Walls Against Insurgents
The U.S. military is building a wall around the Iraqi town of Siniyah to isolate insurgents and prevent the launch of attacks from that village.
By Ryan Lenz
Associated Press
January 8, 2006
SINIYAH, Iraq - Villagers watched from rooftops as U.S. military bulldozers heaved a wall of sand into snaking lines around their homes Saturday in an attempt to trap insurgents believed to be hiding among them.
The drastic tactic in Siniyah came after weeks of increasingly bold insurgent attacks, including almost daily roadside bombs targeting 101st Airborne Division soldiers patrolling the village, 155 miles north of Baghdad.
''This is not in any of the courses they teach in the Army,'' said Maj. Shawn Daniel, who oversees operations for the 3rd Brigade's 33rd Cavalry Regiment. ``But if bad people are coming to Siniyah to attack coalition forces, let's catch them at the gate.''
Spanning six miles and broken by watchtowers to be manned by Iraqi security forces, the 10-foot-tall crude barrier is the Army's latest tool to rout out insurgents.
Construction was expected to last several days. Once complete, all vehicles leaving or entering the village will be stopped as soldiers look for known insurgents, bomb-making materials and illegal weapons.
Dubbed ''Operation Verdun,'' after a famous World War I battle, the 3rd Brigade decided to blockade the village after determining it had become a staging point for insurgents to plan and execute their attacks.
The village of a few thousand people in the volatile so-called Sunni triangle is less than a mile from a former Iraqi airfield that coalition forces named Forward Operating Base Summerall -- home to units from the 3rd Brigade.
Roadside bombs have hit convoys and patrols around Siniyah at a rate of about one every two days since early December, officials said. Two soldiers from the 3rd Brigade, also known as the ''Rakkasans,'' died last Sunday in roadside explosions outside Siniyah.
Mortar attacks also have become increasingly familiar inside the Summerall base, often falling just after sunset or before sunrise when locals know soldiers congregate in large numbers to eat.
One soldier died last month during an early morning mortar attack.
Insurgents also have attacked tanker trucks from the Beiji oil refinery -- one of the largest in Iraq -- about five miles outside Summerall.
The Army has seen the success that restricting access to Iraqi cities can bring. Similar ''walls'' built around Fallujah and Samarra in recent months have quelled restive insurgent cells. Army commanders in Samarra said the number of attacks dropped drastically after an 11-mile barrier was built around the city.
By Ryan Lenz
Associated Press
January 8, 2006
SINIYAH, Iraq - Villagers watched from rooftops as U.S. military bulldozers heaved a wall of sand into snaking lines around their homes Saturday in an attempt to trap insurgents believed to be hiding among them.
The drastic tactic in Siniyah came after weeks of increasingly bold insurgent attacks, including almost daily roadside bombs targeting 101st Airborne Division soldiers patrolling the village, 155 miles north of Baghdad.
''This is not in any of the courses they teach in the Army,'' said Maj. Shawn Daniel, who oversees operations for the 3rd Brigade's 33rd Cavalry Regiment. ``But if bad people are coming to Siniyah to attack coalition forces, let's catch them at the gate.''
Spanning six miles and broken by watchtowers to be manned by Iraqi security forces, the 10-foot-tall crude barrier is the Army's latest tool to rout out insurgents.
Construction was expected to last several days. Once complete, all vehicles leaving or entering the village will be stopped as soldiers look for known insurgents, bomb-making materials and illegal weapons.
Dubbed ''Operation Verdun,'' after a famous World War I battle, the 3rd Brigade decided to blockade the village after determining it had become a staging point for insurgents to plan and execute their attacks.
The village of a few thousand people in the volatile so-called Sunni triangle is less than a mile from a former Iraqi airfield that coalition forces named Forward Operating Base Summerall -- home to units from the 3rd Brigade.
Roadside bombs have hit convoys and patrols around Siniyah at a rate of about one every two days since early December, officials said. Two soldiers from the 3rd Brigade, also known as the ''Rakkasans,'' died last Sunday in roadside explosions outside Siniyah.
Mortar attacks also have become increasingly familiar inside the Summerall base, often falling just after sunset or before sunrise when locals know soldiers congregate in large numbers to eat.
One soldier died last month during an early morning mortar attack.
Insurgents also have attacked tanker trucks from the Beiji oil refinery -- one of the largest in Iraq -- about five miles outside Summerall.
The Army has seen the success that restricting access to Iraqi cities can bring. Similar ''walls'' built around Fallujah and Samarra in recent months have quelled restive insurgent cells. Army commanders in Samarra said the number of attacks dropped drastically after an 11-mile barrier was built around the city.
posted by Hanan Elbadry at 9:59 AM
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