Iraqi Army brigade receives new trucks to guard infrastructure

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Angela Mc Kinzie | Lt. Col. Scott Harris, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment commander, hands the keys to 25 new pickup trucks and two fuel tankers to Col. Hallaf, Strategic Infrastructure Brigade commander, during a ceremony at Forward Operating Base Summerall Oct. Oct. 28. The 82nd Airborne battalion provided the vehicles to the SIB to better protect oil pipelines, powerlines and other vital infrastructure in the area.  

10.28.2006

Story by Sgt. Michael Tuttle 

5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment   

by Sgt. Michael Tuttle
5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

BAYJI, Iraq – An Iraqi army brigade received 25 new pickup trucks and two fuel tankers from an 82nd Airborne Division unit Oct. 28, enabling them to better protect the infrastructure here.

The 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment provided Bayji's Strategic Infrastructure Brigade with the $1 million worth of vehicles to be distributed among the brigade's six battalions.

Today is a huge step in the progress of the Iraqi army as they continue to take the lead in the country's security, said Lt. Col. Scott Harris, battalion commander. Providing the SIB with the 25 four-ton Chevrolet Silverados and two fuel tankers will allow them to better accomplish their missions throughout our area of operations. They guard oil pipelines, power lines and roads which are main avenues of approach where tankers travel long distances.

The SIB's Iraqi soldiers arrived at Forward Operating Base Summerall early Saturday eager to check out their new trucks and wipe them down after an early morning rain.

"The vehicles are going to help our soldiers move in every mission and to every location," said SIB commander Col. Hallaf, through an interpreter. The trucks will give the SIB the slotted number of vehicles they are supposed to have to accomplish their mission.

The city of Bayji, about 150 miles north of Baghdad, is one of the most strategic cities in the Salah ad Din province, according to Harris. It has the largest oil refinery in Iraq and produces enough gas to fulfill 70 percent of Iraq's domestic product.

Bayji also provides about 50 percent of Iraq's electricity, including about 60 percent of Baghdad's electricity alone, Harris said.

"The key to success is ensuring that criminals don't tap into those lines, steal the oil and don't sabotage electricity," Harris said. He expects the SIB to take the vehicles and put them to good use by stepping the security level up another notch.

Harris estimates that cutting out oil corruption in the area will gain $6 billion for the people of Bayji.

• Date Taken: 10.28.2006
• Date Posted: 11.06.2006 11:08
• Story ID: 8216