Marines to Help Iraqi Troops Police Iraq

By JACOB SILBERBERG

Updated: 10:51 p.m. ET July 2, 2005

HIT, Iraq - An Iraqi army battalion backed by U.S. Marines will be stationed in Hit, making it the first deployment to regularly police a city in the volatile western Anbar province, military commanders said Saturday.

The new strategy is designed to restore order in the region and not pull back as in previous offensives in the area when U.S. Marines would conduct raids over several days and then leave.

"We're not going to let (residents) down by pulling out three weeks from now," said Marine Col. Stephen Davis, who commands the Second Regimental Combat Team. "We've got to pay attention."

Previously, there haven't been enough Marines to stay and police the vast Anbar province, which is about the size of South Carolina and extends from near Baghdad to the porous Syrian border _ a main entry point for foreign fighters.

The decision for a military force to remain behind was met with a cool reception from city officials.

More than 1,000 U.S. and Iraqi troops have been camped around Hit since Tuesday, when they launched Operation Sword to break up foreign fighter networks in the area.

U.S. military commanders declined to say how many Marines would remain after the counterinsurgency sweep, though there has been a small American presence on the outskirts of the city for some time.

The threat of insurgent attacks, however, has prevented Marines from conducting regular patrols.

Sitting in Hit's courthouse, the mayor was not pleased when American commanders told him that a joint force planned to remain in the city, 85 miles west of Baghdad.

Mayor Ali Hamdi Nasir complained that the military presence disrupts everyday life. Stores remained closed and streets have been empty since Operation Sword began.

Marines shot and killed a driver who apparently didn't respond to instructions when they first entered Hit.

Troops have commandeered houses and schools to sleep in and park tanks on major roads, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene. When Marines could not break the locks on houses, they often used explosives to blow holes through front doors and gates.

"Everyone is worried about getting targeted," Nasir said. "Everyone is paralyzed. City departments cannot function. Children cannot go to school."

Later, an elder addressed a city council meeting, saying the only problem in Hit was a lack of police. The provincial government in Ramadi laid off the city's 2,000-member police force in March.

"We're here to secure the city," said Lt. Col. Lionel Urquhart, an American commander. "We're not leaving until we make it peaceful. We're here for a very long time."

After three hours, the meeting drew to a close and the councilors directed one final question to military commanders: "Could you please leave?"

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