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November 19, 2005

CENTCOM Reports 19 November 2005

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The CENTCOM Newsletter for the week of 14 November 2005 can be found here. Among the stories covered this week:

Ad Din Province, Iraq — Alongside the longest inhabited region in the world — the very birthplace of civilization — the Tigris River has flowed unceasingly for thousands of generations.  Its 1,146 miles have seen empires come and go.  It's been a party to birth and death; a participant in destruction and construction.  Once again it is the focus of attention and object of activity by man.  This time through the building of a span over it — the Al Shirqat Bridge.  When completed, this structure will provide a safe and reliable river crossing.  Every bit as importantly, it will be a most vital component for enhanced commerce in the region.

Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan — As U.S. forces prepare to return control of the airport terminal and tower to Afghan control, combat communicators assigned to 451st Air Expeditionary Group communications flight here recently stepped up and out of their lanes to provide critical communications by installing more than a mile of copper and fiber cabling.  The communications flight began the work of re—routing more than 6,000 feet of communication lines to ensure connectivity wasn't lost during the changeover.

Base Camp Adder (Ali Base) Iraq —— Approximately 80,000 Iraqi children are attending better schools in the nine southern provinces of Iraq because of the Iraqi Relief and Reconstruction Fund.  The affected children attend 368 different schools ranging from intercity to rural, village mud schools.

Dire Dawa, Ethiopia—— Soldiers of Bravo Company, 1/294th Infantry, look on while members of the Ethiopian army search a vehicle for weapons, contraband and explosives at Camp Hurso near Dire Dawa, Ethiopia.  The Bravo Co. Soldiers, members of the Guam Army National Guard, watch to see the techniques used by the Ethiopian soldiers who are searching the vehicle.  The B Co. Soldiers are watching not because the techniques are different or foreign, but because they are amazingly similar to the techniques used by the U.S. Soldiers to perform the same task.

CENTCOM has also published a situation update on Operation Steel Curtain in the Al—Anbar province:

Camp Blue Diamond, Ar Ramadi, Iraq — Iraqi Army Soldiers and Marines, Soldiers and Sailors continue Operation al Hajip Elfulathi (Steel Curtain) in the al Qaim region today.  Construction of bases for the Iraqi Army and U.S. military's long—term security presence is steadily progressing in Husaybah, Karabilah and Ubaydi.  Simultaneously, Iraqi Army Soldiers and Marines continue patrolling to ensure terrorists do not return.  Three aspects of the operation which makes Steel Curtain different from previous operations in the western Euphrates River Valley are increased Iraqi Army participation, immediate establishment of long—term security presence, and Iraqi Army Soldiers taking the lead in security and care of the citizens temporarily displaced by the operation.

Compiled by Doug Hanson