General Promises Security, Urges Patience in Iraqi Town

The Marine general’s question to the girls school principal was direct: What is the most important thing we can do for your school and your students?

The principal’s answer was equally unambiguous: Protect us from people who have threatened to kill us because we have allowed you Americans to rebuild our school.

And with that, Maj. Gen. James N. Mattis, who led the Marine flank of the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein and now is in charge of winning the peace in much of the volatile Sunni Triangle, made a promise.

If troublemakers begin to congregate around the school, just call the U.S. soldiers stationed nearby and they will respond immediately, Mattis said.

“It would be a tragedy to lose this school,” said Mattis, his words translated into Arabic by an Army interpreter. “This school is not for America.... This school is for Iraq.”

For Mattis, late March’s visit to this rundown town in Al Anbar province west of Baghdad was a chance to evaluate the progress made by the Army in recent months and the challenges that lie ahead as the U.S. moves toward returning political sovereignty to Iraqis.

In many ways, the story of Taamin is a microcosm of occupied Iraq: The infrastructure improvements are evident, but the challenges are daunting and the sense of danger for those who help the U.S. is palpable.

The Army has spent upward of $1 million in and near Taamin, providing funds for Iraqi contractors to build or refurbish 15 schools and a health clinic. The schools had been looted and damaged in the chaos that followed the end of the Hussein regime.

Water and electricity distribution remain spotty, and the sewer system is clogged. Price-gouging for electricity is common.

Above it all is a sense of risk involved with being associated with the Americans.

Handbills in the neighborhood assert that the Americans are “just Jewish occupiers with a different face.” And the U.S.-trained police have not yet gained the confidence of the public.

“If you call them, they will come,” one man told Mattis at a meeting with the town council. “But if we call them, they will not come.”

Mattis, commander of the 1st Marine Division, counseled patience. “We will train them,” he said. “It takes a long time to train police.”

Until late last month, the Sunni Triangle area, dominated by the cities of Fallouja and nearby Ramadi, has been the responsibility of a series of Army units. Both cities are known as hotbeds of the anti-American insurgency, with U.S. troops coming under daily attack.

Now most of the Army troops are gone and the mission to provide security and stability in the region has fallen to the Camp Pendleton-based 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. The Army brigade from Ft. Riley, Kan., that has worked in Taamin is remaining behind and will be under Marine control.

Mattis questioned the council members to see how residents of Taamin had reacted to the Army soldiers: “I want to ask about the conduct of the soldiers. Do they show respect?” At first, the council members said there had been no problems.

Minutes later, Mattis tried again. This time, there was a different response, a flood of complaints, mostly about Army vehicles roaring down narrow streets, scaring people.

“There is no respect that they show,” said one man, his words translated for Mattis by an Army interpreter.

“We think they feel superior to us,” said another, in flawless English.

“They should not be driving in ways that endanger your people or insult your people,” Mattis said, vowing to make changes.

The American promises involved a quid pro quo. To track down insurgents, the military is seeking better cooperation from Iraqi citizens.

“For your young men who resent us, we understand that,” Mattis told the group. “But we must find ways to work together.”