Sgt. Blake Kent
22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
AL HAWIJA, Iraq -- Montana Army National Guard Soldiers operating in the area around Al Hawija, conducted a raid for anti-Iraqi personnel with the help of Iraqi Army soldiers, March 20.
Soldiers from 1st Platoon, Company C, 1st Battalion, 163rd Infantry (Mechanized), raided a home near Al Hawija for a suspect.
The suspect could not be found near his residence so the Soldiers conducted a 'soft search" of the area around the village in hopes of finding the culprit.
A 'soft search" is where the Soldiers go door-to-door checking identification cards of the people in the village as well as a quick search of all the buildings for the suspect.
"We try to find out more information about the suspect from the villagers and possibly find him in another house," said Sgt. Russell Herbert, an infantryman from Missoula, Mont., 1 Plt., C Co., 1st Bn., 163 Inf. (Mech.).
The Iraqi army soldiers aided in the soft search operations.
"This was the first time I've worked with them in a raid," Herbert said. "We have been working with them and training with them, so they are ready for these type operations."
The IA presence aids the Soldiers in aspects of the mission that are typically difficult due to the communication barrier, Herbert said.
"It helps that the IA soldiers are along on these operations because they know the Iraqi people better than we do and pick up on some things that we don't," Herbert said.
The IA soldiers train with the Soldiers of the 163rd in preparation for combat missions as well as traffic control point operations, which the IA soldiers now conduct on their own.
"We train them in battle drills on the base and are helping to develop their leadership and discipline," Herbert said.
Raid operations consist of several elements. The Soldiers coordinate with air support and depend on accurate intelligence and reconnaissance of the area for the raid, as well as coordinated movements of their teams and constant communication.
Though the soldiers missed their target on this raid, they seemed confident that their persistence would succeed in the end.
| Date Taken: | 04.14.2005 |
| Date Posted: | 04.14.2005 13:09 |
| Story ID: | 1591 |
| Location: | AL HAWIJA, IQ |
| Web Views: | 53 |
| Downloads: | 6 |
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