 square meters and have 94 beds, with plans for at least double the amount of beds in the future. (Pocatello Idaho State Journal, ID)
US general blames Britain for Basra crisis Aug 23, 2007
By Thomas Harding and Toby HelmLast Updated: 6:50am BST 23/08/2007. The first sign of serious tension between Gordon Brown and President George W Bush over Iraq have emerged as a senior US general said the withdrawal of British troops was creating a security crisis in the south of the country. (Telegraph.co.uk)
CWS appeal: Assistance to war-affected Iraqis Aug 3, 2007
CWS partner Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) is assisting with three different components: 1) to provide social and psychological assistance to three youth centers in Bagdad and Basrah; 2) to supply the district hospital in the Abu Al-Khasib near Basrah with a water filter system which will benefit about 200 000 people; 3) to provide shelters for about 300 persons in the Arab marsh land. Completion date: July 31, 2008. (AlertNet)
ACT Appeal: Assistance to Iraqi IDPs and refugees, Iraq Jul 31, 2007
Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) is proposing to assist with three different components: i) to provide social and psychological assistance to three youth centers in Bagdad and Basrah, ii) to supply the district hospital in the Abu Al-Khasib near Basrah hospital with water filter system which will benefit about 200 000 people, iii) to provide shelters for about 300 persons in the Arab marsh land. Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) proposes to assist Iraqi families with food parcels, medicines and... (AlertNet)
Fact Sheet: Expanded Provincial Reconstruction Teams Speed the Transition to Self-Reliance Jul 14, 2007
The Original Program Includes U.S.-Led PRTs In Baghdad, Anbar, Ninewa, Kirkuk, Salah Ad Din, Diyala, And Babil, And U.S. Participation In Coalition-Led PRTs In Basrah (UK), Dhi Qar (Italy), And Erbil (Korea). PRTs Help Provincial Leaders Secure Funds From The Central Government By Helping Forge Better Working Relationships Between Provincial Leaders And Their Counterparts In The Central Government. (White House News Releases)
Initial Benchmark Assessment Report Jul 13, 2007
Despite some progress, militias are still a dominant force in parts of Baghdad, Basrah, and many provinces in Iraq and will likely remain so until the security situation begins to stabilize over time. (See pages 14-15, above. (White House News Releases)
Two decades later its still about Iran Jul 6, 2007
One of these fighters, Ali Musa Daqduq, was captured by American forces in March near Basrah. According to Daqduq, he was sent to Iran in 2005 by the Qods Force to train Iraqis. (MSNBC -- Terrorism)
Iraq Security Developments - Thursday Jun 29, 2007
BASRAH Five people were killed when a British helicopter opened fire against their vehicle in the Hussein district of western Basrah (590 km south of Baghdad) on Thursday morning, a police source said ... BASRAH - A roadside bomb explosion killed three British soldiers and seriously wounded another in the southern city of Basra on Wednesday night, a British military spokesman said ... BASRAH The joint coordination center in the Hakimiya district and the British embassy compound in Basrah were... (IraqSlogger)
Iraqis Unanimously Condemn Shrine Bombing Jun 14, 2007
Nine Sunni Mosques Attacked in Basrah; Historic Al-Uthman Mosque Destroyed ... Eyewitnesses from the southern city of Basrah reported that Shi ite militiamen have attacked nine Sunni mosques around the city, including the historic Al-Uthman mosque in Ma qal, and killed four people guarding the mosque ... Its high two-story minaret was one of the landmarks of Basrah. (IraqSlogger)
Iran Caught Red-Handed Shipping Arms to Taliban... Jun 7, 2007
TOP BLOTTER CATEGORIES. Document: Iran Caught Red-Handed Shipping Arms to Taliban. (The Drudge Report)
Iraq's oil production falls short of goals May 7, 2007
WASHINGTON - Here's a bit of good news about Iraq and oil: The Al Basrah Oil Terminal finally can work at full speed ... In many ways the Al Basrah Oil Terminal mirrors the promise and problems of Iraq's oil sector as a whole ... Built in 1974, Al Basrah has suffered from war damage and neglect for decades. (Christian Science Monitor -- World)
Read More: U.S. Helicopter Downed In Iraq May 5, 2007
The U.S. military, meanwhile, has confirmed the deaths of four more soldiers in Iraq, reports Gow, while four British soldiers, along with a Kuwaiti interpreter, were killed by a roadside bomb near Basrah early Thursday morning. In other developments. (CBS News -- Evening News)
Asian Countries Hope to Win Oil Contracts in Iraq Apr 26, 2007
Employees work at Sheaiba oil refinery, west of Basrah, Iraq (File) Tokyo pledged a loan of more than $850 million for the building of an oil export facility in Basrah, as part of a wider aid package for Iraq. Clara Tan is an energy sector analyst with Singapore-based Energy Intelligence. (Newsmax)
Fact Sheet: Expanding Provincial Reconstruction Teams to Achieve Iraqi Self Reliance Mar 23, 2007
The Existing Program Includes U.S.-Led PRTs In Baghdad, Anbar, Ninewa, Kirkuk, Salah Ad Din, Diyala, And Babil, And U.S. Participation In Coalition-Led PRTs In Basrah (UK), Dhi Qar (Italy), And Arbil (Korea). The Expansion Will Add Six New PRTs In Baghdad, Three In Anbar, And One In North Babil. (White House News Releases)
Huw Edwards' Iraq diary Mar 22, 2007
Al Basrah - or Basra - is the only place to go if you want to see what life is like for British forces in Iraq. It's four years since the invasion, and we're planning a week's programmes to mark this anniversary. (BBC News -- UK)
Chalabi: Iraqi oil law Mar 16, 2007
This will include law 69 of 1972 which nationalized the Iraqi Petroleum Co., law 200 of 1975 which nationalized the Basrah Petroleum Co., and laws 70, 90, and 101 of 1973 which nationalized the interests of the other operating in Iraq. . (Zmag.org)
Bush loyalists add clout to Kuwaiti dinner (Kevin Chaffee) Mar 12, 2007
"It would have been better if he had taken the Fifth Amendment instead of talking." Asked if that wouldn't have looked like an admission of guilt, Mr. Malek remained adamant: "Better to be presumed guilty than what happened to the poor guy." Soothing lights, sumptuous flowers and gourmet fare (lobster, foie gras and veal piccata followed by a pink grapefruit meringue timbale) helped ease tensions, as did the bipartisan and humanitarian cause: helping Basrah Children's Hospital in Iraq with a $1... (Washington Times, DC)
San Diego-Based Navy Ship Decommissioned Feb 22, 2007
The ship's mission was to provide security near the Al Basrah oil terminals and to serve as a training base. The ship first arrived in San Diego in 1965. (NBCSandiego.com, CA)
Meters Cost Iraq Billions In Stolen Oil Feb 9, 2007
Atop Iraq's al Basrah Oil Terminal, heavily armed anti-terrorism forces stand guard while the theft of the century may be occurring right under their noses ... KTVT obtained photographs taken last spring during an Iraqi inspection that picture rusted, broken meters on the al Basrah Oil Terminal, known as the ABOT.. (CBS News)
CBS 11 Investigates Iraqi Crude Oil Theft Feb 9, 2007
(CBS 11 News) Heavily armed anti-terrorism forces stand guard atop Iraq's al Basrah Oil Terminal while the theft of the century may be occurring right under their noses ... CBS 11 News obtained photographs taken during an Iraqi inspection last spring that picture rusted, broken meters on the al Basrah Oil Terminal, which is known as the ABOT. ... The United States is now spending more than $10 million to replace the inoperable meters on the al Basrah Oil Terminal. (CBS 11, TX)
Turse: Bombs over Baghdad Feb 7, 2007
For example, on January 9th, the U.S. unleashed its air power on Baghdad's Haifa Street, a "mostly Sunni Arab enclave of residential buildings and shops." According to the , "F-15 fighter jets strafed rooftops with cannons, while the Apache[ helicopter]s fired Hellfire missiles." Elsewhere in Iraq that day, according to Air Force reports, F-16s strafed targets near Bayji with cannon fire, while others dropped GBU-38s on targets near Turki Village; and F-15Es provided "close-air support" to... (Zmag.org)
