Joanna/Daily Afghan-Iraq Update/10-22
Army Sgt. Jo Ashley, Kentucky Agri-business Development Team, concludes a briefing with the Parwan Dir. of Agriculture Irrigation and Livestock, Oct. 5. Ashley shakes hands with the head of Parwan prov.’s Dept of Woman’s Affairs, Ms. Shahjan, after discussions of collaborative efforts.
(Photo by AF Staff Sgt. Billy Vincent)
-30-
-30-
By Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell
According to Simpson, the Nassir Wa Salem area council and U.S. forces from 4th Stryker BCT, 2nd ID, worked closely to rebuild the one-story schoolhouse and provide desks and chairs for the faculty and students to foster a better learning environment.
"This is a very important day and we feel very happy because everything has changed," explained the school's headmaster, Kalid Ahmed. "Now students are more willing to show up to school." According to Ahmed, one of the most important renovations was the bathrooms. In the past, the students didn't have proper facilities, making the school an uncomfortable place to spend the school year. "I feel excellent today because we know that U.S. forces are good people and want to take care of us, the children and the school."
During the visit, the troops also donated backpacks to each one of the eager students who were quick to smile and shake hands with everyone. "What we're trying to do here is to help these kids become the future leaders of Iraq," said Simpson, as children proudly showed each other their backpacks. According to Simpson, this was the 5th project completed in the area in the past 4 months.
-30-
The workers are hired locally. The skills learned included basic vehicle maintenance and op, surface preparation, asphalt health and safety, and basic paving techniques. Many of the young men were in the SoI during the U.S. Forces surge of 2007. Projects like the TARP have provided employment for these young men, allowing some of them to transition out of the SoI and embark on a civilian construction career.
"The students who are standing here before you today are truly courageous," Capt. Ben Ferguson, the local U.S. cmdr, remarked at the graduation. "There are many ways to serve your country, and not all of them require a gun." The ceremony was the culmination of one project in a line of projects designed to help the GoI help itself, Ferguson said. By overseeing projects that train workers and create skilled laborers, the U.S. forces hope Iraq can build a lasting economy.
According to the MoI PAO, the community police, or civilian police service, is a mediator between security institutions, like police stations, and orgs. of leaders of the communities. Its mission is to communicate and interact to achieve participation between IP and the community in making security responsibilities more visible.
The goals of the community policing org. include promoting the principles of citizenship, democracy, civil peace and human rights, under the rule of law. They also aim to strengthen awareness of human and national values of unity, coexistence and tolerance, along with fighting racism, discrimination and destructive values.
Another goal of this group is to provide psychological and social support to victims of crime, serious incidents and terrorism. The biggest goal is to open communication channels between the IP and the community to increase the confidence and positive interaction between the two.
“Police should be more open and available to let people know that they're working for the benefit of all civilians,” said Dr. Abdul Salim, dean of the School of Journalism at Baghdad University. “Community police should be careful and be responsible in their actions, and it's very important for public affairs to get the info out about the activities of the civilian police.”
U.S. Army Col. John Maietta addressed the huge crowd and complimented the community policemen by saying, “I’ve seen polling data showing public confidence in IP is up. Why is this? It's because of the more professional way that all police, including the civilian police, work to solve cases using evidence and upholding the rule of law in Iraq. Your work helps police officers do a better job,” Maietta said. “You help to solve minor disputes before they lead to violence. You promote honesty and ethics, and provide social support to victims of crimes, especially the women and elderly.”
Brig. Gen. Alaa Al-Taie, general director of public relations at MoI, addressed the crowd by saying that they must close the gap between the police and the people. He said that they can do this by reporting crimes to the police officers and building ties with the community. He also acknowledged that the police need a new image. The community police will help greatly in this cause.
Iraqi media attended the event and conducted several interviews with the speakers. A traditional Iraqi lunch was enjoyed by the U.S. forces and their Iraqi friends in the Baghdad police dept.
-30-
WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2009 – ISF, working with U.S. advisors, arrested 4 terrorism suspects today in 2 ops, military officials reported.
Near Muqdaadiyah, NE of Baghdad, IP arrested 2 suspects today during another security op. The security team encountered and questioned the suspects while searching for a man known to have close ties to leaders of both AQI and the ISI terrorist group.
