European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 9, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                July 2007 stars and stripes Page Load it up Dan of the British army Ryan of loads 30 my rounds on an Apache helicopter recently at Basra air station in the army has joined British forces at the contingency operating base in Basra by supplying six Apache helicopters to assist in operation around the multinational division South hotel Forthaus by Garmisch 1 starting so i ending to experience Garmisch stay get 4th night free per double per night htfiiij1 keep Tel free breakfast family apartments hot tub Sauna dogs Welcome american owned 088249120 fax 0882491214 email apply online personal assistance 01805988333 Fly now pay later Ramstein town Mannheim communications per minute to the Usa to sign up Call 14023927588 visit Tollfree sign up from your country includes us phone with free incoming Calls knowledgeable customer service serving our military customers since 1996 smaller outposts strategy in Iraq has a Downside troops patrol less As bases become attractive targets for the enemy by Julian Barnes los Angeles times Baghdad the neighbor Hood outposts that the Mili tary launched with great fanfare in Baghdad Early this year were supposed to put More american patrols on the streets and make residents feel but some sol Diers stationed at the posts and iraqis who live nearby say they Are doing the the along with joint Security form a Cornerstone of the current Iraq following a classic counterinsurgency military plan ners Are trying to take forces out of their sprawling Mili tary bases and into the Day today lives of regular although senior command ers and mid level officers say they be Lieve the bases Are starting to Many soldiers stationed at the out posts Are arguing that the Burden of protect ing the bases Means they spend less time on the they say we Are spending More time in which we Are doing we live said Tyrone Richard a member of company 1st 8th cavalry that operates in the East Baghdad neigh boyhood of outside Sadr but we Arent spending the time iraqis who live nearby say they feel less Safe because Many of the bases have quickly become magnets for rocket and mortar at when attacks miss the they often hit iraqi for some the risk of rocket attacks might be Worth it if the americans were driving away Shi Ite Muslim militias that Many say act As death but some Junior soldiers say that Almahdi Mili Tiamen Loyal to shiite cleric Muntada a Sadr Are Able to conduct More patrols of the area than can the the Mahdi army goes around to the houses More than we said John a Mem Ber of 18 cavalry company moving soldiers to smaller bases inside according to the counterinsurgency would allow them to spend More time interacting with the Popula regular Contact with troops would make people feel the main Mission of counter insurgency in the com goes around to the houses More than we John Evans company 1st 8th cavalry Bat outposts have a key flaw As Many As half of the soldiers there at any one time Are dedicated to protecting in my tactical the com Bat outpost Hast said one Junior officer stationed in East its not a bad but we Are doing it we have a bigger presence but we have less boots on the you Only have one platoon that can Maneu ver tactically at a Many of the soldiers inter viewed asked to speak anonymously because senior officers disapprove of noncommissioned offic ers and Junior officers questioning military before the outposts were creat some companies maintained a constant presence on the having each of their platoons do the Mahdi army two eight hour patrols a we would do two patrols a of six to eight hours a there was Al most always a patrol on the now we patrol just 12 times in a an experienced noncommissioned officer that not a lot of interaction with the and its problematic if the intent of this strategy is to interact with As a result of the decrease in a some officers they Are not even Able to keep militia ele ments out of the neighbourhoods immediately surrounding the out in some sunni neighbourhoods in West such As Ghana some residents who were initially excited about the outposts and joint Security stations have grown they believe the americans Are doing too Little to Stop attacks by shiite militias and Are Only intent on targeting sunni the americans wont come out to help unless they have or said Abdul a they dont prevent the Mahdi army from attacking in shiite Resi dents say arguing that the outposts Are targeting Shi Ite prompting militants to strike since they started firing mor tar rounds at the it has be come very said Ali a a clothing Salesman in his 20s who lives near the out Post in the Baladi Yat neighbor Hood of East when the americans go i Here comes Robert David talks to commanders saturday in Petraeus forecasts violence increase by Robert Reid the associated press Iraq sunni extremists May try a series of High profile attacks ahead of a september report to Congress on Progress in the top com Mander said recalling the tet offensive that torpedoed support for the Vietnam we expect they will try this pull off a variety of sensational at tacks and grab the headlines to create a David Petraeus the 1968 Viet Cong and North vietnamese tet offensive failed to achieve most of its tactical but it shattered political support for the Vietnam War among the Petraeus and ambassador Ryan Crocker Are to present a re port to Congress by 15 on the situation in several re publicans say if Progress is not made by they May Call for a new strategy in the general would not say what he and Crocker plan to Tell con Gress in the but he added that the two top american officials in Iraq have a responsibility to produce our assessment of the implications of different he would not but other generals have warned in recent weeks against drawing Down american troops too rapidly before iraqi Security forces can Petraeus also would not say what measures he would take to prevent a spate of spectacular at he spoke at a Camp on the Edge of which had been the self declared capital of an Al Aida front the islamic state of recent attacks suggest Al Aida militants and other sunni insurgents have moved further to avoid troops and strike where Security is