Coalition and Iraqi security forces are diligently working together to aid Iraq in its pursuit of becoming an independent state. Progress is being made daily with keeping al Qaida in Iraq at bay and transferring security responsibilities to the Iraqi people, allowing coalition forces to transition to tactical overwatch.

An example of such progress is the demilitarization of Fallujah’s new bridge by the Marines of 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, on April 24. Formerly used exclusively for military traffic only, the bridge has now opened its roadways to the rest of city’s populace.

“We’re opening the bridge and the roads up to give the people of Fallujah a sense of normalcy back,” said Staff Sgt. Thomas A. Pieratti, platoon commander, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine’s Jump Platoon.

Opening the bridge has also freed up one of two roads that led from concrete barriers and frequently congested traffic. The barrier removals became a major improvement for local commuters traveling in and out of the city.

Col. Faisal Ismail al-Zobaie, Fallujah’s chief of police, joined the Marines at the bridge opening at 10:30 a.m. and civilian traffic began flowing shortly afterward.

“We’re getting these people back on track to return to their normal lives,” said Sgt. Maj. Rodney A. Robinson, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines’ Sergeant Major.

With Fallujah police manning a guard-shack on the bridge, Col. Faisal showed Lt. Col. James B. Zientek, 3rd Bn. 6th Marines’ commanding officer, where other policemen would stand post and how they will take the lead in security.

The transition of operations from coalition forces into the hands of the Iraqi security forces is an important step in restoring security to the country. Simple feats such as opening up bridges and roads to the local citizens are a positive sign of a country progressing towards normacly.

“When we give more of the country back to the people, it gives them a sense of pride in that country,” Pieratti said. “That pride will make them more likely to fight for their country.”

That pride is evident through the people of the once war-torn city of Fallujah. With its flowing Iraqi flags at every turn and Iraqi soldiers and policemen in uniform congregating in the city streets amongst the people, the city is showing its hopes for a brighter future.

DVIDS
By Cpl. Sean P. McGinty, Combat Correspondent

Spc. Cameron Beal, of Fort Campbell, Ky. and Staff Sgt. Donovan Miller, of Detroit, Mich., both assigned to Iron Hawk Troop, 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment seize the opportunity for a quick wink between missions, at Combat Outpost Courage, Mosul, Iraq, April 6.

Iraqi army and coalition forces have continued to solidify their gains in Mosul by starting construction on Combat Outpost Shan in the al-Bareed neighborhood.

“They (Al Qaida in Iraq) have used a remote control vehicle borne improvised explosive device, rocket propelled grenades and sniper fire” in an attempt to thwart construction, said 1st Sgt. Anthony Gast, Iron Hawk Troop, 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. “We are restricting their freedom of movement and they are running out of places they can bring their equipment in.”

The COPs are designed to protect the Iraqi people from potential AQI attacks. This is accomplished by improving security and acting as a facilitator for constant communication between the citizens and their IA and CF protectors.

“The COPs provide increased security and ultimately as security increases, allows for infrastructure improvements and more commerce,” said Gast. “COPs allow the Iraqi army to have a permanent presence and show the Iraqi people that the IA and IP are here to defend them every day and that has made a big difference.”

DVIDS

When an Air Force engineer first stepped foot in Hawr Rajab last December, a former al-Qaida in Iraq safe haven, the thought that came to mind was a scene from an old western movie.

“Most of the businesses were shuttered and the main road was more comparable to the O.K. Corral,” said Capt. Josh Aldred, a native of Flagstaff, Ariz.

Four months later, AQI was gone and Aldred saw a community flourishing with business and hope.

Aldred was the primary instructor at the Village of Hope vocational school located on the grounds of Patrol Base Stone in Hawr Rajab. He ended his tour in Iraq, April 3, and turned the project over to another Air Force captain.

Aldred and his 30-man team of engineer Airmen from the 557th Expeditionary Red Horse Squadron had been teaching the Village of Hope students the basics of construction, plumbing, electricity, masonry and well drilling. The overall goal is to teach residents of Hawr Rajab necessary skills to rebuild their war-torn community.

“The experience has been great and the students have been really receptive to learning new ideas and methods of construction,” he said.

“This mission has been a big experiment for the Air Force and military engineers in general.”

The Airmen forged friendships with most of the 50 current students, all of whom are from Hawr Rajab. When they found out Aldred was returning to Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., they wrote him and his troops a letter of appreciation.

“In the past we had different feelings and a kind of misunderstanding towards the American people,” read the letter, signed by the students. “After being close to you, we found out that we are almost the same. We both love and care and sacrifice for other people. This removed the fears we had before and now we have become very good friends.”

The letter reinforced what Aldred was already thinking: the Village of Hope experiment is working.

“In my mind, the Village of Hope concept should be used in other locations throughout Iraq,” he said. “In addition to helping the locals improve their community, the program helps coalition forces because we give military-aged males another option to provide for their families instead of turning to those who would do us harm.”

Members of the Village of Hope class share the same sentiments as Aldred. They said they now see Americans as people wanting to make Iraq better for the Iraqi people, not as an occupying force. “We will spread all of your nice words … to keep the good memories in our mind which changed our life and how we felt about coalition forces,” the letter said.

When the current students graduate, they will join the Iraqi workforce as skilled tradesmen working to improve their community.

“The effects of the Village of Hope include area beautification, new construction, which means more jobs, and tons of litter and rubble removed from the side of the road,” Aldred said.

Aldred added that he and his Airmen along with their Troop A, 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division counterparts, who provide security and transportation to the Village of Hope, can take pride in their endeavor. “It feels good to have made a difference, and none of this would have been possible without a team effort from the Army and Air Force.”

As the students prepared to continue their studies with new instructors they wished Aldred and his crew well and hoped the Airmen would remember their positive experience working in Hawr Rajab. “We hope that you have a good depiction of Iraq in your mind,” said the letter.

“Tell your people and families about us when you arrive to the United States. Tell them about our good friendship and experience we have had together.”

Current Village of Hope students are scheduled to graduate in late May or early June. Three more classes are scheduled. When all four classes are complete, 200 Hawr Rajab residents will have graduated from the vocational school.

DVIDS

Commander of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Col. Michael McBride, speaks with a shop owner at a Samarra city market in January.

After completion of a recent operation reconnecting old economic partners, the people of the northern-Iraqi city of Samarra can breathe again.

The “Bastogne” Soldiers of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, recently finished conducting multiple operations that cleared al-Qaida fighters and other enemy extremist from the desert areas west and south of Samarra, including the southern portion of the city.

Over the past year al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI) has had a chokehold on the “Fallujah Road”, the main road between al Anbar province’s population centers and Samarra.

They have operated freely on and around the Salah ad Din Province portion of the route, restricting travel between the two areas.

Al-Qaida had forced civilian traffic to alternate routes, choking this critical economic line of communication. The enemy did this by hijacking and kidnapping drivers; preying upon helpless travelers and truck drivers in the secluded areas of the desert away from security forces.

According to Maj. Jim DeOre, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment operations officer, “this had many Iraqis traveling considerable distances out of the way, forcing them to use a great deal of fuel and energy in the process.

“The restriction of travel on this route strangled the economic growth of the city and its surrounding towns and villages,” said DeOre. “Opening this road displays to the Iraqis that Iraqi security (ISF) and coalition forces (CF) are making positive gains in their efforts to remove AQI’s criminal influence over the people.”

These enemy extremist had smothered this passageway by kidnapping, murdering, and extorting money from any civilians traveling on the route. The emplacement of improvised explosive devices (IED) ultimately made civilian travel on this thoroughfare almost non-existent, according to DeOre, whose battalion controls the area where most of the route runs.

The opening of the route offers more convenient travel for people looking to drive between Salah ad Din and Anbar. This freedom of movement for Iraqis and is attributed to the construction of checkpoints along the route and the establishment of the Sons of Iraq (SoI) groups manning them.

By having a 24-hour, 7-day a week over watch on the route, Iraqi and coalition forces can ensure AQI doesn’t return to the area and terrorize the local populace.

“These security positions deny use of the road to the criminal activity of AQI fighters, thereby making the area safer for people traveling on the road and those who live in the area,” DeOre said.

Captain Nathan Hicks, commander of Delta Company, 2-327, said SoI members in his unit’s area are pointing out hiding places AQI use to conceal their bombs and dangerous weapons. Hick’s unit, responsible for most of the route running into Samarra, routinely speaks with SoI groups in its area seeking out information leading to weapons caches and enemy hideouts.

“The greatest effect the SoI have on the people here is making their homes and towns safer,” said Hicks. “Brave men are standing up SoI groups to deny AQI sanctuary there.”

If coalition forces are correct in their assessment that this route will stimulate the economy of Samarra, thousands of people will see and feel the positive impact. The transport of goods and services will allow the economy growth of the city of Samarra, and the surrounding areas along the route. It will also improve the quality of life for thousands of Iraqi citizens.

One day during the first week of the route opening, a coalition force patrol had counted over 240 fuel trucks traveling on the road.

“Agricultural and fuel trucks travel this route by the hundreds everyday,” said DeOre. “We believe there is no doubt that this movement of goods between the provinces will stimulate the economy of large and small towns along the entire length of the road as well as the cities that are now linked by its opening.”

DVIDS
By Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Doheny
1st Brigade Combat Team,
101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Public Affairs

DVIDS
2nd BCT, 3rd Inf. Div. PAO
6-8th Cav. Regt. UPAR

Last year, the community of Adwaniyah witnessed the worst of what the insurgency brought to the people of Iraq.

There were reports of kidnappings and murders. Members of al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI) were said to have forced residents out of their homes. Soon, Adwaniyah residents realized that life under AQI would be a step backward and they began to work with coalition forces to rid their community of AQI.

(more…)