Filed from Mosul, this story originally ran in the Dec. 25, 2005 issue of the News-Miner
Gearing up to head out on patrol to the Al Bareed neighborhood of Mosul, Sgt. Adam Smith said there usually is little enemy activity in the area.
“Except for sniper fire on Fridays,” he said, only half-joking.
Then he realized what day it was.
But on this Friday, the enemy stayed inside, away from the rain and chill that made for a quiet morning for the 1st Squad of the 4th Platoon.
During the patrol, Smith handed the reins to the Iraqi army during the neighborhood visit. It’s regular practice for the Iraqis to accompany U.S. forces in almost all of their activities around the city these days. This is in an effort to gradually pass control on to them.
But Smith has already taken it one step further and let the Iraqi lieutenant initiate when troops meet with residents and take the lead in asking residents about enemy activity in their neighborhood.
Smith said the Iraqi troops are learning, but are still skittish and look to the U.S. troops for guidance much of the time. This was apparent as the Iraqi lieutenant looked to Smith to begin the house visits.
“Whenever you’re ready,” Smith said, motioning down the street with his hand. “You’re in charge, brother.”
The combined forces knocked on gates and were usually ushered inside to sit down and talk with the residents. Most said Al Bareed is a good neighborhood, although several drive-by shootings have occurred at a busy four-lane thoroughfare just blocks away.
Smith said some of the professionals in the fairly well-to-do neighborhood clam up and have little to say about insurgent activity one way or the other.
Others try to convince Smith and the Iraqi army that the enemy forces are not from Mosul, so the residents don’t know who they are.
Smith said that’s why the forces need the people’s help, to help distinguish community residents from outsiders.
“When we come to a neighborhood, we don’t know who the terrorists are or where they are,” he said. “That’s why we need the people’s help.”
Smith said sometimes he feels like he’s making the same speech to the residents over and over again.
“I should be a politician,” he said, laughing.
When the Iraqi Army officials decided it was time to wrap up the house calls, the platoon escorted the Iraqis back to their base.
The day ended without incident.
Smith and his squad predicted a quiet day due to the rain. They said the enemy seems to mostly keep banker’s hours — 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. — which is when the squad encounters most of the attacks. Chilly and rainy weather usually deter attacks.
“They’re lazy, lazy people,” Smith said.
Battalion-wide, the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Regiment of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team has had 16 IED attacks so far this month, through Thursday. They have also encountered 11 vehicle-borne or suicide-vehicle-borne IEDs.
On the way back to base were reminders that things aren’t always as quiet as Friday’s patrol. Standing out of the Stryker hatch, Smith pointed out what he said is dubbed the “Wall of Death,” a 20-foot-high stone wall against a roadway where several soldiers from a former unit stationed here were killed when an improvised explosive device detonated.
Black scorch marks remain on the wall.
Smith pointed out another site of an explosion on a bridge that sent a Stryker into the river below.
“We call this road IED Alley,” he said.