Despite dry well, operation
a success for U.S., Iraqi forces

by Pvt. Jared N. Gehmann
3rd BCT, 82nd Abn. Div., MND-B PAO

	photos by Pvt. Jared Gehmann/3rd BCT, 82nd Abn. Div., MND-B PAO Spc. James Kosciaski, an infantryman for Company D, 1st Battalion 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad scans the area for possible threats in the town of Shakkat, Iraq during Operation Mufa-Ja’ah, a combined air assault mission, July 31.

SHAKKAT, Iraq — U.S. Army paratroopers and Iraqi Army Soldiers took to the skies in the hopes of finding weapons caches during a combined air assault operation, July 31.
The mission dubbed Operation Mufa-Ja’ah paired paratroopers assigned to Company D, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad and Iraqi soldiers from the 9th Iraqi Army Div. to conduct a helicopter insertion to deny enemy forces from storing any weapons in a small town in the Ma’dain region, located outside of eastern Baghdad.

“The main objective of this mission was to search for weapons caches and gather information in the town of Shakkat,” said Capt. Kip Kowalski, of Seattle, the commanding officer for Co. D.

During the mission, Iraqi soldiers cleared more than 60 buildings, many of them abandoned and asked the nearby residents if they had noticed any suspicious activity in the area.

A majority of the civilians were cooperating with the ISF as their U.S. counterparts provided security on the perimeter of the buildings.

After searching the remote town and battling the bumpy terrain, the combined forces left empty handed. However, despite not finding any weapons, both U.S. and Iraqi soldiers considered the mission a success because it allowed them the opportunity to continue to grow as partners.

“Even though we didn't find any caches, the operation was still a success,” said Sgt. 1st Class Aldo Delgado, of Los Angeles, a platoon sergeant with Co. D. “The mission gave us an opportunity to work alongside the IA, and it help them improve on some weak points.”
Delgado added that everyone understood their role in the operation and executed the objective effectively.

“The overall purpose of this operation was to ensure the population of Shakkat was safe and to put an Iraqi face in our operations, I feel we did exactly that,” he said.

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