Allies and Flies August 19, 2006
Allies and Flies
August 19, 2006
The war being fought in Kirkuk is a fairly quiet war. There may be the occasional explosion, or a burst of gunfire, but most days are filled with the sound of soldiers talking: to Iraqi Forces, to Iraqis in positions of power, and to Iraqis with no power, at least not outwardly. What do they talk about? You name it—soccer, the weather, volcanoes, poverty, college, wild boar hunting, television, good guys, bad guys. The purpose of every conversation is to build relationships, gather information, and collect intelligence. Intelligence comes from a variety of sources, and good intelligence makes it possible to catch bad guys, or to prevent bad things from happening.
Local leaders can be vital allies or flies in the ointment. The soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division serving in Kirkuk are well-acquainted with both allies and flies. A muktar, the man who oversees a neighborhood or community, should be a useful resource. He knows the people of his community; he knows who is content and who might be trouble. But what if the muktar himself is trouble?
The 2nd Battalion’s Bravo Company has a shifty muktar in their sector. We’ll call him Muktar T. He will serve the soldiers chai and chat pleasantly. And they will drink the chai because it would be rude not to, but they will not enjoy the conversation. The muktar might volunteer information about alleged bad guys in the neighborhood, but his information will be vague or out-of-date. Or he might feign ignorance about the activities of his people. Instead of having a useful friend who could provide a shortcut to peace, the soldiers have only an annoying buzzing in their ear. One more problem. One less solution.
A police chief should be another of our valued friends. Which brings us to one of Kirkuk’s police chiefs—Colonel E. Colonel E is a major fly. Lieutenant Erik Wright has met with Muktar T many times and with Colonel E many more. These meetings are a study in contrasts. On Erik’s side is integrity, decency, diplomacy. On the other side is trickery, dishonesty, and sometimes just plain stupidity.
One of the goals in Iraq has been to equip the Iraqi forces with protective gear. The Iraqi Police have been issued body armor, and they are supposed to wear it while out on patrol or on guard duty. They do not want to wear their vests. It does not matter that the IP are frequently targeted by insurgents. The vests make them hot and uncomfortable, and they would rather take their chances. Captain Casey Welch decided desperate times called for desperate measures. He had all of the televisions removed from the offices at the police station and placed in the custody of Colonel E, whose television was also removed, as he was ultimately responsible for enforcing the body armor policy. On a recent visit to Colonel E, Lieutenant Wright noticed the Colonel’s TV was back. He was watching cartoons. Erik asked if Captain Welch had lifted the TV ban. Colonel E said yes, two days ago. Before the day was out, Erik confirmed what he had suspected. The ban had not been lifted. Colonel E had lied to his face. Ridiculous? Yes. No one said Iraq wasn’t ridiculous.
It is hard to identify the enemy in the war in Iraq because he dresses in civilian clothes, or worse—he uses a uniform to disguise himself as one of the good guys. It is equally difficult to distinguish the good guys because they would prefer to remain anonymous. There are some good guys who are brave enough to wear the uniform of the Iraqi Police or Army and serve as an example for others to follow. Our soldiers value all of the people willing to work with us, and when they talk we listen.
Bravo Company recently conducted a raid on an apartment complex in Kirkuk. Acting on intelligence gathered from numerous sources, the soldiers worked together with Iraqi Forces from the Emergency Services Unit (ESU) to pick up several individuals suspected of working against us, against the Iraqis who want stability in their country. The soldiers enjoy a raid. Who can blame them? It is far easier to remove a bad guy from the street than to sit across the room from one and try to carry on a polite conversation.
The raid took place in the early morning hours. Carefully choreographed, the plan involved several teams fanning out among the darkened buildings, running through lots covered with garbage, breathing air that really shouldn’t be breathed, and finally storming apartments and apprehending suspects. Only one on the list of suspects could not be found. The rest were rounded up and brought to ESU for questioning.
For every insurgent or terrorist who is arrested, the level of security in Kirkuk increases. For every corrupt individual in a position of power, the level of security decreases. Bravo Company is working on a new list of suspects, and there will be some familiar faces on it. Flies do tend to thrive in Iraq, but they can be dealt with. Together with our Iraqi friends, the soldiers of Bravo Company have worked to rid Kirkuk of as many pests as possible, and they will continue to talk to people, to add to their list of allies, to eliminate more flies. shelbymonroe@gmail.com
August 19, 2006
The war being fought in Kirkuk is a fairly quiet war. There may be the occasional explosion, or a burst of gunfire, but most days are filled with the sound of soldiers talking: to Iraqi Forces, to Iraqis in positions of power, and to Iraqis with no power, at least not outwardly. What do they talk about? You name it—soccer, the weather, volcanoes, poverty, college, wild boar hunting, television, good guys, bad guys. The purpose of every conversation is to build relationships, gather information, and collect intelligence. Intelligence comes from a variety of sources, and good intelligence makes it possible to catch bad guys, or to prevent bad things from happening.
Local leaders can be vital allies or flies in the ointment. The soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division serving in Kirkuk are well-acquainted with both allies and flies. A muktar, the man who oversees a neighborhood or community, should be a useful resource. He knows the people of his community; he knows who is content and who might be trouble. But what if the muktar himself is trouble?
The 2nd Battalion’s Bravo Company has a shifty muktar in their sector. We’ll call him Muktar T. He will serve the soldiers chai and chat pleasantly. And they will drink the chai because it would be rude not to, but they will not enjoy the conversation. The muktar might volunteer information about alleged bad guys in the neighborhood, but his information will be vague or out-of-date. Or he might feign ignorance about the activities of his people. Instead of having a useful friend who could provide a shortcut to peace, the soldiers have only an annoying buzzing in their ear. One more problem. One less solution.
A police chief should be another of our valued friends. Which brings us to one of Kirkuk’s police chiefs—Colonel E. Colonel E is a major fly. Lieutenant Erik Wright has met with Muktar T many times and with Colonel E many more. These meetings are a study in contrasts. On Erik’s side is integrity, decency, diplomacy. On the other side is trickery, dishonesty, and sometimes just plain stupidity.
One of the goals in Iraq has been to equip the Iraqi forces with protective gear. The Iraqi Police have been issued body armor, and they are supposed to wear it while out on patrol or on guard duty. They do not want to wear their vests. It does not matter that the IP are frequently targeted by insurgents. The vests make them hot and uncomfortable, and they would rather take their chances. Captain Casey Welch decided desperate times called for desperate measures. He had all of the televisions removed from the offices at the police station and placed in the custody of Colonel E, whose television was also removed, as he was ultimately responsible for enforcing the body armor policy. On a recent visit to Colonel E, Lieutenant Wright noticed the Colonel’s TV was back. He was watching cartoons. Erik asked if Captain Welch had lifted the TV ban. Colonel E said yes, two days ago. Before the day was out, Erik confirmed what he had suspected. The ban had not been lifted. Colonel E had lied to his face. Ridiculous? Yes. No one said Iraq wasn’t ridiculous.
It is hard to identify the enemy in the war in Iraq because he dresses in civilian clothes, or worse—he uses a uniform to disguise himself as one of the good guys. It is equally difficult to distinguish the good guys because they would prefer to remain anonymous. There are some good guys who are brave enough to wear the uniform of the Iraqi Police or Army and serve as an example for others to follow. Our soldiers value all of the people willing to work with us, and when they talk we listen.
Bravo Company recently conducted a raid on an apartment complex in Kirkuk. Acting on intelligence gathered from numerous sources, the soldiers worked together with Iraqi Forces from the Emergency Services Unit (ESU) to pick up several individuals suspected of working against us, against the Iraqis who want stability in their country. The soldiers enjoy a raid. Who can blame them? It is far easier to remove a bad guy from the street than to sit across the room from one and try to carry on a polite conversation.
The raid took place in the early morning hours. Carefully choreographed, the plan involved several teams fanning out among the darkened buildings, running through lots covered with garbage, breathing air that really shouldn’t be breathed, and finally storming apartments and apprehending suspects. Only one on the list of suspects could not be found. The rest were rounded up and brought to ESU for questioning.
For every insurgent or terrorist who is arrested, the level of security in Kirkuk increases. For every corrupt individual in a position of power, the level of security decreases. Bravo Company is working on a new list of suspects, and there will be some familiar faces on it. Flies do tend to thrive in Iraq, but they can be dealt with. Together with our Iraqi friends, the soldiers of Bravo Company have worked to rid Kirkuk of as many pests as possible, and they will continue to talk to people, to add to their list of allies, to eliminate more flies. shelbymonroe@gmail.com
posted by Shelby Monroe at 3:36 AM
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