Monday, May 14, 2007
Questions raised on vulnerability of Strykers
Security
(AP) - A string of heavy losses from powerful roadside bombs has raised new questions about the vulnerability of the Stryker, the Army's troop-carrying vehicle hailed by supporters as the key to a leaner, more mobile force.
Since the Strykers went into action in violent Diyala province north of Baghdad two months ago, losses of the vehicles have been rising steadily, U.S. officials said.
A single infantry company in Diyala lost five Strykers this month in less than a week, according to soldiers familiar with the losses, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to release the information. The overall number of Strykers lost recently is classified. In one of the biggest hits, six American soldiers and a journalist were killed when a huge bomb exploded beneath their Stryker on May 6. It was the biggest one-day loss for the battalion in more than two years.
"We went for several months with no losses and were very proud of that," a senior Army official said in Washington, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to comment publicly. "Since then, there have been quite a few Stryker losses. They are learning how to defeat them," the Army official said of Iraqi insurgents.
The military introduced the eight-wheeled Stryker in 1999 as the cornerstone of a ground force of the future - hoping to create faster, more agile armored units than tank-equipped units, but with more firepower and protection than light-infantry units. The Army has ordered nearly 2,900 vehicles for its $13 billion Stryker program.
Since the Strykers went into action in violent Diyala province north of Baghdad two months ago, losses of the vehicles have been rising steadily, U.S. officials said.
A single infantry company in Diyala lost five Strykers this month in less than a week, according to soldiers familiar with the losses, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to release the information. The overall number of Strykers lost recently is classified. In one of the biggest hits, six American soldiers and a journalist were killed when a huge bomb exploded beneath their Stryker on May 6. It was the biggest one-day loss for the battalion in more than two years.
"We went for several months with no losses and were very proud of that," a senior Army official said in Washington, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to comment publicly. "Since then, there have been quite a few Stryker losses. They are learning how to defeat them," the Army official said of Iraqi insurgents.
The military introduced the eight-wheeled Stryker in 1999 as the cornerstone of a ground force of the future - hoping to create faster, more agile armored units than tank-equipped units, but with more firepower and protection than light-infantry units. The Army has ordered nearly 2,900 vehicles for its $13 billion Stryker program.
The Army and Marine Corps already are pushing for new Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, or MRAPS, whose V-shaped hulls are designed to deflect bomb blasts outward, rather than through the vehicle. The Pentagon has requested nearly 7,800 of the new vehicles at a cost of $8.4 billion and is considering ordering thousands more to give soldiers better protection.
Labels: Diyala, Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, MRAPS, Stryker
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Islamic State of Iraq shows nine captured security guards
(SITE) - The Islamic State of Iraq, in several communiqués issued to jihadist forums between Monday, May 7, 2007, and Tuesday, May 8, reported harvest of operations reports for Baghdad and Diyala, and claims for attacks, of which in three, the group provides details for a large-scale operation Samarra and attacks in Baquba and Abu Ghraib.
The group also issued an 8:16 minute video today through al-Furqan Foundation, showing nine captured employees from the Iraqi Interior and Defense Ministries, including five officers ranging in rank from first lieutenant to captain. Each individual states their name and position, and the Islamic State makes the same demands of the Iraqi government for their release as they have made in prior arrests: giving a 72-hour deadline for the release of Sunni Muslim women from prison and for those Shi’ite police officers who allegedly raped Sabrin al-Janabi and women in Tal Afar to be turned over.
In Baquba, in the governorate of Diyala, yesterday, the Islamic State claims its Mujahideen detonated a large improvised explosive device (IED) on a Stryker armored vehicle that exploded with such intensity that it flipped a vehicle behind the Stryker. Fifteen American soldiers and a journalist who accompanied them are stated to have been killed, and vehicles on the scene were left burning for many hours. Media reports indicate that Dmitry Chebotayev, a Russian photographer, was killed in this attack along with six American soldiers. The previous day, Saturday, May 5th, a suicide bomber from the Islamic State detonated his car on a gathering of volunteers for the Iraqi army in Abu Ghraib. The attack, which was referenced in the statement of warning from the Islamic State’s Ministry of War to army volunteers, allegedly killed not less than 100 and injured another 150.
Labels: Al-Furqan Foundation, Dmitry Chebotayev, IED, Interior Ministry forces, Islamic State of Iraq, Russian photographer, Sabrin al-Janabi, Stryker
Friday, March 16, 2007
Insurgents target Strykers in Baqouba
Security
(AP) - Nearly 100 Strykers, armored troop carriers with 50-caliber machine guns, were called north from Baghdad into Diyala and its capital Baqouba— 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.
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 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 crew members were wounded, though six later returned to duty. The other Stryker was destroyed when a roadside bomb exploded as the armored vehicle drove over it. The nine-man squad got out alive, three with injuries.
Violence has risen dramatically in Diyala since the Feb. 14 launch of the Baghdad security operation. Insurgents have slowly been taking control for months, however. Attacks on American forces in the province have shot up 70 percent since 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. The Stryker group came to Baqouba on Tuesday full of optimism about pacifying Diyala, as they did earlier in parts of Baghdad and in the northern city of Mosul. Confidence faded Wednesday in the hail of insurgent fire and news of casualties among comrades.
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 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 crew members were wounded, though six later returned to duty. The other Stryker was destroyed when a roadside bomb exploded as the armored vehicle drove over it. The nine-man squad got out alive, three with injuries.
Violence has risen dramatically in Diyala since the Feb. 14 launch of the Baghdad security operation. Insurgents have slowly been taking control for months, however. Attacks on American forces in the province have shot up 70 percent since 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. The Stryker group came to Baqouba on Tuesday full of optimism about pacifying Diyala, as they did earlier in parts of Baghdad and in the northern city of Mosul. Confidence faded Wednesday in the hail of insurgent fire and news of casualties among comrades.
COMMENT: On March 8th, the Islamic State of Iraq posted an internet video profiling different kinds of armored vehicle used by U.S. forces and showed successful attacks against each type. The Stryker was not among these and the aggressive attack indicates the insurgents were testing its capacities as well as trying to destroy the moral of the troops on their first day. It appears they were successful on both counts. COMMENT ENDS.
Labels: Baqouba, Diyala, IED, Islamic State of Iraq, Stryker
