Mobilize Me 4: Raising Fallujah

And if a despot you would dethrone, see first that his throne erected within you is destroyed.  For how can a tyrant rule the free and the proud, but for a tyranny in their own freedom and a shame in their own pride? 

Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

 

Security is improving throughout Al Anbar.  I saw it in Fallujah two weeks ago.  After two devastating battles and countless insurgent attacks in and around this -- some would offer infamous -- city, there finally seems to be the stability required to chart a way forward.

That's the good news.  The not-so-good news is that we've got a long way to go to accomplish our overall mission here and achieving security objectives is just the start point in this campaign.  It's what happens next that will determine the nature of our involvement (or absence) here. 

This should not be a purely military endeavor.

Viewed in general terms, there's no rocket science to these developments.  Achieving security has simply to do with dividing Fallujah into manageable portions, clearing each district of insurgents, and maintaining appropriate measures to ensure they don't return.

But viewed up close, there is a complex tangle of influences, relationships, and requirements that make every indicator of success in Fallujah a remarkable -- and reversible -- event.

Just as imporant as the kinetic aspects of these operations is the effort to influence local opinions and allegiances.  The battlespace in this and all counterinsurgencies has long been understood as both physical and ideological.  In Anbar, this is becoming clearer each day to the people that count.

In many ways, this is a case of mind over matter.  It's an inter-generational effort: Take a few steps back and you realize that the center of gravity here is really the hearts and minds of Fallujah's children. 

I flew to Anbar from the embassy again, spending a night in a trailer before linking up with the unit that was going to host me.  The next day, I arrived at Camp Baharia, where 2d Battalion/6th Marine Regiment is based.  The place is suprisingly picturesque: Palm trees and bungalows hug the shore of a curved lake at the camp.  According to Marines I spoke to and a Google search, Baharia used to be a resort called Dreamland frequented by Saddam's sons.  They sometimes stayed in a palace, since destroyed, on an island in the middle of the strangely blue water.  I heard the fishing is good.

I joined elements of Company E for the ride into downtown Fallujah that evening.  I wanted to experience the fabric of the city, given its significant role in recent Marine history.  We traveled in a convoy and I sat in the back of an armored seven-ton truck.  As we entered Fallujah proper, driving west on Route Michigan at dusk, the place seemed deserted.  All private vehicles have been banned in the city.

Significant battle damage was evident.  There were lots of abandoned, crumbling houses.  I saw a large group of children playing in a field and there was an Iraqi-style strip mall on the south side of the wide thoroughfare, closed but serviceable.   

We stopped at Observation Post Fenton, a bombed out house in the Dohat district of the city now occupied by Marines who increasingly coordinate their efforts with local Iraqi Army and Police units.  This is a clear indicator that we're on the right path. 

The IA and IP guys are stepping up to the plate and working well together, regardless of any antipathy that might exist between these organizations because of sectarian or other differences.  (The Iraqi Police, being local, are almost all Sunni.  Not so with the Iraqi Army.)

It's basic living at this OP and another one, OP Shock, which I visited the next day.  Though the structures are hardened, there is no regular running water and power is supplied exclusively through generators.  Marines stand watch continuously and there are frequent patrols outside the wire, in addition to meetings with local residents and officials.   

My assumption is that OP Fenton was a prominent merchant's home, given Fallujah's commercial history and the elaborate architecture of the house, which includes cupolas and a grand staircase.  Echo Company Marines have improved security and living conditions through sandbags and razor wire, bare wooden loftbeds, and improvised workout rooms.  Headcalls are strictly a wag bag affair.  The roof of the building offers views of the main avenues of approach and the large mosque a few blocks away.  There is still an intermittent sniper threat.

The overall appoach to counterinsurgency in Fallujah includes establishing and supporting Joint Security Stations.  These are offices staffed mainly by locals, at which residents can file damage claims, join the Neighborhood Watch, and request humanitarian assistance and social services.

This comprehensive grassroots method is working well, with incidents of violence down dramatically since it began.  The Neighborhood Watch has proven to be an important component of the overall security plan.

One question I asked repeatedly during my stay was why the Marines' approach (called "swarm operations") was not begun sooner.  As I participated in patrols and sat in meetings with Marine and local civic leaders, the answer became obvious.  It is only recently that the political will, on the one hand, and the security conditions, on the other, have developed to the point where such joint operations are possible.  This is a proverbial chicken-or-egg situation, but no one's refuting the results...or complaining about them.

One of the main realizations to everyone involved in this effort is that these successes cannot be perceived as relying exclusively on the Marines, unless we want Fallujah to become the sixth borough of New York City.  Truly self-sustaining policies and practices must be established if stability is to be maintained after the Marines pull out.  This is where things get complicated. 

As we all know, Coalition members in Iraq, both military and civilian, are engaged in shifting a paradigm, an often violent process.  Our challenges in Iraq stem from the fact that we had nothing on standby to replace the structures we took down in 2003.  Though our military-led efforts at nation-building have at times been heroic, we have also often missed the mark widely in developing an understanding of the situation here.  Also, there has not been the critical mass necessary (troops and other personnel, money, programs) to make new forms -- new conceptions of everyday life and governance -- real.

That being said, recent successes in Fallujah and elsewhere are beginning to take hold mainly because of two things: the U.S. surge of troops and operations, and the fact that these activities embody the means prescribed in GEN Petraeus' theater campaign plan, assessments of province-wide conditions, and tactical-level realities encountered in specific districts of specific cities. 

In other words, we've finally got the right leader and the right plan.

From OP Fenton, I participated in two patrols through Dohat, one in the mid-morning and one at dusk.  These consisted of several Humvees and a squad of Marines.  Their familiarity with the area was evident and their leaders were confident and knowledgeable. 

There was a tenuous but positive rapport between the Marines and the local residents and shopkeepers, as if the column of vehicles and young men passing through had finally been understood as a necessary part of the local landscape.  Several children approached the patrol without trepidation and frequent exchanges of "Salam" occurred.  The temperature topped 120 degrees.

At the end of the two-hour patrol, the squad returned to Fenton and underwent a thorough debrief of everything they had seen and done.  It was not sugar-coated.  I was told to stay forward of the rear vehicle the next time out.

Daily life for the Marines between patrols consists mainly of working out, watching movies or reading, eating, planning future patrols, standing watch, and sleeping.  Though spartan, Fenton is viewed positively by the men.  The place is secure and homey, in a post-apocalyptic kind of way.  The fact that there's a mostly functioning kitchen helps, as does the improvised rec room (with TV and DVD player).

Later in the afternoon, we went out again.  This patrol promised to be more interesting, given that the Iraqis had beaten the Saudis in the Asian Cup soccer championship just as we set out.  (The locals are known for significant celebratory fire during such occasions.)

There were more people on the streets during this patrol and I observed several open markets and fairly large crowds celebrating the victory.  There were numerous bursts of fire in the air, but not as many as the patrol leader expected.  (The IP and Neighborhood Watch were doing their jobs.) 

At one corner the patrol leader stopped for an extended conversation initiated by a local resident.  The exchange was mainly a request for better water and electrical service, but also presented an opportunity for the Marines to gather information on the neighborhood.

As the sun set, a large harvest moon appeared and an impromptu soccer match between Marines and local children developed in a small field.  Parents watched from their houses across the street.  Afterwards, we returned to Fenton.

Later that night I visited the police lieutenant at the Dohat Joint Security Station, the Fallujah police chief, the mayor, and the head of the city council.  I was with the Echo Company commander.  The discussions offered much information and I saw how important personal relationships are in the ongoing effort to introduce a new way of life.  We lost electrical power during two of the meetings and flashlights were promptly pulled out.

The conversation with the police chief was particularly insightful.  Here's a man who's been around the block a few times.  He's older, but still vigorous and alert.  He has lost dozens of officers to insurgent attacks, several of whom have had their heads delivered to him in buckets.  55 of his officers have had their homes destroyed by insurgents and many have had members of their families kidnapped.  But he remains committed to his job and maintains a sense of optimism.  If anything, he wants more media attention, more police officers and equipment, more support from the provincial and national governments. 

There was an awkward moment during the exchange when he held up a photo of a severed head and asked us what it was.  "The past?" I offered.  Like an exacting grandfather, he nodded slowly, apparently satisfied with the response. 

I was surprised to hear that the police chief was not a big fan of the sheikhs who have signed onto "The Awakening" in Anbar.  He is suspicious of these Sunni tribal leaders who have pledged to assist the Coalition against the insurgency.  I was also surpised by one of the security measures he described: Virtually every resident of Fallujah has been subject to biometric data collection, mainly through fingerprinting.  Though I understand the need for this, I think we have to acknowledge that these are some serious training wheels on the road to democratic governance.  Imagine the reaction if such policies were proposed in U.S. cities.

During our meetings with them, the mayor and head of the city council underscored the urgent need for greater services.  They see security in the city as on track, but are concerned that not achieving greater service delivery, economic development, and infrastructure improvement soon will result in renewed violence.  The mayor wants more NGOs in Fallujah and better relations with the government in Baghdad.  The head of the city council spoke of the need to pay Fallujah police officers promptly.

All of this seems like common sense to me.  If we're going to ask these people to envision and embody a new way of life, we have to ensure that their basic requirements are being met.  I hope we (the Marines, America broadly, the Coalition) can deliver -- or facilitate the delivery of -- the next level of support to these people.  But, as I've often been told in the Marines, "Hope is not a course of action." 

So, Americans will ensure the right things happen if we want to leave Iraq with our heads held high.  The effort will require a lot more involvement by non-military actors: other U.S. agencies, contractors, NGOs, international organizations, businesses, media.  My observations tell me that most people in Iraq realized this long ago, but haven't been able to implement the changes required. 

Yes, the Coalition needs more time to achieve the results it is capable of.

That night I slept at OP Shock, located in Fallujah's Andaloos district, which was next on the list to be swarmed.  This building was formerly an apartment house for several families.  On the way to Shock, we stopped at the new Joint Security Station, which had been a Sheikh's family compound.  (He was paid to relocate.)  At close to midnight, there was a detachment of Marine combat engineers emplacing vehicle barriers on the street, putting up plywood walls, and reinforcing and securing the structure.

At 0800 the next day, the JSS was open for business and there were already people lined up to request information and services and volunteer for the Neighborhood Watch.  Hundreds of people.

Several men were detained during the swarm.  They were segregated from the others who showed up and stood in line.

So began what was the centerpiece of my visit to Fallujah city: A patrol by members of the Iraqi Army, Iraqi Police, and Marines during which food and blankets were distributed directly to local residents.  Clothing and soccer balls were also offered to many neighborhood children.  These acts were the symbolic start of a new period in Andaloosa.  My read on the message was that security had been established and, from here on out, a sense of normalcy would be returning.

It was interesting to gauge the different reactions of the locals, a few of whom thought about forming their own swarm on the supply truck and were pushed back by the shouts of Iraqi soldiers chambering rounds in their AKs.  I witnessed a loud disagreement between an imposing IA colonel, the clear leader of this mission, and some of the police officers.  It was quickly swept away as the police chief, a good two feet shorter than the colonel, showed up and they greeted each other (warmly?).

All in all, this was a good day, in spite of these minor episodes.  To the best of my knowledge, the locals saw a unified front, received direct assistance, and became aware of an important new institution in their neighborhood, the JSS.

Such is the progress in Fallujah today.  There are very clear signs that things will continue on the upswing started by the momentum engendered locally and nationally.  But, as I stated, this cannot remain the case indefinitely.  Much greater efforts are still required and they really shouldn't be led by Marines.  Just as the Iraqi Army has been relocated to the outskirts of town, replaced by an increased police presence and the Neighborhood Watch, the Marines must someday leave the city.  What replaces the energy and goodwill of these young men will resound deeply in the collective consciousness of Fallujah's children for years to come.

At the end of the mission, I retraced my steps to Camp Baharia, Camp Fallujah, and the embassy.  I had a lot of food for thought upon my return and I went back to work the next day energized by the good and real efforts I'd seen.

At some point I thought about OP Fenton and recalled the mosque clearly visible from its roof.  The night I arrived, the call to prayer had been particularly loud.

Somehow, the merchant I imagined as owning the house before the Marines showed up had coexisted for years with the imams of this mosque.  Given that we're on some kind of precipice in Iraq, I can only think that they will again live together and that the situation will be better than it was before.  It will take a long time to reach that point.

Next time: What does it take to win a war?

Comments

[bayoan cortes]

great work! detailed and informative. hope to see you soon old friend!peace health and luck!

[Frederique]

Hi Dan!

I didn't know you were in Iraq, until now... should be very interesting indeed. Thanks for the blog, it's just great having a glimpse of life in Iraq nowadays. Keep safe and see you one day, hopefully! I'll always remember your Follies show!!

[Plans Crew in the rear]

Ok Reporter Dan,
Its about time your get your butt back here in the rear and start doing some real work................
s/f
Maj O and the Plans Crew