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Release A051218e

Vice President makes surprise visit to Taji

TAJI, Iraq — U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney paid a surprise visit to Iraqi and U.S. Soldiers Dec. 18 at Taji Military Training Base during his unannounced visit to Iraq.

The vice president was there to observe Iraqi and U.S. troops training together and to congratulate them for providing security for the successful elections on Dec. 15.

While on base, he was escorted and briefed by Lt. Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, commander of the Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq and Iraqi Maj. Gen. Bashar Mahmoud Ayoub, the commander of the 9th Iraqi Mechanized Divison, who discussed the unit’s recent successes and their equipment.

This was followed by a demonstration of traffic control point training by Iraqi Soldiers and their U.S. advisors and lunch with U.S. and Iraqi Soldiers and Airmen assigned to the base.

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THIS STORY HAS ACCOMPANYING PHOTOGRAPHS. TO RECEIVE THE PHOTOS, E-MAIL THE CPIC PRESS DESK AT cpicpressdesk@iraq.centcom.mil <mailto:cpicpressdesk@baghdadforum.com> .

TAJI, Iraq – Vice President Dick Cheney and U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey, commanding general of the Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq, watch maneuvers by members of the Iraqi 9th Mechanized Division at Taji Military Base in Taji, Iraq. (Official U.S. Army photo by U.S. Army Lt. Col. Frederick Wellman)

TAJI, Iraq -- Vice President Dick Cheney with U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey shakes hands with U.S. and Iraqi soldiers during a surprise visit to troops in Taji, Iraq. (Official U.S. Army photo by U.S. Army Lt. Col. Frederick Wellman).

TAJI, Iraq -- Vice President Dick Cheney shakes hands with Iraqi Maj. Gen. Bashar Mahmoud Ayoub, commanding general of the Iraqi 9th Mechanized Division, after observing training at Taji Military Base, Taji, Iraq. (Official U.S. Army photo by U.S. Army Lt. Col. Frederick Wellman).

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT LTC FRED WELLMAN, MULTI-NATIONAL SECURITY TRANSITION COMMAND-IRAQ PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE AT wellmanfp@mnstci.iraq.centcom.mil.