Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Al Qaida 'prime minister' of 'Islamic state of Iraq' captured

BAGHDAD — A senior Al Qaida commander has been captured in Iraq.

The Iraqi Defense Ministry reported the arrest of the chief of the Al Qaida-aligned Islamic State of Iraq. The commander and two of his lieutenants were reportedly located in the Diyala province.

The ministry identified the Al Qaida commander as Khaldoun Abudllah Al Dhalaki. Al Dhalaki was the so-called prime minister of Islamic State of Iraq, which has sought to convert Iraq into an Islamic caliphate.

No other details were given by the Defense Ministry. In early May, the Interior Ministry asserted that Al Qaida network chief Abu Ayoub Al Masri was captured in Mosul. Two days later, the assertion was retracted.

Still, officials said they were intensifying efforts to identify and track major insurgents. Iraqi police have disclosed the identity of Islamic State of Iraq chief, Abu Omar Al Baghdadi.

Police said Al Baghdadi's real name is Hamid Daoud Mohammed Khalil Al Zawi, a former officer in Saddam Hussein's General Security Directorate. Officials said Al Zawi, 50, shuttles between Baghdad and Mosul and hides in Kurdish areas. The U.S. military was said to be investigating the claim.

On May 12, the U.S. military reported the destruction of an Al Qaida training base south of Baghdad. The military said F-16 multi-role fighters destroyed the underground base in Arab Jabour. (emphasized by J.J.)

Source: http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribun ... _05_14.asp

Air Guard bound for Iraq

By MANNY GAMALLO World Staff Writer
5/20/2008
Last Modified: 5/20/2008 2:24 AM

The squadron will deploy for its ninth combat mission.

About 300 crew members and pilots from the Tulsa-based Oklahoma Air National Guard will be heading to Iraq in September, their ninth combat mission to that part of the world.

Oklahoma's 125th Fighter Squadron, part of the 138th Fighter Wing in Tulsa, will join Air Guard crews from Minnesota and Ohio in the mission, providing ground support for troops in Iraq.

Lt. Col. Scott Stratton of Tulsa, an F-16 fighter pilot and group commander for the 125th, said this latest deployment will be his ninth combat mission to Iraq.

He said the Oklahoma Air National Guard will be sending 20 pilots — all from the Tulsa area — to Iraq, and all of them have been there many times before, except for one.

The Tulsa pilots will be part of a 16-plane combat fighter package in Iraq made up of F-16 fighter jets from Oklahoma, Duluth, Minn., and Toledo, Ohio.

Stratton said the remaining 280 Oklahoma Air Guard crews being deployed will be support personnel, mostly technical ground-support and air-control specialists.

Although they leave for Iraq in September, Stratton would not give the precise date of departure.

He said their deployment would be for 55 days, and that they would be based at the Balad Air Base, located 40 miles north of Baghdad.

Last August, another 300 crew members attached to the 138th Fighter Wing returned to Tulsa after having been deployed in Iraq for two to three months.

Those crews also were based at Balad.

And they also made headlines while in Iraq.

Last July, within three weeks of their arrival in Iraq, F-16 fighter jets from Tulsa attacked and destroyed an al-Qaida training base at Karbala, southwest of Baghdad, with an array of 500- and 1,000-pound bombs.

That sortie garnered high praise for the Tulsa-based Air Guard from the Air Force command.

Stratton said Air Guard crews heading to Iraq in September will also be up to the same task, if called upon.

"We're going to be flying twenty-four/seven," Stratton said, providing support and protection for troops on the ground.

He said about half of the crews being deployed in September were on last summer's mission to Iraq.

Stratton said most of the crews going are from the Tulsa area.

While in Iraq, the 125th will be known as the 125th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron.

Source: http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article. ... sudo937041

Shaw airmen move out

77th Fighter Squadron deploys to Southwest Asia

By KELLY DWIGHT
Item Intern

Date Published: May 23, 2008

Anticipating his first deployment, Airman 1st Class Teko Robinson was more excited to implement his training than nervous about what might happen.

Robinson, crew chief for the 77th Fighter Squadron at Shaw Air Force Base, was one of more than 200 airmen from the squadron who deployed Thursday in an Air Expeditionary Force rotation to Southwest Asia.

"We know that they are all trained and have worked very hard to be ready for this deployment," said 2nd Lt. Noelle Caldwell, 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs chief. "They are ready to carry on the mission the Air Force has for them."

The airmen who left Thursday are part of a group of close to 350 from Shaw who have or will deploy this month in support of the Global War on Terrorism.

"We are providing our combatant commanders with their most lethal and proven weapon — highly skilled and tactically trained airmen, ready for any challenge, anytime, anywhere," said Col. Michael Byrne, 20th Fighter Wing vice commander.

Maj. Jason Mitchell, a maintenance operations officer who heads all flight line F-16 mechanics at Shaw, expressed both excitement and concern about the deployment. Having been to Southwest Asia twice before, he returned from his most recent deployment in January 2007.

"It's a big day," he said. "We've been training for this deployment for months, and everyone's excited that they're getting out there to do the mission. We're ready to get there and come home safely."

Mitchell's main concern about the mission is the extremity of the heat that the airmen will experience.

"This will definitely be a different environment," he said.

"Our primary focus upon our arrival will be maintaining proper hydration, because right now the heat is reaching the 110s. It's hot and humid here at Shaw, but not quite to that level."

Item Staff Writer Robert Baker contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.theitem.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar ... 8551733253

American revolutionary could have been writing about war in Iraq

by Capt. Craig Andrle
23rd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron

5/23/2008 - BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq -- "These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: 'tis dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed, if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated." Thomas Paine wrote this in 1776, concerning the American Revolution, but I think the words ring true today.

As we enter the fourth month of our tour in Iraq, I think it's important to remember why we are here and what we are accomplishing. The Hawks are a part of a bigger plan. In 2002 President George Bush said, "Our nation's cause has always been larger than our nation's defense. We fight, as we always fight, for a just peace -- a peace that favors liberty. We will defend the peace against the threats from terrorists and tyrants. We will preserve the peace by building good relations among the great powers. And we will extend the peace by encouraging free and open societies on every continent."

Though sometimes it may be hard to see, every sortie we fly here supports these objectives. As a father, when I think about this war, I think about my daughters and the world they'll grow up in. I, along with all of you, am fighting for our collective future. Regardless of how we got here, the fight we are in is a fight for the freedoms and values we hold dear. Freedom and fear are at war, and there will be no quick or easy end to this conflict.

The United States of America is fighting a war against terrorists of global reach. The enemy is not a single political regime, person, religion, or ideology. The enemy is terrorism -- premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against innocents.

There is true evil here, and we see it everyday in evil men who kill innocents to further their own political aims. We defend the United States and the American people by identifying and destroying the threat before it reaches our borders. I am proud to be a part of this effort.

Our nation is at a crossroads; the actions we take now will affect the course of history for the next hundred years. If you doubt this, look no further than an ideology that sends woman and children to be suicide bombers. These are men who wish us and our families harm. If left un-checked, this evil will spread, become stronger and once again find its way to the footsteps of our great nation.

Your sacrifices at home have been great and I hope that this article helps you realize why we have asked so much of you. One must believe in something greater than themselves, and know that their actions can and will make a difference. Peace is possible. Stability is possible. All things are possible through our efforts. It may not happen in 5, 10 or 20 years, but we have set this process along its course.

We did not ask for this war, though I assure you, we will end it. The Global War on Terrorism will be the defining conflict of our generation, and our triumph over evil will be the greatest victory of our lives.

This has been, and will continue to be, a long battle. The decision to take young men and women away from their families and put them in harms way is never taken lightly. The Hawks came here with a belief that we would make a difference. We come home knowing that we have. Thank you for being there for us, for believing in what we were doing, and for knowing, that in the end, it was all for you.

Source: http://www.spangdahlem.af.mil/news/stor ... =123099960

77th FS deploys to the fight

by Staff Sgt. John Gordinier
20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

5/28/2008 - SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- More than 200 Airmen and a dozen F-16s from the 77th Fighter Squadron deployed to Southwest Asia throughout the Memorial-Day weekend to support the Global War on Terrorism.

"We are providing our combatant commanders with their most lethal and proven weapon - highly skilled and tactically trained Airmen, ready for any challenge, anytime, anywhere," said Col. Michael Byrne, 20th Fighter Wing vice commander.

"This is a big step because we have been getting ready for this deployment for months," said Maj. Jason Mitchell, 20th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. "In all the preparation, it is going to be a great opportunity to see the training pay off."

Major Mitchell has been in the Air Force for 10 years and is not new to deployments; this is his third time going overseas.

"My wife is an Air Force reservist, so she understands the duty I need to perform," the major said. "The Air Force is great about having the resources available for deployed members to be able to stay in contact with loved ones. We'll be able to stay in contact throughout the deployment, primarily by e-mail and telephone."

"This is my first deployment and I am a little nervous, but mostly excited," said Airman 1st Class Teko Robinson, 20th AMXS crew chief.

"Although nervous, I am anxious to perform my job, which is working on jets and getting them ready for the fight," Airman Robinson said.

Source: http://www.shaw.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123100200

174th Fighter Wing leaves for Iraq tonight

June 04, 2008
Last Update: 12:12 pm

Syracuse, New York (WSYR-TV) - More than 190 members of the New York Air National Guard´s 174th Fighter Wing will be leaving for the Middle East tonight.

This is expected to be the unit´s last combat deployment using F-16 jets. There have been eight times eight F-16 deployments since Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

The will depart from Hancock Field Air National Guard Base around 6:30 p.m. They will be serving as part of an Air Expeditionary Force operating in Iraq.

Source: http://www.9wsyr.com/news/local/story.a ... mp;rss=112

Deployment Day For 174th

Story Published: Jun 4, 2008 at 11:25 AM EDT
Story Updated: Jun 4, 2008 at 11:25 AM EDT

By Keith Kobland

This is deployment day for members of the 174th Fighter Wing based at Hancock Airbase, who are heading out to serve in Iraq.

Some 190 members of the Air National Guard will be serving in the middle east, and this is a milestone journey of sorts. This will be the final combat deployment for the F-16 fighter craft, which are being phased out in favor of the MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aircraft this fall. This is the 8th deployment for the 174th since Operation Desert Storm back in 1991. CBS5 will be on hand at todays send off ceremonies, and have much more later today, on CBS5 news beginning at 5.

Source: http://www.wtvh.com/news/local/19526124.html

174th heading to Middle East

Updated: 06/04/2008 10:30 AM
By: Web Staff

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Members of the New York Air National Guard's 174th Fighter Wing will depart for the Middle East Wednesday night in Syracuse -- 190 airmen will be going on their last deployment in support of an Air Expeditionary Force.

This deployment will be the unit's eighth and final F-16 AEF deployment since first being deployed in support of Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

The 174th Fighter Wing will begin conversion to the MQ-9 Reaper this fall. Barring changes to the conversion schedule, this is expected to be the unit's last combat deployment in the F-16.

The unit is scheduled to leave from the Hancock Field Air National Guard Base at 6:30 p.m.

Source: http://news10now.com/default.aspx?ArID=117395