Civil-Military Teams Work To Restore Services in Baghdad
01 September 2006
Establishing rule of law, debris removal key to normalcy, U.S. colonel says
Washington – U.S. military forces are working to deliver humanitarian assistance to designated Baghdad neighborhoods, even as counterinsurgency operations continue in and around Iraq’s capital.
U.S. Army Colonel Thomas Vail told reporters September 1 that U.S. and Iraqi forces are pursuing a broad plan to improve conditions in the capital, including capturing kidnappers and removing abandoned vehicles so that traffic can flow more smoothly.
Vail, who commands the 4th Brigade Combat Team with the 101st Airborne Division, said that on August 31 nearly 700 local Iraqis were employed to haul 74 truckloads of debris out of Baghdad’s Adhaniya neighborhood.
In his update from Baghdad via videoconference to reporters at the Pentagon, Vail said, “We’re removing abandoned vehicles, debris, and ensuring that traffic can flow safely” through neighborhoods selected by the Iraqi government. He also said U.S. forces are working with local district councils to restore vital services.
As an example, he pointed to the August 31 delivery of 1,700 humanitarian assistance meals that were distributed through neighborhood fire stations and local councils, as well as the distribution of 50 power generators.
U.S. Army medical personnel also are assisting Iraqi doctors and medics in Adhaniya set up three health care clinics to provide medical care and screening for low-income residents. (See related article.)
SECURITY FOCUS
Vail’s unit has been in Iraq since January, operating mainly in eastern Baghdad. He said his soldiers recently have helped free 20 kidnapping victims and capture many of the kidnappers. “We have also captured six of our top-10 most wanted terrorists over the past two months,” the officer added.
Vail is responsible for 4,000 infantry, armor, artillery, cavalry and support troops who work closely with 15,000 Iraqi security forces operating in and around the capital. They move into troubled neighborhoods, clear out insurgents and debris, work out systems to protect the local population and build or rebuild essential infrastructure and services.
He said there are 34 coalition and Iraqi battalions available for a variety of missions in east Baghdad. Vail also said the combat power of “Operation Together Forward” is having a corrosive effect on what he described as a communal insurgency that includes al-Qaida, criminals and religious extremists. The offensive operation has netted many weapons and cleared tens of thousands of buildings throughout the city, he said. (See related article.)
Even though insurgent forces have been able to exploit their access to vehicles and clothes that resemble those used by Iraqi security forces, Vail said the Iraqi government is moving swiftly to close this security gap by clearly identifying official cars and issuing uniforms.
When this process is complete, Vail said he thinks it will help to distinguish those posing as police or security personnel from “those who are actually doing their job every day and putting their life on the line.” (See related article.)
For more information, see Iraq Update and the electronic journal Improving Lives: Military and Humanitarian Assistance Programs.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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