Pat Dollard | Young Americans

Iraqi and US Forces patrol the streets of Diwaniyah.

We showed you recently about Al Qaeda losing its grip on Baghdad and surrounding districts, like Diwaniyah. The peace and security is still holding fast, and the Iraqis are stepping up the task more and more.

BAGHDAD — The city of Diwaniyah belongs to the people once again - a city where people walk the streets at night without fear or intimidation; a city where children go to the parks to play. It’s a city without “them” - the militants, terrorists, criminals and thugs that surrounded the city and its citizens in a cloak of fear.

Over the past several weeks, 8th Iraqi Army Soldiers joined forces with Iraqi Special Operations Forces, Iraqi Emergency Response Units (ERU) and Iraqi Police to rid the city of these “bad men,” a common term used to describe those militants and criminals. The joining of forces was part of Operation Lion Pounce - a series of ongoing operations in and around Diwaniyah to disrupt, isolate and neutralize militant, insurgent and criminal organizations.

Operation Lion Pounce sought “to get the city back to the way it was before - a city that was quiet and peaceful,” said Col. Hasan Abbas Tofan Sultan Al-Fatlawi, 8th Iraqi Army chief of staff.

“People were scared,” the colonel added, sweeping his hand across a map of Diwaniyah. “Many of them were under the control of the militants. They were forced to give up any money they had and were forced to give up their possessions and their homes. Sometimes they were forced to help carry out militant operations.”

Although Colonel Hasan didn’t say it outright, those who resisted the militants’ demands were harassed, abused or likely killed. In fact, there were places in Diwaniyah so heavily entrenched by militants that even Iraqi Soldiers dared not to enter by themselves.

“There were troops who hadn’t been home in more than two years, knowing if they ever tried to return either they or their families would be killed,” the colonel said.

Iraqi Special Operations Forces and ERUs, accompanied by U.S. Special Forces advisors, launched their first Lion Pounce raid in mid-November with additional missions following in rapid succession the following nights. The battle to restore law and order meant going directly to the source of the problem - rooting out militants and criminals where they hid, arresting them and bringing them to justice.

So far, operations have led to the capture of more than 150 suspects. Colonel Hasan suspects these Soldiers and police forces will catch many more as they flush these militants from their hiding places.

“We have broken the base of these terrorists,” the colonel said. “We have broken their networks, and we have captured their leaders.”

Those captured during the raids are charged with a variety of crimes, including bomb making, planning and conducting ambushes against Iraqi and Coalition forces, and kidnapping and murdering Iraqi citizens. One mission conducted Nov. 16 by an Iraqi ERU led to the capture of two alleged militants responsible for illegally selling weapons and targeting and killing Iraqi National Guard Soldiers. The same unit then arrested a suspected member of an extremist sniper and ambush group south of Diwaniyah during a raid Nov. 18.

“We know there are bad men out there that are still hiding, but they have lost their war against us,” Colonel Hasan said.

To date, Operation Lion Pounce remains a lop-sided battle with suspects quickly captured and no friendly injuries or casualties. Colonel Hasan credits effective mission planning and growing experience of his Soldiers as reasons why they remain safe and successful. He also praised the cohesiveness of the Iraqi Police and Soldiers, whose ability to work together and share critical information made a significant difference in this operation’s success.

In addition to pulling suspects off the streets, Iraqi military and police forces uncovered weapons caches stashed throughout the city. Counting on his fingers, Colonel Hasan rattled off the many types of illegal weapons recovered so far. In addition to assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and sniper rifles recovered at these scenes, Soldiers discovered a significant number of mortar shells, grenades, rockets and rocket launchers along with a large amount of bomb-making materials like blasting caps, detonation wire and TNT.

The colonel estimates his Soldiers have uncovered about 75 percent of hidden caches, and they remain determined to find the remaining 25 percent. Hasan sees a vastly different city than it was a few weeks ago. He glanced out of his office window, paused a moment then returned to his chair as he reflected on the progress to date.

“The citizens of Diwaniyah are very happy and comfortable as we bring back security to this city,” the colonel said. “People are not afraid to walk the streets at night. They are shopping at the markets, and children are going back to school. Things are almost back to normal. People know that no one is going to try to shoot them. They know we won’t let that happen.”

Another positive sign: New businesses look to open their doors in Diwaniyah. Among these commercial ventures are real estate companies - something the city hasn’t seen in many years since people were afraid of moving due to the persistent militant threat, he said.

Operation Lion Pounce reaped other benefits. No longer fearing retribution by “bad men,” citizens across the city are fighting back in their own way by providing vital information on the whereabouts of these suspects to Iraqi Police and Soldiers.

“(Before) they were afraid of intimidation and had no way to respond or fight back,” the colonel said. “They started seeing things getting done … and began to report on all the bad men in Diwaniyah.”

The colonel credits intelligence reports and critical information provided by Iraqi citizens as keys to making these missions so successful. To maintain the peace, Iraqi Police Officers will soon open small bases across the city to provide around-the-clock response should criminals or militants attempt to sneak back into the city. They’re more than a simple checkpoint, according

to the colonel. They feature the same capabilities of a regular police station, but in a scaled-down version.

“It allows militants no safe places to hide while allowing our police the capability to quickly respond,” the colonel said.

(MNF-I)