Posted on 07/02/2004 7:21:13 AM PDT by evets
BAGHDAD, Iraq — Not much has changed for U.S. troops since the handover of power to an Iraqi government. The blowing dust, searing heat and guerrilla war still make life miserable, and the daily routine remains eat, patrol, raid, guard and sleep.
The one improvement, however, is a new enthusiasm among the soldiers' Iraqi counterparts — the security forces intended to take over so the Americans can go home. The Iraqis are showing greater pride and initiative under a sovereign government than under the U.S.-led occupation, even though the U.S. military remains in charge of security.
Lt. Col. Mohammed Faiq Raoof, commander of the 303rd Battalion of the Iraqi national guard, is increasing the number of patrols his men conduct.
"I want to show people that we are in power now," he told his U.S. commander during their weekly lunch, the first since Monday's transfer of power.
Col. Michael Formica, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division's 2nd Brigade, nodded in agreement. "We want you to do that," he said.
Formica also approved Raoof's request to set up checkpoints and conduct patrols unaccompanied by U.S. soldiers. Then he went a step further and gave Raoof sole responsibility for patrolling one Baghdad neighborhood.
Raoof said Iraqi civilians seem to be taking pride in their security forces.
"Today, while on patrol, I saw people on the street clapping for them and smiling," he said. "The people are happy to see the Iraqi national guard."
When some Iraqi troops balked at carrying out combat operations in April against insurgents in Fallujah, questions arose about the reliability of Iraqi forces. Since then, however, Iraqi troops in the Baghdad area have repeatedly fought insurgents.
Still, Iraqi security forces are not equipped to work independently. Raoof's men only recently received body armor and vehicles and are still waiting for radios. But working beside U.S. troops, they have taken a greater role in searching homes and mosques while the Americans wait outside, in an effort to show greater cultural sensitivity.
Iraq's security forces also don't yet have the manpower to go it alone without the 160,000 U.S. and other foreign soldiers here. The Brookings Institute estimates there are 36,320 Iraqi guardsmen and nearly 84,000 police officers, many of the latter still not trained.
On Thursday, Raoof's guardsmen began patrolling in their new Russian jeeps with large Iraqi flags fluttering above them.
"They are definitely standing a little taller, paying a little more attention to detail," said Capt. Joe Pace, a trainer from the 1st Cavalry Division's 2nd Brigade.
He said the Iraqi security forces are easing the burden on U.S. troops by taking greater responsibility. "There are physically fewer square kilometers America has to dedicate energy on a regular basis to," he said.
Equally important to the National Guard, which is responsible for anti-insurgency operations, is the Iraqi police. Police stations are frequent targets for guerrilla attacks and bombings, but soldiers working with the police say sovereignty has also inspired them.
Capt. Kevin Hanrahan, commander of the 127th Military Police Company, said his soldiers' daily routine patrolling Baghdad's streets hasn't changed, but the Iraqi policemen he works with have had a new seriousness since sovereignty was returned.
"There's a level of intensity with the Iraqi police that I hadn't seen before," he said. "They are very vigilant on the streets. It's noticeable when you see them."
"I think the Iraqis realize this is there country and they are going to have to secure it," he added. "I don't think it means we are going to pack up and go home next week ... (but) it gives my soldiers a sense of satisfaction to see the Iraqi police want to secure their country."
yeah!
Gosh. That W shorrrre is stoopid, ain't he? Looks like he guessed right. Again.
Looks like our President was true to his word - again. Despite all the naysayers, haters, and even the occasional panickers like myself. What a great country America is - rids a foreign nation of a dictator, then hands them back their sovereignty at the cost of our own blood.
I guess the will to fight becomes greater as the feeling that you're fighting for yourself grows.
Yep, it's ALL BUSH'S FAULT!!!
A beautiful thing to witness.
There will still be bumps in the road but things are most certainly going in a forward direction.
I'm guessing that the editor at the AP is not a native speaker of English?
No Iraqi was going to fight for America - which is a completely understandable attitude. But they will fight for their country. That's why there's been a change in the attitude of Iraqi forces and it bodes well for the country's future.
Good article. I wish we would see more of this.
("I think the Iraqis realize this is there country . . ." Bad editing.)
Hmmm, this article seems to also make the case, albeit indirectly, for why we didn't need to send more troops to Iraq. It appears the plan was, all along, to have the Iraqis take care of security themselves. Which, in retrospect, makes a lot of sense.
The 32,000 Iraqi guardsmen plus our 160,000 troops puts total strength at about 200,000. Which, if I remember correctly, was the magic number when it came to those who were crying we needed more troops.
Well, since our guys would rather be "here" than "there," I suppose that makes the U.S. "here country." So one might make a case for saying Iraq is indeed "there country" (if you take an American's POV). The Iraqis would call "there" "here," and "here" "there" so an Iraqi editor would demand a change to say "Iraqis realize this is here country." Of course, if Our Noble Editor is Japanese, we'd have to translate it to "this is hell country," which isn't so far from the truth.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need an aspirin.
He relied on spell check. Fool.
Its not enough to defend the country for a couple of years yet. More local forces have to be trained and put the ground and then we can gradually build down our forces. It won't be a long time yet.
I realize that, however, Iraq has gone from zero to 32,000 in a remarkably short time. It appears to me to have much broader implications than just what the article talks about.
These Iraqi troops absolutely look a hell of a lot more professional than Sadaam's rabble. Good trigger finger discipline, muzzle awareness, etc. It's amazing what competent training will do.
After reading about the two Marines reported dead today, I appreciate reading about the Iraqis taking more responsibility for their own security.
I can't wait until the Marines and other servicemen withdraw to the outskirts of the cities and let the Iraqis deal with Iraqis.
I've been thinking that this strategy of turning control over but remaining in force is a prelude to taking off the kid gloves and crushing the insurgency without mercy; it will after all be under the authority of the Iraqi government, and not the 'occupying forces'. There are a couple of places there that need to be turned into sheets of glass.
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