'Safe Neighborhood' project more than 'Concrete'

Courtesy Photo | Abna'a al-Iraq, or concerned local citizens, man a checkpoint in Khadra, Jan. 27. Soldiers with Company C, 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, operationally attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) conducted combined traffic control point operations with CLCs and Iraqi national police while concrete barriers were being emplaced throughout the muhallah to enhance security throughout. (U.S. Army photo/Capt. Dan Cannon, 1st Bn., 64th Armor Regiment)  

IRAQ

02.06.2008

Courtesy Story

2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (AA) Public Affairs

By Capt. Dan Cannon
1st Bn., 64th Armor Regt.,
2nd BCT, 101st Abn. Div., MND-B

KHADRA, Iraq – The day began at 4:30 a.m. Jan. 27 when Multi-National Division – Baghdad soldiers from Company C, 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, wiped the sleep out of their eyes, donned their nearly dry uniforms and looked out of their sand-bagged windows – hoping to find that it stopped raining sometime during the night.

They were not necessarily looking forward to spending the next 48 hours standing in the rain; and, as luck would have it, not a drop could be seen falling through the dim light provided by the joint security station lights as they flickered on and off. All they could hope for was that the rain stayed away – at least for the next couple of days.

At 6 a.m., they began combined traffic control point operations with the Concerned Local Citizens and their Iraqi National Police counterparts of the 1st Battalion, 6th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi National Police Division.

The operation was simple in its tasking, but the purpose had a more complicated goal. As several tons of concrete continue to be placed around Khadra as a security measure for the local nationals, access points had to be manned and vehicles entering the area searched or the concrete barriers became nothing more than an almost $1 million eyesore.

The purpose of the operation is to bolster security at these access points in an attempt to deter enemy logistical movement and indentify possible weaknesses in the wall. In order to do so, the Soldiers spent the next 48 hours searching vehicles with their ISF counterparts.

"It got a little backed up this morning, and we were surprised to see the local Iraqi Police working the checkpoint with us without even being asked. Without their help this morning, we would have had a line of cars backed up a mile," said Staff Sgt. Thomas Taylor, platoon sergeant for 2nd Platoon, Co. C, 1-64 AR.

The locals from Khadra, although hesitant at first, have made it a point to voice their appreciation for the wall that now surrounds their city, said Taylor. As they weigh the inconvenience versus the increased security the wall has provided, the majority of Khadra citizens have come to appreciate the barriers.

At 11:30 a.m. Jan. 28, almost 30 hours into the mission, a local national walked up to the check point with a camera man. 1st Lt. James Gallagher, platoon leader for 2nd platoon, found out the two of them were a news team with "Out There News" working for Channel 4, a British network.

The reporter introduced himself as simply "Osama" and spent the next hour talking with Coalition Forces, Iraqi Security Forces and local nationals about security in Khadra. The response Osama received from the locals he interviewed mirrored that of the comments the Soldiers have said throughout the operation.

"The checkpoints make this crowded, but they are worth it," said Omhar, a local man waiting in line to have his vehicle searched. "Before three months, I wouldn't let my children walk to school, but the security has gotten much better and my children are able to walk to and from school without my supervision."

The local Iraqis are aware that Coalition Forces are profiling taxis moving into and out of the city, but it has not slowed down the influx of taxi traffic they continue to see at the check points.

"Two months ago I wouldn't even come into Khadra; lately though, business has been good and the checkpoints are only a slight inconvenience. They are actually the reason it is now safe for me to come into Khadra," said Ali, a taxi driver from Dora.

During a neighborhood advisory council meeting a month ago, NAC representatives presented a plan to the chairman to produce memos for local bus drivers to come in and out of the city to carry children to and from schools in Khadra. There are 14 schools inside Khadra that are attended by students throughout the Al Mansour District.

Although the barriers have certainly hindered what locals would consider daily activities in the neighborhood, they continue to develop plans to help streamline and support the project. Marian is one of these bus drivers found waiting in line at the checkpoint with a van full of children who were apparently late getting to the Khadra Girls Secondary School to take their semester exams.

"The process is getting easier," said Marian. "Two months ago, we couldn't even find drivers willing to do this job."

"You can't be late if you're all late together," explained Gallagher, to a van full of students who were worried about being late.

• Date Taken: 02.06.2008
• Date Posted: 02.06.2008 14:23
• Story ID: 16092
• Location: IQ