.Back to Iraq: Carson soldiers fight battle for living rooms
BAGHDAD -- In a convoy bristling with gunners, Fort Carson’s Col. John Hort is doing what would be called “neighboring” in rural Colorado.
Hort, the boss of a 3,600-soldier combat brigade sent here last month, shows how much the Iraq war has changed in this agrarian part of the Tigris River valley.
The fight once centered on killing insurgents and holding friendly territory. That continues, but now soldiers also are fighting to win in every living room. And on Saturday, Hort was making house calls.
Leaders here said their enemies in the valley, from sectarian groups to al-Qaida in Iraq terrorists, use fear as their weapon — scaring families into cooperating by threatening their lives unless they pledge to battle American and Iraqi government forces.
Hort said his main weapon is hope — something he worked to spread Saturday.
The day began not far from Camp Taji, where three battalions of Hort’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team are stationed near date palm groves about 20 miles north of downtown Baghdad.
The colonel, on his second wartime tour in this county-size area of Iraq, ordered his convoy to a house surrounded by orange trees to check on a sick Sunni woman whom he’d met the previous day.
The suspicion that greeted Hort turned to warmth when the household residents discovered his purpose. The colonel was told the woman had gone to a doctor in a nearby town, but he paused to talk, asking about such things as the economy, utility service and the houses along the river.
“My weapon is not my rifle,” he told the man of the household after promising to check back on the woman’s health in a few days. “My weapon is getting people to help the Iraqis.”
Nearly five years into the Iraq war, the brigade’s troops are pushing into neighborhoods to revive the idea that Iraq can change, if the nearly 1 million Iraqis who live here and their government work at it.
The soldiers said they see hopeful signs: Family-run open-air markets dot the highways, and people rushed out to wave to the American convoy. At every stop, Hort was surrounded by children who screamed “Mister, mister,” as they begged for candy and cash.
Capt. Matt Jensen, a company commander on his second tour in Iraq, runs a joint Iraqi-American security outpost that was on Hort’s list of stops Saturday.
“The people are now more receptive,” he said, recalling his Iraq service in 2006 with the brigade, when the locals often hid from soldiers. “The people aren’t afraid of us.”
Tips from the locals have been a powerful tool in fighting roadside bombs and the Iraqi police have proven adept at tracking down insurgents. The city and county governments here are improving and taking on public works projects that had gone wanting before American soldiers increased their presence in the region and attacks on civilians dwindled, the soldiers say.
“That’s the biggest first step for us, getting in touch with the people,” Jensen said.
Soldiers say the signs of success are boosting morale. Troops along Hort’s route said they’re excited about the missions ahead.
“We are seeing a lot more Iraqi people standing up for their neighborhoods,” said Sgt. David Wagner, who works at the security station an hour’s drive from the Camp Taji. “They are tired of the destruction.”
The brigade has placed much trust in the Iraqis near Camp Taji.
Groups around the base are paid to act as “concerned local citizens,” essentially an American-backed neighborhood watch designed to stop insurgents at gunpoint when they try to move into the area.
Hort’s route included several traffic checkpoints manned by the AK-47 carrying citizen groups.
Between checkpoints, Hort stopped at markets, where men thronged to him, often giving him an earful about their living conditions, which mostly make Camp Taji look like a luxury resort.
Hort and other commanders are working with local officials, trying to spur projects to restore water and electric and sewer service, a topic that locals gave him an earful about.
Iraqi Army Maj. Ali Mahmood Abbas said he’s happy with how closely his 300-soldier unit is working with Hort’s brigade. He said the region is beginning to swing away from violence.
“The only thing missing is essential services,” Abbas said through an interpreter, before treating Hort and his men to an unexpected feast of local delicacies. “After we get that, things will get better.”
Hort’s focus on fixing infrastructure doesn’t mean his soldiers have stopped fighting.
“That’s our day job,” Hort said. “Our night job is to go after the bad guys who are trying to interfere with what we’re doing.”
Officials say attacks against the military and civilians are down in the brigade’s area to about a half a dozen per week.
He’s offered Burger King hamburgers to a whole company of troops if they catch one of the region’s most wanted men.
Getting rid of insurgents is key, but giving the Iraqis enough hope that they’ll stand on their own could win the war, leaders say.
The Sunni man Hort spoke with at the house beside the river seemed to understand.
“If you think of hope,” he said through an interpreter. “Hope shall be.”
Gazette
Hort, the boss of a 3,600-soldier combat brigade sent here last month, shows how much the Iraq war has changed in this agrarian part of the Tigris River valley.
The fight once centered on killing insurgents and holding friendly territory. That continues, but now soldiers also are fighting to win in every living room. And on Saturday, Hort was making house calls.
Leaders here said their enemies in the valley, from sectarian groups to al-Qaida in Iraq terrorists, use fear as their weapon — scaring families into cooperating by threatening their lives unless they pledge to battle American and Iraqi government forces.
Hort said his main weapon is hope — something he worked to spread Saturday.
The day began not far from Camp Taji, where three battalions of Hort’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team are stationed near date palm groves about 20 miles north of downtown Baghdad.
The colonel, on his second wartime tour in this county-size area of Iraq, ordered his convoy to a house surrounded by orange trees to check on a sick Sunni woman whom he’d met the previous day.
The suspicion that greeted Hort turned to warmth when the household residents discovered his purpose. The colonel was told the woman had gone to a doctor in a nearby town, but he paused to talk, asking about such things as the economy, utility service and the houses along the river.
“My weapon is not my rifle,” he told the man of the household after promising to check back on the woman’s health in a few days. “My weapon is getting people to help the Iraqis.”
Nearly five years into the Iraq war, the brigade’s troops are pushing into neighborhoods to revive the idea that Iraq can change, if the nearly 1 million Iraqis who live here and their government work at it.
The soldiers said they see hopeful signs: Family-run open-air markets dot the highways, and people rushed out to wave to the American convoy. At every stop, Hort was surrounded by children who screamed “Mister, mister,” as they begged for candy and cash.
Capt. Matt Jensen, a company commander on his second tour in Iraq, runs a joint Iraqi-American security outpost that was on Hort’s list of stops Saturday.
“The people are now more receptive,” he said, recalling his Iraq service in 2006 with the brigade, when the locals often hid from soldiers. “The people aren’t afraid of us.”
Tips from the locals have been a powerful tool in fighting roadside bombs and the Iraqi police have proven adept at tracking down insurgents. The city and county governments here are improving and taking on public works projects that had gone wanting before American soldiers increased their presence in the region and attacks on civilians dwindled, the soldiers say.
“That’s the biggest first step for us, getting in touch with the people,” Jensen said.
Soldiers say the signs of success are boosting morale. Troops along Hort’s route said they’re excited about the missions ahead.
“We are seeing a lot more Iraqi people standing up for their neighborhoods,” said Sgt. David Wagner, who works at the security station an hour’s drive from the Camp Taji. “They are tired of the destruction.”
The brigade has placed much trust in the Iraqis near Camp Taji.
Groups around the base are paid to act as “concerned local citizens,” essentially an American-backed neighborhood watch designed to stop insurgents at gunpoint when they try to move into the area.
Hort’s route included several traffic checkpoints manned by the AK-47 carrying citizen groups.
Between checkpoints, Hort stopped at markets, where men thronged to him, often giving him an earful about their living conditions, which mostly make Camp Taji look like a luxury resort.
Hort and other commanders are working with local officials, trying to spur projects to restore water and electric and sewer service, a topic that locals gave him an earful about.
Iraqi Army Maj. Ali Mahmood Abbas said he’s happy with how closely his 300-soldier unit is working with Hort’s brigade. He said the region is beginning to swing away from violence.
“The only thing missing is essential services,” Abbas said through an interpreter, before treating Hort and his men to an unexpected feast of local delicacies. “After we get that, things will get better.”
Hort’s focus on fixing infrastructure doesn’t mean his soldiers have stopped fighting.
“That’s our day job,” Hort said. “Our night job is to go after the bad guys who are trying to interfere with what we’re doing.”
Officials say attacks against the military and civilians are down in the brigade’s area to about a half a dozen per week.
He’s offered Burger King hamburgers to a whole company of troops if they catch one of the region’s most wanted men.
Getting rid of insurgents is key, but giving the Iraqis enough hope that they’ll stand on their own could win the war, leaders say.
The Sunni man Hort spoke with at the house beside the river seemed to understand.
“If you think of hope,” he said through an interpreter. “Hope shall be.”
Gazette
posted by madtom at 12:01 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home