THE TENSION: Combat Camera: Coalition Forces Begin Clearing Outskirts of Baqubah Pt. 2

Pfc. Robert Turner, from Vancouver, Wash., and a member of Troop B, 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash., scans his sector while providing security for other members of his troop during a mission conducted at Abu Karuum, a village three miles southeast of Baqubah, Iraq, May 6. Photographer: Sgt. Armando Monroig, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, Tikrit

Sgt. William Taylor, from Walla Walla, Wash., and a member of Troop B, 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash., scans his sector while providing security for other members of his troop during a mission conducted at Abu Karuum, a village three miles southeast of Baqubah, Iraq, May 6. Photographer: Sgt. Armando Monroig, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, Tikrit

Soldiers from Troop B, 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash., move towards the village of Abu Karuum, three miles southeast of Baqubah, Iraq, May 6. Photographer: Sgt. Armando Monroig, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, Tikrit

A Soldier with Troop B, 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash., provides security for a member of the 4th Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division. The two units conducted a joint effort to locate weapons caches and clear terrorists from Abu Karuum, a village three miles southeast of Baqubah, Iraq, May 6. Photographer: Sgt. Armando Monroig, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, Tikrit

ADDITIONAL IMAGERY
Coalition Forces Begin Clearing Outskirts of Baqubah

Coalition Forces Begin Clearing Outskirts of Baqubah
05.15.2007
By Sgt. Armando Monroig
5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
BAQUBAH, Iraq -- U.S. troops and Iraqi soldiers hunted for al-Qaida operatives as they moved through the outskirts of Baqubah, Iraq, May 6.

During the operation, members of the 4th Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division, and Soldiers from Troop B, 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash., focused on the villages of Abu Karuum and Abu Fa’ad, where they believed persons with ties to the terrorist organization were located.

Four men suspected of conducting terrorist activities were detained, while coalition forces discovered a weapons cache containing rocket-propelled grenades and mortar rounds.

“Today’s mission was basically to go out to these outlying villages, talk to people, and make sure al-Qaida is not in that area controlling the population,” said 1st Lt. Andrew Kennedy, platoon leader for 2nd Platoon, Troop B.

The mission, which was conducted three miles southeast of Baqubah, was the next step for the troop after their sweep of the Buhriz neighborhood last month with 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, where they encountered heavy resistance from both al-Qaida operatives and local insurgents.

Coalition forces suspected that terrorists in Buhriz had sought refuge in the outlying villages and clearing operations began there.

“We searched every house in (Abu Karuum and Abu Fa’ad,) and made sure there were no (terrorists) in the villages,” Kennedy said.

Coalition forces aim to keep it that way through their security efforts and through the cooperation of those who live in the area. Soldiers from the Troop B refer to Buhriz as an example of how their presence can make a difference.

“When we first got here, Buhriz was completely under al-Qaida control. Men weren’t allowed to smoke. No one was allowed to play soccer. Kids weren’t allowed to go to school,” said Kennedy.

“Our first day, we were in a 12-hour firefight,” said Sgt. William Taylor, from Troop B. “It was pretty much a hot bed for (al-Qaida in Iraq).”

Following the latest military operations there, life in Buhriz is better, said Taylor.

“They opened up all the shops. The (Iraqi Security Forces) create their own checkpoints. (Local residents) help secure the neighborhoods,” he said.

It’s a victory they hope to expand upon as Iraqi and U.S. forces continue to clear the area to ensure al-Qaida in Iraq does not regain a foothold in places like Buhriz, Abu Karuum and Abu Fa’ad, said Kennedy.

“We’re real proud of what we’ve done. I feel that we’ve helped out the people a lot,” said Pfc. Robert Turner, also from Troop B.

“Before, no one was out in the streets when we first came,” he said. “Nobody wanted to come out. Everybody was too scared. People are actually willing to stand up now. You don’t see that all the time.”