Photo By Spc. Courtney Marulli | Iraqi artists create murals out of concrete security barriers near the Abu Nuwas...... read more read more
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By Spc. Courtney Marulli
2nd BCT, 2nd Inf. Div. Public Affairs
FORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY, Iraq – The historic Abu Nuwas Market in Baghdad was once a flourishing part of the city that provided a variety of shops, restaurants, lounges and hotels that people from around the world came to see.
Recently, the street was besieged with car bomb attacks and was shut down and closed off to the populace. Shop owners and restaurateurs either left the area or stayed and watched the area slowly deteriorate.
Under Operation Fardh Al-Qanoon, also known as the Baghdad Security Plan, the Abu Nuwas Market is going to be re-opened for public use.
The rebuilding has begun. The hard work of dedicated Iraqis under the protection of Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, currently operating as part of the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, is making this possible.
Maj. Anthony G. Judge, the executive officer for 1-504th PIR, said opening the market will help stimulate the economy by providing Iraqis with jobs and places to spend their money on various goods.
Allowing the Iraqis to create a flourishing market is something they can take pride in. The project is not a coalition project. Instead, Judge said, it is a project planned, directed and executed by Iraqis.
Coalition forces are on hand to provide protection and offer advice. Protection is also provided by commercial contractors from Dyncorp. Since the barrier project is going to allow traffic to travel down streets again, Judge said plans are in the works to create a secondary route for Dyncorp vehicles to use.
Judge said the first phase of the project is to create traffic control points where Iraqi security forces can check vehicles and where people enter. Side streets were blocked off by large cement barriers that are offset to allow pedestrians access, Judge said. The concrete barriers are a temporary measure until security improves in the area.
The project planning to get the Abu Nuwas Market up and running again pre-dated the Baghdad Operations Command, said Lt. Col. John Rudolph, the civil affairs officer for Multi-National Division – Baghdad.
"Actually, it was the Rusafa Command, Iraqi police and Iraqi Army, who has the lead for security of the Abu Nuwas Market project," Rudolph said. "The 1-504th has area security as part of their patrol area."
One of the important factors is things need to be done right for the Iraqi people, but with the least amount of pain for them, Judge said.
The first day of the project went smoothly as the barriers were laid in place. Once the entry control points are functioning and all the side streets blocked off to vehicles, the Iraqi people can once again feel free to walk down the street and shop in peace without the threat of a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device.
"VBIEDs continue to hurt, but they are less frequent," Judge said.
The next challenge lies in getting the shop and restaurant owners to come back and start up their once-lively businesses.
Many of the paratroopers in the 1-504th who have helped oversee the placement of the temporary barriers and provided security to the Iraqi workers feel good that their contributions are going to help ensure this once-flourishing market opens up again.
Cpl. Patrick A. Baker, of HHC, 1-504th, a member of the personal security detachment, said it feels great to be a part of the Baghdad Security Plan and to be able to watch the Abu Nuwas Market come back to life.
"Maybe tourists will be able to come back and I want to get pictures and show that I was there and helped," said the Florence, S.C., native.
Spc. Will M. Hedin, also of HHC, and another member of the PSD, said it feels good to play a part in helping bring the market back to its former state. The Chester, Conn., native said everyone would like to see the project move a little faster.
Overall, the famous Abu Nuwas Market is on its way to being open to the public and, with time, may once again become the tourist attraction it once was.
| Date Taken: | 04.30.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 04.30.2007 10:08 |
| Story ID: | 10174 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 498 |
| Downloads: | 418 |
This work, Baghdad Fish Market Re-Opening; Historic Abu Nuwas Market Project underway, by SPC Courtney Marulli, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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