The 155mm Bofors aims towards Tiger Hill.
Indian soldiers raise their flag atop the 18000 ft Tiger Hill in Kashmir after recapturing it from Pakistani forces
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| Iraq |
| Alaska troops train for war with Iraqis and Indians |
| 2007-09-24 |
| ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- As the global war on terror continues, the United States and its allies continue to work together to master their counter insurgency strategies. This week at the Donnelly Training Center near Fort Greely, the U.S. Army Alaska and the Indian Army continued a two week training exercise. It's training the commander of the U.S. Army of the Pacific says both countries need. In the village of Bandsteihl, U.S. Army soldiers are trying to root out the insurgency. So they go to the one man who might be able to help them, the sheik. Though every part of it is authentic, from the real Iraqi nationals, to the Iraqi tea and bread, the meeting is actually a training exercise. Shamil Almusawi is playing the Sheiks son. He is really from Iraq and has watched the war tear his country apart. "It's very difficult to watch but what can we do? I mean its not our choice," Almusawi said. He is one of many Iraqi nationals taking part in the combined international exercise of the U.S. Army Alaska and the Indian Army at the Donnelly Training Center. Ali Hussein, another former Iraqi citizen is also taking part in the exercises. "We live a very hard life in Iraq in the past and we are here to help military people to make Iraq stable and free," Hussein said through a translator. "We believe they are doing the right job and that's why we are here and here to help them." Jean Mikha used to live in Baghdad and said she is not as sold on the plan. Like Almusawi, Mikha has had a tough time watching the war and said some of her relatives are among the casualties. Still, she said she supports the United States and is taking part in the training to teach the soldiers some of the important cultural aspects of her country. "The first thing we mention; don't search women, don't touch women because there they don't do nothing. They do housework," Mikha said. All agree they want the U.S. to finish what it started so a next generation of Iraqis can live in a strong, independent country. Like Almusawi, the U.S. and Indian soldiers want the bad guys out, and countries like Iraq to gain their independence. Lt. General John M. Brown III, the commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific, said it wasn't long ago when the United States and India did not work together. "Both of our nations are involved in counterinsurgency operations. Indian soldiers and U.S. Army soldiers are in combat environments against insurgents and this is exactly the kind of training that both of our military need," Brown said. It was just five years ago when Indian paratroopers came over to train with paratroopers at Fort Richardson. "That was really the beginning of the re-engagement for the U.S. Army and the Indian Army together and in five years we've come a long way," Brown said. The exercises also contain another common Iraqi scenario, a road side bomb detonating. This time, the target of the attack is the sheik. Major Akash Karwal with the Indian Army said the real life training is invaluable to U.S. and Indian soldiers. "The two countries get to know each others tactics, this menace of insurgency is in our country for the last sixty years. So we've been dealing with insurgency most of the years in our country. So coming here and doing training tactics with the American Army has been fruitful to us and hopefully fruitful to the American Army too," Karwal said. Sgt. Jason Lewton with the U.S. Army said they are sharing their newly gained knowledge with the Indian Army. "I see them where our army was a little over seven years ago so we're training them from the experiences we've gained and they can help us from a different perspective from their experiences," Lewton said. From conquering the language barriers and learning how to react in the most tense war time situations, to continuing to improve the relationship between India and the U.S. and Iraq, the lessons from this exercise benefit everyone involved. Soldiers from U.S. Army Alaska will be heading to India in a few months for similar training in that country. |
| Posted by:john frum |
| #21 Hello, Red Dawg! Yep, the upper slopes of Denali would be a good training ground, from 15 to 20,000 ft altitude. Only trouble is that the National Park Service would fight it tooth and nail, heh heh. |
| Posted by: Al Aska Paul, Resident Imam 2007-09-24 20:53 |
| #20 Thanks John from all your West Coast Fans! Pleaze Keep edumacting us.. Fantastic pics heh al-Aska Paul long time no see, I think Denali and the Alaska Range in the dead of Winter would give the Indians a run for their training money!! |
| Posted by: Red Dawg 2007-09-24 18:48 |
| #19 I think that the Indians use the Aerospatiale SA-315B "Lama" helicopter up there in the high altitude theater of operations in Kashmir. It is basically an Alouette II airframe with an Alouette III engine and rotor system. No gingerbread. It is a stripped down model. Just the basics. Nylon mesh seats, no extras, as the extras take away from payloads at 5500 meters, where they operate. Hell of a high altitude machine, where the air up there is rare. Here is a link to the particulars of the machine. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2007-09-24 14:12 |
| #18 Thank you Mr. Frum! |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2007-09-24 14:09 |
| #17 Musharrif is still losing things. Now he's lost most of the Tribal Areas to the taliban/aq. Must be the worst general in the pak army. No wonder he's President! |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2007-09-24 14:06 |
| #16 Sharif refuted MusharrafÂ’s claims that international pressure over Kargil had demoralised him. "It is an interesting claim... I was not demoralised by international pressure.... first, he begged me for a ceasefire and then bade me farewell at the Chaklala airbase for Washington." Sharif said he came to know about India recapturing Tiger Hill from Pakistani troops after his first round of meeting with the then US president Bill Clinton. "You have lost everything already, now what should I talk about," Sharif claimed to have told Musharraf during a telephone call from the US. |
| Posted by: john frum 2007-09-24 13:14 |
| #15 The 155mm Bofors aims towards Tiger Hill. Indian soldiers raise their flag atop the 18000 ft Tiger Hill in Kashmir after recapturing it from Pakistani forces |
| Posted by: john frum 2007-09-24 13:13 |
| #14 Swedish Bofors FH77B 155mm Howitzers Photos from 1999 Kargil War. They are blasting Pakistani positions. According to Nawaz Sharif, they wiped out most of the Pak Northern Light Infantry with their salvos...   |
| Posted by: john frum 2007-09-24 13:05 |
| #13 Glacier goggles, overwhites, and 7.62mm firing long guns.... what's not to like? Anyone ID the manufacturer of that towed artillery piece? Note the helo blade and men walking on PSP. Thank you Mr. Frum, most excellent indeed! |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2007-09-24 12:38 |
| #12 It's not just a job. It's an adventure. |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2007-09-24 12:05 |
| #11 I gotta hand it to John Frum, he is totally priceless on just about anything that has to do with India. Hail John Frum! |
| Posted by: Mike N. 2007-09-24 09:18 |
| #10 Most of the Siachen photos are from TIME |
| Posted by: john frum 2007-09-24 09:14 |
| #9 Best Comments Section Photo Essay Award! |
| Posted by: Excalibur 2007-09-24 09:09 |
| #8 GREAT PICTURES (as usual from you) John! Thank you so much. |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2007-09-24 09:02 |
#7  Indian soldiers check their weapons outside a shelter at the Forward Logistics Base. Siachen Glacier stretches away behind them  A view of the 75-km long Siachen glacier from the cockpit of an Indian air force helicopter |
| Posted by: john frum 2007-09-24 07:29 |
#6  Indian soldiers pause by a glacial stream as they return to base camp following their tour of duty at higher elevations  Soldiers on patrol near India's Forward Logistics Base |
| Posted by: john frum 2007-09-24 07:26 |
#5  With the peaks of the Karakoram range in the background, a group of Indian troops cling to an ice wall during high-altitude training |
| Posted by: john frum 2007-09-24 07:16 |
#4 Ladakh, Indian Kashmir... near the Chinese border  |
| Posted by: john frum 2007-09-24 07:13 |
| #3 The Indians do a lot of their work up in the Himalayas above the snow line, interdicting Pakistani jihadis attempting to cross the line of control, smn. It's the Iraq expats who are more likely to be troubled by unexpected frostbite, I'd think. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-09-24 07:01 |
#2 For the Indian troops at least, the climate won't be a problem... their Siachen base is at 20,000 ft in the Himalaya.      |
| Posted by: john frum 2007-09-24 06:53 |
| #1 WOW, I hadn't heard much of our brothers in arms up there in that part of the country, I hope their weather adaptation is sound, for the diametrically opposed temperatures and climate conditions greeting them, will say the least; be a tempest in a teapot! |
| Posted by: smn 2007-09-24 03:36 |