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Iraq National Guard begins security operations in Mosul
by Ann Scott Tyson, Christian Science MonitorEFL. Thereâs a new sheriff in town . . . MOSUL, IRAQ â Hundreds of Iraqi troops and police armed with AK-47s swarmed through a troubled district of Mosul at dawn Thursday, launching the first major military operation conceived and led by Iraqâs new security forces. More than 600 Iraqi National Guard (ING) troops and city police, backed by an outer cordon of 150 US troops, swept the Al Antezar neighborhood in a house-to-house dragnet, confiscating weapons and detaining several terrorist suspects. . . . A large man with a thick moustache and prone to dramatic gestures, Colonel Mubarak seems to relish being in command of a truly Iraqi-led mission. "We were waiting for this day," he says, as truckloads of his troops fan down dirt roads. "Coalition forces were honest in handing over power." Yet while Mubarak says his troops are ready "psychologically," he frets over sending them into combat with meager gear. "Weâre still waiting," he says, "for everything from helmets and body armor to night-vision goggles and binoculars. . . . As the police and forces from two ING battalions sped out through their three separate sectors of the neighborhood, for example, it was soon apparent that each unit was going a different direction. Colonel Flowers, drawing arrows on the map, offered a brief lesson in synchronizing movement - for the next time. Another debate arose when the police and ING disagreed on whether to confiscate all the weapons found, or to allow each household to keep one for self defense. "If we think they are tricky, we will take the gun, if they seem good, they can keep it," suggested General Barhawai, in a blue cap and shirt. And while the Iraqi forces took pains to treat neighborhood residents respectfully - knocking on doors, allowing the man of the house to assist the search, and being gentle with women and children - they promised draconian measures against lurking enemies. "This neighborhood is infested with terrorists and criminals," says Barhawai. "If they resist, they will be killed." Moreover, he made it clear that in the aftermath of a string of car bombings June 24 that left 29 of his men dead and 70 injured last week, his men were looking for revenge. . . . During Thursdayâs sweep, police chief Barhawai left little doubt what was motivating his men. "They want to revenge the terrorists," he said. "Some of them are wearing blood-stained clothes to remind them of their fallen brothers," he said. The Iraqi forces had their chance at around 8 a.m., when a brief firefight broke out when Iraqi National Guard forces approached a run-down home that turned out to be an enemy safehouse. Two men inside fired on the soldiers, who quickly regrouped to storm the location. "I went inside the house and saw the bad guys, three were hiding behind a door and a desk," says ING Capt. Alaa Faisel, a Kurdish peshmerga fighter trained by US Special Forces. "I fired a few shots, and they put their hands up," says Captain Alaa, who looks uncannily like his American counterparts and wears a Special Forces tab on his shoulder. In all, the four-hour sweep netted two Iranians suspected of belonging to the terrorist group Ansar al Islam, one Kurdish fighter, and three Iraqis. Along with the seizing of weapons such as heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, the operation spurred much self-congratulation among the Iraqi forces. "Weâre a team. Weâre in the same boat!" said Colonel Mohammed, beaming even as the ING and police disputed what to do with a weapons-laden car. Iraqi residents, meanwhile, seemed generally not to mind the sweep, and some even welcomed the appearance of Iraqi forces. "I feel that my pride and my country is back to me now," says Rafa Sultan, a day laborer with 10 children, as he watches the Iraqi soldiers from his front gate. . . . Posted by: Mike 2004-07-02 |
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