Home » Archives » "Effort to halt sectarian violence in Baghdad enters new phase"

Effort to halt sectarian violence in Baghdad enters new phase

Sep-14-2006 » Filed Under: 172nd SBCT

Link to Full Article
By Anita Powell, Stars and Stripes

BAGHDAD — The effort to clean up sectarian violence in Baghdad entered another phase Thursday as soldiers from the Fort Wainwright, Alaska-based 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team began to clear the poor, ethnically mixed areas of northwest Baghdad.

Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment conducted a daylong search mission in Shab, a poor, mostly Shiite neighborhood that abuts Sadr City, the infamous slum that is home to more than 3 million of the country’s most restive Shiite population.

The battalion initially entered Sadr City on Sunday in an attempt to gauge sentiment in the area; after a day of being barraged with rocks and nasty comments, the battalion has not returned to the neighborhood.

In Shab, operations went smoothly on the first day, with scattered incidences of rock-throwing and gunfire. One soldier was shot but was able to return to duty. Soldiers fanned out into the scrubby area and entered homes, talked to residents and confiscated the odd illegal weapon.

One group found a few dozen old artillery rounds in a stagnant lagoon; the cache was later destroyed by a Navy ordnance disposal team.

The operation, which has been called “Together Forward” to reflect its joint Iraqi-American nature, was mainly American troops on Thursday in Shab. A platoon-sized element of Iraqi National Police accompanied the battalion and directed traffic. A squad of the Iraqi force broke off and searched houses.[...]


Advertisements