Inside the surge

MNFI:

The discomfort was written all over the young man’s face, his eyes darted all over and he nervously rubbed sweat from a now perspiring brow. He continued to vehemently deny any knowledge of criminal activity.

Either the Iraqi military-aged male was truly scared or he was keeping a secret from coalition forces. The questions he would not answer were intended to provide assistance in tracking down criminal militia members. This was not an accommodating Iraqi citizen. The paratroopers tactically moved to the next residence of Ur, a neighborhood in Baghdad’s Adhamiyah District. There would be more questions for other residents to answer.

The paratroopers asked for help from the very people who the operation would benefit: residents suffering under the iron grip of criminal militia known for kidnappings, executions and roadside bombings.

The choice for residents: keep silent and continue suffering or come forward with information and risk reprisal. The paratroopers of 1st Platoon, Company B, 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, hoped some residents were fed up with the status quo and wanted to make a change.

“We tell them we can clean up the streets for them as far as the bad guys,” but only if they provide information on the criminal militia, explained 1st Platoon’s leader, 2nd Lt. Andrew Walko.

But the consequences of helping the platoon, terrified many residents of Ur, said the Great Falls, Va., native.

“A lot of people are hesitant to give out information because they get strong armed. (criminal militia members) come around and say, ‘Hey, talk to the Americans and we’ll kill you,’” Walko explained.

Despite the fears, the paratroopers persisted and tried to reason with the residents full of trepidation.

“We let them know that we’re here to protect them and that if they tell us where a bad guy is, we’ll take him to jail,” said Sgt. Brent Palmer, an acting squad leader with the platoon.

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It seems pretty clear that the fear was not of the Americans, but what would happen if they left. By threatening to pull the troops out of Iraq, Democrats are playing into the hands of the enemy that is intimidating these people and making it harder for the US troops to protect them. there fear is understandable on several levels, but one of the most important is that they will be abandoned.