Marine civil affairs initiative in restive Karmah, Iraq, bears first fruits

Photo By Sgt. Mike MacLeod | Following a ribbon cutting ceremony by Mayor Ahmad Khalaf, local sheiks, government and Iraqi security force officials and U.S. military commanders enter the new diwan for the sheikhs council and city council of Karmah, Sept. 9, in Karmah, Iraq. The project, a meeting place for the area's influential figures, is one of dozens of mostly school- and water-related projects that resulted in a partnership between the Marines of Regimental Combat Team 6 and Iraqi security forces.  

KARMAH, IRAQ

09.09.2009

Story by Spc. Mike MacLeod 

1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Public Affairs

KARMAH, Iraq — A group of influential sheikhs, government and Iraqi security force officials, and U.S. Marine and Army leadership celebrated the opening of the first of two dozen new and refurbished schools and a new meeting place for influential people, Sept. 9, in an area northwest of Baghdad thought by many to be lost to poverty and violence.

Opened were the Karmah school for girls and a diwan for the sheikh council and city council of Karmah, both part of a larger civil affairs initiative in the Karmah region, said a spokesperson for the projects.

Sheikh Lawrence, a prominent sheikh who has been very involved with ISF and U.S. Marine Corps civil affairs teams since the schools project began in early May, thanked attendees for their support.

"We've seen the first school open this week, and God willing, we will see one more open every week," said Lawrence.

The sheikh also thanked Sheikh Aifan, who sits on the Al Anbar provincial council, for showing his support for the projects by attending.

"Karmah was forgotten for a long time, and this is everyone's fault," said Aifan, who promised to represent the area's residents in the provincial government. "Karmah sacrificed a lot. It has given many sons," he said.

Just over a year ago in Karmah, the blast from a suicide bomb attack killed a Marine battalion commander, along with two other Marines, two Iraqi interpreters, the mayor and several key tribal figures at an engagement just prior to the formal handover of security in Al Anbar province to Iraqis.

In a nod to the projects' effect of reducing violence in Karmah, Marine Col. Matthew Lopez, commander of Regimental Combat Team 6, thanked the sheikhs for peace on behalf of the Marines, soldiers and ISF.

"I have great respect for many of the men in this room. They taught me so much and it was an honor to be part of this," said Lopez.

The openings come during a period of transition for U.S. forces in Al Anbar province, as Marines of Regimental Combat Team 6 and 8 are being relieved by U.S. Army paratroopers of 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division.

Sgt. 1st Class David Lowry, who is the non-commissioned officer in charge of civil affairs for the brigade and who attended the openings, said the ISF and Army will finish what the ISF and Marines started.

For the more-than three dozen ongoing school and water projects begun in the Karmah area by the ISF and Marine partnership, the Marine civil affairs planners and their Army counterparts are working hard to enable a seamless transition, he said.

Karmah Mayor Ahmad Khalaf said to Col. Mark Stammer, the brigade commander, "All the faces you see here are people who support you."

• Date Taken: 09.09.2009
• Date Posted: 09.14.2009 13:30
• Story ID: 38749
• Location: KARMAH, IQ