U.S. Marines Welcome Arrival of the Black Watch
Forward Operating Base Kalsu, Iraq - A British armored battle group of approximately 850 soldiers, led by the 1st Battalion of the Black Watch Regiment, has redeployed from Basra to an area south of Baghdad to bolster U.S. and Iraqi forces hunting down insurgents.
The move comes amid mounting efforts by Multi-National Forces, operating in support of the Iraqi Interim government, to root out anti-Iraqi forces bent on fomenting chaos and disrupting national elections in January.
The Black Watch has taken up positions in northern Babil province, where the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit has been operating since July.
Led by Lt. Col. James Cowan, the British troops are highly trained and well equipped. Reinforcing the Black Watch will be a reconnaissance unit from the Queen's Dragoon Guards, a light infantry unit from the Royal Marines, and a host of support personnel, including engineers, logisticians and medics.
The commander of the 24th MEU welcomed the arrival of the allies to the Marines' zone.
Also assigned to the MEU are the Chicago-based 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, and a variety of U.S. Army and Navy detachments.
The beefed-up MEU has worked closely with the ISF -- including the 2nd Ministry of the Interior Commando Battalion, the 507th Iraqi National Guard Battalion, elements of the Iraqi Specialized Special Forces, and the Iraqi SWAT team -- to stamp out the insurgency in northern Babil and southern Baghdad.
They stepped up their joint efforts earlier this month. On Oct. 5, ISF and Marines launched their most sweeping operation to date, moving against numerous targets throughout their zone in a continuing campaign to restore security and stability to the province's nearly 1 million citizens.
In the past three months, more than 500 insurgents have been rounded up in scores of raids, cordon-and-knock searches, and citywide sweeps throughout the area's key population centers, including Lutafiyah, Mahmudiyah, Yusufiyah, Iskandariyah, Haswah and Musayyib.
With the addition of the Black Watch and the steady addition of newly trained ISF, an increasingly potent force is set to intensify its operations further.
Release #041101a
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