BAGHDAD — U.S. Soldiers and Iraqi security forces continue to make southern Baghdad a safer place during a joint patrol to a car market in the Aamel neighborhood, Nov. 5.
American troops from 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team and Iraqi federal police, along with military working dogs, combed the market, searching for explosives, especially those often used to assemble car bombs.
"The mission...was to search for any type of vehicle-borne [improvised explosive device] making materiel, or any place where they could store anything that can be used to make vehicle IEDs," said 2nd Lt. Quadean Knight, an American platoon leader.
The mission was part of an ongoing project by the 30th HBCT to search areas in which explosives or weapons have been found.
"The Aamel car market has been a place where they could manufacture things like mortar tubes, and it has been known for housing IED-making materiel," said Knight, from of Greensboro, N.C.
The U.S. and Iraqi Soldiers, along with K-9 support, divided into two groups and the joint patrol moved down the crowded strip, searching garages that held cars lifted up for repairs and talked with shop owners to see if there had been any suspicious activity in the area.
Dark puddles, thick with oil and smeared by water, dotted the ground as K-9s sniffed under car parts and below hydraulic lifts.
No one found any signs of explosives, but Knight said the mission was still a success.
"It was a presence patrol," Knight said. "Just letting [the enemy] know that we're still in the area, still patrolling the streets with our [Iraqi security forces] counterparts."
Knight said patrolling the area with our Iraqi partners plays a big role in keeping the area safe.
"Presence is a big thing. Just letting them know that we're still coming through and searching can deter violence," Knight said.