It’s been a week since I last posted about the good news that isn’t printed by the MSM so I figured I would update you all.
Substations step down power for homes, schools, businesses
Construction work began December on four new electrical substations in the province of Irbil. The substations, which will use transformers to step down power and distribute to areas at a lower voltage, will serve homes, schools and business in Debga, Irbil, Khanzad and Khoshnaw. The substations are another proponent in the Herculean effort to restore electricity to all users around the country.
Just two months ago responsibility was transferred to the deputy of the Ministry of Electricity for a completed $27.4 million emergency reconstruction project that restrung 174 kilometers of power transmission line and rebuilt 444 towers. The project was largely responsible for reconnecting the Kurdish power grid to the rest of Iraq.
Nearly 4,000 people, from over a dozen nations, worked on the 7-month-long project. ?I personally met workers from Iraq, the U.S., India, Turkey, Australia, Lebanon, Bosnia, Syria, England, South Africa, the Philippines, Ireland, Wales, and Scotland,? said Kevin Blair, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers? project engineer who worked quality assurance on the project…..
While work conditions were often times dangerous, the project was a critical part of reconstructing Iraq?s infrastructure. Due to theft and destruction only 19 towers remained of the old network. The 444 new towers and 174 kilometers of power transmission line are carrying much needed electricity to homes, schools and businesses throughout Northern Iraq. The power lines consisting of Teal conductors are capable of carrying 240 megawatts of power.
The lines will allow hydroelectric generation to be dispatched over the grid to support summer peak demand, as well as meet the growing demand for stable, reliable power throughout Iraq. The lines will also support the winter peak requirement for power in the Kurdish area. In the future these lines may also be used to import power from Turkey and are designed for future conductor additions that would increase the capability to 480 megawatts.
The incredible efforts of 4,000 people this year not only helped reconnect the power grid for northern Iraq but also helped reconnect northern and southern Iraq after a 13-year severance. ?It?s really exciting to hear the stories of how prior to reconstruction efforts residents were only receiving two hours of electrical power a day and now they are getting close to twenty or more,? Blair said.
Finance detachment continues efforts with local Iraqi banks
Delta Detachment, 106th Finance Battalion, continues to work hand in hand with local Iraqi banks in an effort to stabilize and improve local confidence in an ailing Iraqi banking system.
Through meetings with the Kirkuk Provincial bank managers, the finance detachment, along with civil affairs elements, has made significant strides with the banking system.
Delta Detachment Commander Capt. Don Herzog is quick to point out that ?the most overriding and visible area that needs improvement is the infrastructure of the banking system.?
A good portion of Kirkuk?s state run banks were either looted or damaged during the war.
Both finance and civil affairs quickly noted that the people of Kirkuk and its surrounding regions must be able to walk into a bank whose physical appearance portrays confidence, competence and security. Most recently, Delta Detachment, in conjunction with civil affairs elements and the 2-25th Brigade Combat Team, has organized renovation projects of two major state run banks located in Kirkuk.
First, Delta Detachment has coordinated to have major infrastructure improvements made to the Kirkuk Real Estate Bank. Of all the banks in Kirkuk, this bank was damaged the most during the war as the majority of the bank was burned and looted. The new renovations will concentrate on electrical, plumbing and customer-service-oriented construction. This includes cashier windows for the bank tellers and meeting areas for the bank supervisors. This bank already services 1,100 homeowner mortgages.
With these improvements, the Real Estate Bank?s service to the community will be much more effective in the important realm of real estate investments throughout the Kirkuk Province, Delta Detachment members said.
Additionally, the finance detachment has coordinated for similar renovations for the Rasheed Branch
1st Cavalry Division Lends Baghdad Farmers a Helping Hand
As a part of multinational forces? unrelenting drive to improve the lives of Baghdad?s citizens, 1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division is coordinating the construction of an equipment storage building for a farmer?s co-op formed by 1-82 FA earlier this year.
?What we?ve been doing is working with the farmers out there and trying to get them organized,? said Capt. William Powers, an officer with the battalion. ?Not to the state of a U.S. co-op? just trying to get them to work together.?
Since the co-op began in June, hundreds of tons of seed and fertilizer have been parceled out to eastern Baghdad farmers in an effort to jumpstart the local economy, provide more quality produce for the local population, and lend some of the poorer residents of the area?the farmers themselves?a helping hand.
?We started working on this in June, but we had difficulty finding meeting places ? so we decided what would help the co-op was to give it an actual place,? Powers said. ?Originally, we were going to renovate some buildings, but we were able to get the Ministry of Agriculture to donate some land for a co-op facility, so we?re building a facility that is over 650 square meters, includes four large storage units as well as a large area in the middle for tractors. Attached to that is a restroom and a large conference facility. It will be furnished, as well as have a fence and a guard house.?
When the project is complete and the co-op is in full swing farmers will have a place to gather and exchange ideas on growing techniques and methodology, bettering the community as a whole, Powers said. They will also be able to coordinate the amount and type of produce they grow, making it more valuable when they pile it onto the bed of their truck and drive to market in nearby Sadr City or another part of Baghdad.
How about these news items about the help of the Iraqi people.
Doctor’s tip leads to arrest of two terrorists
MOSUL, Iraq — A tip from a concerned citizen prevented two terrorist cell members from carrying out further attacks against Iraqi civilians and security forces Sunday.
A doctor with the Tal Afar Hospital informed Multi-National Forces of the two suspects after they came for treatment injuries and were provided initial care immediately.
Soldiers from 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment responded and detained the two suspects. Multi-National Forces provided necessary medical care to the suspects and are now in custody.
The quick action of the doctor possibly saved lives of innocent Iraqi citizens.
Child’s tip leads to multi-national soldiers to a large weapon’s cache
MOSUL, Iraq — Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), 25th Infantry Division (Light), discovered a large cache of weapons and munitions based on a child?s tip during operations on Jan. 3 in northern Iraq.
An Iraqi child led Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, to a large cache of weapons in an abandoned building during a patrol in western Mosul that consisted of 30 60 mm mortars, 21 rocket propelled grenade rounds, dynamite, various roadside bombs and components, five RPG launchers, more than 100 mortar fuses, grenades, ammunition and intelligence documents.
Soldiers also discovered a stolen fuel truck in the configuration stages of a truck bomb. The discovery of the truck bomb possibly saved the lives of hundreds of people.
An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed both the truck and munitions with no injuries reported during the operation.
Then there is the news within the MSM doom and gloom versions like this from a soldier inside Iraq who has his own blog called Iraq Calling.
I woke up this morning to the sound of an explosion. It was the sound of 5 men dying. A car bomb blew up just outside our base about 500 meters from my building. As is often the case these days, it was the Iraqi National Guard who took the brunt of it. These men were doing their job, as they do every day, keeping us and their comrades safe. Doing what they could to bring peace to Iraq, they gave their life for their country. They will remain in my mind and heart among the honored dead. They should be regarded as such everywhere.
I’m getting sick of people who characterize all the Iraqi security forces as corrupt, bumbling fools. Most are honest and increasingly capable. Men of action, not words. There is so much moral distance between the armchair pundit who secretly revels in each attack and outrage because it validates their loathing of what we are doing here and the Iraqi soldier, policeman, border guard, or election worker who gets up each day and does his job knowing, yet suppressing for the sake of sanity, that today they might be killed and reviled as enemies of the people and apostates.
Or the news about Iraqi citizens beating the crap out of a terrorist
A suspected insurgent asks residents for mercy after they caught him planting explosives under civilian vehicles, at a busy area in Baghdad, January 3, 2005. Insurgents killed 17 Iraqi police and National Guards on Monday in another bloody spree of ambushes, bombings and suicide attacks aimed at wrecking Iraq’s January 30 national election.
Hat tip to Iraq The Model and Michael Totten.
How about this from Powerline
A press release by the Iraqi ministry of defense.
1. At 1 am Iraqi National Guard (ING), the Mahmudih division, arrested 217 individuals suspected of being terrorists and confiscated a large cache of light and heavy caliber weapons and ammunition.
2. At 2 am the same ING division arrested Hatem Alzobaae, a suspected terrorist cell leader.
3. At 2:30 am ING in Hillah arrested the terrorist Ali Mehsan Ghnajar. In his possession were 19 grenades, three 28mm mortars.
4. At 4 am, based on a tip that he had returned from Syria, the criminal Ali Latief was arrested by the ING. Four men who are part of his cell were also arrested.
5. At 4 am 10 terrorists were arrested after returning from Mosul by the ING Mahmudiah division.
6. At 4 am ING raided the Hai Alaskari area based on a tip. As a result of the raid the ING arrested 10 terrorists one of which resisted and was wounded and arrested.
7. At 4 am terrorists attacked the Hadbaa police station and were repelled with 2 terrorists killed and their weapons confiscated.
8. At 5 am ING started a security clean sweep of Bab Shams. They confiscated a large number of hand grenades and mortar weapons and rounds…..
Since the MSM wont bring this news to you I will do my best.
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