Troops Seize Ground, Build Base in Former Al-Qaida in Iraq Stronghold

Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, patrol near Khidr in north Babil. The unit is the main effort in an operation to establish a patrol base in an area where AQI is believed to have operated recently. (U.S. Army photo/ Spc. Adam Prickel, Date Taken: December 21st, 2007.)

Dispatches from the Front:

FORWARD OPERATING BASE ISKANDARIYAH, Iraq, Dec. 21, 2007 -- Iraqi security forces and coalition forces recently took ground in North Babil previously occupied by al-Qaida in Iraq and began establishing a new patrol base there, Dec. 16.

Before dawn broke, soldiers of 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division staged their vehicles and equipment for the start of the assault phase of Operation Marne Roundup, a Multi-National Division – Center operation designed to clear AQI near Iskandariyah in North Babil.

The serial of vehicles departed for Khidr that day, which would be the home of the new patrol base. There were many stops along the way for the clearance team, which departed first to check and clear the road of improvised explosive devices. By afternoon, lead elements seized the main objective, establishing possession of the ground that would house the patrol base.

Many different sources of intelligence and many months of monitoring the Khidr area prior to the operation confirmed that it was a safe haven for AQI. The area has weapon caches, buildings used to store IED-making material and newly discovered underground tunnel networks. Insurgents hid in these networks following attacks and would resupply and plan further attacks there.

The purpose of the new patrol base in Khidr is to improve security in the area and to build trust with residents. The ISF and CF hope to receive additional intelligence from the local populace based on increased trust.

With increased presence of ISF and CF in the Khidr area, AQI’s support network will suffer.

“There is nowhere to run and nowhere to hide,” said 1st Lt. John Buckner, executive officer for Company B, 3-7th Inf. Regt. “At this point they are hungry, and they have no communication with their support. The ones that do have communication – no one will come to help them.”

Once security is stable in Khidr, ISF and CF plan is to establish projects that will improve the local economy. Projects needed in the area range from school refurbishment to improvement of water and sewage systems. Local policing will also have a stronger foothold.

“With the insurgents out of the area, Iraqi police can now have a stronger impact on the local populace by holding recruiting drives and patrolling the area as a part of crime prevention,” said Maj. Scott Taylor, operations officer for the 3-7th Inf. Regt.

With insurgents pushed out of the area, displaced residents will also be able to return home and begin their lives again.

According to Taylor, the local populace is aiding ISF and CF in helping to build a community where fear of terrorism can be a thing of the past.

“This operation now allows us to work alongside ISF in the ongoing fight to prevent accelerants into Baghdad,” Taylor said. “This operation is successful so far, large in part due to the empowerment of the citizens through the Concerned Local Citizens. With the help of this program, local citizens are able to stand up against al-Qaida and defend their own communities.”

(Story by 2nd Lt. William Perdue, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs.)

Tags: DOD, War, Military, GWOT, terrorism, al Qaeda, al Qaida, Middle East, Operation Iraqi Freedom, United States, U.S., coalition, Iraq, Dispatches from the Front, Multinational Force
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