Posted on 05/03/2006 5:58:15 PM PDT by SandRat
BAGHDAD, Iraq (May 2, 2006) – Improved trust and cooperation between Iraqis, the new Iraqi government and Coalition forces continue to move forward despite anti-Iraqi forces’ efforts to stall progress here.
During a press conference at Forward Operating Base Prosperity April 29, Ridha Jawad Taqi, a key leader of the Iraqi National Parliament and a spokesman for the United Iraqi Alliance, highlighted the recent successes of the new Iraqi government. . Taqi, a member of the national parliament’s Council of Representatives, addressed the people of Iraq recognizing the achievements of the newly elected permanent Iraqi government.
“We accomplished a huge achievement in writing the constitution and electing the new government, especially the three presidential posts,” Taqi said to the Iraqi national media.
Col. Michael F. Beech, commander of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division also congratulated the Iraqi Assembly for electing its top leaders in the forming of its national unity government and promised to work with the elected officials “to bring security and prosperity to Iraq.”
Day and night, more than two-thirds of security patrols in the Baghdad area are conducted by Iraqi Security Forces, said Col. Beech. Additionally, recent operations have resulted in more than 100 weapons caches recovered and more than 1,000 suspected criminals and terrorists detained, he said.
Both leaders also addressed future challenges facing the security of Iraq and the new national government. Taqi strongly argued against the need for a society where only one authority has the power to carry arms.
“If we want to have a strong government, we have to combine those militias with the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Defense because only the government is authorized to have weapons, and we are working on this issue.”
The peace maintained by the Iraqi security, he said, will be the foundation for establishing trust between the new government and the Iraqi people as a whole.
“It is critical to the nation’s security that all Iraqis cooperate peacefully with Iraqi Security Forces,” Col. Beech said, addressing the current need to eliminate the acts of violence in Baghdad and Iraq. “If any Iraqi citizen sees or suspects an incident of terrorism or gangs wearing Iraqi police or army uniforms, they need to immediately contact their local Iraqi security forces, Coalition Forces or the TIPS hotline. Coalition Forces will investigate immediately.”
In another instance of cooperation between Iraqi leaders and Coalition Forces, the Iraqi Government’s Ministry of Agriculture and Coalition Forces have teamed up to combat the problem of progressive crop loss and regenerate the industry by conducting aerial spraying operations in April and May.
The Najaf, Karbala and Babil Provincial Departments of Agriculture met April 27 with Coalition Force representatives at the Regional Embassy Office in Hillah to discuss Harvest Light, an operation to spray date palm trees with insecticide to eliminate the insects that threaten to obliterate the crop.
The date palm industry in Iraq once supplied roughly 30 percent of the world’s dates. Iraq dates were once considered top quality because of their high sugar content, superb flavor and texture. Currently there are less than fifteen million date palms left in Iraq, which produce about 250,000 tons annually. Drought, security issues and insect infestation have contributed to reduced yields in recent years
Coalition Forces, in conjunction with the MOA, contracted a company to conduct the spraying by using helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. Iraqi Security and Coalition Forces will provide security measures for protecting the pesticides, fuel, equipment, crew and aircraft prior to and during the spraying operation.
“In recent years, ground spraying has been used but proven to be less and less effective against the insects,” said Maj. Jeff Smith, civil affairs officer, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. “In addition, spraying at this time will pay off because the bugs are at a stage where they have hatched but are not mature, meaning their bodies are still soft and will absorb the chemical, killing them.”
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, date palm preservation is an economic opportunity for Iraq. The scheduled crop dusting is part of a larger Iraqi government program, which will provide jobs in farming, packaging and in the date industry. The program also focuses on the distribution of dates on the global market.
Coalition forces are also reaching out to the future of Iraq by helping children. Service members distributed stuffed animals, sporting goods and school supplies during a joint humanitarian operation April 27 in Al-Kut, Iraq.
The mission included Civil Affairs from Third U.S. Army, the 143d Transportation Command, to include Commander Brig. Gen. Charles Barr and the El Salvadoran army, which is responsible for the Al-Kut area of operation.
“You could feel a tangible and true feeling that they (the children) were happy we had visited them,” explained Cmdr. Richard Below, operations officer for the Kuwait Humanitarian Operations Center.
With empty boxes of goods in their hands, service members exited the school- but not without a following. The students posed for photos, shook hands and waved farewell as the troops left the classrooms and returned to camp.
“If we can burn an image in the young children’s minds that the coalition forces came to help rather than hurt, we have begun to make changes for the better,” said Col. Carlos Trejo, HOC representative.
The changes will not happen over night, but until then, coalition forces will continue delivering supplies, medical care and attention.
Students stand outside a school April 27 in Al-Kut , Iraq, holding toys, Iraqi and El Salvadorian flags distributed by service members from Camp Arifjan, Kuwait , and El Salvadorian troops. The mission was part of a humanitarian operation to deliver school supplies and toys to the students and the school.
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