Frustration and Deceit on U.S.-Iraqi Patrol in Mosul

First Lt. Michael Baxter asks residents of a home in Mosul whether they have seen masked, armed men roaming the streets. No, no, a man answers. But the man's young son nods. (By Ernesto Londoño -- The Washington Post)
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Baxter wanted to know what language the neighbors spoke. Someone replied Turkish, but then denied having interacted with the group.

"Have you seen any terrorists?" he asked.

No, one of the men assured him. They told the lieutenant that they had lived in the neighborhood for 30 years.

"Thirty years, and you've never seen any insurgents?" Baxter asked, looking at his interpreter. "Tell him I've been here for five months, and I've seen a lot of terrorists. Why are you guys all lying?"

What about the roadside bombs? Baxter asked. They are placed at night, one man said.

Softening his tone, Baxter said U.S. soldiers are working with Iraqi army and police officials in Mosul to restore security.

That prompted a complaint: One resident told Baxter that Iraqi soldiers recently confiscated his AK-47 assault rifle, which Iraqis are allowed to keep at home. "They put the AK to my head and threatened to shoot," the man said.

'Hit-and-Run Tactics'

Back at the small combat outpost, Baxter tore into a packaged military meal and sat at a picnic table surrounded by blast walls. The outpost is frequently attacked, but the last couple of weeks had been unusually quiet.

The first round landed at 11:30 a.m. as Baxter was finishing his meal.

Mortars. Again.

Soldiers reacted quickly. They roused comrades napping in tents and huddled in small cement bunkers.

Five rounds hit in quick succession. None hit the green tents where the soldiers live or the open area where they work out and eat. No one was hurt.