Troops help protect Iraqi polls
October 17, 2005
BAGHDAD (Army News Service, Oct. 17, 2005) -- Combined forces throughout Iraq stepped up security efforts during the constitutional referendum vote Oct. 15, resulting in few attacks to disrupt the democratic process.
Only nine attacks associated with the 1,300 polling sites in the Baghdad area occurred from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Task Force Baghdad officials said. The attacks consisted of one improvised explosive device, two mortar/rocket, two rocket-propelled grenade and four small-arms-fire attacks.
Attack thwarted in Yusufiyah
Task Force Baghdad Soldiers detained 11 suspected terrorists at a checkpoint in Yusufiyah in the early afternoon of Oct. 15, heading off a potential attack on voters.
After stopping a suspicious blue van at the checkpoint, Soldiers from 108th Cavalry, 48th Brigade Combat Team searched the vehicle and discovered three 125-millimeter projectiles.
Iraqi security forces had the primary responsibility for site security throughout Baghdad. As voters entered the polling stations at local area schools and government buildings surrounded by coils of concertina wire, Iraqi Army Soldiers and Iraqi Police managed security. Task Force Baghdad Soldiers assisted Iraqi forces with backup security operations along outer perimeters by enforcing no-traffic zones around polling sites.
More than 250,000 new voters in the Baghdad area turned out to cast their ballot for the constitutional referendum, including some areas in north, south and west Baghdad which did not participate in the January elections.
Security on Oct. 15 extended to the ballots themselves. No ballots were stolen or otherwise compromised in the Baghdad area during the referendum process, Task Force Baghdad officials said.
There were no instances of violence in Tal Afar, an area controlled by paratroopers from the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, who provided security support for the referendum Oct. 15, 2005. More than 8,000 people voted in the zone’s three polling sites.
10th Mountain helps secure Abu Ghraib
In the Abu Ghraib district, Iraqi Soldiers and police had searched more than 4,000 Iraqis by noon Oct. 15 as the citizens headed to the polls.
Two Abu Ghraib polling stations ran out of ballots near the end of the day due to high voter turnout and had to be re-supplied to accommodate the local residents waiting to vote.
Iraqi Army Soldiers and Iraqi Police secured polling stations in western Abu Ghraib in the days leading up to the Constitutional Referendum vote. As foot traffic streamed toward the voting sites, Iraqi Security Forces continued to be a visible presence to deter terrorist attacks.
U.S. Soldiers from 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division remained in the background to support their Iraqi counterparts with outer perimeter security operations.
“The people of Abu Ghraib are euphoric to participate in the political process,” said Lt. Col. James R. Blackburn, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Combat Regiment commander. “We are proud to observe this historic event.”
100,000 stream to polls in al Anbar
In the al Anbar province, members of 2d Marine Division and Iraqi security forces provided security for 139 polling sites. More voters turned out than during the national elections held last January, with more than 100,000 eligible voters participating in the process.
“I am extremely pleased with the role 2d Marine Division and our partners in the Iraqi security forces played in helping to provide a safe and secure environment for the citizens of al Anbar to go to the polls,” said 2d Marine Division Commanding General, Maj. Gen. Richard A. Huck.
Part of the success from the Oct. 15 vote can be attributed to recent and ongoing operations conducted by Coalition and Iraqi security forces in the western Euphrates River Valley.
Preparations laid groundwork for secure voting
Major operations such as Iron Fist, River Gate and Mountaineers, along with numerous smaller operations neutralized the terrorist’s stated goal of disrupting the referendum. These operations have uncovered dozens of seized weapons caches, resulted in the detention of hundreds of suspected insurgents and eliminated terrorist sanctuaries throughout the province.
During preparations for the vote, Iraqis moved polling materials for the constitutional referendum from warehouses to polling centers in many Baghdad neighborhoods Oct. 12. U.S. Forces monitored the preparations, but Iraqis took the lead.
“This operation (was) 100 percent Iraqi,” said Sgt. 1st Class Mark Lewandowski, a member of a Task Force Baghdad civil affairs team who monitored the operation. “We don’t touch the ballots, we don’t move the ballots and we don’t secure them,”
Iraqi Police and Iraqi Public Order Brigade forces conducted rehearsals for security procedures with Coalition Forces in the weeks leading up to the vote. The combined forces practiced responding to a variety of crisis and terrorist attack scenarios to ensure the forces were prepared to react effectively.
Overall, about 15.5 million of Iraq's 26 million people were registered to vote.
(Compiled from news releases by Task Force Baghdad, Task Force White Falcon, Multi-National Force Iraq.)
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