Bryan Whitman
Bryan Whitman
attacks baghdad cell civilians coalition conducting disrupt force forces iraqi kidnapping local northeast operations raid security special terrorist
An Iraqi special operations force conducted a raid in one of the neighborhoods in northeast Baghdad to disrupt a terrorist cell that had been responsible for not only conducting attacks on Iraqi security forces and coalition forces but also in kidnapping Iraqi civilians in the local area.
ability capability forces iraqi offer remain responsibility roles security supporting
As they take over responsibility for things there are still US forces in the region. US forces remain in supporting roles with the ability to offer a surge capability to Iraqi security forces.
aspects deal department equipped forces future priority sure terms threats
Countering WMD has been a priority for the department in terms of making sure that our future forces are organized, trained, equipped and resourced to deal with all aspects of threats that are posed by WMD.
commander decision exercise force job military sufficient sure
We don't want to take unnecessary risk. We do make sure that when we exercise military force we use the right resources, sufficient to get the job done. It is a decision made by the commander on the ground,
civilians forces simply suggest target targeting weapons
We don't target any civilians with any of our weapons. And to suggest that U.S. forces were targeting civilians with these weapons would simply be wrong.
forces iraqi maintain national stability
It's really to maintain stability of the U.S. forces during the Iraqi national elections.
country forces level overall security
The overall level of (Afghan and NATO) security forces in the country is growing.
came conducting detained fire force forces iraqi number objective operations particular process special
That particular Iraqi special operations force came under fire as they were conducting this operation, and in the process the Iraqi special operations forces killed 16 insurgents. They also, in securing the objective there, detained a number of other individuals, approximately 15, is what I've heard.
changed focus forces last mission week
The mission and the focus of what our forces are doing (in Iraq) have not changed this week from last week or last month.
base changed decisions focus forces ground last mission spike tend trends violence week
The mission and the focus of what our forces are doing has not changed this week from last week or last month. Any spike in violence is unfortunate and is always concerning, but we tend to look at these things broadly and over time, and base our decisions on trends and on what the commanders on the ground feel is an appropriate balance.
ability control forces government needs overall role security sovereign vital
Any sovereign government needs the ability to control their borders. So the role of the (Iraqi) border-control security forces is one that is vital to the overall security of the country.
clear consistent department force respect somebody
This department has been very clear and very consistent with respect to any adjustments being made to force levels. Somebody tell me where there's daylight.
acts against detainees disloyal enemy forces held home parties statements taken third
In some cases, you had detainees that had made some incriminating statements about other detainees, and about third parties back in their home countries. In others, detainees had made statements that could be taken by enemy forces as disloyal acts against them. In others, detainees indicated that they had cooperated with U.S. forces, which could be held against them by individuals in their home countries.
detainees except movement released security talk transit
We typically don't talk about the movement of detainees except when they are being transferred or released to another country. We don't typically talk about the transit for security reasons.