2953 x 2215 px | 25 x 18,8 cm | 9,8 x 7,4 inches | 300dpi
Aufnahmedatum:
22. November 2004
Ort:
FOB Marez, Mosul, northern Iraq.
Weitere Informationen:
This is an M1126 "Stryker" Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICV) of the 1st Battalion 24th Infantry Regiment (1-24), nicknamed "Deuce Four", driving past at FOB (Forward Operating Base) Marez in Mosul, in northern Iraq. The Stryker is an eight-wheeled armoured personnel carrier, fitted with slat armour designed as protection against RPGs. This one is armed with a Browning M2 .50 calibre machine-gun. US soldiers and ING (Iraqi National Guard) soldiers are walking past with more ING soldiers in the background on several Toyota pick-up trucks. The first Stryker brigades were deployed to Iraq in October 2003. The 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment was assigned to the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (SBCT) "Lightning" (a Stryker brigade), and served in Iraq from October 2004 to October 2005. Camp Marez was near Mosul Airport, initially home to the 101st Airborne Division rear command post and various other units. It was initially known as Camp Performance, then Forward Operating Base/Fire Base Glory. In early 2004 it was renamed Camp Marez. The Iraqi National Guard was part of the new Military of Iraq. After the 2003 invasion of Iraq, US Coalition Provisional Authority Chief, Paul Bremer, disbanded the military apparatus of Iraq that existed under Saddam Hussein. As the security situation in occupied Iraq deteriorated and the Iraqi insurgency became increasingly active, the US set up, recruited and trained the new security force in order to combat the insurgency. Despite attacks by insurgent and terrorist groups, the Iraqi National Guard was able to recruit many Iraqis from the vast ranks of the unemployed. In December 2004 its strength was officially over 40, 000 men. This was during the aftermath of the Battle of Mosul (8 - 16 November 2004) when insurgents took control of most of the city. After the US-led invasion in March 2003, the Americans went on to occupy Iraq for eight years as part of a multi-national force, their troops finally departing in 2011.
