PHOTOS – Stryker Soldiers, IA clear Baquba neighborhood

Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Labrosse, a platoon sergeant, scans rooftops in Baqouba, Iraq, for insurgent activity.
Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Labrosse, a platoon sergeant, scans rooftops in Baqouba, Iraq, for insurgent activity. Photo: U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Antonieta Rico, 5th MPAD.

Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Labrosse, a platoon sergeant in Company B, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, scans rooftops in Baqouba, Iraq, for insurgent activity April 23. The soldiers are part of 5-20 Inf. Regt., 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Lewis, Washington.

Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Labrosse and his platoon were working with Iraqi Army soldiers in the Tahrir neighborhood of Baqouba, Iraq.

Spc. Edwin Kane of Company B, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, and a soldier from 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division, move through a gate in Baquba, Iraq.
Spc. Edwin Kane of Company B, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, and a soldier from 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division, move through a gate in Baquba, Iraq. Photo: U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Antonieta Rico, 5th MPAD.

Spc. Edwin Kane of Company B, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, and a soldier from 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division, move through a gate in Baquba, Iraq, April 23.

Soldiers of 5-20 Inf. Regt., 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Lewis, Wash., began the clearing operation with Iraqi Army soldiers April 23 to rid the Tahrir neighborhood of insurgents.

Lt. Col. Khalil Alohidi, commander of 4th Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division, shakes hands with residents of Baquba, Iraq.
Lt. Col. Khalil Alohidi, commander of 4th Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division, shakes hands with residents of Baquba, Iraq. Photo: U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Antonieta Rico, 5th MPAD.

Lt. Col. Khalil Alohidi, commander of 4th Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division, shakes hands with residents of Baquba, Iraq April 24. Soldiers of the battalion, along with Soldiers of 5-20 Inf. Regt., 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Lewis, Wash., began the clearing operation with Iraqi Army soldiers April 23 to rid the Tahrir neighborhood of insurgents.

Maj. Kevin Luke of 4/2/5 Military Transition Team hands a soccer ball to a boy in Baquba, Iraq.
Maj. Kevin Luke of 4/2/5 Military Transition Team hands a soccer ball to a boy in Baquba, Iraq. Photo: U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Antonieta Rico, 5th MPAD.

Maj. Kevin Luke of 4/2/5 Military Transition Team hands a soccer ball to a boy in Baquba, Iraq, April 24. The transition team provides mentorship and support to 4th Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division.

The unit began a joint operation with U.S. forces April 23 to rid the Tahrir neighborhood of insurgents.

iCompany commander Capt. Antony Gore talks to a family in Baqubah, Iraq.
Company commander Capt. Antony Gore talks to a family in Baqubah, Iraq. Photo: U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Antonieta Rico, 5th MPAD.

Capt. Antony Gore, second from left, talks to a family in Baqubah, Iraq, April 24. Capt. Gore is the commander of Company B, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment. Soldiers of 5-20 Inf. Regt., 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Lewis, Wash., began the clearing operation with Iraqi Army soldiers April 23 to rid the Tahrir neighborhood of insurgents.

A Soldier from Company B, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, shakes hands with a boy in Baquba, Iraq.
A Soldier from Company B, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, shakes hands with a boy in Baquba, Iraq. Photo: U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Antonieta Rico, 5th MPAD.

A Soldier from Company B, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, shakes hands with a boy in Baquba, Iraq April 24.

5-20 Inf. Regt., 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, soldiers are stationed out of Fort Lewis, Washington state.

The clearing operation with Iraqi Army soldiers began on April 23. Their aim was to rid the Tahrir neighborhood of insurgents.

By Staff Sgt. Antonieta Rico