Photo By Sgt. Adrian Muehe | Soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry...... read more read more
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DIYALA, Iraq – The small village of Chubiernot, Iraq, northwest of the city of Baqubah, was dead calm in the early hours of the morning. Just after 5 a.m., the sun came up, breathing life back in to the community with the sounds of animals waking up to greet the morning light. The lone bridge connecting the village to the outside world was desolate, as the residents of the town were still resting comfortably in their beds, but not for long.
Just after the first rays of sunlight dispersed the darkness, Stryker vehicles, police trucks and Iraqi Army High Mobility Multi-Wheeled Vehicles arrived at this quaint scene. Soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, along with IA Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 18th Brigade and Iraqi police from the 9th Emergency Reaction Force Battalion choked off the village's only access point as they searched for weapons caches and people of interest on April 28.
"We had several different sources tell us that this area was an AQI [Al Qaeda in Iraq] support area," said Capt. Joel Ellison, commander of HHC, 5/20 Inf. "We had a few locations and a list of names from ISF [Iraqi Security Forces} sources."
Given maps with specific houses to target, and names of people to speak with, the U.S. Forces and ERF police made their way through the city, entering different houses simultaneously as the Iraqi Army maintained security and blocked off all traffic from entering or exiting the village.
Also joining this combined force were military working dog teams from Forward Operating Base Warhorse and the IP K-9 Unit to sniff out explosives that may be hidden, waiting to eliminate unsuspecting Soldiers or policemen. Covering from the air were scout weapons teams in Kiowa helicopters on standby with crew serve weapons.
"We did a similar clearing operation here back in December," said Ellison. "We found a cache of three IED's [Improvised Explosive Devices] and a few other weapons."
The mission didn't come away with any huge finds, but a weapon was found hidden in the palm groves and individuals of interest were found inhabiting the village.
"This was a success because if we're not finding much, that means that we are doing our job of keeping weapons out of the area," said Spc. Brandon Hancock, a scout with HHC.
The search was over just before 9 a.m. All forces did their part according to plan, allowing the operation to go smoothly.
"The most positive thing was that the IA and IP were working together on their own for this joint operation," said Ellison.
With U.S. Forces leaving Iraq soon it will be up to ISF to conduct operations. A relationship between the Army and the police is critical for their success, said Ellison.
"We have a good relationship with the IP's in this area," said Maj. Azad, operations commander for 1-18 IA. "I have been working with the [9th] ERF for two years now. I feel that when U.S. Forces leave, we will work together."
| Date Taken: | 05.02.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 05.02.2010 05:08 |
| Story ID: | 48998 |
| Location: | DIYALA, IQ |
| Web Views: | 363 |
| Downloads: | 333 |
This work, Joint Force Clears Chubiernot At Dawn, by SGT Adrian Muehe, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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