Phoenix Battalion turns over last of Iraqi security forces checkpoints along Baghdad's Airport Road

Photo By 1st Sgt. Brent Williams | Iraqi national police from the 1st National Police Mechanized Brigade accompany their...... read more read more

Photo By 1st Sgt. Brent Williams | Iraqi national police from the 1st National Police Mechanized Brigade accompany their deputy commander for a meeting and follow-on checkpoint inspections with leaders from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad. The Iraqi security forces joined with Soldiers of the 1st Special Troops Battalion, 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div., and 1st BCT's Infrastructure Coordination Element, Jan. 24, to take control of several new ISF checkpoints newly built along Baghdad's Airport Road located in the Rashid District. The 1st BCT's ICE partnered with the government of Iraq and Baghdad's Amanat to remove antiquated security posts on the major thoroughfare leading into Baghdad from the south. The ICE hired local Iraqi contractors to construct new checkpoints, installing lights and building an office, to assist the ISF in their ongoing mission to secure the people of Iraq.  see less | View Image Page

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

01.25.2009

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Brent Williams 

1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division

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By Sgt. 1st Class Brent Williams
1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq — Leaders from the 1st Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, officially handed over the last ISF checkpoint to national policemen of the 1st NP Mechanized Brigade on Jan. 24 in the Rashid District of southern Baghdad.

The 1st BCT Infrastructure Coordination Element supervised the building of nine checkpoints on Airport Road to assist in the major renovation project and improve the overall appearance and function of the highway to international standards, said Lt. Col. Dave Hill, commander of 1st STB, 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div.

With the improving security situation in Baghdad, the government of Iraq initiated a project in July 2008 to revitalize the capital's major thoroughfare, approximately seven kilometers of highway connecting Baghdad to southern Iraq.

Coalition forces promised to assist in the major reconstruction project, particularly with the overhaul of the Iraqi security forces checkpoints along Airport Road, said Hill, who hails from Mountaintop, Penn.

Designed to improve security and force protection for the ISF, the checkpoints are a small contribution to the renovation project led by Baghdad's Amanat, the city's public works department responsible for overseeing many of Iraq's reconstruction projects, he explained.

The battalion hired local Iraqi contractors to construct the checkpoints, pouring reinforced concrete, fixing lights to illuminate the access points and building an environmentally controlled office to serve the Iraqi national police, who used to operate the checkpoints from their vehicles, explained Hill.

The battalion directly contributed to the project by providing its own assets to remove more than 2,000 concrete walls and earthen barriers once lining Airport Road, while the Amanat painted, fixed bridges and is now repairing the road, said Hill.

The road remains well-protected, even with the recent renovations and the removal of outdated security measures, evidenced by the traffic on Airport Road everyday, said Hill.

"The record speaks for itself, and the level of attacks on that road are extremely low," he explained. "We didn't remove something without a plan to compensate for the overall security of the road, so the city government built some permanent walls like seen on many highways back in the U.S."

The experience proved to be personally rewarding, said Hill, who is serving his third deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"[Airport Road] today looks very different than six months ago," he said. "The day-to-day conditions that the Iraqis live and work in everyday have improved drastically."

The security situation in Baghdad is much better than before, said Mushtaf, a local Iraqi contractor hired by coalition forces to rebuild and refurbish the ISF checkpoints.

"A lot of people were without jobs and without work," he explained. "The checkpoints made more secure areas for us to work and more jobs for the Iraqis and more income for the Iraqi people."

The contractors now work freely, when and where they want without the fear of retribution, added Mushtaf, who said that he finds great pride and satisfaction working on a project that helps the people of Iraq rebuild.

The renovation project is important to the rebuilding of Iraq's infrastructure because the major access point through southern Baghdad is the first impression many visitors will have of the nation's capitol, he explained.

"More important," he explained, "it creates the bridges of cooperation and friendship between the people of the United States."

The checkpoints will also help reduce traffic congestion for Iraqis, he added.

The progress of the Airport Road renovation project indicates that the Iraqis understand how important their work is for the future of the nation, said Maj. Tom Clark, 1st BCT ICE chief, 1st STB, 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div.

"The partnership is ongoing, working with the ISF and the city governance to make sure that the issues and the challenges that are identified are worked to solutions," said Clark, who hails from Copperas Cove, Texas.

Reconstruction projects such as the Airport Road will continue to build security and the checkpoints play a good part in maintaining that security, explained Clark.

"In the States, a project like this would take years," he explained. "[Airport Road] had a quick turnaround," he said. "The Iraqi government really used its best assets, combined its efforts with the Ministry of Interior, NP, and CF."

Clark also said that the combined efforts of the GoI, ISF and CF during projects such as Airport Road show that both sides share the same objectives of advancing security and building upon the progress of the nation.