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| FALAHAT, Iraq (Jan. 9, 2008) -- Lance Cpl. Justin Milsaps and his fellow Marines with Engineer Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 8, 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward), provide force protection despite low enemy activity in the area. |
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| FALAHAT, Iraq (Jan. 9, 2008) -- Sgt. Berry Oakley looks on as his Marines emplace barriers to provide protection for an Iraqi police station here. The force protection is also intended to spare policemen from manning posts at the station so they can instead patrol the area. Oakley is a Logistics Vehicle System operator with Engineer Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 8, 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward). |
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| FALAHAT, Iraq (Jan. 9, 2008) -- Marines with Engineer Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 8, 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward), emplaced 220 barriers and almost 3,000 meters of razor wire at an Iraqi police station. The renovations are intended to provide the police with the force protection they need if the threat level increases. |
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| FALAHAT, Iraq (Jan. 9, 2008) – Petty Officer 3rd Class Daniel Clark mingles with local Iraqi children near the worksite for the Marines with Engineer Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 8, 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward). In an effort to prolong stability in the area, the Marines emplaced 220 barriers and almost 3,000 meters of razor wire. Clark is a corpsman with the company and a Tucson native. |
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| FALAHAT, Iraq (Jan. 9, 2008) -- Cpl. Mitchell Nevins inspects to ensure an observation post is secure for lifting to the roof of an Iraqi police station. The force protection is also intended to spare policemen from manning posts at the station so they can instead patrol the area. Nevins is a motor transportation driver with Engineer Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 8, 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward). |
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| FALAHAT, Iraq (Jan. 9, 2008) -- Cpl. Drew Braun helps install razor wire to provide force protection to an Iraqi police station here. Though the area is currently stabile, the Marines continue to develop Iraqi infrastructure. Braun is a combat engineer with Engineer Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 8, 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward). |
FALAHAT, Iraq -- Iraqi and U.S. forces have achieved great stability in recent months, conducting operations and working with the Iraqi people to greatly decrease enemy activity. Even after the successes of the past year, however, they show no signs of slowing down.
Focusing now on sustained stability, Marines installed 220 concrete barriers and almost 3,000 meters of razor wire in an area where stability was once deemed unattainable. Though the area currently lacks a high threat, motives for emplacing this protection at the town’s police station are aplenty. At the top of the list is ensuring Iraqis have the tools they need to maintain stability.
“We want to plan for the worst. There still is that (truck bomb) threat to the entry control points and they’re targeting more of the Iraqi police and the Iraqi army instead of coalition forces,” said 1st Lt. Nathan Mueller, a platoon commander with Engineer Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 8, 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward). “They see that the Iraqi army and police are the future.”
The engineers built stairs leading to new observation posts that overlook the surroundings. They also constructed a new entry control point to the station to facilitate searches and demolished a small building to increase the visibility of the compound’s guards.
This town’s police have been operating under the guidance of Marine Corps trainers, often leading patrols themselves. If not for the added security, the station’s police chief said they wouldn’t feel fit for success.
“Without their help, we couldn’t have done anything,” Lt. Col. Jabbar Diraa Feihan said of the Marines. “This gives us the protection we need to defend the people if the threat level increases.”
Until now, many small villages have relied upon patrols by U.S. and Iraqi troops for security. But a rise in recruiting has allowed local police forces to take on more prominent roles in their communities.
In Falahat, news of the departure of a 1st Iraqi Army Division unit located here was met with fears that an increase in violence could soon follow.
But Iraqi police will man the same checkpoints their army counterparts once did and hope that the reinforcement of the police station will serve as a visual reminder to residents that they are here to stay.
The leader of the police transition team claims the renovations have earned the force credibility amongst the local people, scoring them an early relationship that has led to intelligence from area residents.
“It legitimizes them as Iraqi police. It lets the people see that it’s built up here and that this place is here to stay,” said Staff Sgt. Patrick M. Wright of 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 6. “They’re concerned less about the security of the area because they see that Falahat station is defended well.”
Wright said those threatening the town’s peace tend to come from outside the area. Greater security spares policemen from manning more posts at the station, freeing them for patrols that help keep the enemy out.
“Had we not received any of this force protection before they left, it’s inevitable that there would’ve been an attack,” said Wright. “Any pre-planned attacks on this place will definitely be postponed and they’re going to definitely need to reevaluate that with all the new force protection.”