DISPATCHES FROM IRAQ
Outsiders draw attention of troops
By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer
AL-HUWIJAH, Iraq — Two of the three Iranians, all in their late teens and early 20s, had no passports or identification — and for local police and Schofield Barracks soldiers working to stabilize the region, questionable reasons for being in Iraq.
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Detained by police in this city of more than 85,000 southwest of Kirkuk, they said they were in the country to visit holy sites and were staying in al-Huwijah with relatives of one of the men.
Spc. Maloney Alfons of Kosrae, Micronesia, checks underneath a car that was stopped by troops because it looked similar to a vehicle that had cruised by a checkpoint three times during a meeting of U.S. and Iraqi officials.
In al-Huwijah, Iraq, 1st Lt. David Morgan of the 1-27 met with Police Chief Awad Mohammed Azawi, right, and others to discuss the needs of local police.
Pfc. Andrew Walker, of Richland, Va., stands guard near the police station in al-Huwijah, where a meeting was taking place between soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment and local police. The town is not known for being pro-American in sentiment.
With foreign influence and suicide bombings on the rise — particularly against Iraqis cooperating with the coalition — the presence of the Iranians highlighted new concerns in a country still trying to make the transition from war to peace.
Soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment were at police headquarters Monday to ask what additional equipment and personnel were needed by local police.
On Feb. 23, a car bomb killed 10 police officers and wounded 45 other people in Kirkuk in the first suicide attack against police in the city.
Schofield soldiers want to keep such violence from happening here.
"All the opinion here and elsewhere in Kirkuk said this guy who attacked was a stranger, a foreigner," said al-Huwijah Police Chief Awad Mohammed Azawi, 48. "If he was an Iraqi, maybe he was pushed by somebody else. (But) even in the coalition forces here in Iraq, they think the majority of terrorists are foreigners."
Speaking through an interpreter, Azawi added, "We are afraid (of these) attacks. For this reason, we arrested the three foreign guys today."
The police chief said a bomb exploded at the al-Huwijah station eight months ago; a rocket attack occurred Sept. 18; and police have been shot at many times.
Police want more security and equipment, and 1st Lt. David Morgan, 32, 1st Platoon leader for Alpha Company, was there to see if the coalition could provide it.
Although Schofield soldiers meet regularly with police, it was the first full assessment of police needs in the city, which has all 100 officers in one station. Two other facilities are being rebuilt.
The main station is a several-mile ride through farmland from Forward Operating Base McHenry into the Sunni Arab city where, unlike in Kurdish-populated Kirkuk, men on the street do not wave or smile, and Schofield soldiers have periodically come under fire.
Morgan wanted to know how many men are on shift at any given time, how many patrols go out daily in the city, how many AK-47 rifles were on hand, how many police SUVs they have.
"What are some things he would like to have to make his job a lot easier?" Morgan asked interpreter Mohammed Hassan. "Does he want a wall to enclose the parking lot?"
Azawi said he wanted to increase the size of the police station's yard, put in guard towers and add razor wire and "Hesco" barriers, earthen barriers built between two rows of material-backed fencing.
"OK. We can look at that," Morgan said.
Morgan also found out the police have no flashlights or handcuffs, and have one light blue uniform shirt apiece, two pairs of navy pants, and one blue jacket with reflective stripes and "POLICE" on the back for identification.
"They are missing a lot of things, simple things. They don't even have paper and pencils. They have to pay for that out of their own pockets," said Morgan, who is from Tennessee.
The list will have to go through Kirkuk's city council for approval. Nine times out of 10, requests for necessities are granted.
Morgan also questioned the three Iranians, who were being watched in a meeting room.
One of the clean-cut men, wearing a blue coat and white-and-black checked scarf, said all three were staying with his sister in al-Huwijah.
When the man's brother-in-law showed up, he said he would take responsibility for the three young men. He confirmed they were guests at his house, but unlike residents elsewhere, was not deferential to the U.S. soldiers.
Waleed Nasir Hussein, 33, a carpenter, said he would take the men to the holy sites they wanted to visit, and then return them to the Iranian border in several days.
Before letting the men go, soldiers took photos of them and took down their names, including that of Waleed.
"Let him know we'll go off his word, but if they do anything, he'll answer for it," Morgan said.
