Civil Affairs missions help win the fight in the Tal Afar area
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Story and photos by Spc. Blair Larson
TAL AFAR, Iraq- Soldiers of the 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) are using backpacks, new schools and water projects to win the cooperation of the people in Tal Afar, Iraq, and the surrounding villages.
In an effort to encourage the Iraqi people to cooperate with local authorities by turning in terrorists and weapons caches, the Soldiers are working to bring better communications, water, power and schools to the area.
The 2-14 Soldiers are focusing first on the outlying villages that have been supportive of U.S. and Iraqi forces. Many of these small, rural villages were neglected while Saddam Hussein was in power and are in need of basic facilities.
The Soldiers believe that by helping these “model towns,” villages that were once supportive of terrorists will cooperate in return for projects that will assist their communities.
“These model towns will set an example for the rest - if you support the Multi-National Forces, Iraqi Security Forces and the Iraqi government, your village will receive more projects,” said Capt. Keith Walters, commander of Troop B, 2-14 CAV.
During a recent visit to Tal Banat and Tal Kasa, two villages outside Tal Afar, the cavalry Soldiers brought hundreds of backpacks for the children while a civil affairs team met with local leaders to determine what projects would most benefit the local residents.
One of the biggest concerns for the residents of Tal Kasa is education. Rural schools were neglected and left in disrepair by the old regime, leaving many adults in the area concerned about their children receiving an education.
“They look to us as a chance for their children to advance,” said Sgt. Paul LaPointe, a civil affairs sergeant with the 448th Civil Affairs Battalion who is attached to the 2-14.
For the cavalry Soldiers who accompany civil affairs teams on these missions, it is a welcome change from their daily patrols and raids in the city. The Soldiers are learning the important balance between offensive operations and civil affairs operations.
“Civil affairs projects help the maneuver units because the residents are often more willing to cooperate with Multi-National Forces after we have helped them,” said LaPointe.
This balance in operations effectively helps to flush out insurgents while letting the local, friendly residents know that Multinational Forces are in Iraq to help.
“While we take an active approach by pursuing insurgents, it’s important that we also pay attention to the preventative approach that civil affairs provides,” said Walters.
Staff Sgt. Donald Griffith, of Troop B, 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) unloads backpacks from a Stryker vehicle in the village of Tal Kasa, Iraq.
(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Blair Larson)
Spc. Darren McCrae (right) of Troop B, 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) and Capt. Keith Walters (left), Troop B commander, hand out backpacks to schoolchildren in the village of Tal Banat December 8.
(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Blair Larson)
