*CROSS BORDER COMPLEX ATTK ON -%%% CAV IVO BALAD : %%% ARMY KIA, %%% CIV

AT 1047D, TF -%%% REPORTS A DIRECT ATTACK IN THE DIYALA PROVINCE, %%% OF BALAD %%%, AT GRID %%%. \012\012SUMMARY OF INCIDENT ALONG -%%% BORDER ON %%% SEP %%%\012\012THIS MORNING, A PLT//-%%% PARTICIPATED IN A PARTNERSHIP ROUTE %%%, LED BY DBE LT , %%% AN IA SQD FROM %%% CO, -/%%% (IA SQD LEADER AND %%% SOLDIERS). CF LT ******** %%% PLATOON LEADER. THE RECON WAS ALONG A KNOWN ROUTE %%% LT %%% TRAVELED FREQUENTLY AND ESTABLISHED %%% ALONG THIS ROUTE. %%% TASK AND PURPOSE WAS TO CONDUCT A ZONE/ROUTE %%% AS JOINT OPERATION WITH IA AND DBE IN ORDER TO IDENTIFY KEY INFILTRATION ROUTES INTO %%% AND TO ASSESS THE C2 CAPABILITY AND COOPERATION BETWEEN THE IA %%% DBE. LT %%% IN THE LEAD IA TRUCK WITH THE IA SQUAD, WHILE , %%% IA SQD LEADER, ROAD IN A PLT VEHICLE.\012\012\011SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN TO CF LT ********* %%% FOLLOWS: USE MAIN ROADS TO GET TO CASTLE ACCESS ROADS; THE DBE CASTLES ALONG THE BORDER. NO CROSS COUNTRY MOVEMENT FROM CASTLE TO CASTLE WAS AUTHORIZED DUE TO MINEFIELD DANGERS. THEY WERE ALSO TO NOT TO COME WITHIN 1KM OF BORDER. PATROL USED %%% AND %%% TO CONFIRM THEIR LOCATION AT ALL TIMES. FOCUS WAS NOT THE %%% THEMSELVES BUT INFILTRATION ROUTES AND THE MOVEMENT OF %%%. ALL ACKNOWLEDGED SPECIAL SENSITIVITIES AROUND THE BORDER DUE TO %%% SANCTIONS AND %%% CONCERN THAT US WAS ATTEMPTING TO MOUNT AN INVASION. THEY ALSO NOTED A PREVIOUS ARTICLE ABOUT %%% WHO ALSO MOVED FORCES TOWARDS SOUTHERN %%% BORDER. \012\012AS THE PATROL APPROACHED THE IRAQI BORDER, LT , %%% THE LEAD VEHICLE, STOPPED THE PATROL. HE AND THE IA SQUAD WERE %%% AHEAD OF PATROL MAIN BODY. LT %%% THIS POINT AS A FREQUENT CROSSING POINT. LT %%% RUN FROM THE VICINITY OF THIS LOCATION BACK TO %%% SIDE OF THE BORDER.\012\012THE PATROL SCANNED THE AREA WITH THEIR %%%. WHILE MOVING FORWARD TO THE IA VEHICLE AHEAD, AN ARMED %%% SOLDIER RIDING A MOTORCYCLE APPROACHED THE IA VEHICLE. THAT THIS POINT THE IRAQI LEAD VEHICLE WAS %%% AHEAD OF US MAIN BODY. THE IA SOLDIERS STOPPED THE MOTORCYCLE, AND DISMOUNTED THEIR TRUCK AND WALKED APPROX %%% TO THE FRONT OF THEIR VEHICLE TO TALK TO %%% SOLDIER.\012\012WITH THEIR %%%, THE PATROL SCANNED THE %%% BORDER CASTLE APPROX -%%% AWAY AND IDENTIFIED A FIGHTING POSITION WEST OF THE CASTLE CONTAINING %%% X %%% AND A %%%. WITHIN APPROX. %%% MINUTES OF THE IA STOPPING THE MOTORCYCLE, TWO %%% TRUCKS MOVED SOUTH DOWN THE WINDING ROAD FROM THE CASTLE AND %%% SOLDIERS DISMOUNTED EACH TRUCK (%%% TOTAL). THE E%%% STARTED TO TALK TO THE IA PATROL, DRAWING THE SQUAD AWAY FROM THEIR VEHICLE, APPARENTLY TO SEPARATE THE TWO IN ORDER TO DENY THEIR ABILITY TO LEAVE %%%. AN %%% BORDER CAPTAIN LINKED UP WITH THE IA ELEMENT AT THE LEAD OF THE COLUMN, CLAIMING TO WANT TO DISCUSS BORDER CROSSING PROBLEMS. THE %%% GROUPS OF %%% SOLDIERS E%%% AND TOOK UP TACTICAL POSITIONS NORTH OF THE COLUMN ON THE EAST AND WEST SIDES OF THE ROAD. THE %%% SOLDIERS WERE ARMED WITH SMALL ARMS WEAPONS.\012\012CF LT *********** %%% LEAD TRUCK (%%% TO HIS FRONT) TELLING THE SQUAD LEADER TO MOTION TO THE IA THAT THEY (THE IA) NEEDED TO GO. WHEN THAT E%%% WORK HE SENT HIS , ( %%% LOCAL NATIONAL HIRED FROM FOB %%%) TO GO FORWARD TO TELL THE IA THAT THEY ALL NEEDED TO DEPART. THE %%% DID SO, BUT RETURNED TO CF LT ********* %%% THAT EVERYTHING WAS %%% AND THE %%% WANTED TO HAVE A MEETING TO TALK ABOUT THE BORDER. CF LT ************ %%% FAR ENOUGH TO SEE THE IA ALL OFF THEIR TRUCK, GUN UNMANNED, WITH THEIR GEAR OFF, SHOWING PICTURES TO %%% SOLDIERS AND HAVING TEA WITH THE %%%.\012\012CF LT ********* %%% ONCE AGAIN TELL THE IA THAT THEY MUST LOAD UP AND GO. TWO MORE %%% TRUCKS APPEARED AND %%% SOLDIERS EACH (%%% TOTAL) DISMOUNTED AND %%% MANEUVERED INTO TACTICAL POSITIONS FURTHER SOUTH ON THE DIRECT EAST AND WEST SIDES OF CF LT ************** %%%. WEAPONS CARRIED WERE , %%% AND RPGS. THE %%% WERE CLEARLY INTENT UPON ENCIRCLING THE PATROL.\012\012CF LT *********** %%% PLT START TO SLOWLY BACK THEIR TRUCKS UP (SOUTH). AT THIS POINT, () %%% RUNNING BACK FROM THE LEAD POSITION TELLING CF LT ******* %%% MOVE OR THE %%% WOULD ENGAGE THE COLUMN. CF LT *********** %%% GUYS AND THEN MOVED FORWARD TO TRY AND MOTION THE IA TO GET IN THEIR TRUCK AND GO. HE THEN HAD %%% THE WAY FORWARD TO TELL THE IA THAT HE WAS LOW ON GAS AND MUST RETURN. %%% THAT EVERYTHING WAS %%% 3 THE %%% THEY WOULD GIVE THEM GAS AND WANTED TO CONTINUE THE MEETING. CF LT ********** %%% HIS GUYS THEY WERE LEAVING.\012\012THE %%% TO THE NORTHWEST OF THE COLUMN STARTED TO ENGAGE THE PATROL BEFORE CF LT ********** %%%. CF LT ********* %%% COMMAND TO RETURN FIRE AND RETROGRADE BACK TO THE CHECK POINT %%% (VIC %%%). THE ENTIRE COLUMN WAS UNDER FIRE AND RETURNED FIRE AS THEY CONDUCTED %%%-TURNS TO LEAVE THE AREA. AN RPG %%% MOVED TO THE SOUTHERN END OF THE COLUMN AND WAS ON THE ROAD TRYING TO ENGAGE CF LT *********** %%% ENGAGED AND KILLED BY A .%%% CAL . %%% AND RETURNING TO %%%, THE PLT RECEIVED RPG AND INDIRECT FIRE ALL THE WAY BACK TO CP %%% - WELL INSIDE IRAQI TERRITORY AND WEST OF THE BORDER CASTLE. THE ENTIRE ENGAGEMENT LASTED :%%% TO :%%% MINUTES. AS THE PLT BROKE 3 %%% INDIRECT FIRE LANDED AROUND THEM FOR APPROX :%%% MINUTES. TOTAL NUMBER OF %%% CASUALTIES IS UNKNOWN, MINUS THE RPG %%% KILLED IN THE .%%% CAL ENGAGEMENT.\012\012UPON ARRIVAL AT %%%, IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THE IA SOLDIERS HAD NOT FOLLOWED. WE ARE NOT SURE IF THE IA ATTEMPTED TO %%% THEIR VEHICLE OR NOT. PROBABLY NOT THOUGH, AS THE %%% APPEAR TO HAVE DELIBERATELY SEPARATED THEM FROM THEIR VEHICLE. THROUGHOUT THE DAY WE CONTINUED TO TRY TO %%% OBSERVATION OF THE IA SOLDIERS, VIA GROUND SURVEILLANCE, SHADOW UAV AND GLOBAL HAWK, TO NO AVAIL.\012\012COL ********** /%%%, RECEIVED WORD THIS EVENING FROM THE %%% JCC THAT THE %%% HAVE INFORMED THEM THEY HAVE %%% IA SOLDIERS AND A DBE LT %%%. THEY DID NOT MENTION THE %%%, NOR A FIFTH IA SOLDIER. WE HAVE SUBMITTED AN %%% TO THE CORPS PAO, AND RECOMMEND RELEASING TO TRY GETTING OUT AHEAD OF ANY %%% CLAIMS OF CROSSING THE BORDER (EXASPERATED BY US KILLING ONE OF THEIR SOLDIERS).\012\012AS OF 081800D: MNC-%%% STILL CONSIDERS THE %%% PERSONNEL DUSTWUN UNTIL WE HAVE PROOF OF THEIR STATUS. THERE WERE %%% US SOLDIERS (%%% OFFICER AND %%% ENLISTED) PRESENT IN THE PATROL IN %%% UAH'%%%. ALL WERE FROM -%%% CAV. CLOSED %%%\012\012\012\012UPDATE: %%% IA AND %%% BP RELEASED FROM %%% CUSTODY, %%% TO BE RELEASED WITH IN NEXT %%% HOURS.