Soldiers go from combat to cleanup in Tal Afar

ARNEWS ^ | Sep 23, 2005 | David Vergun

[SandRat]

TAL AFAR, Iraq (Army News Service, Sept. 23, 2005) -- About 700 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division, working with Soldiers from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, are attempting to place the troubled city of Tal Afar under control before the constitutional referendum in October and the national elections in December.

The paratroopers of 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment arrived Sept. 11, ready to fight, but opposition was light. They conducted patrols and searched homes in the nearly deserted city, as well as questioned the few local residents who failed to evacuate prior to the operation.

“It was less resistance than we had anticipated from the [intelligence] reports we received,” said 2nd Lt. Steve S. Taylor, fire suppression officer for Company B.

‘White Falcons’ strive to make friends

As temporary residents of the city, the 2nd Battalion “White Falcons” are striving to build friendly relations with the people of the war-damaged city, Taylor said. The Soldiers hope the future relationships they build with the residents will encourage them to come forward with information and tips regarding the whereabouts of insurgents and weapons, he added.

To help build those relationships means making repairs and cleaning up the city, work that the paratroopers are already assisting with. “There is a lot of damage to the city and their homes. Now we have to help rebuild it,” Taylor said.

Short-term potable water needs are being provided by tanker trucks, portable water tanks and water cans distributed throughout the city, while Army engineers are upgrading Tal Afar’s water supply and distribution system.

Paratroopers clean out booby traps

The Iraqi government is discussing funding to rebuild Tal Afar. To date, the U.S. has approved $5 million to help rebuild the infrastructure of the city, with more than $3 million in additional funds requested. More than $730,000 is earmarked for transformers, wiring and other electrical infrastructure repairs, and two electrical lift trucks are standing by to aid in repairs to the electrical grid.

The paratroopers already completed a portion of their mission — they made the city safer. “We did the best we can on getting rid of all the bad guys, cleaning up the [improvised explosive devices] and the booby traps,” Taylor said.

In the first four days of the operation, the paratroopers found seven improvised explosive devices, weapons caches and extremist propaganda, said Capt. Jonathan Norman, the battalion intelligence officer.

The length of the paratroopers’ mission in Tal Afar is undetermined, officials said. They will stay in the city as long as the situation calls for, they said, but are capable of relocating to other parts of the country should the need arise.

(David Vergun compiled this article from military news releases)

[SandRat]

Different job same town in Iraq but peace is coming.

[BoBToMatoE]

I noticed the media didnt really mention anything about this little battle.

[SandRat]

Couldn't spin the story to justify their Coward's Biases.

[E.G.C.]

BTTT