The Wolfpack – 3d LAR – in Iraq

The Wolfpack is currently patrolling the vast open spaces of Ninewa (or Nineveh) Province in northwestern Iraq. In ancient times, Nineveh was the center of the great Assyrian Empire. Today, it lies on an Iraqi fault line, a place where Sunni, Assyrian Christians and Yezidi and Sunni Kurds intermingle and struggle with each other for control of the oil rich province. Nineveh will play a huge role in Iraq’s future, in politics and in industry.

Richard S. Lowry is the author of Marines in the Garden of Eden and The Gulf War Chronicles.

I recently re-established contact with an old friend, LtCol Ken Kassner, commnading officer of 3d LAR. Here is what he had to say about his mission:

Currently, Task Force Wolfpack is conducting reconnaissance and security operations to disrupt and interdict foreign fighters and smugglers in Iraq’s dynamic Ninewa Province. We arrived here in March. To be sure, this desert frontier in northwestern Iraq is truly “LAR Country”. Our missions are characterized by their expeditionary nature—as we literally sleep, eat, and conduct daily combat/security operations in our assigned battlespace without the standard amenities that have become commonplace on large FOBs or COPs; by our ability to exercise and maximize our core competencies as a reconnaissance unit; and by our tactical patience.

He also sent several amazing photographs:

Sinjar Mountains

Wolfpack6 and his crew

The operational environment, which includes flat desert lands, cavernous wadi systems that can swallow whole vehicles, croplands of wheat and barley, and a large mountain range that towers to more than 5,000 feet, is one of the most austere regions in which I’ve worked in Iraq. Of course, during the summer months, there’s no escaping the heat. As one of the few battalions in Iraq still conducting daily combat operations, we patrol the expansive deserts of this AO, interdict and search smugglers entering the country from Syria, and conduct combined operations with the Iraqi Army and Police Forces to detain suspected or known insurgents in the area.

Approaching Sandstorm

The Wolfpack’s New Mascot

Recently, we have embarked on a large effort to build civil capacity in the region and conduct civil affairs projects. Adding to the dynamics of the region are the geopolitical tensions that exist between the Arabs and Kurds. This area around Sinjar and northwestern Ninewa Province represents a disputed internal boundary (DIB) between the Government of Iraq (GOI) and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). The student of international relations in me is quite intrigued by the geopolitical situation in this region of Iraq. Certainly, this deployment has been quite interesting.

Stay tuned for more on The Wolfpack.

Richard S. Lowry is the author of Marines in the Garden of Eden and The Gulf War Chronicles.