Photo By Master Sgt. Brock Jones | Maj. Gen. Abdul Ameer (left), commander of 6th Iraqi Army Division; Lt. Gen. Wajih...... read more read more
By Staff Sgt. Brock Jones
Multi-National Division – Baghdad
BAGHDAD – For years, the western Baghdad District of Abu Ghraib has been synonymous with violence and unrest. Tales of prisoner abuse, convoy ambushes and Soldiers missing in action were associated with the small Baghdad suburb.
With the security situation becoming more stable in Baghdad and the surrounding areas, and the Iraqi security forces assuming more security responsibility each week, efforts to improve and revitalize areas such as Abu Ghraib are now starting to move forward.
Local tribal and religious leaders, along with Government of Iraq, Iraqi security forces and Multi-National Division – Baghdad leaders, gathered to celebrate one such step forward with a ceremony to mark the opening of the Abu Ghraib Governance Center, Nov. 22.
The center provides a place for local government leaders to conduct the business of increasing governance and economic capacity in Abu Ghraib.
"Today was a very important day for the people of Abu Ghraib," said Brig. Gen. Robin Swan, a native of Pittsburgh, who serves as a deputy commanding general of 4th Infantry Division and Multi-National Division – Baghdad. "Now the district counsel has a place to work from.
"That has not always been the case primarily because of the security situation here in Abu Ghraib. The security is much improved, and the district counsel can use this facility and be able to do the business of Abu Ghraib."
Swan went on to say that regardless of what Abu Ghraib has been known for in the past, progress is being made in the area.
"[The opening of the new center] says that the past is the past, that progress is indeed progress, and that the security situation is much improved," said Swan. "The people are looking to their government to be able to provide them with essential services, to be able to provide them with the kind of governance that they deserve."
Tribal leaders, local government leaders and leaders from the Government of Iraq all came together to be a part of the new building's grand opening, and though these parties often disagree politically on many ideas and policies, there was a general consensus of hope for the future.
"This center will be the bridge between the Iraqi government and the Iraqi people, and will create a better relationship between the Iraqi government and the local government," said Subhi Mashhadani, a representative from the Baghdad mayor's office. "In the future, we have many things we will have to all cooperate on."
An increasingly positive outlook on the future of Abu Ghraib seems to be the driving force behind the government center and the hope of progress it stands for.
"This is the beginning of good things to come in the future," said Sheik Farhan Gulab, leader of the Al Saray Rabia tribe in the Abu Ghraib area.
The center, once an old and ruined building that was renovated to suit the needs of the district counsel and the Qada government, will be a temporary home for those entities. A short distance from the new government center, construction has already begun on the permanent building the Qada leadership will work from. It is scheduled to open in 2009.
"[The center] is designed to hold the government in place, to give them a place to work in Abu Ghraib; and then next year, we'll keep the momentum going and they'll occupy their new Government of Iraq, fully-funded and provided facility," said Lt. Col. Mario Diaz, a native of Sierra Madre, Calif., commander of 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment "Gimlets," 2nd Striker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, MND-B. Diaz's battalion is the unit responsible for the Abu Ghraib area.
For Diaz, the day was less about the opening of a new facility and more about the bigger picture of what it all means.
"Today signifies, for the first time, the Qada government – the county government – meeting in Abu Ghraib," he said. "Getting the Qada back here with a facility that they can do work from was very important. This is kind of a 'Field of Dreams' type of thing: We had to build it, and now they're here."
The very name Abu Ghraib has long carried a stigma that will likely take time to fully erase. However, the actions of well-meaning and hopeful leaders from the area have shown a growing collective desire to make their community a place known less for its past than for a future based on hope instead of fear.
| Date Taken: | 11.22.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 11.23.2008 08:23 |
| Story ID: | 26685 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 47 |
| Downloads: | 32 |
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