Posted on 12/06/2008 7:51:38 AM PST by SandRat
BAGHDAD — More than 30 shaykhs from the Baghdad neighborhoods of Hurriyah and Tarmiyah gathered recently in an area once filled with sectarian violence to see for themselves how the security situation has changed.
The religious leaders from both the Sunni and Shiite tribes met at the al-Farooq Mosque in Hurriyah, where members of the 6th Iraqi Army Division and Multi-National Division – Baghdad displayed how safe the neighborhood is.
Many of the shaykhs from Tarmiyah had once lived in Hurriyah and relocated because sectarian violence dramatically increased from around February 2006 to February 2008, according to Maj. John Breland, human terrain team leader, attached to the 2nd HBCT, 1st Inf. Div.
“The shaykhs (from Tarmiyah) were surprised and amazed by the progress that had been made in Hurriyah over the last two years,” Breland said. “They were under the impression that Hurriyah was still a very dangerous place, and as they witnessed for themselves, that is not the case.”
Iraqi Army Maj. Adhab Imam al-Giussy Hussein, commander, 1st Battalion, 22nd Brigade, 6th IA Division, formally welcomed the visitors and spoke of the effectiveness of the battalion’s tactics against sectarian violence in Hurriyah.
Maj. Hussein explained that despite the reputation of Hurriyah, anti-resettlement violence is almost nonexistent and the situation is still improving.
After Hussein talked about the security mission, he described the procedures of how Tarmiyah attorneys can come back and work with the IA to help facilitate relocation. He then turned the discussion over to the shaykhs.
Afterwards, the shaykhs were escorted by the Iraqi Army to Dolai, a neighborhood they were also concerned about. They felt the IA did not have a strong presence in Dolai and were able to see how security has improved there as well.
One of their concerns expressed was that of the Abass Mosque, which they heard was destroyed during the course of the sectarian violence. To their relief, they were able to tour the mosque, touch its walls and see that it was never disturbed.
“This went a long ways toward convincing them that a lot of things they heard about Hurriyah were not correct,” Breland said. “Our hopes are that they will carry what they learned to Tarmiyah so the citizens there, who are displaced, will know that a lot of the things they’ve heard about Hurriyah are no longer true and it’s safe for them to come home.”
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