Marines Prop Up Ailing Local Gov't in Iraq

U.S. Marines stand in the hallway of the Anbar provincial government center in Ramadi, 115 kilometers (70 miles) west of Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, July 12, 2006. U.S. Marines in the compound defend the ailing local government offices from frequent insurgent attacks. After three years of war in Ramadi, the U.S. military has yet to move from combat to stabilization operations in most of this city of 400,000 people and capital of Sunni-dominated Anbar province.(AP Photo/Antonio Castaneda) (Antonio Castaneda - AP)

"The number one thing I'm looking to do is kill the enemy," said Capt. Andrew Del Gaudio, 30, of New York, commander of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 8th Regiment. "I do that knowing that when I do that I allow the Iraqi government to function."

The Marines defend a U.S.-appointed government that's struggled to build its credibility in this mostly Sunni Arab city. Since the toppling of their longtime patron Saddam Hussein, Sunnis have fallen out of power and the once-repressed Shiites have ascended.

U.S. officials hope the national unity government that took office this spring with greater Sunni Arab representation will persuade some insurgents to lay down their arms. But the provincial government here _ comparable to state governments in the United States _ is still run by officials handpicked by Americans or U.S.-chosen councils.

That raises questions about their legitimacy among Sunni Arabs, the most disaffected group in Iraq and the bedrock of the insurgency.

So far the insurgency has shown few signs of backing off its mission of destroying anything that cooperates with the U.S. military. The provincial governor says he's survived nearly 30 assassination attempts. Two of his predecessors resigned under threat and another was kidnapped and killed.

The vast majority of insurgents in Ramadi _ at least 90 percent, by U.S. military estimates _ are locals. Most of the Al-Qaida members who make up about a quarter of all insurgents are Iraqi, U.S. officials say. Just 5 percent to 10 percent of all insurgents are foreigners, the military estimates.

Foreign fighters "are a very small percentage, and you see that reflected everywhere. We don't capture or detain an awful lot of these guys," said Col. Sean MacFarland, commander of the Army's 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, which oversees the city.

While still operating in wide areas of the city, some Marines say they're content to battle away and trim the insurgency's ranks.

"We're in a very aggressive neighborhood. We need to take out as many of them as possible at a time, and throw in some intimidation there too," said Lance Cpl. Richard Mason, 21, of Medina, Ohio, who has fired 27 rockets on gangs of insurgents in the area.

Some Marines, many on their second tour in Iraq in as many years, expressed impatience with the government's efforts to build a military and assert control of its streets. But others said they were willing to keep fighting while Iraqi officials struggle to build a foundation of government here.

"Yeah, I'd like Iraqis to step up to the plate. But that's why we're here. We're here to teach them to be self-sufficient and train their army," said Lance Cpl. Galen Wilson, 21, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.