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U.S. Unit Shoulders Burden At Police Station in Baqubah
Spec. Richard Dollarhide of the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division scans for insurgents from the rooftop bunker of an Iraqi police station in Baqubah. The post comes under fire almost every day, and U.S. forces take the lead in fighting back.
(Photos By Bill Murphy Jr. -- The Washington Post)
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"It's what they always do," Brinkley continued. "They just get out of a car, fire two rounds and get out of here. It's nothing accurate, just harassing fire."
Spec. Jeremy Anderson, 22, of Corpus Christi, Tex., stayed low on the roof, near the sandbag bunker, pointing out buildings from which insurgents often target the ERF and the small road that the soldiers call Sesame Street because they see the same odd characters there every day.
The shooting died down. Loudspeakers blared from nearby neighborhoods. None of the soldiers spoke Arabic, but they said they can sometimes make out words like "Ameriki," "Bush" and "jihad."
Morning turned to midday. There were two more loud explosions. Mortars again, the soldiers said.
Downstairs, Brinkley sipped a Mountain Dew and walked into a room where several soldiers were resting. He had spent two hours in a sniper's nest over a shower stall that the men use as a makeshift urinal, and he had finally found a target. A man with an AK-47 assault rifle was trying to get into position about 500 yards away.
Brinkley squeezed the trigger and killed him.
"I'm still happy," Brinkley said. "The right thing to do is get dudes to stop shooting at you, especially that accurate fire."
Engaging the Officers
Few of the U.S. troops have much contact with the Iraqi police here, but Staff Sgt. Thomas Blair, 22, of Boston, walked downstairs in the early afternoon.
"Mister Thomas!" a 21-year-old Iraqi officer called out.
A half-dozen Iraqi police officers spoke through an Iraqi interpreter employed by the U.S. Army. None would give their names for fear that their families would be killed if insurgents learned their identities. Most wore civilian clothes.
An officer who said he was 37 was eager to talk. "Insurgents have good weapons. [We] don't. No uniform, no ammunition."
Several officers said they wanted an armored Humvee. They drive around in pickup trucks now, they said.
