By Spc. Ben Hutto
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division
FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Iraqi and coalition forces leaders met with Iraqi civic leaders from the Mada'in Qada at Forward Operating Base Hammer, Feb. 6, to plan future operations and discuss progress in the Qada.
Leaders from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team and the Iraqi 3rd Brigade, 1st National Police Division welcomed Maj. David Sulkhanishvili, commander of the 13th Light Infantry Battalion, 1st Georgian Army Brigade at the meeting.
"I feel we are ready to take Salman Pak to the next level," said Col. Wayne W. Grigsby, Jr., from Prince George's County, Md., commander of the 3rd BCT. "We have met with the leaders there and they are ready to welcome back the government and to make that city the premier resort location here in the Mada'in Qada."
Grigsby explained that he and local leaders felt it was time to remove security measures (roadblocks, checkpoints and sandbags) from the streets to help local perceptions of the area's security.
Brig. Gen. Adnan, the Mada'in Qada district police chief, was pleased with the progress Iraqi security forces have made in the area.
"Families are coming back to their homes," Adnan said through an interpreter. "The people are coming to the local police with their problems and are not afraid to talk with them."
Abu Bahar, mayor of the Mada'in Qada, praised the contributions coalition forces and ISF have made in securing the Qada.
"All of the improvements we have made have been possible because the security forces have worked to get us back where we were," Abu Bahar said. "History will show how you helped the people of the Mada'in Qada through a dark time. My hope now is that life will be better in Salman Pak very soon."
Grigsby expressed similar optimism on the outlook for Salman Pak.
"We have a lot of momentum right now, but there is still a lot of work left to do," said Grigsby. "If you look at where we have come from since we had our first meeting 11 months ago, it is incredible. Together we will continue to make life better here and build on the progress we have made."
The 3rd BCT, 3rd Infantry Division, from Fort Benning, Ga., and has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since March, 2007.
| Date Taken: |
02.08.2008 |
| Date Posted: |
02.08.2008 15:16 |
| Story ID: |
16165 |
| Location: |
FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, IQ |
| Web Views: |
276 |
| Downloads: |
264 |
PUBLIC DOMAIN
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