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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: LindyBill who wrote (9580)	9/27/2003 12:10:07 AM
From: Rollcast...	Respond to of 793712

IN NAJAF: A SUCCESS STORY This is the sort of news which really bothers most of the dem candidates - their campaigns REQUIRE ongoing failure and deaths in IRAQ. The press is cooperating by focusing on it. But SOLDIERS BUILDING SCHOOLS! Very bad for the campaign.... By ERIC KNAPP nypost.com September 26, 2003 -- MY friends and family back in the states are frustrated because every time Najaf - the city in southern Iraq where my unit has been stationed - is in the news, the reports are of conflict between the U.S. forces and armed militias. To hear the media tell it, America has done nothing to improve the infrastructure or security, and the Iraqi public is volatile and seeking revenge. This is not the Najaf I know. Here's the story lived by those who have worked hand-in-hand with the locals since the end of combat operations: the U.S. Marines. From the day it was given sole responsibility for the area, First Battalion, Seventh Marines (1/7) worked with the local governing council and religious leaders. Knowing the customs, culture and religion was crucial to the success of peacekeeping here in the Shia heartland. Governed by 1/7 battalion commanders Lt. Col. Chris Conlin and (after Aug. 26) Lt. Col. Chris Woodbridge, Najaf quickly recovered from the war. It began repairing infrastructure that Saddam Hussein had neglected for decades. Major projects for the unit included bringing the power plant up to optimal performance, ensuring local law enforcement was trained and equipped, repairing and reopening many schools and providing supplies and desks for the eager students. None of that made the news back home. But on Aug. 29, a giant explosion broke the peace here. It came just outside the Imam Ali Shrine, the country's most holy site, just after Friday prayers. The death toll was estimated at 85 to 120. Chief among the victims was Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir Hakim - a top, moderate Shia cleric. Respected by both senior clerics and regular citizens, Hakim had asked all Iraqis to be patient and cooperate with the coalition during reconstruction. This tragedy was a true test of what the Marines had accomplished. Would the people of Najaf remember all the months of cooperation and rebuilding, or shout anger and discontent to the world? The test got harder: Two armed militias soon showed up: the Badr Brigades (the armed faction of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq) and followers of radical cleric Moqtada Sadr. Each began patrolling Najaf's streets and setting up vehicle checkpoints. Those scenes made TV screens and headlines around the world. All reports shared one thing in common: Najaf was in chaos. Not true. Not one violent act or anti-American demonstration occurred in the wake of the bombing. Quite the opposite: Mourners just outside the Imam Ali Mosque cheered when two suspects in the bombing were handed over to coalition forces. Two days after the murder, a funeral procession took Hakim's body to its final resting place and broke up. Mourners from other cities shuffled to their taxis and buses and went home. The citizens of Najaf went quietly to bed. But security at the holy sites had become a priority. Religious leaders still didn't want non-Muslims at the holy grounds, but militias were not an acceptable solution. The answer was already in the works: A special branch of the Najaf Police Department would be dedicated to protecting the sites and religious leaders. This force had first been proposed in meetings between representatives of the Coalition Provisional Authority and religious authorities in Najaf only days before the bombing. The need for it was now undeniable. Dubbed the Shrine Police, this 400-strong force came from the ranks of the Najaf police. Already armed and uniformed, they only needed a special three-day course - e.g., training in setting up vehicle checkpoints to search for explosives and unauthorized weapons - before taking on their new duties. Instead of competing cleric-led armies, a nonpartisan, fully trained and equipped professional police force was soon providing security in the shrines. Naturally, the attack on Iraq's holiest site, and the horrible murder of one of their leaders, greatly disturbed the locals: The 1/7 Marines did a survey a few days after the tragedy, and found that only 43 percent of those surveyed felt safe and secure in Najaf. But in a survey just a week later, 72 percent felt safe and secure, while 86 percent felt that Najaf was doing better than neighboring provinces. The surveys also gauged our performance: In the earlier one, only 53 percent thought the coalition was doing a good job in Najaf. But in the later one, 61 percent felt the coalition was doing a good job and 75 percent believed it was doing all it could to make things better. Are the people of Najaf angry? Yes. Do they want to avenge Hakim's death? Yes. Do they believe the coalition has failed and their city is in chaos, destined for conflict? Not at all. The 1/7 is now leaving Najaf, having handed off responsibility to a Latin American brigade composed of forces from Honduras and El Salvador. The Marines leave knowing that they not only helped liberate Iraq, but also made a vital contribution to building the country's democratic and peaceful future. First Lt. Eric Knapp is stationed with the 1st Marine Division in Iraq. E-mail: knapp_eric@earthlink.net