Coalition Forces, IA Conduct Operation in Al Lej

A Soldier from 2nd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 8th Iraqi Army Division, sits with Capt. Jimmy Hathaway, from Columbus, Ga., commander of Task Force Petro, the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team's Georgian army liaison team, and the head sheik of a village near al Lej, Iraq, March 7.

Soldiers from the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team’s Military Transition Team, and the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 8th Iraqi Army Division, conduct a foot patrol, March 7, in al Lej, Iraq.

Staff Sgt. Luke Lewis, from Macon, Ga., a Soldier from the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team's Military Transition Team, provides security during a cordon and search operation, March 7, in al Lej, Iraq.

By Sgt. Natalie Rostek, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs Office

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Iraqi army and coalition forces conducted a two-day cordon and search operation March 7- 8 in al Lej, Iraq.

The operation resulted in the death of two extremists, discovery of four improvised explosive devices and one weapon cache, and destruction of two buildings storing ammunition and explosives.

Soldiers from the 13th Georgian Army Light Infantry Battalion provided area security as 2nd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 8th Iraqi Army Division Soldiers searched houses in two villages in al Lej looking for weapons caches and evidence of extremist activity.

Soldiers from the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team’s Military Transition Team and Task Force Petro, the brigade’s Georgian army liaison team, provided support while Soldiers from Company E, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, an engineer company, cleared the roads of IEDs.

According to Capt. Jimmy Hathaway, from Columbus, Ga., commander of Task Force Petro, coalition Soldiers have not had any presence in al Lej for approximately five years.

When U.S., Georgian and Iraqi Soldiers entered the villages, they found the majority of houses abandoned.

“The importance of the mission was to push out any al-Qaida extremists who were entrenched in al Lej,” said Sgt. 1st Class Jay Carey, from Nanticoke, Pa., non-commissioned officer in charge of the MiTT. “The mission was also to clear all weapons caches. This will allow the local populace to move back to the area and have a normal, stable life.”

Hathaway said the mission set the stage for the arrival of the 1st Brigade, 9th Iraqi army, and will enable them to move into the southern bowl of the Mada’in Qada, the 3rd HBCT’s area of operation.

Soldiers also secured the al Batan pump station, a large station with the ability to provide water to multiple areas.

After the mission, 13th GAB soldiers and Sons of Iraq set up 12 checkpoints throughout the area.

Hathaway works closely with Maj. David Sulkhanishvili, commander of the 13th GAB, and the battalion soldiers.

“It was great to see the Georgian soldiers securing the objective and immediately being able to transition to helping the locals,” Hathaway said.

The 3rd HBCT, 3rd Infantry Division, from Fort Benning, Ga., has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since March 2007.