Soldiers of Battery A, Task Force 2-11, 2nd Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, converse with Iraqi army soldiers while maintaining security during T-wall removal in the city of Samarra, Salah ad Din province, Iraq. Lt. Col. Andy Preston, commander, Task Force 2-11, and Lt. Col. Ghayath, director of the Samarra Joint Coordination Center, led the planning team that developed the Samarra security project, which includes the removing T-walls on the streets leading to the mosque, revitalizing markets on those streets, and installing new security equipment to maintain security for pilgrims, Samarra citizens and the mosque itself. The removal of the security barriers signified vast improvements in security for a once embattled city. U.S. Army photo by Capt. Pete Cox

Two days before the fifth anniversary of the bombing of Al Askari “Golden” Mosque, the security barriers protecting one of the holiest Shia shrines in Iraq came down.

“This is a great day for Samarra, and a great day for all of Iraq,” said Lt. Col. Andy Preston, commander, Task Force 2-11, 2nd Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 25th Infantry Division.

“I’m happy for the citizens of Samarra, who will finally see their city restored,” said Preston, who hails from Edmond, Okla.

Following the bombing of the Al Askari Mosque, Feb. 22, 2006, U.S. and Iraqi security forces implemented enhanced security measures to protect the mosque and the Shia pilgrims who visit each year.

U.S. forces, working with Iraqi security forces, blockaded large portions of the city with “T-walls,” tall expediently emplaced concrete barriers that have become a common site across Iraq.

After Iraqis rebuilt the mosque, the T-walls remained, blocking pilgrims from the once vibrant marketplaces which colored the streets leading to the holy site.

Iraqi security forces required visitors to be escorted through blockaded T-wall channels to and from the mosque, a process which drastically impaired the tourism-based economy of Samarra.

“We have been working so hard on this project for so long, it is hard to believe it is finally happening,” said Lt. Col. Ghayath, director of the Samarra Joint Coordination Center, a site designed to synchronize the security efforts of U.S. forces, Iraqi army, Iraqi police, federal police and the Sons of Iraq.

“The people of Samarra wanted this for a very long time, and the security forces made it possible,” said Ghayath, who serves as the primary liaison between U.S. forces and the Samarra Operations Center.

The Samarra Operations Center, the command that oversees all Iraqi security forces in Samarra and much of southern Salah ad Din, developed the plan to leave T-walls around the mosque in place until a new permanent protective structure is built, said Ghayath.

ISF will maintain the re-established security in Samarra using additional police, security cameras, X-ray machines and better control of the site, he said.

Although the combined planning team primarily focused on security for pilgrims, local citizens and the mosque, other issues played an important role.

“One of the biggest problems we faced in Samarra was the lack of available employment,” Preston said. “No matter where you are in the world, people with no money and no prospects are more likely to turn to crime and violence than those who have the ability to make a way for themselves legitimately. Re-opening these markets by taking down the T-walls will provide that legitimate opportunity.”
Preston and his task force are not the first to attempt restoration of Samarra to its potential.

Two battalion commanders who preceded Preston worked alongside the leadership of Samarra through partnered efforts aimed at repairing damaged sections of the city and providing small business grants to shopkeepers to help prepare their stores for the day when the T-walls would come down.

“I wish I could see the faces of [Lt. Col.] Sam Whitehurst and [Lt. Col.] Eric Timmerman when they hear the news,” Preston said of the commanders of the last two U.S. units in Samarra—both personal friends. “I know that they truly cared about the people of Samarra and that they would love to be able to celebrate with their old friends.”

Command Sgt. Maj. Berk Parsons, senior enlisted leader of Task Force 2-11, conveyed the significance of the T-wall removal as an indication of progress in Samarra in terms of security.

“The city of Samarra holds a significant place in the history of Iraq,” he said. “Unfortunately, what most know about the city’s role is its contemporary history, specifically concerning its connection to the sectarian violence.”

“The progress of the Samarra government and the Iraqi security forces set the conditions which allow the city to begin its return to its former prestige,” Parsons said. “The removal of the T-walls is a tangible symbol and a phenomenal progression towards the city’s restoration.”

DVIDS

An Iraqi man hooks chains onto the lifting points of a concrete barrier as the barriers are removed from a marketplace in Samarra, Iraq, March 23, 2009. This was the first step in a citywide barrier removal project.

Scores of Samarra citizens joined provincial and community leaders March 23 to attend a concrete barrier removal ceremony reminiscent of the opening of the Berlin wall nearly twenty years ago.

The concrete barriers, commonly known as “T-walls,” surround several government and military buildings throughout Samarra to provide a layer of protection against insurgent attacks. While T-walls have become a familiar site in Iraq, they are a sign of more dangerous times, and most citizens agree it’s time for them to go.

Samarra’s mayor, Mahmood Khalaf Ahmed, joined Lt. Col. Sam Whitehurst, commander, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, and citizens from all over the city of Samarra to witness the first step in a city-wide barrier removal project.

“Samarra has become very peaceful,” said Omar Khaled, a local produce shop owner. “The barriers remind us of bad times,” Khaled continued, “but it is time to look toward the future and enjoy our peace. It is time to reopen Samarra.”

To the sound of cheering and clapping, a young Iraqi man dressed in sweatpants and sandals strapped hooked chains onto the lifting points of the barriers. Ten individual barriers were lifted, removed and placed on a flat-bed truck.

Both Ahmed and Whitehurst spoke with Iraqi media, echoing Khaled’s sentiment.

“The people of Samarra have a sense of security now,” said Ahmed, “a security they have not known in many years.”

“Many exciting events have transpired in Samarra over our last five months here,” said Whitehurst. “Today is, without a doubt, the most exciting of those events.”

Whitehurst concluded by saying “the progress and security that has come to Samarra is a direct result of the cooperation and partnership of the Samarran people. None of this would be possible without your help.”

The site selected for the initial barrier removal is in a section of Samarra that was once used for public executions in darker days. Today it is a peaceful marketplace.

The removed barriers will be given to the Iraqi Army and used for security around military compounds.

MNF-I