Ghazaliyah, once known as one of the most dangerous areas in Baghdad, had many local citizens concerned about security. Recently, Ghazaliyah has become much safer, due in part to the security efforts of the coalition and Iraqi security forces.

“Over the next month, coalition forces will be moving from the cities, leaving the responsibility of security totally to the Iraqi security forces,” said Lt. Col. John Richardson, a native of Tallahassee, Fla., commander of 5th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division. “Although the transition has not technically transpired, I must say the Iraqi security forces are performing admirably.”

Since security is no longer the primary concern of the local residents of Ghazaliyah, the people are now more concerned with a better quality of life.

“I don’t hear people of Ghazaliyah express much concern about security anymore, they are more concerned with the economy,” said Richardson. “That means we are taking another step in the right direction to help build a better Iraq.”

Over the past seven months, U.S. troops have teamed up with the Government of Iraq, local officials and the ISF to make some much needed improvements to the community. Through fierce determination and an unselfish effort to improve the Ghazaliyah District, many improvements have already been made.

“The coalition forces have been instrumental in many of the improvements in the area. They have provided the community with solar lights along the streets and four pump stations for sewer,” said Sheik Razak, a local leader of Ghazaliyah. “They have done more than help make improvements to the area, they have provided over 450 people with jobs,” he added.

These jobs allow workers to provide for their families and to further stimulate local businesses. With the development of new businesses, improvements will continue to be made in Ghazaliyah.

“We are not just fixing the broken infrastructure, we are implementing real sustainable improvements and helping the GoI to build its capacity to support the population,” said Richardson. “As the GoI continues to build capacity to support the local population, the CF will step aside and the GoI will take full responsibility for the population.”

DVIDS
Story by Staff Sgt. Peter Ford

As the Soldiers of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team “Panthers,” 82nd Airborne Division, walk the streets of New Baghdad, a neighborhood in eastern Baghdad, children run from their houses to shake hands with the Soldiers and ask questions about the United States.

Some of the Soldiers entertained the children while others maintained security. Panther leaders spoke with local store owners and residents in order to build stronger relationships in the community on these foot patrols.

“We are putting a face on the American Soldier,” said Sgt. Andy Zeigler, a military policeman assigned to HHC. “The unit before us primarily did mounted patrol,” said the Dumas, Texas native.

Armored vehicles provide additional protection for Soldiers on mounted patrols, but the downfalls include limited visibility and less interaction with local people.

“Now since the area is much safer, we do more foot patrols,” said Capt. Brian Englund, a native of Rochester, N.Y., commander of HHC. “By walking the streets, we can make a good impression on the people here in New Baghdad.”

Local residents and store owners became more receptive to the Soldiers once the people saw the coalition forces are genuinely interested in helping them, according to Englund. Many people invite the Soldiers in for tea or offer them food to show their appreciation for the efforts the paratroopers have made to secure and improve the community.

A local boy of the New Baghdad community walks to a park in his neighborhood April 30, with Sgt. Daniel Villalpando, a native of Yuma, Ariz., a military policeman assigned to Headquarters Company, Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. Photo by Staff Sgt. Peter Ford

“Every day we walk down the streets of Baghdad talking to local people trying to help as much as we can,” said 1st Lt. Daniel Maxfield, from Fairfax, Va., a platoon leader with HHC. “Because of our constant presence and the trust we have built, people now talk to us about all sorts of problems.”

“I think we have a great relationship with the people in the neighborhoods in which we patrol,” said Pfc. Michael Godfrey, a Senoia, Ga. native, a military policeman assigned to the company.

As the Panthers end their patrol, they give children candy and wave goodbye, making lasting impressions on the people in New Baghdad.

DVIDS
Story by Staff Sgt. Peter Ford

Staff Sgt. Xavier Bowie, 46th Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy), 225th Engineer Brigade, from West Palm Beach, Fla., descends into a tunnel beneath a heavily traveled road in western Baghdad to shut off tunnel access to terrorists trying to emplace bombs. Photo by Stephen Clements

On a dark night, two terrorists discovered tunnels underneath a heavily traveled road in western Baghdad and used an improvised explosive device to blow a huge hole in the street to disrupt traffic.

To prevent this act of terrorism from happening again, the engineers from Headquarters and Support Company, 46th Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy), 225th Engineer Brigade, were called in to repair the gaping hole in the road and seal access to the tunnels beneath the road.

“The crater was pretty dangerous and we ended up repairing two holes in that road,” stated Staff Sgt. Xavier Bowie, mission non-commissioned officer-in-charge, from West Palm Beach, Fla. “There’s an Iraqi army checkpoint nearby and the [Iraqi army troops] said it caused a lot of traffic when people would stop to avoid the holes. It was even worse when the drivers didn’t see the holes and would just drive into them and damage their cars.”

Moving by night, the engineer teams arrived on the damaged overpass. Once the explosives teams of the 731st Explosive Ordnance Detachment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division cleared the area of any possible threats, the tunnel crew of engineers descended into the darkness to cut off terrorist access to the tunnels.

Spc. Stephen Green, of Pensacola, Fla., and Spc. Eduardo Bonilla, of Jacksonville, N.C., welded steel plates over all the points that led into the tunnel, while, simultaneously equipment platoon Soldiers, prepared the holes for repair. The Soldiers repaired the craters by chipping away the damaged asphalt and cleaning up the site.

Once the tunnel was sealed on one side of the overpass, the welding team moved to the other side of the road to seal off access on that side.

Spc. Eduardo Bonilla, from Jacksonville, N.C., and Spc. Stephen Green, from Pensacola, Fla., 46th Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy), 225th Engineer Brigade, weld a drainage port shut on a heavily traveled route in western Baghdad. Photo by Stephen Clements

After three hours in the tunnels, and an additional two hours fixing the holes, Spc. Christopher Sallas, of Tulsa, Okla., used a forklift to place a very heavy steel plate into the large crater in the overpass. Next, the crater team led by Staff Sgt. Wesley Roach, of Rapid City, S.D., placed a rapid drying asphalt alternative over the plate. After smoothing out the mixture, the team placed road cones around the asphalt to allow it to dry without interruption by traffic.

A follow-up visit to the site a few days later revealed a situation that was not all that surprising given the situation that brought them out there in the first place; the asphalt and steel plate had been completely removed. The engineers then returned to the site with another solution to the problem.

“An attempt was made to reopen access to the tunnel,” stated Command Sgt. Maj. Francis Thibodeau, 46th ECB (H), a native of Detroit. “This is a busy road and someone was going to get hurt if we didn’t put a stop to this, so we sent the welders back in to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

This time the engineers took measures one step further. With the help of large engineer equipment, they placed several heavy plates of over-sized steel deep into the hole. The welders then sprang into action sealing the plates into place to end access to the tunnels once and for all.

With repairs made to the holes, several massive steel plates welded firmly in place and all the tunnels sealed, the engineers were able to not only defeat IED-emplacing terrorists, but also improved the lives of the Iraqi people living in the area.

Sgt. Bryan Silver (kneeling), 46th Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy), 225th Engineer Brigade, a native of Cerulean, Ky., and Spc. Paul Thrailkill (left standing), a native of Canoga, Calif., weld several over-sized pieces of steel into a gaping hole left by a bomb placed in the underground tunnels. Photo by Stephen Clements

“This is great that this hole is fixed,” exclaimed Hasan, an Iraqi soldier that helped to guard the site. “People have so many problems on this road; sewage trucks can’t get by, families driving get stuck if they don’t see it. Thank you!”

Reiterating the importance of their work and their contribution to the bigger fight, Thibodeau added, “The welders no doubt contributed to the counter-IED fight.”

DVIDS
Story by Stephen Clements

A woman talks to a nurse about her husband’s condition at the Abu Ghraib Hospital, west of Baghdad, Jan 15

The once war-ravished Abu Ghraib Hospital, west of Baghdad, is slowly but surely getting new life. What was once one crumbling building is now a sprawling complex, boasting new equipment to better care for the hundreds of thousands of people who live in the city.

Approximately $3 million was spent by five different sources for approximately 20 different refurbishment and building projects.

“The most difficult part of this whole operation was getting the different funding organizations together to synchronize their efforts,” said Keith Parker, a native of Henderson, Nev., and senior public health advisor for the embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team, assigned to 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team “Warrior,” 25th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad.

The first organization to fund projects was the International Relief and Development organization. Other projects were then funded by the Commander’s Emergency Response Program, Iraq-CERP, Quick Response Fund and the Government of Iraq’s Ministry of Health.

Parker said the MoH now funds more than 50 percent of the projects, but its involvement was slow coming and took a lot of coordination.

“It is great they are now funding their own work,” Parker said. “It’s hard to have pride in something given to you.”

The man behind the coordination of all the organizations was Dr. Naja Nouri, the hospital’s director. Parker said he was insistent for the MoH to come on board and provide the support the agency was created for.

Since the beginning of the projects, Nouri has overseen the progress to ensure each was completed in a timely manner and with the quality he said he expects from a hospital.

“How can I not know what is going on here” he asked. “It is important for me, as the hospital director, to make sure each project is done right so we can give the best care possible.”

Parker stressed the importance of Nouri’s oversight as well as regular inspections by the MoH engineers.

“The MoH engineers are really great,” he said. “They increase the quality of work and really ensure the work is done to proper standards.”

Parker said he hopes this hospital’s success is a model for other hospitals in the area.

“Change is difficult,” he said, “but the process is slowly shifting to the right people at the right levels of government. This is what needs to happen to slowly take the U.S. out of the picture. This is their time to shine.”

DVIDS
By Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti
2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division

Raiders conduct clearing operations, net weapons cache and detainees

Multi-National Division – Baghdad soldiers conducted clearing operations that netted a weapons cache and seven detainees, suspected of attacks on Coalition forces and Iraqi civilians, in the West Rashid district of southern Baghdad May 10-11.

At approximately 5:30 p.m. May 10, in the Bayaa neighborhood, soldiers from Company A, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, detained a suspected criminal wanted for attacks against Coalition forces and the killing of innocent Iraqi citizens

At approximately 12:11 a.m. May 11, soldiers from Co. A, 1-22 IR, seized two rocket-propelled grenades, a hand grenade and a high-explosive anti-tank round while conducting a combat patrol in the al-Amil neighborhood.

Soldiers from Company B, 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, attached to the 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div., detained three suspected criminals while conducting point-specific operations in the al-Risalah neighborhood May 11.

Soldiers from Co. C, 4-64 AR, attached to the 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div., detained three known criminals while conducting clearing operations in the al-Risalah neighborhood May 11.

ISF, MND-B finds, seizes, substantial weapons caches across Baghdad

Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers found several large weapons caches across Baghdad May 12.

At approximately 10 a.m. Iraqi Army soldiers informed their Multi-National Division – Baghdad partners that they had discovered a weapons cache in east Rashid that contained several mortar rounds. The IA soldiers cordoned off the area to protect the local populace and awaited an explosive ordinance team to clear the site. EOD investigated the site and uncovered 54 82 mm mortar rounds and 27 60 mm mortar rounds.

At approximately 10:40 a.m., MND – B Soldiers discovered a weapons cache in the Mansour district of Baghdad that contained five grenades, five grenade fuses, three pounds of TNT, three rocket motors, an AK-47 and a 9 mm sub machinegun, and various types of bomb-making materials.

At approximately 3:20 p.m. a Sons of Iraq leader informed MND-B Soldiers of the location of a weapons cache in east Rashid. The cache contained seven rocket-propelled grenade rounds, a propane cylinder filled with an unknown explosive, a PKC light machinegun and assorted ammunition.

At approximately 4 p.m., a Sons of Iraq leader informed MND-B Soldiers about the location of a weapons cache in Adhamiyah. The cache contained two 57 mm rockets and two 60 mm mortars. Further investigation of the site revealed a 122 mm illumination round and 20 to 25 pounds of an unknown explosive.

MND-B Soldiers engage IED emplacers, find weapons cache

Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers killed three criminals and discovered a weapons cache during nighttime operations against enemy forces in Baghdad May 12.

At approximately 5:30 p.m., aerial surveillance witnessed two men initiate an improvised explosive device in northwestern Baghdad. An aerial weapons team then engaged the criminals, who were fleeing the scene on a motorcycle, with a Hellfire missile and killed them both.

Soldiers from 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, discovered a weapons cache consisting of five IEDs and two explosively formed projectiles in West Rashid at approximately 7 p.m.

At approximately 10 p.m., Soldiers from 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, killed one criminal after observing him emplace an IED in New Baghdad.