TAL AFAR, Iraq- Houses are riddled with bullet holes along Route Santa Fe, a main highway running through the outskirts of Tal Afar, Iraq, used by terrorists to attack Multi-National Forces and Iraqi security forces in recent months. A coordinated offensive operation by Multi-National Forces and Iraqi security forces recently chased the terrorists out of the city, but not without damage to buildings and houses where the terrorists were hiding. Now, residents have returned to their city to begin the process of rebuilding the infrastructure, repairing electrical lines and reopening businesses, hoping the terrorists are gone for good so they can live in peace.
For the last six months, civil affairs Soldiers have been restricted from helping the 250,000 residents of Tal Afar because of violence caused by terrorists. Now that the terrorists have left the city, the Soldiers are moving in to assess damages and look for ways to aid the rebuilding. "Our two focuses for the present are to support the rebuilding of infrastructure that was damaged in the recent fighting and to improve upon the existing facilities in Tal Afar," said Maj. Tim Vidra, the civil affairs officer for the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team).
Civil affairs Soldiers from the Stryker Brigade, along with Soldiers from the 416th Civil Affairs Battalion and engineers from the 133rd Engineer Battalion toured sites in the city on September 18 and 19 to determine the extent of damage. They visited electrical and water facilities, police stations and a grain silo to determine the most important projects to assist the people of Tal Afar.During a visit to the electrical substation, the Soldiers found that much of the city's electrical problems could be fixed with minor repairs. Some of the power lines were brought down in the city and a few transformers were damaged. The local electrical department is already working to fix these problems.
"Our primary concern is power," said Vidra. "If they don't have power, the water pumps won't function and their refrigerators won't stay cold."
Many of the people who live on higher ground were not getting water because there was not enough pressure to move the water to all the neighborhoods in Tal Afar, a problem that has existed in the city even before terrorists moved in. To immediately solve this problem, Multi-National Forces rented 20 water trucks to be used in the city to distribute water to the homes that are not receiving water. "This was a high impact project we could do immediately to improve the water situation in the city," said Vidra.
To aid the city's policemen who responded to many of the recent attacks, the civil affairs Soldiers provided them with two new vehicles and 140 sets of body armor. Multi-National Forces will also repair the damage that was done to the police academy and one of the police stations during the recent fighting.
"I was prepared for a lot of damage," said Capt. Dean Preston, commander of Company A, 133rd Engineer Battalion. "However, most of the damage was minor and the building structures were still intact."The Soldiers are also taking steps to immediately improve the unemployment rate in the city.
According to Vidra, approximately 75 percent of the city's population is unemployed. Many of these people are vulnerable to terrorists who will pay money to those who are willing to help them carry out attacks against Multi-National Forces and Iraqi security forces. The projects that the civil affairs Soldiers select will be contracted to local contractors, employing many people from the area. The Soldiers hope that by giving people jobs they will be less likely to harbor or cooperate with Anti-Iraqi forces.
The absence of terrorists and the cooperation of the local residents will allow these projects to move forward. Humanitarian aid cannot be distributed when bullets are flying and blood is being shed. A dangerous environment prevents the civil affairs Soldiers from performing their mission. Before the terrorists left the city, the Soldiers were being attacked each time they tried to help the people of Tal Afar. At one point, terrorists attacked them as they were distributing aid to the local hospital.
"Without security, we cannot accomplish these projects," said Vidra. "We cannot find contractors who will work in an environment where they do not feel safe."
The attack that forced the terrorists to leave and the return of control to the Iraqi security forces marks a new beginning for the people of Tal Afar. Multi-National Forces are working to improve the conditions for people who have been living in a violent atmosphere.