Appointment in Samarra

Photo By Rick Rzepka | A "no slack" Soldier from the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, creeps through the tall grass in an area outside of the restive city of Samarra. The "no slack" troopers later discovered a fuel tank being used by local insurgents to sell black market fuel to the locals.  

SAMARRA, IRAQ

12.18.2007

Story by Sgt. Rick Rzepka 

1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (AA) Public Affairs

By Spc. Richard L. Rzepka
1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division

SAMARRA, Iraq - There was a merchant in Baghdad who sent his servant to market to buy provisions and in a little while the servant came back, white and trembling, and said, "Master, just now when I was in the marketplace I was jostled by a woman in the crowd and when I turned I saw it was Death that jostled me." "She looked at me and made a threatening gesture, now, lend me your horse, and I will ride away from this city and avoid my fate. I will go to Samarra and there Death will not find me." The merchant lent him his horse, and the servant mounted it, and he dug his spurs in its flanks and as fast as the horse could gallop he went. Then the merchant went down to the marketplace and he saw me standing in the crowd and he came to me and said, "Why did you make a threatening gesture to my servant when you saw him this morning?" "That was not a threatening gesture," I said. "It was only a start of surprise. I was astonished to see him in Baghdad, for I had an appointment with him tonight in Samarra."


"A Joy to Behold"

Much like the servant in this short tale told by British author W. Somerset Maugham in 1933, al-Qaida in Iraq has fled Baghdad and other major Iraqi cities in an attempt to escape its fate, and much like the tale's narrator, troopers from the 101st Airborne Division intend to meet them in Samarra.

"No slack" Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, assumed responsibility of the tumultuous city, Oct. 2007.

These "Screaming Eagle" Soldiers are concentrating their efforts, to provide Samarra's people with the security they need, to reestablish the city as one of Iraq's most treasured destinations and to encourage the city's dwindling economy.

Samarra, which means "a joy to behold" in Arabic, is one of the four holy Islamic cities of Iraq, and is generally considered to be the largest ancient city in the known world, with architecture dating back to 836 A.D.

In a treacherous effort to turn Iraqis against each other in Feb. 2006, al-Qaida in Iraq laced the sacred Al-Askareyya Shrine with explosives, devastating the holy site and fomenting sectarian strife, which claimed the lives of thousands.

In an effort to curb the sectarian violence and restore calm to the nation's capital, Gen. David Petraeus called for the troop surge, which decimated the terrorist organization's ability to operate in Baghdad. "Less than half the al-Qaidaleaders who were in Baghdad when this campaign began are still in the city," said Petraeus. "They have fled or are being killed or captured. We are attriting them at a fearsome rate," he said.

As a result, many Al-Qaida fighters fled north in an attempt to escape the certainty of death in cities like Baghdad and Ramadi, said 1st Sgt. Richard Tucker, whose Cougar Company, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment is in charge of providing security to Samarra's citizens.

On Nov. 17th, coalition forces kept the appointment with senior Al-Qaida terrorist Abu Maysara, along with five other AQI terrorists who were killed in Samarra. Abu Maysara, served as a senior adviser to Abu Ayyub al Masri, the Egyptian-born leader of al-Qaida in Iraq.

"We've taken a fair amount of key players out of the picture here," said Tucker, whose Cougar Company lives in the city among the people.


"We're Not Always Looking For a Fight."

Al-Qaida fighters and other insurgent groups have paralyzed the city with fear and intimidation, which has hurt the local economy and constricted the local government's ability to act.

"The general population of Samarra is tired of living in fear," said Tucker. "The biggest threat right now is AQI and common thugs who don't want to make an honest living."
Since arriving in Samarra in October, Tucker says that there have been many positive changes in the embattled city.

"It's a lot different since we took over for the 82nd," said Tucker, who credits the "no slack" Battalion's philosophy of speak softly but carry a big stick for their success. "Today you can't just be a kick in the door shoot 'em up type of leader. Today you almost have to be a politician and a good judge of character as a senior leader," said Tucker. "We're not always looking for a fight."

As Tucker's Cougar Company prowls the winding streets of the city, they often stop to converse with the locals, which Tucker says, "has made a huge difference."

Cougar Company Soldiers operate a 24-hour tip line, which has proven to be instrumental in helping keep the city's streets safe.

"We hand out cards with our number on it, and it says if you have any knowledge of insurgency activity call this number. When the previous unit tried that, in 6 months they got only four to five calls. We get three or more calls per day on possible IEDs and AQI," said Tucker. "To win this fight you have to be in the city and living within the city, you can't be on these super forward operating bases, you have to live amongst the people."


"The Berm"

In order to deny the insurgency a safe-haven in Samarra, the fabled "no slack" Battalion of the 101st Airborne Division, recently launched Operation Fillmore, an extensive effort to canalize the flow of traffic through three major traffic points coming in and out of the city.

The city of Samarra is surrounded by a large man-made berm, which is designed to force residents to enter one of two checkpoints leading into the city. Since the berm was first built three years ago, insurgents have breached it, allowing them the freedom to enter and exit the city when they please.

Recently, as a part of Operation Fillmore, the berm has been repaired, making illicit entry into the city impossible. "It makes it harder to smuggle weapons into the city and it gives the Iraqi security forces command and control of their area of operations," said Capt. Don Ross, "no slack" Battle Captain. One of the primary goals of the operation is to open up the flow of goods in and out of the city, said Ross.

Cougar Company Soldiers have already seen results from the berm's refortification. In the last few days, since the berm has been rebuilt, there has been a huge increase in the movement of people in Samarra and the reopening of markets and shops, said Ross. "They feel more open to come out and carry on without fear," said Staff Sgt. Rodney Sutton, "no slack" battle non-commissioned officer. "The greatest challenge to the area is to spur economic growth in and around the city," he said. "If we can solve the economic issues people will be less likely to support the insurgency."

"Samarra has been our most challenging place to work, in the governance and economics realm, primarily because the local government has been unstable since the ground war," said Capt. Laura Peters, Provincial Reconstruction Team liaison.

In the past ten months, Samarra has seen four different local mayors, which makes governance of the city difficult. However, Peters and her team are hopeful about the once prosperous city.

"We have made more progress in the past couple of months than we have in the past couple of years, primarily because the 1st Brigade Combat Team commander is visionary in the sense that he understands that we need to open up the economic lines of communication," said Peters. By allowing the people of Samarra the freedom of movement necessary to sell their goods and services, the PRT said that economic growth and eventual stability is inevitable.

To further foster Samarra's economic growth, the PRT here is currently trying to open a bank to provide micro-loans to small businesses. According to Peters, stimulating the economy with capital will get business to reopen by invigorating the trade and exchange that once made Samarra great.

"The greatest thing about Samarra is that it used to be a booming market economy with a lot of industry, so it really has a ton of potential," said Peters. "If we can clean Samarra up security wise, that will allow people to get back to work," she said.

For Samarra's citizens, the sight of the markets reopening and traffic beginning to flow is a joy to behold. As they turn their back on al-Qaida, their patience and determination to make the city thrive again is evident by the sight of the hundreds of people shopping and selling, bartering and trading, downtown.

As al-Qaida's grip slips on the city, and as they scramble to reorganize, Cougar Company and "no slack" Soldiers will be waiting for them, making good on their appointment in Samarra.

• Date Taken: 12.18.2007
• Date Posted: 12.18.2007 13:48
• Story ID: 14811
• Location: SAMARRA, IQ