European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 20, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                June 2007 stars and stripes Page 7 troops take the offensive in bad Cuba i units encounter Little resistance on first Day of Mission by Drew Brown stars and stripes Iraq american ground backed by Apache helicopter gunships and fighter launched a Large scale Offen Sive tuesday to Clear Al Aida and other insurgent groups from the capital of Iraq volatile Diya la the offensive began before with ground elements of 1st 23rd infantry regi ment and 5th 20th in Fantry regiment moving in a pin cer movement on the Western half of the other including the 1st 12th cavalry task Force l12th combined arms moved to secure the other half of the East of the Dyala operation Arrowhead As the offensive is is meant to kill and capture As Many insurgents As secure the local population and set the conditions for eventual turnover to the iraqi army and Accord ing to senior three brigades Are taking part in the with an iraqi army brigade expected to join the fight on the offensive is part of a wave of major operations that began Mon Day across now that additional forces have arrived in Iraq part of the surge announced president Bush in intelligence estimates have placed As Many As insurgents in with some officers predicting if insurgents stand and the combat could be As Tough As the monthlong fal Lujah Battle in november heres the Bottom line regardless of How Many there we Are going to go after said Mick Deputy commanding general for operations of the 25th infantry divisions task Force which command of the regardless of where they we Are going to find our expectations Are that it win be a Tough and we expect but our great soldiers and air men Are and Well make it Bednarek said in an interview the Day before the opera Tion the offensive is expected to take As Long As 60 Days before operation Arrowhead Iraq of insurgents bad Cuba is handed Over to full iraqi but in a worst Case Screnar Bednarek said forces will re main in the City until Mission com bad Cuba has seen some of the worst fighting in Iraq in the past six As some insurgents have fled in the 1st 23rd infantry regiments resistance appeared lighter than expected on troops began Clearing neighbourhoods at but instead of insurgents they met mostly startled explosions rocked the morning in other parts of the As Apache gunships circled Over soldiers with company is 3rd 3rd searched several met by towns peo some of whom motioned the troops into their staccato bursts of machine gun fire echoed randomly around the mortar rounds landed a few streets Over with a loud the apaches circling overhead periodically launched hellfire by Drew and stripes Rusty of comes off a roof in after Clearing Christian is with company 1st Battal 23rd infantry 3rd Stryker brigade combat 2nd infantry an unseen Jet dropped a precision guided bomb on a mosque identified As an insure Gen linked the blast rocked file sending a huge Black plume of smoke into the by 9 3rd squad had searched More than two dozen but encountered no Resis nor had they found any thing in one the troops encountered a family watching a soccer game on Satel Lite in a Man served the soldiers Pepsi in Small glasses usually reserved for drink ing hot Sweet a group Fol lowing the with their Sec Tor the troops took a break in a courtyard under a sprawling portico of polished Stone a kids followed them and began to question the soldiers 7a 91522 aps3ac j come with an expectation to receive a spiritual Blessing service at 11 sunday school for All Ages worship services sundays am and pm wednesdays pm Nursery provided for All services romans for Wewe saved by or or i Ore information on our in a mixture of broken English and they asked the soldiers for their their their the soldiers played along for a but soon every one was sacked the kids soon lost interest and the rest was shattered about two hours later when a series of single Rifle shots rang a pair of m240 machine guns Ham mered away in soldiers reported that another about 200 meters had come under fire from a sniper in a House about 600 meters a fire Mission was after a Long 120 my mortar rounds began to land around a House Down the up on the Luis of said that before they were l23rd strikers were supposed to be going Back to fort by were supposed to be Home right having a Victory Cele he instead were Cruz said the thing now is try ing to keep each other right were he were just smoked from the of but that the nature of the As the mortars began to a Man came into the Street about 400 Yards Rusty Chris of opened fire on reasoning that Only an insurgent would walk out into the Street As mortars were during a Lull in the one of the kids returned with a Platter full of baked Rice and the owner of the a Bald Man in his offered the soldiers several of them dug a few this Chicken is Damn said Westin of wolfing Down Chicken and Rice wrapped in Flat squad Leader staff Brian Piehler gave one of the kids four dollars to go and buy pepsis for the but the kid came Back after a while and said the store was it didst As the soldiers  have had time to enjoy them they were moving Back to another empty House where they would bed Down for the rest of the after noon and probably the email Drew Brown at