A Soldier from the 506th Regimental Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division searches abandoned buildings for insurgents, along the Diyala River in East Baghdad. (Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Bart Bauer)
BAGHDAD – The clamor and the hustle of a Baghdad market is common throughout the city as hundreds of citizens crowd the local streets to purchase necessities for their homes.
The thriving venues of vendors are comparable to a mall, with consumers waiting in line to purchase an array of fresh produce, clothing, electronics or other commodities.
But here, in a small market in the Doura neighborhood of southern Baghdad, Iraqi police are focused on improving security, said 2nd Lt. Terry Gambrel, a platoon leader with Multi-National Division – Baghdad.
The Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 4th Infantry Division, have patrolled Doura for months. Working with Iraqi Police, the Soldiers hope to restore peace to the neighborhood, said Gambrel, a native of Mobile, Ala.
He said police officers from the Doura Police Station are fast becoming more proficient and capable.
Gambrel and his Soldiers are integrating the Doura police into civil military operations, which means conducting more combined patrols.
Conducting raids, running checkpoints and securing the area from terrorists are all ways the police will achieve the public’s confidence, said Gambrel.
Spc. Dana Estacio scales a makeshift fence during security operations in the Doura market of southern Baghdad.
An increased presence on the streets will help provide additional security, but this also means attacks on the IP will increase as well, said Spc. Dana Estacio of the 506th.
“There have been many times when we are out on patrol with the police when they have been attacked. Sometimes only a couple blocks away from us,” said the Susanville, Calif., native while walking between vendors inside the Doura Market.
The best way to learn is from experience, said Estacio.
“They do pretty well when they’re out here,” he said of the police. “Most of them come out here and want to work. They want to do their jobs.
“We find a lot of (improvised-explosive devices) and get into a lot of firefights. It’s just a rough neck of the woods,” Dawson said.
The ability to gain actionable intelligence on terrorists operating in the neighborhood is hard to come by. Most fear that their families will be in danger if they talk to the Soldiers and Iraqi Police, who patrol the neighborhood market daily.
“Usually when we talk to the people on the streets, we try to get information about the terrorists; but most of the time, the conversation twists back about the water and electricity problems they are having,” Dawson said.
The citizens of the neighborhood wait until they are alone with the Soldiers to report violence, Dawson said. In most cases, it is too late to locate the individuals responsible for the crimes.
As the people of the neighborhood become confident in the police force, Dawson said he expects the citizens will start reporting transgressions to the Doura police so they can deal with the problems independently.
