Lt. Col. Jabar, the operations officer for 2nd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 6th Iraqi army Division, speaks with a resident of Hamid Shaban during a visit from Iraqi army soldiers and their supporting U.S. military transition team to the Hamid Shaban Girl’s School Feb. 15. The woman sought assistance from the Iraqi army in mediating a dispute with a neighbor over property.
BAGHDAD
-- The life of an Iraqi girl was forever changed in the chaotic aftermath following an improvised explosive device attack. The Hamid Shaban neighborhood in the district of Abu Ghraib was the target, but an innocent girl was inadvertently the victim. Tragically, a stray round from an Iraqi army soldier, fired in defense, missed its mark and struck the harmless child at play.In a gesture of good will Iraqi army soldiers of 2nd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 6th Iraqi army Division, visited the wounded child’s place of learning, the Hamid Shaban Girl’s School, to provide humanitarian assistance, Feb. 15.
Though money and supplies won’t remove the bullet, the gesture does help the healing-process, said the combat medic who evaluated the girl, Spc. Zachary Bosh. Bosh is attached to the military transition team (MiTT) supporting the Iraqi battalion, which is based on Forward Operating Base Constitution.
“She was shot through the side and they believe the bullet stopped by her spine. They can’t do surgery here at the local hospitals because their technology and funds aren’t good enough,” said the native of Pittsburgh, Pa. “She just wanted to know if we could help her get better. She wants to be a normal kid. She wants to run. She wants to walk without people assisting her.”
Removing the bullet may cause paralysis because of the bullet’s proximity to the girl’s spinal cord, but for now she can walk with assistance and maintains movement of her limbs, Bosh said.
The battalion operations officer, Lt. Col. Jabar, lead the humanitarian assistance mission and spoke with the girl, as well as her school’s principal.
“He’s making peace with the situation. He’s talking to the family, the friends and her. He is trying to see what we can do to help them.” Bosh said of the Iraqi colonel. “Money won’t bring back the bullet, but it eases the situation.”
The Iraqi girl was not the only student who benefited from the visit.
The Iraqi troops brought shoes, toys and stuffed animals for the 1,300 girl students attending grades from 6th through 12th, said Lt. Col Ryan Rydalch, the MiTT chief for the battalion.
“The big thing here is to get the people to trust the Iraqi army,” said the native of Rexburg, Idaho.
Virtually the only Iraqi government presence the residents of Hamid Shaban see are members of the Iraqi army. The goal of humanitarian assistance missions is to develop the Iraqi army as a problem-solving entity for the Iraqi government, Rydalch said.
One sign of progress came when a neighborhood dispute was peacefully resolved when Jabar acted as a mediator. A woman approached Jabar and informed him she had received a notice of eviction from someone who did not own the property she was occupying, Bosh said.
“Today we had a civilian come up to him (Jabar) and discuss a housing dispute. I don’t think that would have happened six weeks ago. They would not have had the confidence in the Iraqi army to do that,” Rydalch said.
Restoring the faith of Iraqi citizens in their armed forces is just one of the missions for MiTTs, which are “… a major part of the plan to allow U.S. forces to exit Iraq in an orderly fashion,” Rydalch said.
“I think the idea of the MiTT is absolutely outstanding. When done right, it is probably the best tool in the war right now. The MiTT teams are helping the country build itself back up. The people (need to) trust the IA and know they’re going to do things essential to getting the country up and running,” Bosh said.
One sign of the progress between Iraqi troops and the local community is the school itself. Students of the Hamid Shaban Girl’s School had completed testing the day of the humanitarian assistance mission. Thanks to the Iraqi army, the security situation had improved enough in Hamid Shaban to allow the school to reopen.
The 1,300 students are able to receive an education denied to them just a year ago, Rydalch noted.
“That’s definitely progress,” Rydalch said. “It probably won’t make any news story or broadcast, but I think it helps the school. It definitely helps the security of the neighborhood the school is located in.”
Though one little girl was a victim of Hamid Shaban’s security challenge, she continues to attend the community’s school, which is a sign of progress. However, she is a reminder that there is work yet to be done.