Photo By Sgt. Michael Alberts | Command Sgt. Major Frank Leota, brigade command sergeant major, 3rd Infantry Brigade...... read more read more
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by Spc. Mike Alberts
3rd BCT, 25th ID PA
KIRKUK, Iraq – Transferring a safe and secure Iraq back to its people will depend, in large part, on the establishment of a legitimate, representative government. Legitimizing the government may depend on how well coalition forces integrate Iraq's tribal culture.
For centuries, tribal sheiks have influenced the social, economic and political landscape of Iraq. They have the people's ear and influence their action. Leadership of the 25th Infantry Division's 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team recognizes this cultural reality and is taking historical strides to give a voice to tribal interests in the Kirkuk Province.
Coalition leaders and elders from the prominent area tribes convened a historic meeting in the Hawija District Sept. 20 to discuss tribal needs and concerns, and to develop approaches to include tribal interests in the development of the district's future.
Hawija is located in the Kirkuk Province and has been the scene of significant opposition to coalition forces this year. In the Hawija District, several influences compete with democracy according to Lt. Col. Drew Meyerowich, battalion commander, 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3IBCT. One of the most significant influences is the tribal leaders.
"The people in this province have lived thousands of years within a tribal system," said Meyerowich. "So when you are trying to help provide a representative government in a society where tribal grand sheiks are the ones that historically provide for the people, [our effort] will not be successful unless the tribes are a part of the process," he emphasized.
The meeting was the first such cooperative meeting between American military leaders and the heads of each prominent tribe. Each sheik confirmed that never before had they all gathered under one roof with American military leaders to discuss solutions to the tribes' mutual concern over a lack of inclusion in the future of Iraq.
During the meeting, the grand sheiks expressed their need for fair representation in local and regional government, and their mutual desire to have a role in reconstruction. Afterward, elders shared a traditional meal with their American military guests as a symbol of cooperation.
"This meeting was tremendously significant," emphasized Capt. Jeff Fuller, fire support officer, 2-27. "If the sheiks feel like they are being ignored by the government they will communicate that to their people. By ignoring their interests, you would be crippling any effort to build a legitimate democratic government," said Fuller. "If you are not representing the tribal voice in the Iraqi government then the government does not truly represent the people in this district."
Captain Roland A. Keller, Jr., company commander, Delta Co., 2-27, is one of Meyerowich's progressive "Wolfhound" leaders that interacts with one of the district's tribal leaders on a weekly basis. Keller, through interpreters, listens to tribal concerns and passes along information to the sheik so that the local citizens better understand coalition motivations and actions. By all accounts, the effort to include prominent tribes in the reconstruction process is proving successful.
"We talk to the people on a regular basis to see if our messages conveyed to the sheik are getting out into the villages and to the people. They are," said Keller. "The people are beginning to understand that we're here to effectuate change and to help them return to a normal life where war isn't impacting them on a daily basis," he said.
Of course, "an obvious mark of the meeting's success will be an overall decrease in combat operations and an increase in civil and humanitarian projects in the future," commented Meyerowich. "We need to bring about change in this region," said the Wolfhound commander. "This meeting is a very big step in that direction."
| Date Taken: | 09.22.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 09.29.2006 10:59 |
| Story ID: | 7863 |
| Location: | KIRKUK, IQ |
| Web Views: | 200 |
| Downloads: | 60 |
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