Pilgrims gather in Karbala, Iraq, at a previous commemoration of the Muslim holiday of Ashoura Jan. 19, 2008. The 10-day event commemorates the death of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the prophet Mohammad, near the city 1,300 years ago. As many as 4 million people participated in the December 2010 holiday, an event for which Iraqi Security Forces took the lead in the protection of participating pilgrims. Archived U.S. Army photo/Sgt. Nicole Dykstra

As Shiite pilgrims slowly filtered out of religious shrines in Karbala Dec. 17, the quiet passing of the Muslim religious holiday of Ashoura made a loud statement about the capabilities of Iraqi security forces in the area.

As many as 4 million pilgrims took part in the 2010 Ashoura, including 200,000 foreigners from 24 separate countries, according to Iraqi estimates. The security of Ashoura participants and the areas surrounding holy shrines in Karbala was the sole responsibility of Iraqi security forces, who assumed the security lead for the country as part of Operation New Dawn Sept. 1.

The Muslim holiday of Ashoura, translated “the tenth day,” commemorates the death of Imam Al-Hussein, the grandson of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad at the Battle of Karbala in the seventh century. Ashoura is particularly significant to Shia Muslims, who make pilgrimages in order to congregate at holy shrines in Muslim holy cities like Karbala and Najaf. The influx of vast numbers of pilgrims into Iraq presents unique security challenges to the Iraqi security forces, specifically for the crowds of people who gather around the Imam Al-Hussein and Imam Al-Abbas shrines at Karbala.

In previous years the holiday has occasionally been marred by insurgent attempts to disrupt Ashoura gatherings and destabilize the country. In March 2004, two bombs in Baghdad and Karbala killed more than 170 people. Clashes between sectarian groups in January 2008 during Ashoura resulted in the deaths of 263 people in Karbala. No such violence could be seen on the streets of Karbala this year.

U.S. forces assumed a supporting role in the security for Ashoura, advising key ISF leaders and providing humanitarian assistance for participants during the commemorations.

“The 8th Iraqi Army executed a well-crafted plan to distribute food to pilgrims during Ashoura,” said U.S. Army Maj. Tad Gilbert, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment civil affairs officer. “Third ACR supported the ISF with additional food supplies to augment their distribution plan.”

While Ashoura was visibly marked by throngs of people honoring Muslim religious traditions in peace, the Iraqi military and police were busy behind the scenes responding to insurgent threats.

“Ashoura was a very successful operation,” said Lt. Gen. Othman Al Ghanimi, commander of the 8th Iraqi Army and charged as the lead in Karbala during the security operations surrounding the holiday. Eighty suspected insurgents were captured and numerous explosives were dismantled by members of Iraqi security forces in and around Karbala, said Othman.

The strength of Iraqi security forces has become paramount as Jan. 1 marks the last year of U.S. forces involvement under the existing security agreement in Iraq.

“The performance of Iraqi security forces, particularly during Ashoura, has been nothing less than impressive,” said Col. Reginald E. Allen, commander of 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, which has the responsibility of advising and assisting Iraqi military and police in Karbala and four other provinces across southern Iraq. “The ISF ability to secure such a large event with no attacks for the first time in seven years with little assistance from U.S. forces is clear evidence that the ISF is fully capable of securing the Iraqi people.”

As a significant Shiite Muslim religious holiday ended Dec. 18, it was not the tested crisis response of Iraqi security forces that marked its successful passing, but the lack of any crisis at all.

DVIDS
Story by Jason Billington

I had to use the original title. Just look at the alliteration!

The Sultan Saqi Shrine, built in the 1960s in a part of the historic Tiseen neighborhood which is now on Kirkuk Regional Air Base, marks the burial place of Imam Sultan Saqi, as well as that of his sister. The Sultan's grave dates from approximately 600 A.D. Photo by Master Sgt. Martie Moore

The 506th Air Expeditionary Group and the Kirkuk Provincial Reconstruction Team of the U.S. Embassy in Iraq assisted approximately 30 members of the predominantly Turkmen Shi’a community of the Tiseen neighborhood of Kirkuk city to visit the Imam Sultan Saqi Shrine and its surrounding cemetery, which are historically and religiously important to the Turkmen Shi’a community, April 17.

Traditionally, the people of the Tiseen community in Kirkuk visit the shrine and the graves of the deceased of their own community buried in the cemetery surrounding the shrine on religious holidays and other special occasions.

Under the regime of Saddam Hussein, the land was confiscated for use as an airport and military base, and visitations and use of the cemetery were forbidden. The U.S. Air Force, who has managed the base since 2003, and the PRT recognized the importance of the site to the Tiseen community and initiated periodic visits for them.

“The U.S. Air Force believes that it’s important to be a good neighbor to the people of Kirkuk, and we are pleased to have been able to meet and assist some of our neighbors today,” said Col. Leonard Dick, 506th AEG commander.

Kirkuk Provincial Council members Tahseen Kahea and Qassim Hamza participated in the visit, along with representatives of the PRT and U.S. Air Force. During the event, Akbar Shokor Bahram gave a blessing and spoke of the importance of the site to the community.

DVIDS
Story by Master Sgt. Martie Moore

Following in the footsteps of Sirhan Sirhan and the Washington Sniper, another American Muslim goes berserk over American policy in the Middle East.

U.S. Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan is believed to be the lone shooter of some 43 people on Fort Hood, Texas, and he survived being shot by a civilian police officer, the base commander said.

Lt Gen. Robert Cone in a televised press briefing tonight corrected earlier reports that said Hasan and the officer, who shot him several times, were killed. Rather, he said, both are recovering at a nearby hospital.

All but two of the victims are soldiers, Cone said.

Cone confirmed the identity of Hasan, reportedly a psychiatrist on the base who was scheduled soon to deploy, but would not say more about the suspect last night. Hasan has been in the company of a Criminal Investigative Division officer since the midday shooting, he said.

In answer to a reporter’s question, Cone said of the suspect, “I would say his death is not imminent.” Hasan is not yet talking to investigators, he said.

Three other soldiers were initially detained for questioning, but later released. After interviewing more than 100 people at the scene, Cone said, investigators determined there was only one shooter.

While investigators haven’t ruled out terrorism in the case, Cone said, the evidence doesn’t suggest it.

The shooting began about 1:30 Central Time at Hood’s Soldier Family Readiness Center where Cone said soldiers from multiple units were crowded into the center for a scheduled weekly “make up time” for medical and dental appointments.

Casualties were high due to the enclosed location, but would have been much worse were it not for the training and quick reaction of the soldiers, said Cone, adding that he was on the scene quickly after the shooting began.

“Suffice it to say…the American soldier did a great job,” he said.

From the reports of eyewitnesses, he said, the soldiers – “many of them combat lifesavers” — reacted instantaneously, ripping off parts of their own clothing to treat the wounded.

“I credit the first responders,” he said. “God bless these soldiers and Department of Army civilians. As horrible as this was, it could have been much worse.”

Some 600 people attending a college graduation of 138 soldiers in an adjacent building were unharmed because first responders secured the building, he said.

The suspect is believed to have used two handguns in the shooting, one a semiautomatic, Cone said. And in responding to a question, “As a matter of practice, we do not carry weapons on Fort Hood,” he said. “This is our home.”

However, Cone said, “We will increase our security presence here in the coming days.”

The FBI is working the investigation, along with military and other law enforcement, he said. The base was on lockdown until 7 p.m., a base spokesman said.

For now, Cone said, Fort Hood officials are focused on caring for the wounded, securing the base, notifying victims’ families and providing grief counseling. A family hotline is available to obtain information at 254-288-7570.

Cone, who received a call from President Barack Obama soon after the shooting, said he was grateful for an outpouring of support. “It is truly overwhelming the offers of support we have had from around the nation,” the general said. “Tomorrow at Fort Hood, we return to normalcy, schools will be open.”

The Central Texas base is the military’s largest, covering some 340 square miles and is home to 40,000 soldiers. And, according to its Web site, is known as “The Great Place” for its quality of life for soldiers and their families.

DoD

The spin has started. For Hasan, it means that the stories he heard from soldiers at Walter Reed and the hatred he felt from others as a Muslim became too much to bear. For Fort Hood, it means describing the base as a center for soldier suicides and violence.

The truth is that this is another Muslim man who turned his face from his country and adopted an alien belief that led to violence. The FBI will not dare call this terrorism, but at some point the number of young, Muslim men killing random Americans will be too great for them to ignore.

Local Iraqi leaders and military officials of the 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward) came together in a small ceremony aboard Camp Al Taqaddum, Iraq, Aug. 19, to commemorate the completedrenovations of a mosque located on base. The work done included a new paint job, light fixtures, new windows and improvements to the overall infrastructure. Photo by 1st Lt. Michele Perez

As U.S. bases and posts in Iraq continue to consolidate or are transferred back to the government of Iraq, military leaders across the country face the challenges of leaving their locations better than when they initially arrived. Whether it’s through the stabilized security we see today in Iraq or the civil affairs projects that have sprouted throughout the country, there are tangible improvements to many of the areas that continue to be or were once occupied by U.S. forces.

One of these improvements was the recent completion of a $50,000 renovation project of a mosque located aboard Camp Al Taqaddum. The religious structure has actually been closed to the public since 1987, when the area was taken over by the Iraqi Army. But its new face-lift gives hope to local Iraqis that their place of worship will soon be available for use.

Military officials with the 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward) and local Iraqi leaders met at TQ in a small ceremony to commemorate the improvements to the mosque. The completion of the project comes only a few days before the beginning of Ramadan, the month-long Muslim observance that focuses on spiritual character building through fasting, prayers and acts of charity.

One of the local leaders who came on base for the event was Ishmaiel Mahmoud Hammad Al-Khelefowi, a religious leader of Al Kabani, a small village neighboring Al Taqaddum. His grandfather actually helped build the first mud structure back in 1945 that served as the mosque for more than 40 years until the area was restricted to Iraqi military personnel. Although the new mosque will remain closed to the public until all U.S. forces depart TQ, Al-Khelefowi knows the local people will appreciate the efforts of the Marines who helped coordinate these improvements.

“They will be very grateful,” Al-Khelefowi says. “I want to show the people how coalition forces have helped us . show their good side.”

The project was designed and led by a local Iraqi contractor and facilitated by the civil affairs section of the 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, serving as the security force for the camp. It took 12 days to complete the renovations with a team of 10 local workers who traveled on and off base every day in support of the project. The work consisted of an entirely new paint job, new windows, light fixtures, electrical work and overall improvements to the infrastructure.

The civil-military operations officer for the battalion, 1st Lt. Christopher J. O’Melia, has worked closely with the local Iraqi villages since his unit arrived to the area in early March. In that time, he has coordinated 52 different projects, coming to a grand total of $1.5 million. The funds for the project came from the Commander’s Emergency Response funds, which are funds available to a commander to help respond to local needs in his area of operations.

O’Melia, who is on his second tour to Iraq, sees a lot of significance in all of the projects he has helped facilitate over the past six months in the 2nd MLG (Fwd)’s area of operations.

“We want the Iraqi people to understand that we’re not occupiers, we’re facilitators,” he explained. “I think as coalition forces contract and we prepare to turn back pieces of terrain to the Iraqis, we want to make sure the area is better than when we arrived . we want to show them we have been good custodians of their property.”

Marines who have been deployed to Camp Al Taqaddum on previous deployments can testify to overall improvements they’ve seen in the area. Debris has been cleaned up around the camp and there is less and less military gear and equipment, which has increased tenfold since the recent uptick of drawdown operations. All efforts have brought the Marines stationed aboard TQ one step closer to getting the area ready for the eventual transfer to the government of Iraq.

DVIDS
Story by 1st Lt. Michele Perez

Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province (NWFP) is today arguably one of the most dangerous places in the world.

But while that may be true of regions where the Taliban proliferate, there are still areas of NWFP where life goes on as normal.

The most prominent of these is the Kalash region in the northern-most district of Chitral.

It is named after the Kalash tribe which has been settled here since time immemorial. snip

Hundreds of years ago about 3,000 Kalash people made their home in the Birir, Rumbur and Bumburet valleys among the Hindu Kush mountains of Chitral.

Generally speaking, the people of Chitral, Muslim or Kalash, are liberal when it comes to religion.

But the Taliban threat has now jeopardised all that, with the neighbouring district of Upper Dir firmly under their control.

“Chitral is one of the most peaceful regions in Pakistan,” Abdul Wali, a local lawyer says.

“All communities here have brotherly relations with each other.

“People here believe culture has precedence over religion.”

BBC

Wazir Ali Shah goes on to state that the Kalasha believe that God had kept the three Kalash valleys as his own preserve and then gave it to their ancestors when they were unwilling to marry. He also refers to the popular belief among foreign historians, that the Kalasha are descended from the soldiers of Alexander. He mentions that, in records to Alexander’s campaign in the Hindu Kush, there are accounts of skirmishes with pagan tribes with a culture similar to the Kalasha. Other scholar, including G.A. Grierson and Ghulam Murtaza, think that possibly the Kalasha inhabited the area between lower Bashgul Valley and Ghaga Serai (in Afghanistan) for approximately three centuries. Then, around the tenth and eleventh century A.D, they were driven north towards Chitral by the Bashali Kafirs.

In his book ‘Bolor and Dardistan’, Jettmar puts forward a number of parallels between the Kalasha and other remote tribes. He mentions that there is a possible relationship between the wooden images of the Kafirs and those made on western Nepal. Jettmar also draws a link between goat worship among the mountain tribes of Iran and the region of the Karakorams in the east where there is intense goat breeding, and the Kalasha who are famous for their peculiar rites and beliefs connected with wild and domestic goat.

Hindu Kush Conservation Association, UK (HKCA)

Marriage by elopement is rather frequent, also involving women who are already married to another man. Indeed, wife-elopement is counted as one of the “great customs” (ghōna dastÅ«r) together with the main festivals.

Girls are usually married at an early age. If a woman wants to change husbands, she will write a letter to her prospective husband offering herself in marriage and informing the would-be groom how much her current husband paid for her. This is because the new husband must pay double if he wants her. For example, if the current husband paid one cow for her, then the new husband must pay two cows to the original husband if he wants her.

>Wikipedia