AAM DISPATCH

April 10, 2010

BAGHDAD, Iraq

Reflections on the Embed

The sun is slowly creeping away for the night, and Baghdad seems rather peaceful. The Tigris River is shimmers as it meanders by, and lights are beginning to flicker on in the sand-colored buildings stretching along the banks.  Some of the structures look healthy, others like hallowed out ghosts with massive war wounds. Traffic on the bridges is light, and there’s a very short backup at the checkpoint next to my hotel.

About the only thing that gives away the fact that there is/has been a war going on in this country is the sound and sight of the Blackhawk helicopters that pass by at least once an hour (a pair are passing by right now as I type).

The city seems quieter than my last visit a year ago, but that probably owes a fair amount to the rash of deadly bombings last week that have resulted in an increase in the number of checkpoints and security forces and a decrease in the number of people venturing out onto the streets.

Regardless of the reason, it’s hard to think of another adjective for the city right now other than “peaceful.” It feels like sitting along the Nile River in Cairo without the traffic, and car horns… well, and without the neon signs and lights of the river front clubs and party boats.

The evening call to prayer has just begun as I sit here taking a break from logging tape and making calls. The air is dry, and that perfect evening temperature that makes you want to sit outside all night with a bottle of wine (permitted here), and soak in the sounds of the city. I’m taking the opportunity to reflect on the embed I completed last week, and the moments and aspects that stand out.

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Sean Carberry Baghdad, Embed, Iraq, Kirkuk

April 7, 201

KIRKUK, Iraq

Rain is supposed to be cleansing and rejuvenating, and in a way it is in Kirkuk. Here the rain returns the sand, dust, and smoke residue hovering in the air back to the ground. The rust-colored drops match the color of the exposed ground and fade into the soil until it’s thirst is quenched and pools begin to grow. But the drops stain everything else they touch – cars, buildings, and people. Each muddy drop is a potent reminder of all the particulate matter – natural and man made – that’s hovering in the air in Iraq.

And the mud here on FOB Warrior is tenacious. Like a tacky bread dough, it sticks to your shoes. It clumps up under your feet making it difficult to walk, and then as you step forward, it flies up off your shoes and clings to your pant cuffs. By the time you get to where you’re going, your shoes and ankles are caked in muck.

Yet, people here hope that the rain means the years of drought are finally giving way to an era of agricultural rejuvenation that can help put people back to work and bring down the price of food in a country struggling to rebuild itself physically, emotionally, and economically. But, it will take much more than steady rain to wash away all of the problems and challenges confronting this nation.

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Sean Carberry Arab, Iraq, Kirkuk, Kurd, Turkmen

April 5, 2010

KIRKUK, Iraq

It turns out this morning’s incoming round was a 57mm IRL as it’s called – which is basically a small homemade rocket that can travel about 5 km. It landed inside the base, but away from anyone or anything and caused no damage beyond a small crater (which I have yet to see myself).

So, the morning’s mission with second platoon, Bravo Battery of the 2-3FA went off as planned – although a few minutes behind schedule as the battery had a promotion ceremony this morning for seven soldiers, followed by a drug test.

After that was dispensed with, the soldiers loaded up and hit the road to visit Lt. Colonel Mohamed of the 1-1 Peshmerga Battalion out in the hinterland east of Kirkuk City. As FOB Warrior is located inside the city, in order to get to the hinterlands, the convoy has to travel through the city, which can be the most dangerous part of any mission as there are still insurgents planting IED’s and launching, or in some cases throwing, explosives at convoys. According to people here, there has been an uptick in these small-scale incidents, and they don’t make the news because they pale in comparison to the car bombs that kill dozens in Baghdad.

Fortunately, the drive through the city was uneventful, and the hour-long ride out to the Peshmerga outpost passed quietly – I actually slept through the ride since I was in the back of an MRAP with zero visibility, so there was no reason to stay awake.

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Sean Carberry Iraq, Iraqi Police, Kirkuk, Peshmerga

April 4, 2010

KIRKUK, Iraq

I never received my call time before going to bed, and I found out at 5:45 am when a knock on my door stirred me out of bed. It took six minutes to get ready and head off to breakfast with Captain Timmons of Alpha Battery of the 2-3 Field Artillery. Over the typically forgettable DFAC breakfast, he briefed me on the day’s agenda.

First, a visit to the village of Sageron to drop off medical supplies at a clinic. That would be followed by a visit to a school to teach a class on dental hygiene. Both activities would be “in coordination” with the Iraqi Police, which in theory means that the IP are supposed to be participating in the mission in some way, but from what I could tell, they didn’t do much more than tag along and show presence (the US troops made a point though to tell the villagers how the IP were largely responsible for the improved security in the area as part of the effort to “Iraqify” conditions on the ground).

On the way back from the mission, one of the tires on the trailer used to haul out the medical supplies disintegrated, and provided another photo op. Finally, back at the base, Captain Timmons gave me a tour of the battery’s Howitzers. The first eight photos in the gallery are along the drive from FOB Warrior to the village of Sageron.

Sean Carberry 2-3 Field Artillery, FOB Warrior, Kirkuk

April 5, 2010

FOB WARRIOR, KIRKUK, Iraq

The “alarm” went off a little early this morning. At 5:47 am, I heard a buzzing sound followed by, “Incoming, Incoming, Incoming!”

By the time I hopped out of my sleeping bag and grabbed my pants, I heard a dull thud in the distance. Whatever it was, it was either small or far… or both. That was it. No further alarm, and I don’t yet have any info on what happened. But, since I’m up 30 minutes early, I figured I’d upload a photo blog of Saturday’s mission.

Saturday’s itinerary involved visiting three villages with the Combined Security Force. The troops gathered in the late morning, conducted their mission brief, and set off to the west of Kirkuk City.

The mission was to speak with village elders about local conditions, their needs, and what the Alpha Company of the 1-30, and the US military more broadly can do to improve quality of life in the villages. The CSF provided security as the US civil affairs and Alpha Company troops walked through the villages and spoke with the elders.

While all of the villages need medium to long-term assistance with water or roads, the CSF has been authorized to provide quick impact projects. In each village, the elder was presented with a choice of one option among these four: school supplies, a soccer field, painting of a public building like a school or mosque, or trash cleanup.

The first village was New Dibak Tappah. It’s a Kurdish village that’s under construction. Funded by the Kurdish Regional Government to resettle exiles.

The second village was Old Dibak Tappah. It’s now an Arab village, but in the past was mixed. However, the Kurds that were displaced did not return – many instead going to New Dibak Tappah. In Old DT, the mukhtar showed the soldiers the trash and sewage problems in the village.

The third village was Adleia – a very small community of Arabs – who interestingly voted for the KRG list in the election, simply because they were the only ones who came to the village to campaign.

The people of Old Dibak Tappah and Adleia all say they were forced to flee by Saddam back in the 1980s.

Sean Carberry Combined Security Force, Kirkuk, New Dibak Tappah, Old Dibak Tappah, raq

April 2, 2010
KIRKUK, Iraq

Shortly after a typically stellar military dining hall breakfast (insert sarcasm emoticon here), I link up with the Alpha Company of the 1-30 Infantry Battalion to join on a patrol with the “Combined Security Force.” The US stood up the CSF’s in January. The goal is to improve security in the disputed areas that border the Arab and Kurdish regions of Iraq, and to also help promote integration and reconciliation among Iraq’s various populations.

The CSF consists of Iraqi Army troops, Iraqi Police (equivalent to US National Guard), and Peshmerga (the Kurdish military), all partnered with US forces under the command of Captain Nick Loudon. The CSF brings together Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, Sunni, Shi’a (I don’t know if there are any Christians in the CSF).

There are a number of CSF units spread along the disputed territories of Kirkuk, Ninewa, Diyala, and Tamim provinces. They have generated plenty of opposition and controversy – largely from Arab and Turkmen groups who fear the CSF units legitimize the presence of Kurdish troops in areas they claim are being “colonized” by Kurds seeking to expand the footprint of Kurdistan.

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Sean Carberry Arabs, Combined Security Force, Iraq, Kirkuk, Kurdistan, Kurds, Turkmen

April 1, 2010

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq (somewhere near Tikrit)

Images of the Great Depression dustbowl come to mind while riding around COB Speicher. The sprawling base sits in the vast, semi-arid plain that makes up a large portion of this country. Unlike the densely developed Victory complex in Baghdad, or the city that is Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan, Speicher is sparse and spread out. There are scattered clumps of buildings that break up the dusty soil, and it can take 20 minutes to drive from one end of the base to the other.

And driving around you see little activity. As one soldier described it, that’s “the look of winning.” US forces are preparing to move out, and Iraqis are increasingly moving in. The Iraqi Air Force is conducting training flights here, and will grow their training operations as the US withdraws over the coming months. Because this base is so spread out, it diminishes the sense of activity. The mood in the dining halls is upbeat, and there is little of the tension or wariness that you feel at some of the bases in Afghanistan.
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Sean Carberry Baghdad, Dubai, Embed, Iraq, Kirkuk