Ramadi had become a safe haven for anti-Iraqi forces, until October of last year. The enemy hijacked a primary school and a mosque, using them as their operations centers to conduct daily attacks on Coalition and Iraqi Soldiers. Attacks from the area included everything from improvised explosive devices, to small-arms ambushes and indirect-fire attacks with mortars and rockets. The citizens of this area felt forsaken. That is until an Iraqi Army battalion decided to take back the village. Soldiers from the 7th Iraqi Army Division’s 3rd Battalion established a strong point in the area, chipping away at the insurgents.
“Prior to October, there was a lot of insurgent activity in the area,” said U.S. Marine 1st Lt. Joe Cuscina, an operations advisor for the 7th Iraqi Army Division. “Two or three weeks after the strong point was set up, (AIF activity) went from a high level to almost non-existent.”
Cuscina said Coalition Forces reported 10 to 20 mortar attacks from the area in September. Since then, there has been only three.
The relationship the Iraqi Soldiers have established with the locals is seen as soon as the Soldiers exit their base, immediately greeted by the children and adults from neighboring homes.
“The people are really supportive of the (Iraqi Security Forces),” said U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Jashon Richardson, a company advisor with the military transition team. “They see that since the ISF are here, the area has gotten a lot better, so they keep them safe by telling them where caches are, and where IEDs are placed.”
During the patrols, the Iraqi Soldiers meet with other residents, check on the status of the infrastructure, the community, roadways and mosques.
“We talk to the Iraqi civilians and check if anyone is sick,” said one Iraqi Army Soldier. “We tell them we are here to protect them and help them build their schools and roads,” he said.
“As a unit, they are good. They can pretty much go out and operate by themselves now,” said Richardson. “Their (noncommissioned officers) have been taking more control than they previously did. Instead of everyone relying on the officer to do everything, the officers can delegate to the NCOs and they make it happen.”
The battalion will continue to secure the area until there is a properly trained Iraqi Police force ready to take over the duty. Then, the battalion can take the fight to the enemy in another area of Iraq.