| Page 2 of 5 < > |
Resilient Sunni Stronghold Tests the Iraqi Army's Best
|
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
At 8:30 a.m., Gen. Ali Ghaidan, the top Iraqi military commander in this mixed Sunni-Shiite province 35 miles north of Baghdad, arrived. He appealed to the Americans for more helicopter support and bulldozers.
Capt. Daniel Lammers, a U.S. military transition team adviser to the 3rd Battalion, said he would get more support there as quickly as possible. The bulldozer then ran over the bomb.
Iraqis Take the Lead
After the explosion, at 10:10 a.m., Muhammed walked around the bulldozer, looking at its bent wheel and the crater underneath. Before the blast, Ghaidan and other senior officials had walked past this spot several times.
"It's an antitank mine," Muhammed said, his voice rising in vindication. It was buried nearly two yards deep. How could he possibly have detected that? The weight of the bulldozer set off the bomb, he said.
At 10:15 a.m., another bomb exploded near the main road about a mile away. No one was injured.
U.S. commanders say that the Iraqis are taking the lead in the offensive but that they still need U.S. help. Lammers's departing team recently advised superiors that the 3rd Battalion no longer needed it. But the military decided to bring in a replacement team, anyway.
"A lot of our guys think the Iraqi army can't handle it on their own," said 1st Lt. Mikeal Stojic, 26, of Deltona, Fla. "But we're not going to have the manpower to hold the Iraqi hands all the way through." Stojic described the U.S. role as "a security blanket for a little kid."
"Just the fact we are there, it gives them the confidence to push through," he said.
The Iraqis' approach to bomb-clearing is nothing like the Americans.' "These guys are crazy. They just get an IED and snip the wick," said Capt. Ben Michaels, a burly Texan, referring to an improvised explosive device. "We collect the bombs and put them together and detonate it. These guys just blow them on the spot."
At 10:41, the Iraqis spotted the 14th bomb. It was steps in front of their vehicle. Four minutes later, after warning everyone to stand back, Muhammed detonated it. The smoke rose high. The blast was more powerful than the bulldozer's.
"I'm afraid Adil will die today," said Maj. Rafid Sobeh, a rail-thin soldier emerging from his tan Humvee, where he had taken cover.
At 11:45, Muhammed and his team drove away from the road. U.S. commanders had told their Iraqi counterparts to pull him out, said Lt. Col Sameer Radi, 43. The Americans were again taking over.
