| Submit your comments on this article |
| Iraq-Jordan |
| US hands security over to Buhriz town leaders |
| 2004-06-20 |
| The U.S. military handed security responsibility back to local leaders in the nearby town of Buhriz on Sunday after hammering Sunni Muslim insurgents in three days of clashes that killed 19 militants and one U.S. soldier. The deal calls for American troops to pull back, and for Iraqi police to step in and establish security in the town of 40,000, U.S. military officials said. Similar arrangements have been reached in Najaf, Fallujah and elsewhere in Iraq where the Americans have stepped aside and allowed Iraqi forces to assume greater security roles after clashes with insurgents. That could become the pattern across much of the country as the U.S.-run coalition hands over sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government June 30. "Our goal here in 10 days will be the full sovereignty here in Iraq," said Col. Dana J.H. Pittard, the commander of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. "If we cannot trust the police for maintaining control of order, then who can I trust?" Under the plan, local security forces will conduct patrols and keep insurgents at bay while the Americans will hang back and conduct only sporadic patrols. The Americans reserved the right to return in force should their patrols be fired upon, Pittard said. The deal was struck after hours of talks in the nearby city of Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of the capital, Baghdad. "We have been given guarantees by the chief of police and the local leaders that they will maintain order and we will respect that," Pittard told reporters at a news conference to announce the deal. The clashes in Buhriz began Wednesday when insurgents fired on U.S. troops after they had wrapped up a meeting with the mayor to discuss reconstruction projects. Two days of intense fighting that followed killed at least 19 insurgents and one U.S. soldier, Pittard said. Gen. Walid Abdul-Salaam, chief of police for the Diyala province, said 13 civilians were killed and 34 wounded. Casualty tolls are difficult to determine, as fighters fearing arrest by U.S. authorities often do not take their wounded or dead to local hospitals. Pittard accused Saddam Hussein’s sympathizers of leading the insurgency in the area. "The vast majority of the insurgents are the former regime elements," he said. But he added that members of the Jordanian-born militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s network are known to be operating in the area. "Diyala is like a way station to his network," Pittard said. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #2 I like this template, as summarized by you, .com. Draw the glorious resistance out so they can be harvested wholesale. I've been a little surprised we haven't been doing more of this, both in smaller towns and even with convoys hardened and discreetly accompanied trolling for an ambush. I'm especially puzzled that, unlike last November and I believe one other time, there's not been much in the way of a pre-emptive offensive to disrupt/destroy bad guys in the run-up to June 30. |
| Posted by: Verlaine 2004-06-20 11:04:20 PM |
| #1 Now this approach might work. This is the town where they chose a position, carried in triple ammo loadouts, and dared the local mujjies to "Come an get it"... The 1ID completely crushed the zippers in head-to-head battle and sustained it until there were no more to kill. Then hand it back to the locals and see if they can handle the dregs, if any. Come back if the bugs show up in numbers. Rinse. Repeat. This account differs from those previously posted or that I've read elsewhere by declaring one American dead - all other reports I've seen did not say that. In fact, it may be a mistake as there was one American killed in the Baghdad area during this battle. Anyone able to clarify this death occurred in Buhriz - when and who he was? I'm getting the usual confabualtion of events stories when googling this. You know the ones I mean - where they toss 3-5 separate events into one "story" - just so they can be certain to include the US casualties and civilian claims... |
| Posted by: .com 2004-06-20 10:30:32 PM |