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BAGHDAD, Dec. 29, 2006 -- It doesn’t rain often in Iraq. When it does, the ground turns to a sloppy mess of mud that attaches itself to anything it comes in contact.
"One of the toughest parts now is getting in contact with the civic leaders and business owners to let them know things have changed."
-- U.S. Army Lt. Col. Stephan Michael
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Despite being rained on and covered in mud up to their ankles, soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, braved more than the weather to make sure “Operation Gladiator” was a success. Not just for them, but for the locals counting on the businesses and shops to reopen. The operation centered its effort in the ever-dangerous Al Doura marketplace in central Baghdad, the site for almost a third of the murders accounted for in the capital city. Soldiers from 2-12 have already been patrolling the streets for several weeks, and they’ve already had their share of adversity. Dozens of roadside bombs, mortar attacks and small-arms fire fights have erupted in the same area where hundreds of businesses used to be. However, despite the dangerous conditions, the infantry battalion rose to the challenge. According to their battalion commander, Lt. Col. Stephan Michael, the market used to be a place where business flourished until sectarian violence dispersed the locals living and working there. He said that his battalion’s mission is as simple as taking the area back from anti-Iraqi forces and bring it back to life. “Right now it’s an abandoned area,” Michael said. “It’s been an area thought to harbor insurgents. There have been more than 20 IEDs found and 15 murders there just since we’ve been here. We’re hoping to root out the insurgents and establish security.” The soldiers left Forward Operating Base Falcon while a driving rain poured into the hatches on their Humvees. Their first stop was at the Iraqi National Police Headquarters, whose policeman accompanied the troops on missions. While staging their vehicles, mortars rained into the police base making it clear that insurgents were in the area.
Staff Sgt. Dominic Nolan, a squad leader with Company C, 2-12, said mortars were nothing new to him. His vehicle had been destroyed a few days earlier by three of them. Fortunately, he and his crew came away from the incident unharmed - unlike their truck. The soldiers rolled out with their Iraqi counterparts to the market. As soon as they arrived, the work began. They had to check every room in every building on the block they were assigned. Though they didn’t know what to expect, they did know what they were looking for. Before they could clear the first block, they found several signs of insurgent activity. |
