Back on Edge...

A US soldier from Ghostrider Company 3rd Squadron 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, steps out of a bathroom newly renovated by coalition forces and painted with cartoons of Mickey Mouse in the restive Diyala province, located northeast of Baghdad, on March 26, 2008. (DAVID FURST/AFP/Getty Images)

BAGHDAD -
"Shiite militiamen are everywhere. Police and Iraqi army checkpoints are nowhere in sight. U.S. soldiers are keeping their distance."
HAMZA HENDAWI and QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA
Associated Press Writers

Evening and happy hump day...

Lots going on in Iraq...in fact, based on news reporting it's turning down right nasty. If you have been busy and unable to track the developments...you can catch up with this article - Shiite enclave back on edge

Please continue to cover all our soldiers with your prayers and thoughts...the situation on the ground is unsettled and unpredictable as ever.

I trust you are enjoying the work of David Furst, AFP as he photographs Ghostrider Company, 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment operating in the Diyala province supporting Operation Grim Ghost. The photos provide a great look at a soldiers life in Iraq and the challenges they confront...

Note the photos below of the Iraqi policeman arrested. Who is friend and who is foe on this battlefield? How do you tell? Who can you trust? Only someone with a US flag on their shoulder...

US soldiers from Ghostrider Company 3rd Squadron 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, stand guard at an Iraqi army checkpoint in the restive Diyala Province, located northeast of Baghdad on March 26, 2008. (DAVID FURST/AFP/Getty Images)

US soldiers from Ghostrider Company 3rd Squadron 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, stand guard at an Iraqi army checkpoint in the restive Diyala Province, located northeast of Baghdad on March 26, 2008. (DAVID FURST/AFP/Getty Images)


An Iraqi police officer is led away by US soldiers from 3rd Squadron 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment after they detained him for links to local militias, in the restive Diyala Province, located northeast of Baghdad, on March 25, 2008. (DAVID FURST/AFP/Getty Images)

An Iraqi police officer is surrounded by US soldiers from 3rd Squadron 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment after they detained him for links to local militias, in the restive Diyala Province, located northeast of Baghdad, on March 25, 2008. (DAVID FURST/AFP/Getty Images)


An Iraqi police officer sits in the back of a Stryker armored personnel carrier surrounded by US soldiers from 3rd Squadron 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment after they detained him for links to local militias, in the restive Diyala Province, located northeast of Baghdad, on March 25, 2008. (DAVID FURST/AFP/Getty Images)

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Chris, I love you son. Be safe!

v/r,
- Collabman