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Historic vote at hand for Iraqis

Jan-30-2005 » Filed Under: Iraq News

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By Steve Walsh / Post-Tribune staff writer

MOSUL, Iraq — For the last three days, Iraqis in Mosul have woken up in a city fortified in large part by local Indiana National Guard troops.

Beginning Thursday, the Indiana National Guard 113th Engineer Battalion worked long nights to secure the west side of this ancient city.

The concrete barriers are intended to keep polling places safe for the historic election. Patrols of local soldiers put the last few fortifications in place just hours before the polls were to open at 7 this morning. [...]

Most vehicle traffic has been banned until after the election. The polls have been placed around the city to require no more than a 1-kilometer walk to the sites in most parts of the city, according to an officer with a Stryker unit.

On the west side of Mosul, there is little evidence of campaigning in the Western sense. From the roads and in the neighborhoods, there are no signs in yards or windows. Some of the parties have campaign headquarters, but there are no pictures of candidates on billboards or buildings.

At the base in Mosul, where most of the local soldiers are stationed, they stopped serving food Friday evening. Soldiers will eat MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) outside their own quarters until after Sunday. The camp gym and the recreation center also are closed.

The idea is to provide fewer targets for potential attack by limiting the places where soldiers would normally congregate.

Tired troops have had little time to reflect on the historic election that their work is aiding.

“There is definitely a big piece of history going on right now,” said Sgt. John Pitts of Porter while waiting in the cold Saturday morning for the last of the barricades to be put in place. “Things are going to change. They are either going to change for the better or change for the worse, but they are definitely going to change.”

Years of war and sanctions have devastated the country, he said, as he looked out onto a trash-strewn highway median. A burning shanty smoldered across the roadway.

“I feel sorry for the people. They have been through a lot. I’m hopeful they will finally get a chance for peace,” he said. [...]


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