Families able to start new lives in Khidr

By 1st Lt. Marshall Tucker
4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs Office

KHIDR, Iraq — After several years of al-Qaida presence in the town of Khidr, just west of Iskandariyah in Babil Province, the community recently saw its first month free of al-Qaida influence, allowing former citizens to return to their homes and begin rebuilding.

Iraqi army forces, together with elements of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, cleared the area north of Forward Operating Base Iskan during Operation Marne Roundup last December. Company B, 3-7th Inf. Regt. established a permanent security position in Khidr with a new patrol base.

Building up security in the Khidr region is an ongoing task that will evolve over time. However, Soldiers say they are already seeing the benefits of the newly-established patrol base.

Only weeks after moving into the area, Soldiers began to hear stories about families planning to return to their homes which had previously been occupied by al-Qaida operatives.

As Company B patrolled Khidr, they noticed people they had not seen before. Conversations and interactions between members of Company B and local citizens from the surrounding area soon revealed that there were families coming home after years of displacement.

First Lt. Ted Blyth, leader of 1st Platoon, testified to the enthusiastic return of the locals. "The people we've seen have been all smiles. I mean, they realize that there is still a lot of work to do in the town. A lot of buildings have been destroyed. But they've been saying that they want to help rebuild. They're just happy to have their land back, I think."

The resettlement of Khidr is a work in progress. Having been an al-Qaida stronghold for so long, most of Khidr's infrastructure and venues of everyday life vanished when residents fled the area. "It's something we will all be working together on for the rest of our time here," said Cpt. Jim Hart, commander of Company B.

"The people need to have their normal lives back," Hart said. "They'll need schools, town halls, and markets just like we have back home. They have the desire to work on those things and we have a lot of the assets that can help. So we'll continue to work together so that they can look to the future rather than dwell on what's been lost."

Much of these assets come in the form of commanders' emergency relief program funds which are being used to start projects such as school renovations and trash cleanup. These programs provide residents with income and improvements to the economy and infrastructure.

The new leader in the area, sheik Jaffar Hussein Duddin al-Janabi, has asked men from Khidr to assist in the Concerned Local Citizens program called Sons of Iraq. His assistance has been critical to the security and growing economy of the area, according to Hart. Sheik Jaffar is hoping to represent his people in the Iskandariyah town council. In the end, Hart said, his goal is to combine the efforts of the Iraqi government, coalition forces, and the local populace in making Khidr a bustling community once again.