Photo By Master Sgt. Mark Burrell | Sgt. 1st Class Brad Preece (left), a cavalry scout platoon sergeant from Scott Depot,...... read more read more
BAGHDAD — As part of an ongoing mission, U.S. and Iraqi army Soldiers searched farmlands on the southwestern outskirts of Baghdad, Sept. 21, with metal detectors, grit and determination.
"We may not work directly with Iraqi security forces in the city, but we're still in the rural areas trying to keep the weapons out of Baghdad," explained 1st Lt. Will Hargis, a platoon leader assigned to B Troop, 1st Battalion, 150th Armored Reconnaissance Squadron, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team.
To keep arms and ordnance out of enemy hands in Baghdad, the Soldiers patrolled over the bubbling canals and green pastures with children tending to cows, although it hasn't always been this way.
In the past, insurgents have used this area as a place to store weapons caches, said Hargis, from Huntington, W.Va.
"[These types of searches] help because if we actually find anything, then it takes bombs and explosives out of the hands of the enemy and that helps our buddies out," said Sgt. Jacob Facemyre, a cavalry scout from Charleston, W.Va., also assigned to B Troop. "I want to make a difference here and these patrols make it safer for us."
After splitting up into groups with a mixture of Iraqi and U.S. Soldiers, the troops spread out searching different plots of land.
"We try to do all our missions joint for two reasons," said Hargis. "One, it shows the local people the IA is out here trying to keep them safe...and two, they know the terrain better than us and they're a great asset to have."
The leader of the IA troops, 1st Lt. Mohammed Adel Jassim, agreed.
"When the farmers see the IA escorting the U.S., then they feel good seeing the IA in the lead," said Mohammed, the commander of 3rd Company, 1st Bn., 23rd Brigade, 17th IA Division.
Since the security agreement on June 30, all the training the U.S. forces have provided for IA soldiers has paid off because they are expected to take on more of a leadership role in their communities' security, added Mohammed.
"It has to progress this way because the U.S. Army cannot be here forever, so we have to step up, like today," Mohammed said, as his troops were quick to be the first to start digging in piles of dirt when the metal detector beeped.
"If we have a suspicious area and then we search it, it is no longer suspicious," explained Mohammed who has worked with U.S. Forces for more than four years. "We are just like one army; same mission, same targets."
After digging up many suspected sites, the combined force unearthed only a metal cap to an expended illumination round.
"Yeah, we came back empty-handed, but people still see us out there looking for weapons and they know we're still out there trying to find the enemy and keep the locals safe," said an upbeat Hargis. "Though we didn't catch them today, we may have disrupted the enemy because now that's one place they know we're searching."
Keeping the pressure on the enemy and not allowing insurgents to move freely is the main idea behind this ongoing operation.
"We didn't get lucky, but, hey, maybe next time we'll find something, but we'll keep looking," said Hargis with a dirt-stained and sweat-soaked uniform.
This is the first time that B Troop and IA soldiers participated in the ongoing brigade mission to root out suspected cache sites in the area, but will not be the last time they share sweat and dirt together to protect the local population.
| Date Taken: | 09.21.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 09.24.2009 04:46 |
| Story ID: | 39199 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 244 |
| Downloads: | 225 |
This work, Joint mission uproots, disrupts insurgent activities, by MSG Mark Burrell, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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