even more Photos of the Day

[akd]

continued from old thread.

Strykers are back!

Stryker Soldiers with Company B, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, roll through a village en route to Baqubah March 13. The 5-20 Inf. Reg. of 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, arrived in Diyala province to help maintain the momentum against insurgents gained in recent large-scale operations by 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, out of Fort Hood, Texas. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Antonieta Rico, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)

Stryker Soldiers with Company B, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, roll over a pontoon bridge in the village of Sindiyah en route to Baqubah March 13. The 5-20 Inf. Reg. of 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, arrived in Diyala province to help maintain the momentum against insurgents gained in recent large-scale operations by 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, out of Fort Hood, Texas. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Antonieta Rico, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)

Soldiers of the Army's 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, rest as they have arrive to a US military Base Warhorse in Baqouba, Iraq, 60 kilometers (35 miles) north east of Baghdad, Tuesday, March 13, 2007. More than 700 additional U.S. troops arrived in Iraq's increasingly volatile Diyala province on Tuesday, to try to quell burgeoning violence just northeast of Baghdad during a security crackdown there.

A Stryker armored vehicle passes parked Bradley fighting vehicles as it arrives to a US military Base Warhorse in Baqouba, Iraq, 60 kilometers (35 miles ) north east of Baghdad, Tuesday, March 13, 2007. More than 700 additional U.S. troops of the Army's 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division arrived in Iraq's increasingly volatile Diyala province on Tuesday, to try to quell burgeoning violence just northeast of Baghdad during a security crackdown there

I never get tired of these M14s

Spc. Robert Rapp from D Company, 1-508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Infantry Division (Airborne), pulls security overwatch on top of the Mandozaye District Center building, Khowst Province, Afghanistan, Feb. 15. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Isaac A. Graham)

close one!

“While transporting the dozer on a lowboy trailer the truck ran up on some rocks on the side of the road,” explained Army Sgt. 1st Class Richard Fredrickson, the Road Clearing Platoon sergeant of Salt Lake City, Utah. “Once the bulldozer was at the right angle it tipped over.”

Only a quick response by the Light Equipment Platoon, which anchored the bulldozer to the side of the mountain with chains, saved the piece of Army equipment from going over, Fredrickson said.

“Once they had the dozer anchored they pulled the trailer out and that’s what we have now, a 30-ton piece of equipment hanging off a cliff,” Fredrickson said at the time of the event.

The combat engineers immediately went to work to recover the equipment, but there were many obstacles, including the location. The bulldozer was hanging off a cliff which had been weakened by its enormous weight. Between the cliff and mountain side was a road barely large enough for one vehicle to drive on.

Another obstacle was the lack of equipment the engineers had on hand. Without heavy enough equipment, the engineers quickly contacted local national contractors, who were building a road in the area.

[Cadmium77]

That's actually kind of dangerous to be standing so close to that bulldozer. If the edge of the road gave way, and it certainly could have they'd have been tossed down the hillside with that bulldozer...

[akd]

HIGH-RES

U.S. Army Pfc. David Valenzuela, a rifleman from Charlie Company, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, pulls security while medics treat an Iraqi man injuries during a joint presence patrol in Al Rashid, Iraq, March 7, 2007. C-5/20th INF is working wi th Iraqi National Police to establish and maintain a presence in the South Baghdad suburb

[ March 14, 2007, 08:38 PM: Message edited by: akd ]

[ParaBellum]

What are there vertical "tubes" seen on the Strykers?

[Leeo]

I don't know if the Stryker even has 'em, but they reminded me of fording snorkels. I'd be interested in knowing what they are also.

[civdiv]

Looks like some kind of antenna. From the looks of it I would guess UHF. Could be an IED jammer, or the antenna for their interlinked command and control system.

[Splinty]

Civdiv has it right, they're antennas for the Warlock system. An IED jammer.

[ParaBellum]

Ah, thanks for clearing that up.

[akd]

Little late on some nice imagery from the last few days. I became an uncle Friday!

HIGH-RES

U.S. Army Pfc. Mark Stewart, far left, lays down cover fire as his squad prepares to maneuver down a street during a patrol in Al Doura, Iraq, March 7, 2007. Stewart is an infantryman assigned to Charlie Company, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment. Do D photo by Staff Sgt. Sean A. Foley, U.S. Army.

Remember this guy?

HIGH-RES

U.S. Army Sgt. Karl King and Pfc. David Valenzuela lay down cover fire while their squad maneuvers down a street from behind the cover of a Stryker combat vehicle to engage gunmen who fired on their convoy in Al Doura, Iraq, March 7, 2007. The Soldiers are from Charlie Company, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division and were on a joint patrol in Al Rashid when they received small-arms fire from Al Doura

HIGH-RES

U.S. Army Sgt. Auralie Suarez and Pvt. Brett Mansink take cover in a ditch Al Doura, Iraq, March 7, 2007. The Soldiers are from Charlie Company, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division and were on a joint pa trol in Al Rashid when their unit received small-arms fire from Al Doura.

HIGH-RES

U.S. Army Spc. Alex Horton with Company B, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, pulls security in Baqubah, March 14, 2007, during the company’s first mission in the city. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Antonieta Rico

Soldiers from the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, attached to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, conduct their first mission in the Diyala province, engaging anti-Iraqi forces in Baqubah, Iraq, March 14. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall)

Soldiers from the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, attached to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, conduct their first mission in the Diyala province, engaging anti-Iraqi forces in Baqubah, Iraq, March 14. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall)

Spc. William McGrath, Bravo Company, 12th Infantry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, engages the enemy after coming under fire in Buhriz, Iraq, on Feb. 15. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall)

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Vince Foster from Bravo Company, 12th Infantry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, provides security during a short halt in Buhriz, Iraq, on Feb. 17. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall)

Strykers face Diyala Barrage

By Lauren Frayer, Associated Press

BAQOUBA, Iraq — Dozens of U.S. Stryker combat vehicles roared into Baqouba at sunrise. The enemy was ready. As the dawn call-to-prayer fell silent, the streets blazed with insurgent fire.

Within minutes of the start of their first mission in volatile Diyala province Wednesday a voice crackled across the radio: "Catastrophic kill, with casualties."

Inside the rear of one Stryker, soldiers shushed one another and leaned closer to the radio. They all knew what it meant. A U.S. vehicle had been lost to enemy fire.

Nearly 100 Strykers were called north from Baghdad into the province and its capital to try — yet again — to rout Sunni insurgents, many who recently fled the month-old Baghdad security operation.

The fighters have renewed their campaign of bombings and killings just 35 miles northeast of the capital as the war enters its fifth year. Diyala province is quickly becoming as dangerous as Anbar province, the Sunni insurgent bastion west of Baghdad.

Rocket-propelled grenades pounded buildings Wednesday where U.S. soldiers sought cover. Mortars soared overhead and crashed to earth spewing clouds of deadly shrapnel.

Gunfire rattled ceaselessly — the hollow pop of insurgent AK-47s and whoosh of grenade launchers nearly drowned out by shuddering blasts from U.S. 50-caliber machine guns.

Soldiers screamed into their radios for backup. Apache attack helicopters swooped in, firing Hellfire missiles.

By day's end, one soldier was dead, 12 wounded and two Strykers destroyed. The Americans said dozens of insurgents were killed but gave no specific number.

It was a brutal, bloody first-day for the 2nd Infantry Division's 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment — the crack Stryker battalion dispatched from Baghdad's northern suburbs.

"They threw everything at us — RPGs, mortars — and a guy even tossed a grenade just in front of my vehicle," said Capt. Huber Parsons, the 28-year-old commander of the 5-20's Attack company. "But the most devastating was the IEDs," the Coral Gables, Fla., native said. He was talking about improvised explosive devices — roadside bombs.

One Stryker was lost in a particularly sophisticated ambush.

Struck head-on by an IED, the rubber-tired armored vehicle was swallowed up in the bomb crater. Insurgents emerged from hiding, firing RPGs in unison.

The Stryker crew was trapped. One U.S. soldier was killed. All nine other crewmembers were wounded, though six later returned to duty.

The other Stryker was destroyed when a roadside bomb exploded as the armored fighting vehicle drove over it. The nine-man squad got out alive, three with injuries.

"It was quite an introduction to Diyala," said Sgt. William Rose of the 5-20's 3rd platoon, Alpha company. "That was the most contact we've had in weeks, maybe months," said Rose, a 26-year-old Arlington, Mass., native.

"They always say the next place we're going is the worst — the most violent — and it never turns out to be the case," Rose said. "They really meant it this time."

Violence has risen dramatically in Diyala since the launch of the Baghdad security operation on Feb. 14. Insurgents have slowly been taking control for months, however. Attacks on American forces in the province have shot up 70% since last July, according to military figures.

The Stryker group sent to fight the insurgents was hand-picked by Gen. Ray Odierno, the second in command of all U.S. forces in Iraq. It marked the opening of a new front in the Baghdad security operation, a broadening of the operation for which President Bush has promised more than 20,000 additional soldiers.

The Stryker group arrived in Baqouba on Tuesday full of optimism about pacifying Diyala, as they had done earlier in parts of Baghdad and the northern city of Mosul.

Confidence faded Wednesday in the hail of insurgent fire and news of casualties among comrades.

"Our first day and we lost one already," said 22-year-old Spc. Jose Charriez of Hermiston, Ore. "You realize how quickly your life can go."

He and his comrades went through names trying to figure out who had been killed. A young private bowed his head in prayer.

"One killed in action and nine casualties. That's basically all of us right here," said Spc. Anthony Bradshaw, a 21-year-old from San Antonio, pointing to the nine men around him.

Hunkered down in their vehicles, the 3rd platoon were itching to get out and into the fight. They are infantrymen trained for foot patrols, not to ride in armored vehicles, they said. And the news of the two lost vehicles fueled their determination.

Then the order came: dismount, clear houses to the north.

At the back of the Stryker, the hatch dropped open, and nine soldiers piled out. They took cover on the front porch of an abandoned house and plotted their path. Explosions rang out to the east, source unknown.

They crouched behind a crumbling cement wall separating overgrown lawns where rusted garbage trucks lay. With large red wire cutters, Spc. Jeremiah Westerfeld, 22, ripped through concertina wire to allow soldiers to scramble over the wall.

The Batesville, Ind., native bent over and offered a visiting reporter his shoulder as a step to break her fall.

They dropped down into a scruffy yard, thick with foliage and muddy ruts. A dog barked wildly. Smoke grenades were thrown for cover.

Someone shot the dog.

Doors were kicked in, residents questioned. One vacant house was booby-trapped with a trip wire connected to a homemade bomb made from a propane tank.

Throughout the day, soldiers took aim but seldom got a clear shot on the elusive enemy that hid behind rooftop water tanks and vanished in lush palm groves. Gunfire seemed to come from nowhere and from everywhere.

Insurgent fire kicked up pebbles at the Americans' feet as they ran between buildings. Enemy bullets were getting more accurate.

In Baghdad, the 5-20 had found little resistance as the unit scoured suspected insurgent dens in neighborhoods around Sadr City. They often drank tea with locals.

Things were different in Diyala, which could prove far more difficult to tame than Baghdad.

"I think the chai (tea) days — the quiet days — are over," said 24-year-old Pfc. Allen Groth of Winona, Minn.

RIP

VIDEO and an interesting post from a Stryker Brigade soldier:

The DVR's are awesome..we are testing a new system that allows us to manuever the vehicle remotley with nobody in it...IE we set up a position and run the victors from a hide with a remote and small screen..weapon system and all...a 22 ton remote controlled toy. The thing I've always loved about them is how quiet they are compared to tracks, the only loud thing about them is dropping the ramp, and we fixed that with pieces of rubber attached to the ramp skids.

[akd]

A spent shell casing flies from the ejection port as U.S. Army Sgt. Karl King and Pfc. David Valenzuela, infantrymen with C Company, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division lay down cover fire while their squad maneuvers down a street from behind the cover of a Stryker vehicle after armed gunmen fired on their convoy, in Al Doura, Iraq, March 7. C-5/20th INF was on a joint patrol in Al Rashid when they received small arms fire from Al Doura. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Sean A. Foley)

Sgt. Auralie Suarez and Pvt. Brett Mansink, infantryman with C Company, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, take cover in a ditch, in Al Doura, Iraq, March 7. C-5/20th INF was on a joint patrol in Al Rashid when they received small arms fire from Al Doura and pursued. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Sean A. Foley)

U.S. Army Soldiers [and an Iraqi Army interpreter] from the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team return fire on insurgents from a rooftop in Buhriz, Iraq, March 14, 2007. Soldiers from the 5th Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division are conducting their first mission in the Diyala province.

U.S. Army Soldier from the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team return fire on insurgents from a rooftop in Buhriz, Iraq, March 14, 2007. Soldiers from the 5th Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division are conducting their first mission in the Diyala province

U.S. Army Soldiers from the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team engage anti-Iraqi forces in Buhriz, Iraq, March 14, 2007. Soldiers from the 5th Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division are conducting their first mission in the Diyala province. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall)

U.S. Army Soldier from the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team return fire on insurgents from a rooftop in Buhriz, Iraq, March 14, 2007. Soldiers from the 5th Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division are conducting their first mission in the Diyala prov ince. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall)

A U.S. Army Soldier clutches his weapon during an operation in New Baqubah, Iraq, March 4, 2007. The purpose of the operation is to eliminate New Baqubah as an operating base for improvised explosive device building cells and key leaders of insurgents in Iraq. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall)

An unidentified soldier kneels at Arlington National Cemetery.

[rudel.dietrich]

A few things I have noticed

Half the weight of a Styrker seems to be tied up in whatever crap is loaded onto the top of it.

Probably just a different culture and a different theatre of operations

But we never would have gotten away from that in the German army

However, if we would have been in a conflict like Iraq...who knows

Also, every US weapon I see is so heavily modified that they are almost unrecognizable

That must play hell on matinence and getting the right spare and replacement parts

Do soldiers pay for the own modifications?

Make them out of other things?

Or does the US army have alot of avaliable stuff and soldiers can pick or choose?

Again, in the German army we had very strict guidelines on what we could and could not place on our weapons.

Most of our add ons came from H&K themselves or from third party licensed companies.

Again, probably just different army culture.

But I feel bad for the quarter masters and supply officers who have to make sense of that mess :eek:

Third

I notice alot of differnet clothing and gear as well by very non army companies.

Again, do soldiers pay for this stuff themselves?

Almost every soldier is dressed differently.

If the uniforms wernt all the same colour, you could almost believe that the US army was not even an army at all but a group of paid mercenaries who outfitted themselves and purchased their own weapons

Very nice pictures and I enjoy very much looking at them.

Always nice to see how armies adapt and fight based on culture and circumstances.

[Andreas]

Congrats on becoming an uncle akd.

All the best

Andreas

[Nidan1]

Originally posted by rudel.dietrich:

A few things I have noticed

Half the weight of a Styrker seems to be tied up in whatever crap is loaded onto the top of it.

Probably just a different culture and a different theatre of operations

But we never would have gotten away from that in the German army

However, if we would have been in a conflict like Iraq...who knows

Also, every US weapon I see is so heavily modified that they are almost unrecognizable

That must play hell on matinence and getting the right spare and replacement parts

Do soldiers pay for the own modifications?

Make them out of other things?

Or does the US army have alot of avaliable stuff and soldiers can pick or choose?

Again, in the German army we had very strict guidelines on what we could and could not place on our weapons.

Most of our add ons came from H&K themselves or from third party licensed companies.

Again, probably just different army culture.

But I feel bad for the quarter masters and supply officers who have to make sense of that mess :eek:

Third

I notice alot of differnet clothing and gear as well by very non army companies.

Again, do soldiers pay for this stuff themselves?

Almost every soldier is dressed differently.

If the uniforms wernt all the same colour, you could almost believe that the US army was not even an army at all but a group of paid mercenaries who outfitted themselves and purchased their own weapons

Very nice pictures and I enjoy very much looking at them.

Always nice to see how armies adapt and fight based on culture and circumstances.

Soldiers in combat tend to make themselves as comfortable as possible, with their own personal gear as well as with vehicles. Certain restrictions are relaxed, I would imagine...if you wanted to bring along some extra water rations wouldn't you load it on your vehicle, rather than hump it? (plus water helps deflect explosively formed detonations). The picatinney rail that is mounted on all M-16s and variants, allows the soldier to mount flashlights, infra red stuff, etc. I'm sure most of it has to be approved, but more than likely some non-standard gear gets on there. I don't get your comment on uniforms, although you could be confusing some Iraqi troops as American. The Army especially issues standard uniform gear, but there could be some persoanl deviations in that as well. From my experience, the brass will look the other way if no one mentions it.

[ March 18, 2007, 09:55 AM: Message edited by: Nidan1 ]

[flamingknives]

Stuff getting set on fire on the outside is of less concern than stuff getting set on fire on the inside - a lesson learnt the hard way by the British in the Western desert.

Plus it breaks up the outline of the vehicle and soliders in it, provides stand-off for HEAT rounds and provides more room inside to stretch out or carry more twitchy stuff.

[Andreas]

Maybe, but it just doesn't look tidy!!!!!

All the best

Andreas

[Nidan1]

Now see how neat this looks. Units that have vehicles are not going to carry **** on their backs, nor are they going to stuff the inside of their vehicles and make them cramped to ride in. On the top and sides it goes, show me an army that wouldn't do this, unless they planned to live off the land rather than carrying supplies along with them.

[ March 18, 2007, 10:55 AM: Message edited by: Nidan1 ]

[Andreas]

A Prussian educated instructor NCO would need recussitation seeing this.

Tidy?

Ha!

All the best

Andreas

[Michael Dorosh]

Pack horses taking up ammunition to guns of 20th Battery, Canadian Field Artillery near Neuville St. Vaast, April 1917.

I suspect I should be posting in the camel thread though.

Oh well, how about this:

Eng/Anglais

AR2007-S001-0012

DATE: December 20, 2006 Kandahar, Afghanistan

A soldier of Charles Company (C Coy) 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group (1 RCR BG) moves alongside a LAV III during a security operation in the town of Howz-e-Madad during Operation BAAZ TSUKA.

Joint Task Force Afghanistan (JTF-Afg) is Canada’s contribution to NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. The focus of this mission is to help Afghans rebuild their lives, families, communities and nation. Canadian Forces personnel in Afghanistan are working to improve the quality of life of Afghans by providing a more secure environment in which Afghan society can recover from more than 25 years of conflict.

The Canadian Forces (CF) contribution in Afghanistan comprises about 2,500 soldiers, most of who serve in Kandahar province with a smaller number of personnel assigned to Kabul, various military headquarters, and civilian organizations.

Photo By: Sgt Dennis Scnoink

Dutch Army

RC(S) PIO Image Tech

[Michael Dorosh]

Helmand Province, Afghanistan

Photo by: Sgt Dennis Power

A LAV III of C-Company 1 PPCLI provides flank security while on a halt during a road move in a desert region of Helmand Province, west of Kandahar.

Photo by: Sergeant Dennis PowerArmy News-Shilo

The green jerries are for fuel, the black are for water - no need for big red "hazardous" stickers like on the American Strykers up above.

[Michael Dorosh]

Carrying lots of stuff on vehicles is nothing new, as Nidan1 mentioned. These are Sherman tanks of the Governor General's Horse Guards on 9 Mar 1945 near Sonsbeck, Germany.

[Lee_DiSantis]

Is it me or is the phrase 'anti-iraqi forces' a little outdated? Do we still really believe these are all foreign fighters or regime dead-enders? I've read that at least 90% of the people fighting us are Iraqi. So how can they be anti Iraqi? Wouldn't they call our forces 'anti-iraqi'...since we're killing so many Iraqis? this is not a statement about the war at all, or a political statement. Just one concerning semantics.

[Nidan1]

Originally posted by Michael Dorosh:

Helmand Province, Afghanistan

Photo by: Sgt Dennis Power

A LAV III of C-Company 1 PPCLI provides flank security while on a halt during a road move in a desert region of Helmand Province, west of Kandahar.

Photo by: Sergeant Dennis PowerArmy News-Shilo

The green jerries are for fuel, the black are for water - no need for big red "hazardous" stickers like on the American Strykers up above.

Those Strykers were probably going to be driving along public highways at some point. The Department of Transportation would require that they carry some sort of placard to denote the hazardous materials on board. Once in combat the cans would be painted over no doubt.

[akd]

Infantry Carrier Combat Vehicles of a Stryker platoon from Hawaii come out from an airport at Daegu Air base, south of Seoul, Sunday, March 18, 2007. This deployment of the Stryker is part of South Korea and U.S. joint exercise , dubbed RSOI and Foal Eagle, which is scheduled for later this month, involving 29,000 American troops and an undisclosed number of South Korean soldiers

U.S. army soldiers from B Company, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment rest on a rooftop after a foot patrol in Baghdad's Shiite enclave of Sadr City, Iraq, Saturday, March 17, 2007

An Iraqi boy watches as a U.S. army soldier from B Company, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment lights up a cigarette as members of his unit take a rest after a foot patrol in Baghdad's Shiite enclave of Sadr City, Iraq, Saturday, March 17, 2007

In this image released by the U.S. Army, soldiers of 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, out of Fort Lewis, Washington, pull security while on patrol in Baqouba, Iraq, 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad Thursday, March 15, 2007. The Regiment was moved to Diyala province to reinforce the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, to try to quell ongoing violence in the area

In this image released by the U.S. Army, soldiers of 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, out of Fort Lewis, Washington, prepare to enter a building in Baqouba, Iraq, 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad Thursday, March 15, 2007. The Regiment was moved to Diyala province to reinforce the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, to try to quell ongoing violence in the area.

[akd]

In this sequence of still images taken from video and released by the U.S.-based IntelCenter, a U.S. government contractor that studies al-Qaida messaging. A man is seen placing explosives under a US military Bradley fighting vehicle that blew it up. The video was released on March 17, 2007, by the Islamic State of Iraq's (ISI) al-Furqan Media , according to IntelCenter. The arabic script at the bottom of the image top right reads: Destroying armored vehicle, Anbar province, Ramadi.

In this image taken from television a U.S. army vehicle burns in an eastern suburb of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, March 18, 2007 reportedly after having been attacked by insurgents. There was no official comment on the attack by U.S. officials

I hope the crews escaped.

[akd]

The following series of photos are all of 5-20, 3rd Brigade, 2nd ID, clearing the town of Buhriz in Diyala Province on March 14th, 2007. Some have already been posted. Full captions and high-res available at request.

Hellfire strike

[ March 18, 2007, 04:43 PM: Message edited by: akd ]