Posted on 05/04/2010 5:10:10 PM PDT by SandRat
KIRKUK – After helping Iraqi Soldiers deliver supplies to a village near here recently, U.S. Soldiers took a back seat as the Iraqis handled the distribution of aid and interacted with the people.
Capt. Azad, an Iraqi Army platoon leader, hands out supplies to citizens in the village of Doskushman, near Kirkuk, Iraq, April 22, 2010. U.S. 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division Soldiers, out of Fort Bliss, Texas, helped their Iraqi counterparts transport the supplies to the village, and then took a back seat as Iraqi Forces took the lead on the mission. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Jessica Luhrs.
The Soldiers, with 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, out of Fort Bliss, Texas, assisted their partners in unloading two large trailers full of water, food and clothing, then returned to their trucks to observe the IA leading the mission on its own.
“This was a big step for the IA Soldiers here,” said 1st Lt. Robert Cline, from Dallas, a platoon leader involved. “They really took charge as the primary deliverers of the aid.”
After unloading the trailers, the leader of the IA Soldiers, Capt. Azad, along with the village Shaykh, Maad al Asem, identified the neediest families and began distributing the goods.
“Today was a good day for the people of Doskushman …,” said Asem.
Cline agreed, saying this mission was not only good for the residents of the village, but for the IA Soldiers, as well.
“Building a rapport with the villagers around Kirkuk will really help the IA during the upcoming drawdown of U.S. Forces in the area,” he said. “With the transition to stability [vs. security operations] in the next few months, the villages … will need to begin turning to and trusting their [Iraqi] Security Forces.
“The leadership already trusts them and now the villagers can begin to also, because they [the ISF] are keeping the promises they have made to them,” Cline continued.
Building trust with the villagers will also assist the IA in gaining critical information to hinder any possible insurgent activity.
“People will talk if they trust you, and when they talk, the IA Soldiers find out where the insurgents are hiding and detain them,” said Azad, after receiving a tip from a resident about a possible IED in the area.
Many more Humanitarian Aid deliveries are planned for this and other areas throughout Iraq in the near future, where the ISF will continue to take the lead and build stronger relationships with the residents they serve and protect.
Bush’s fault.
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