Mosul Airport in Iraq Will Open Thanks to Repairs by U.S. Military and Airfield Control

According to Multi National Corps-Iraq, the Mosul Airport will soon be open to travel by citizens of Iraq. Members of the 4^th Brigade Combat Team, 1^st Cavalry Division worked with the 11^th Engineer Brigade, 94^th Engineer Battalion, the 77^th Engineer Company, and the airfield control to repair the airport and get it reopened for travel. The runway had damage in seven different areas plus it was in need of leveling in a few more spots, and with the help of all involved it was corrected.

"The serviceability of the airfield is critical to not only Coalition Forces that fly in and out of Mosul, but also for the Iraqi population that will have increased opportunities for convenient travel abroad when the airport opens its doors in December," said Major Roderick Cunningham, spokesman for the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.

In another area in Iraq, the Inma Agribusiness Program is coordinating with the Baghdad 5 embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team, which is connected with the 1^st 'Ironhorse' Brigade Combat Team, in order to help Iraqi farmers in the area.

The Inma Agribusiness Program is a program developed to help the Iraqi government organize a support system for developing agribusinesses and agricultural markets within the country. The contract for the program was given to Louis Berger Group by the U.S. Agency for International Development. As a side not Inma in Arabic means 'growth'.

Livestock, irrigation, and produce experts looked over the area in which the Ironhorse Brigade operates to designate land that seemed hopeful for farming and start to figure out how farmers in the area can get the full potential of the land.

"It's to help build important relationships between farmers, agribusiness, financial services, and domestic and international markets," said Ronald Curtis, the USAID agriculture advisor and program manager for the Inma project.