Japanese Troops Spark Hope in Iraqi City (Neat article)

News Junkie ^ | Published Saturday, February 14, 2004 | By ERIC TALMADGE

[gdyniawitawa]

SAMAWAH, Iraq In the desert about three miles out of town, Col. Yasushi Kiyota is giving his morning briefing. Today, like most days, Kiyota has little to report.

Samawah is probably the best place in Iraq for an army that is trying to avoid a fight - and that is exactly what Japan's troops are trying to do.

Like all the Japanese soldiers here, when venturing outside Kiyota wears body armor and a helmet. Both carry patches with the Rising Sun flag, which stand out sharply from the camouflage green of his uniform.

It is a precaution that has so far been unnecessary.

Just about everybody in this dusty, impoverished city is armed, and gunfire is heard daily. But it is the sound of guns shot off in traditional celebration, at weddings or the arrival of guests.

There has been only one significant breach of security since the troops began their non-combat mission here late last month.

On Thursday, two mortar shells were fired from a northern residential area toward the center of town. The blasts broke a dozen windows, but caused no injuries. They also hit several miles away from the camp where the 100 or so Japanese troops are being housed and protected by the Dutch until they finish establishing their own base.

"We didn't hear it at all," Kiyota said, referring to the pre-dawn blasts, one of which hit near a hotel housing about a dozen of the contingent of Japanese reporters in town. The number of journalists is about equal to troops.

Samawah, which lies on the Euphrates River about 230 miles southeast of Baghdad, was chosen because it is a relatively safe testing ground for a push by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to bolster the role of Japan's military.

Since the end of World War II in 1945, the military has operated on a very short leash. Japan's constitution, written by American-led occupation forces worried that Japan might again emerge as a military power, has a unique clause renouncing the nation's right to use force as a means of settling international disputes.

So, while Japan's defense budget is among the biggest in the world, primarily because of the high salaries required to pay the troops, its military has been strictly limited to national defense. And even that role has been largely assumed by the United States, which maintains about 50,000 troops in Japan under a mutual defense pact.

But Koizumi has strongly advocated giving the Self-Defense Forces more to do.

Despite strong opposition from the public and months of heated argument in Parliament, he championed the plan to send about 1,000 troops from the air, sea and land to carry out non-combat, humanitarian projects in and around Samawah.

In the coming months, after the main units arrive, the troops will work on water purification and supply projects, and the reconstruction of schools and hospitals. Japanese cargo planes will help ferry medicines and other supplies to Basra and Baghdad.

A Japanese naval transport departed Saturday for Kuwait en route to Iraq as the navy joined ground and air units in the humanitarian operation. The 8,900-ton Osumi will heavy equipment and supplies for Japanese troops.

The forces are armed, but only for self defense. In ordering the dispatch, Koizumi vowed they will be here "to help, not to fight."

The Dutch continue to be responsible for keeping the peace in the region.

After the mortar attack, for example, the Japanese relied on information supplied to them by the Dutch, who investigated the site with the local police.

According to Japan's Kyodo news agency, two men living in the neighborhood were detained for questioning on Friday. Police had no immediate comment.

Part of Samawah's appeal to Japan was that ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein never had much support in this predominantly Shiite Muslim city, which security officials believe makes it hard for insurgents to use the city as a base.

Under Saddam, Samawah's name was changed to Muthanna, after an Arab leader from the early days of Islam. After taking power in 1979, Saddam changed the names of many cities to those of war heroes or famous battles to buttress his image.

The name reverted to Samawah after Saddam's regime was ousted during the U.S.-led war in April.

Saddam also blacklisted the city for joining in the 1991 Shiite uprising against him following the Gulf War, cutting off funds and leaving the city's hospitals and schools to crumble.

"There were so many executions," Anmar Khudr, founder of the Samawah-Japan Friendship Association, said Friday. "I knew many people who were killed."

The fall of Saddam ended the persecution, but not Samawah's problems.

The city, whose population has swelled from 450,000 six years ago to over 600,000 today, has about a 60 percent jobless rate. Workers make on average less than three dollars a day.

"The infrastructure of the town is very bad," said Khudr, a goldsmith and the coach of Samawah's basketball team. "There is sewage everywhere. There are no gardens. There is no place for the children to play."

He hopes the Japanese will change that, and not be spooked into a retreat by the continuing instability throughout Iraq.

"We created the friendship society because we had heard the Japanese were afraid for the safety of their troops," he said. "We want them to know that they have friends here."

[cyborg]

excellent article

[Maigrey]

BTTT!

RC, ping for you, dear.

[AD from SpringBay]

Just about everybody in this dusty, impoverished city is armed, and gunfire is heard daily. But it is the sound of guns shot off in traditional celebration, at weddings or the arrival of guests...

That sounds like a nice tradition. Maybe we should pick that one up?

[quantim]

the military has operated on a very short leash. Japan's constitution, written by American-led occupation forces worried that Japan might again emerge as a military power,

It might behoove the Iraqis to pay a little attention here.

[Dialup Llama]

The country which 'doesn't have a military' is either number two or three in defense spending.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Thanks for the ping and the post. (^:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SAMAWAH, Iraq -- In the desert about three miles out of town, Col. Yasushi Kiyota is giving his morning briefing. Today, like most days, Kiyota has little to report.

Just about everybody in this dusty, impoverished city is armed, and gunfire is heard daily. But it is the sound of guns shot off in traditional celebration, at weddings or the arrival of guests.

....Under Saddam, Samawah's name was changed to Muthanna, after an Arab leader from the early days of Islam. 

The name reverted to Samawah after Saddam's regime was ousted during the U.S.-led war in April.

Saddam -- blacklisted the city for joining in the 1991 Shiite uprising...cutting off funds...

"There were so many executions," Anmar Khudr, founder of the Samawah-Japan Friendship Association, said Friday. "I knew many people who were killed."

"We created the friendship society because we had heard the Japanese were afraid for the safety of their troops," he said. "We want them to know that they have friends here."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     

 Residents of Samawah, winning hearts and minds of their Japanese allies.

 Bless our  troops, Iraqi-ization, NON-UN-ilateral, freedom, ping!       

~~~~~~~~    ~~~~~~~

[SAMWolf]

Japanese Troops Bump

[Alamo-Girl]

Bump!

[Jeff Chandler]

...the sound of guns shot off in traditional celebration, at weddings or the arrival of guests...

East L.A.?

[blackie]

Good Bless our allies!

[radu]

Thank you Japan

[windchime]

Bump!