European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 14, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Paoc6 stars and stripes july commander in Northern Iraq sees Progress by Lisa Burgess stars and stripes thanks to Progress against insurgents in Northern troops in the Region could begin drawing Down their ranks beginning in january and gradually reduce their numbers by half Over the next 18 army Benjamin commander of multinational Divi Sion North and the 25th infantry Divi said i have provided and so Forth to Ray odier no that shows a plan that next Given the continued Progress that we Are that we could have a reduction of forces in multinational division North during Mixon told Pentagon report ers during a video teleconference from his Mixon Headquarters in i currently have five or six depending on How you count the numbers and the Mixon Mixon did not attach a number to his but the army combat Bri Gades typically have about troops on their Ros which would mean Mixon has be tween and combat plus support i honestly believe Given the enemy As you move Forward after about an 18month you could probably re Duce that by about the troops who Mixon would continue to work with iraqi Security forces in a training and assistance have the capability to react and assist the iraqi forces As and provide them those capabilities they dont like at tack air Force fixed Wing sup and medical As they continue to grow and House votes for troop Page 12 later in the Secre tary of defense Robert Gates told reporters he has not heard of any definite troop reduction plans from military commanders in those decisions will be base on both the Security situation in Iraq and work ing out a Lon term agree ment from the Transfer of responsibility to iraqi those questions Are still in front of he so in terms of numbers of we dont know the answer to that at this in Mixon told Pentagon reporters he needed More troops to help control insurgents who were overrunning key cities in his area of in particular thanks to the he got those Mixon in the form of two Stryker Bri Gades bringing the total number of forces under his command to the equivalent of five or six the fighting this year has been but successful in Mixon now that the surge has reached its full we Are seeing definitive Mixon Mixon said he is carefully watching the ongoing debate in the United states about and How troops should withdraw from and that while the discussion is an important one that needs to be talked it troubles it seems to me that we should first de cide what we want the end state to be in and How is that end state important to the United states of to this Region and to the Mixon to that seems like the most important Only after leaders Are sure they know what they want that end state to look he should they work to to deter mine How we Are going to reach that end and How much time that will any draw Down Mixon needs to be Well it cannot be a strategy that is based on we need to that not a Strate that a and there will be consequences of i a rapid withdrawal from Mixon email Lisa Burgess at  forces capture an iraqi police lieutenant by Joseph Giordono stars and stripes the military says it has captured an iraqi police Lieuten ant who allegedly coordinated logistical support Between iranian agents and the the whose name was not was captured in a predawn raid Friday that left six iraqi police and at least seven suspected insurgents there were no casualties reported in the firefight according to military offi the iraqi police officer also directed Roadside bomb at tacks and indirect fire attacks against coalition the Detainee is believed to have close ties to the iranian revolutionary guards corps us Force from officials have repeatedly accused Iran of aiding and training shiite militias and insurgents to at american and iraqi Iran has denied the iranian backed special groups have been linked to the Mahdi the militia of Radical shiite cleric Muntada who allegedly spent several months in Iran earlier this year when the new Baghdad Security plan in that new military units have stepped up actions against both sunni and shiite Mili Tants in and around the during fridays Ameri can and iraqi troops received Small arms fire from several roof a Church and a nearby iraqi police during the coalition forces continued to receive heavy and accurate fire from the iraqi police a news release issued Friday morning coalition forces returned Khalid iraqis stand in rubble left behind after an overnight raid in the Zamiyah neighbourhood by troops on thursday in deaths in Iraq 13 five Slova t m jew i i two deaths latest identifications the Bri ported 159 18  assigned to the Kirk four mortar rounds fired at Green zone six bodies found the associated press a Volley of at least four mortars was fired Friday from the cites dangerous Southern districts at the Green the heavily fortified District where government offices and the embassy Are the mortars hit near the Home of a senior iraqi military kill ing two iraqi an iraqi army official police found the bodies of six people three men and two women in the their late 20s and an 11yearold girl dumped in an empty lot in the sad Yah District of southwestern another police official they were All blindfolded and with gunshots to the they were not immediately identified but appeared to be victims of sectarian slayings that still leave 20 to 30 bodies a Day around the the army and police officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information to the the slaying of new York times reporter Khalid Hassan took place in where gunmen shot him As he drove to the newspaper had called less than an hour earlier to say a checkpoint had blocked his Normal route then after the at he was Able to Call his Mother on his cell telling Ive been who had worked for the paper for four was the Sec Ond times employee to be killed in following the 2005 slaying of a Stringer for the paper in the Southern City of Basra injured civilian workers including nonus citizens know and protect your Legal attorneys toll free 8887327425 i 01 i l sol Jaum 1 i it i i pm v i c 111 no fire and employed close air sup port from a fixed Wing aircraft to prevent further escalation of fires Between the iraqi police checkpoint and coalition the close air support was de in front of the iraqi not at them to prevent further casual the raid and firefight came a Day after another Large scale gun fight in Baghdad that mowed the capture of two Ira linked Mili that firefight in the Amin District of the City ended with a re ported 19 people including armed a Reuters news Crew he put f is world null phone 1 boo 2j8 j481 Joseph Glordon at  made in Brooklyn Ishow your love giant stuffed animals end up to 8feet talk personalized t shirts say i love you in a big Way us 4 t t i styles of g tit am ii Ute t