The troops didn't go far, the mission didn't last long and the neighborhood
wasn't the most dangerous in town. But when Iraqi army troops moved out on a
recent patrol in central Ramadi, they took a crucial step forward, rolling out
in their own armored Humvees for the first time.
An unidentified Iraqi soldier prepares his
machine gun before a patrol in Ramadi, Iraq, Friday, March 31, 2006. When
Iraqi army troops in this volatile city deployed on a recent patrol
downtown they took a crucial step forward, rolling out in their own
armored Humvees for the first time. [AP] |
Until now, this unit has mostly patrolled their small, relatively quiet slice
of downtown on foot, leaving the worst parts of the turbulent city center to
better-equipped U.S. troops.
American commanders want Iraqi units to operate independently in the more
dangerous downtown areas of Ramadi, about 75 miles west of Baghdad. But they
lack equipment ¡ª especially proper transport. Though they have their own trucks,
they rely heavily on U.S. forces to move around.
In recent weeks, that's begun to change.
The Iraqi Defense Ministry has begun distributing armored Humvees to Iraqi
units that look nearly identical to their tan-colored U.S. counterparts. The
Iraqi vehicles are equipped with bulletproof glass and radios, painted outside
with the Iraqi flag and chocolate chip camouflage markings.
"This is a huge step," said Marine 2nd Lt. Ryan Hub, who accompanied Iraqi
troops on a foot patrol Friday while the Humvees provided back-up.
Tracing a finger along a satellite map of central Ramadi, Hub circled a
roughly one-square-mile area near the Marine base which the Iraqis patrol. He
then pointed to other Marine-controlled zones he hoped Iraqis troops would soon
patrol in Humvees.
"It means we can extend their battle space," said the 25-year-old from
Sumter, S.C.
On Tuesday, the Humvees proved useful as Iraqi forces evacuated a soldier
shot in the leg, said Lt. Col. Steve Neary, who commands the Marine's 3rd
Battalion, 8th Regiment. Previously, such tasks would have been carried out by
the U.S. military.
On Friday, an Iraqi 2nd lieutenant named Ahmed was in the first Humvee of a
four-vehicle convoy leaving a U.S. Marine base. Marine commanders asked that his
full name not be used for fear he could be targeted by insurgents.
Taking a drag off a cigarette a few blocks on, Ahmed was startled to see two
of his own vehicles ¡ª they had taken a wrong turn ¡ª coming in the opposite
direction. "Follow me!" he yelled into the radio. "Follow me!"