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U.S. troops take secondary role in election security

Dec-14-2005 » Filed Under: 172nd SBCT

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By Margaret Friedenauer, News-Miner

MOSUL, Iraq—With parliamentary elections looming Thursday and insurgent attacks doubling this week, Iraqi and U.S. troops are coordinating the role various security forces will take to keep voters safe at the polls.

Col. Michael Shields, commander of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, attended a weekly meeting of local and regional Iraqi security forces Tuesday at the Joint Coordination Center in this northern Tigris River town. The meeting drew several officials, including the general of the provincial police, Mosul police, Iraqi Army officials and the governor of the Nineveh province.

There are 290 polling sites in the province with 149 in Mosul. U.S. forces, including the brigade stationed mostly around Mosul, are taking mostly a transparent role in security efforts, according to the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq. Iraqi police and soldiers are responsible for the primary security in and around polling areas.

Shields spoke easily among the local leaders through his interpreter before the start of the meeting. He commended members of the group for appearing in local television commercials encouraging citizens to vote and abide by the security procedures put in place through most of the week. Shields also filmed a similar TV spot that morning to air locally. [...]


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