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U.S. begins Diyala outreach

Jan-29-2008 » Filed Under: 2nd SCR

By RICHARD TOMKINS, Middle East Times

HIMBUS , Iraq, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- U.S. military operations have transitioned from kinetic warfare to outreach efforts to root out al-Qaida-Iraq operatives hiding among the people in newly liberated areas of the northern Diyala River Valley.

Earlier this week hundreds of Iraqis queued in the dirt outside an elementary school in Iraq's Northern Diyala River Valley to benefit from a major outreach effort by U.S. and Iraqi military doctors -- the first free medical clinic for residents of the town of Himbus and its surrounding villages.

In al-Hib children lined up behind Stryker armored vehicles and carried armloads of U.S.-donated notebooks, pencils and other materials into their school. The same morning, drivers of 66 trucks lined up at East Sawid and then headed north to Mosul to market their oranges, potatoes, pomegranates and dates after U.S. and Iraqi troops inspected their vehicles, took down driver details and issued special passes.

"I'm trying to build human intelligence," said Army Lt. Col. Rod Coffey, commander of the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment.

"The population is less nervous every day about giving us information on the remaining al-Qaida in the area," and outreach efforts such as the medical clinic helps the process along.

Himbus is located in what is known as Iraq's "Bread Basket." Until Jan. 8, when U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a multi-pronged operation, it was an al-Qaida-Iraq stronghold -- so much so that severed heads marked bridge crossings into the area. There were training camps, arms and explosives caches, even regulations the population had to abide by, such as no music, no smoking, no shaving and full-length veils for women.

The United States, captured al-Qaida-Iraq pamphlets said, wanted to destroy Islam and with Israel wanted to destroy Iraq.

In its retaking of the DRV, U.S. forces have detained at least 58 terrorist suspects, found a small tunnel system in a palm grove, and turned up 20 large arms caches, 16 improvised explosive devices, seven vehicles loaded to explode and six houses rigged with booby traps.

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