Despite dry well, Operation Mufa-Ja'ah yields strong partnership

By Pvt. Jared N. Gehmann, 3rd BCT PAO, 82nd Abn. Div., MND-BAugust 3, 2009

SHAKKAT, Iraq - A UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter lands in a remote field to pick up Iraqi and U.S. Army Paratroopers after conducting their final clearance in the town of Shakkat, Iraq during Operation Mufa-Ja'ah, a combined air assault mission, July 31....
1 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – SHAKKAT, Iraq - A UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter lands in a remote field to pick up Iraqi and U.S. Army Paratroopers after conducting their final clearance in the town of Shakkat, Iraq during Operation Mufa-Ja'ah, a combined air assault mission, July 31.... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
SHAKKAT, Iraq - Spc. James Kosciaski of Baltimore scans the area for possible threats in the town of Shakkat, Iraq during Operation Mufa-Ja'ah, a combined air assault mission, July 31. The operation was conducted to ensure enemy forces were not using...
2 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – SHAKKAT, Iraq - Spc. James Kosciaski of Baltimore scans the area for possible threats in the town of Shakkat, Iraq during Operation Mufa-Ja'ah, a combined air assault mission, July 31. The operation was conducted to ensure enemy forces were not using... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
SHAKKAT, Iraq - Seattle native, Capt. Kip Kowalski walks alongside Iraqi village elders and an Iraqi Army officer as they walk the town of Shakkat, a rural area outside of eastern Baghdad, during Operation Mufa-Ja'ah, a combined air assault mission, ...
3 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – SHAKKAT, Iraq - Seattle native, Capt. Kip Kowalski walks alongside Iraqi village elders and an Iraqi Army officer as they walk the town of Shakkat, a rural area outside of eastern Baghdad, during Operation Mufa-Ja'ah, a combined air assault mission, ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
SHAKKAT, Iraq - Sgt. 1st Class Aldo Delgado, of Los Angeles, patrols alongside an Iraqi soldier during Operation Mufa-Ja'ah, a combined air assault mission, July 31 in the small town of Shakkat, Iraq, located in the Ma'dain region outside of eastern ...
4 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – SHAKKAT, Iraq - Sgt. 1st Class Aldo Delgado, of Los Angeles, patrols alongside an Iraqi soldier during Operation Mufa-Ja'ah, a combined air assault mission, July 31 in the small town of Shakkat, Iraq, located in the Ma'dain region outside of eastern ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
SHAKKAT, Iraq - Spc. Nicholas Pappe, of Adair, Okla., descends a ridge looking for anything suspicious during Operation Mufa-Ja'ah, a combined air assault mission, July 31 in the small town of Shakkat, Iraq, located in the Ma'dain region outside of e...
5 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – SHAKKAT, Iraq - Spc. Nicholas Pappe, of Adair, Okla., descends a ridge looking for anything suspicious during Operation Mufa-Ja'ah, a combined air assault mission, July 31 in the small town of Shakkat, Iraq, located in the Ma'dain region outside of e... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
SHAKKAT, Iraq - Sgt. Daniel Holden, of Largo, Fla., uses his scope to watch for anything suspicious as he pulls security while his Iraqi Army partners search a nearby building during Operation Mufa-Ja'ah, a combined air assault mission,  July 31 in t...
6 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – SHAKKAT, Iraq - Sgt. Daniel Holden, of Largo, Fla., uses his scope to watch for anything suspicious as he pulls security while his Iraqi Army partners search a nearby building during Operation Mufa-Ja'ah, a combined air assault mission, July 31 in t... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

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. together in order 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 Company D.

During the hours-long mission, Iraqi soldiers cleared more than 60 buildings, many of them abandoned, and asked nearby residents about 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 deemed the mission a victory 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.