Coalition forces reclaim Jamea'a during Operation: Rogue Thunder

Photo By Spc. Alexis Harrison | Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Lay provides security while his teammates from the 3rd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army, Military Transition Team, composed of members from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, inspect a new traffic control point in al Jamea'a July 23-24. Operation Rogue Thunder kicked off when Soldiers from the transition team, the Iraqi army and the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, swept the area and began implementing new security measures to reclaim the neighborhood once terrorized by suspected al-Qaida.  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

07.29.2007

Story by Spc. Alexis Harrison 

2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

By Spc. Alexis Harrison
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

BAGHDAD, Iraq – As Operation Arrowhead Ripper moves along in Diyala, ever so quietly, Operation Rogue Thunder swept through a section of the capital in hopes of ridding the area of anti-Iraqi forces for good.

The 3rd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, their Military Transition Team and Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, cleared Al Jamea'a of caches, bombs and insurgents while helping to ramp up security efforts to reclaim the area terrorized and bullied by al-Qaida.

The terrorists in the area had been ruthlessly controlling every action of the people according to Maj. Chris Norrie, the transition team's commander. Women were forced to cover their faces, men were arrested for seemingly nothing and children weren't even allowed to play soccer in the streets.

Al Jamea'a used to be occupied by white-collar professionals until the insurgents began the scare tactics that led to many of the well-off residents leaving their homes. Many of the mansion-sized homes in the neighborhood are empty, and as Capt. Peter Kilpatrick said, the empty homes are seen as an opportunity for insurgents to move in.

"Only 30 percent of Jamea'a was occupied," said the Bronx, N.Y., native. "The vacancies made it vulnerable."

Several caches had been found during previous operations around the Najra Mosque area. During the first day of this operation, the streets and shops around the Najra Mosque were empty. A few people cautiously came out to see the Humvees, tanks and Iraqi army vehicles stage. This would begin the lengthy process of securing the area.

Iraqi soldiers began setting up traffic control points along the street to inspect vehicles. Meanwhile, in another section of the neighborhood Soldiers were busy setting up observation points to overwatch the area known for its high number of roadside bombs.

This area is of particular importance for the Soldiers of the 1-64th Armor. They had lost several of their comrades to deep-buried improvised explosive devices in recent times. The observation towers and combat outpost being placed in the neighborhood would give them constant presence in the area therefore deterring any would-be bomb placers from accomplishing their mission.

During the ramp up of security measures, several teams were searching houses for caches. One cache, consisting of more than 50 60mm mortar rounds, was found in one of the abandoned houses.

Sgt. Kenneth Swartwood said that many of the residents are happy to see the coalition forces move into their neighborhood. More importantly, the combined presence of Iraqis and Americans working together proved to the people just how important the area's security was.

"One-64th came in with open arms to the [Iraqi army]," the Corpus Christi, Texas, native said. "A big reason Adel and Jamea'a are good now is because of the partnership with the IA. They actually worked with them hand-in-hand. The civilians feel a lot better when it's a partnership. They feel like it's twice as secure."

After many of the new security measures were in place, the commander of the Iraqi army battalion, Col. Raheem, went to the mosque to use its loudspeaker to make an announcement to the people in the neighborhood.

He let it be known to the people that the coalition forces were in the area to make a change for the better. He said that security will improve for the people and that they have not only God watching them, but the entire coalition.

"Almost immediately, people began to come out of their homes," Raheem said. "These people deserve to live in peace after al-Qaida had oppressed them for so long."

Raheem commands one of the largest battalions in the area. Many of the soldiers he commands are very new to life in the army, but he and the transition team made sure that they conducted themselves with the utmost professionalism.

Now that the security measures are in place, Kilpatrick said that the coalition forces in the area will have 24-hour surveillance over the entire area.

"We've established several static positions," he said. "However, I don't think locals would have felt comfortable with putting a [combat outpost] next to the mosque without help from the Iraqis."

Raheem said that many of the locals feel that having a combined presence in the area is good and that it helps gain the trust of the people even faster.

• Date Taken: 07.29.2007
• Date Posted: 07.30.2007 12:10
• Story ID: 11517
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ