US forces, hit by raids, fault their Iraqi alliesPage 2 of 3 -- After a burst of fighting in April that killed a dozen Marines and scores of insurgents, Marines no longer flood neighborhoods to hear concerns and hand out information about Iraq's new government. They protect the main road through town, a major US supply route, watching from observation posts to stop insurgents from planting roadside bombs.
It takes less than 10 minutes to drive from any base to the government center. But the Marines don't travel, even a few hundred yards to an observation post, with fewer than four heavily armed Humvees -- preferably encased in armor and blast-proof glass. Marines on the front lines haven't lost the stomach for the fight; in battle, they say, they feel most sure of their mission. But nearly unanimously, they say they can neither interact with Iraqis the way they had expected when they arrived with orders to win ''hearts and minds," nor can they deal a knockout blow to guerrillas. ''Every guy you kill, there's always going to be someone else," said Corporal Glen Handy, 26, of Las Vegas. Pulling back to observation posts can be ''frustrating for the Marines" said Captain Christopher Bronzi, 31, of Poughquag, N.Y., commander of the Second Battalion's Golf Company. ''You wonder what they are doing out there," he said, referring to insurgents. ''We'd be doing more good if we weren't here. We can send soccer balls from America," said Corporal Nat Canaga, 18, from Colorado, who was wounded by a grenade while on foot patrol. The Marines' mission changed on April 6, when insurgents launched coordinated attacks on patrols across the city, sparking a two-day battle. Marines launched aggressive raids that killed 80 insurgents, netted 90 prisoners, and tamped down attacks for a time. As the sovereignty handoff approached, guerrillas struck again. Marines killed 25 fighters in a seven-hour battle June 14. Marines win the large fights, but face some of the country's deadliest attacks. Last month, a car bomb killed four Marines; and four more died when insurgents ambushed their observation post. They can't leave until Ramadi's officials -- especially the security forces -- stand on their own. At the headquarters of the First Marine Division and the Army's First Brigade, across the river Euphrates from downtown, senior officers say they are making slow and steady progress. They point to the provincial government, which still needs US protection -- the governor's three sons were kidnapped at gunpoint on Wednesday -- but increasingly sets the reconstruction agenda. They say that even baby steps from Iraqi security forces must be hailed. Checking on troops patrolling a road on Ramadi's outskirts, Army Lieutenant Colonel Mike Cabrey said Iraqi forces have begun patrolling reliably there. But at the hardscrabble downtown bases, fighters have less confidence in Iraqi forces. Continued... |
