Raid in Ghazali nets insurgents, improves Iraqi Army

Photo By Sgt. Patrick Lair | An Iraqi army soldier stands alongside a mud-brick home with a burning vehicle in the...... read more read more

Photo By Sgt. Patrick Lair | An Iraqi army soldier stands alongside a mud-brick home with a burning vehicle in the background in a small village south of Kana'an, Diyala province, Iraq, Nov. 4. The Iraqi army, along with a group of concerned local citizens and coalition forces, recently cleared several small villages in southern Diyala suspected of aiding al-Qaida terrorists.  see less | View Image Page

GHAZALI, IRAQ

11.14.2007

Story by Sgt. Patrick Lair 

115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

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Story and photos by Sgt. Patrick Lair
115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

GHAZALI, Iraq— In an effort to re-establish a coalition presence in troubled farmlands southeast of Baqubah, Iraqi and coalition security forces, on Nov. 4, raided several villages south of Kana'an thought to be accommodating al-Qaida insurgents.

The combined security forces, which included about 125 Jundi and 25 concerned local citizens, targeted three small farming villages in southern Diyala province, rounding up multiple villagers for questioning and reconnoitering the home of a suspected al-Qaida ringleader.

While no high-value targets were found, the mission was valuable, according to members of the 3rd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division Military Transition Team, because it allowed the Iraqi Army an opportunity to build on its growing operational capabilities.

"The IA's getting larger, more organized and more vigilant," said Sgt. 1st Class Gilbrando Garza, civil military officer and operational sergeant for the 1-5 MiTT. "I've seen progress in their abilities to relocate, operate and sustain themselves."

On the morning of Nov. 4, 25 concerned local citizens put on light blue t-shirts and dark blue baseball caps to identify themselves during the pending mission. Acting on intelligence gathered from local and coalition sources, the joint task force set out on a two-hour convoy across unmarked dust trails through rugged, agricultural terrain, crisscrossed with deep canals, to avoid busier roads thought to be booby-trapped with improvised explosive devices.

At several points, a front-end loader was used to build temporary land bridges across canals for the convoy to pass.

The goal of the surprise visit to the village of Ghazali and several others was to disrupt any insurgent activity in the area, with which the local Bani Zayd tribe is thought to be collaborating.

After questioning, ten of the detainees rounded up on the Ghazali mission admitted to participating in insurgent activity. The rest were set free.

The Bani Zayd, a Sunni tribe, has reportedly engaged in multiple attacks on the neighboring Shamouri, a Shia tribe, who are also strong supporters of the Iraqi federal government.

"After Operation Arrowhead Ripper, the enemy melted away from Baqubah a classic counterinsurgency tactic, and disguised themselves as happy villagers," said Lt. Col. Brian J. Cummins of the 1st Brigade Military Transition Team. "Reports indicated that some of them have taken up residence in this area."

Iraqi Army Brig. Gen. Gallian Kadhim, commander of the 5th Iraqi Army Division, said his goals for the area are to clear al-Qaida insurgents and then to make safe the road from Balad Ruz to Baghdad, which is thought to contain many buried explosive devices.

"When I first came to this brigade, there was fighting in Kana'an between Sunni and Shia," Kadhim said. "There was a line you couldn't cross and I tried to put my people in the middle so no one could move across that line to attack."

The mission in Ghazali was undertaken just two months after the 5th Iraqi Army Division launched a similar effort in the nearby village of Skook. That operation netted 11 suspected insurgents and a sizable weapons cache.

One of the reasons for the 5th Division's growing capabilities, both Iraqi and coalition security personnel say, is the working relationship between the Iraqi soldiers and the 1st Brigade Military Transition Team.

"One of the reasons we've succeeded on these brigade missions is because of the relationship between the MiTT and me," Kadhim said. "I can't speak English, only Arabic, but we understand each other very well."

Kadhim said the MiTT has taught him a great amount about organizational and logistical matters, which he's endeavored to pass on to the brigade since he first took command in April of this year. He's also learned the techniques of gathering, verifying and acting on intelligence sources from his MiTT counterparts, he said.

The relationship between trainers and trainees is not always an easy one, though.

"The biggest challenge for us has been trying to understand their procedures and how they conduct their military operations," Garza said. "We've avoided trying to show them the American way. They don't do a lot of coordination and rehearsals. The frustration can be so overwhelming it can stop a lot of individuals from working with the IA. You've got to have patience."

"But I've made some real good friends here," he said.

The brigade has, however, made significant progress in the past few years, Cummins said, transforming from a checkpoint brigade on the Iranian border into a maneuver force, capable of conducting offensive operations.

"These guys have worked with a lot of coalition forces, even participating in Operation Arrowhead Ripper, and they've all had good remarks about this brigade," Cummins said.

Kadhim said he hopes to continue the brigade's development while broadening its contacts with all elements of society.

"During our operations, the Iraqi army and the Iraqi police work together with both Sunni and Shia. They're all together with us on these operations. That's how we succeed," he said.