| U.S., Iraqi soldiers provide security as Iraqis return to Lutifiyah. |
| By Multi-National Division Center Public Affairs Office - Camp Victory |
|
LUTIFIYAH, Iraq, Aug. 21, 2007 — Iraqi homes seized years ago, either by Saddam Hussein's regime or by members of rival religious sects, are being given back to their rightful owners with the help of Coalition and Iraqi forces.
Under Saddam Hussein's regime, Shiites or Kurds were frequently forced from their homes, which were given to people favored by the regime. Since Saddam's fall, Shia and Sunni extremists and al-Qaeda terrorists have forcibly taken over homes in efforts to seize religious and political power. On Aug. 18, troops of the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y., brought 40 former residents of the Shaka district, west of Lutifiyah, back to the area to assess the damage done during the years their homes were in the hands of al-Qaeda fighters. "Many of them were a little wary about coming back, but they should see that it's very secure with all the checkpoints here now," said Capt. Aaron Bright of Austin, Texas, commander of Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team. The Shaka district was long held by Sunni extremists, who took over homes and removed Shia residents either at gunpoint or by pressuring them to leave through threats and intimidation, Bright said. Soldiers of 2-15th Field Artillery Regiment and 1st Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, however, have been building battle positions in the Shaka area for the last month, and al-Qaeda-allied fighters have left the area, driven out by air assaults and roundups of terror suspects. Residents are not ready to move back in yet. The mission was only to check on the condition of the houses. Nonetheless, soldiers agreed, it was a good start. "Today is a celebration for Lutifiyah," said Nakib Foras, intelligence officer for the Iraqi army. "Most of the people in this area lost their families and houses, and they're coming back because of the work of the Iraqi and American armies." |
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
| Col. Khalet, 1/4/6 Iraqi army executive officer, said his battalion now controls the area and will not let terrorists return. "We will insist that al-Qaeda elements not return," he said, smiling. "That's our job - to make everyone safe, regardless of sect." He also mentioned that the battalion has more than 100 vehicles and will assist the homeowners with transportation when the families are done with repairs and are ready to return. Kham Jabar Ali, a homeowner, came back from checking his house looking a little dejected. "It's destroyed. They stole all our belongings, ruined everything," he said. "All the vehicles are gone. My father was kidnapped." Ali said he left a year and a half ago, when his cousin and uncle were murdered and their bodies dumped in the canal behind the house. Despite the destruction, however, there was hope. "I'm very happy to go back," Ali said. "God willing, we can start over again." |
|
|
FR WAR NEWS!