thedrifter
09-18-06, 07:30 AM
Chasing invisible enemy
US troops' mission is to hunt down invisible enemy melted in with 35,000 people of Saqlawiyah.
By Thibauld Malterre - SAQLAWIYAH, Iraq
A thick column of smoke rises from the dusty, desert terrain amid a roar of engines as nearly six US humvees come to a grinding halt in front of a small marine base, "Outpost Riviera".
"This is the 14th IED (improvised explosive device) we have found," declares Sergeant James Backest, 27, from the Golf Company of US marines 2nd battalion, 8th regiment, as he steps out of his humvee.
"Three IEDs exploded on us," says Backest, showing the remains of one of the makeshift bombs they came across while on patrol.
"When we ask the civilians who did it, the only answer is, 'This is a peaceful village'," he says.
"(But) it can't be that peaceful because we got blown up. It will help us more if they talked to us. But I can understand them, they are afraid for their life, their family, their job."
Backest has returned from the patrol to his company base, set up in what once used to be a hotel in Saqlawiyah, west of the Iraqi capital Baghdad in the restive Sunni province of Al-Anbar.
The US troops' mission is to hunt down an invisible enemy that has melted in with the nearly 35,000 people who live in and around the town.
Their solution is to win the hearts of the locals, but they admit they aren't even sure whether the insurgents make up a small percentage, or the entirety of the local population.
"Wave to the people, talk to them, be polite," Captain Mark Broekhuizen instructs his marines each day before they go on patrol.
"That has an effect. We can get information we can turn into intelligence by talking to people. We want to drive a wedge between insurgents and the people," the company commander said.
"It's difficult to have tangible results. We sometimes feel like (we are) chasing a fairy tale, but our presence does have an effect."
And Broekhuizen says he believes progress is being made.
His troops walk briskly through the town's main market or chat with children who come asking them for pencils. But the locals are still neither openly friendly, nor boldly hostile.
To get even closer to the people of Saqlawiyah, the Golf Company's officer for civil affairs, Lieutenant Tony Friel, has the role of collecting complaints from the locals.
"Most of the times, people are friendly. But when it comes to working with us, they're afraid to be seen with us," says Friel.
Iraq's Anbar province has been a major battlefield for US forces since the invasion ended in April 2004. The bulk of the US military's nearly 2,680 deaths have been in the Sunni province.
A recent internal marine report said the sustained insurgency in the province had deeply affected the marines and only additional troop deployment could help boost them again.
Despite the carnage, Friel says that the Golf Company feels lucky to be in 'Saq', as its troops call the town.
For the past six weeks, the marines are based in "Outpost Riviera". For a marine, the place has a familiar look by the frequent power cuts and piles of sand bags blocking the windows and protecting the doors.
Posted on a wall, a slogan proclaims there is "no better friend, no worse enemy" than a marine."
However, Captain Broekhuizen insists his men need to be friends first despite the fact that the enemy is hidden and everybody around appears to be an insurgent.
But he says perhaps only 50 could be insurgents and so orders his men to "avoid escalation of force."
"We're trying very hard not to alienate the population." he says.
"It's not worth to risk shooting somebody who's innocent. After that, it's hard to regain the trust of people. It's a challenge, but we've done well."
But its also not that he is ready to sacrifice his marines.
"Be polite, be professional, but also be prepared to kill," he tells them.
And it's these occasional roadside bombs, snipers, small-arms fire and mortars, that keep the marines alert and ready to kill.
"I just want to see who's shooting," says the marine sitting next to Backest.
Ellie
US troops' mission is to hunt down invisible enemy melted in with 35,000 people of Saqlawiyah.
By Thibauld Malterre - SAQLAWIYAH, Iraq
A thick column of smoke rises from the dusty, desert terrain amid a roar of engines as nearly six US humvees come to a grinding halt in front of a small marine base, "Outpost Riviera".
"This is the 14th IED (improvised explosive device) we have found," declares Sergeant James Backest, 27, from the Golf Company of US marines 2nd battalion, 8th regiment, as he steps out of his humvee.
"Three IEDs exploded on us," says Backest, showing the remains of one of the makeshift bombs they came across while on patrol.
"When we ask the civilians who did it, the only answer is, 'This is a peaceful village'," he says.
"(But) it can't be that peaceful because we got blown up. It will help us more if they talked to us. But I can understand them, they are afraid for their life, their family, their job."
Backest has returned from the patrol to his company base, set up in what once used to be a hotel in Saqlawiyah, west of the Iraqi capital Baghdad in the restive Sunni province of Al-Anbar.
The US troops' mission is to hunt down an invisible enemy that has melted in with the nearly 35,000 people who live in and around the town.
Their solution is to win the hearts of the locals, but they admit they aren't even sure whether the insurgents make up a small percentage, or the entirety of the local population.
"Wave to the people, talk to them, be polite," Captain Mark Broekhuizen instructs his marines each day before they go on patrol.
"That has an effect. We can get information we can turn into intelligence by talking to people. We want to drive a wedge between insurgents and the people," the company commander said.
"It's difficult to have tangible results. We sometimes feel like (we are) chasing a fairy tale, but our presence does have an effect."
And Broekhuizen says he believes progress is being made.
His troops walk briskly through the town's main market or chat with children who come asking them for pencils. But the locals are still neither openly friendly, nor boldly hostile.
To get even closer to the people of Saqlawiyah, the Golf Company's officer for civil affairs, Lieutenant Tony Friel, has the role of collecting complaints from the locals.
"Most of the times, people are friendly. But when it comes to working with us, they're afraid to be seen with us," says Friel.
Iraq's Anbar province has been a major battlefield for US forces since the invasion ended in April 2004. The bulk of the US military's nearly 2,680 deaths have been in the Sunni province.
A recent internal marine report said the sustained insurgency in the province had deeply affected the marines and only additional troop deployment could help boost them again.
Despite the carnage, Friel says that the Golf Company feels lucky to be in 'Saq', as its troops call the town.
For the past six weeks, the marines are based in "Outpost Riviera". For a marine, the place has a familiar look by the frequent power cuts and piles of sand bags blocking the windows and protecting the doors.
Posted on a wall, a slogan proclaims there is "no better friend, no worse enemy" than a marine."
However, Captain Broekhuizen insists his men need to be friends first despite the fact that the enemy is hidden and everybody around appears to be an insurgent.
But he says perhaps only 50 could be insurgents and so orders his men to "avoid escalation of force."
"We're trying very hard not to alienate the population." he says.
"It's not worth to risk shooting somebody who's innocent. After that, it's hard to regain the trust of people. It's a challenge, but we've done well."
But its also not that he is ready to sacrifice his marines.
"Be polite, be professional, but also be prepared to kill," he tells them.
And it's these occasional roadside bombs, snipers, small-arms fire and mortars, that keep the marines alert and ready to kill.
"I just want to see who's shooting," says the marine sitting next to Backest.
Ellie