How We Roll

When I was here last year, moving around was very straightforward. We simply mounted up and moved out. Last June, in Babil Province, the U.S. Army was in control of “the battle-space” and the military moved wherever and whenever it wanted. It made moving around quite easy, although arguably more perilous. When we moved to Najaf Province last July, our movements were slightly more restricted. Najaf, and other provinces where we subsequently worked, was a so-called PIC province, or “province in Iraqi control.” That meant that the Army had to call up the Iraqi’s to tell them where and when we were going. There were certain no-go zones, such as the area around the holy shrines in downtown Najaf, but for the most part there were few impediments to movement.

I knew that things would be different this year. Between my leaving Iraq last November and the end of June this year the situation has changed markedly. With the new Status of Forces Agreement in place, most troops have now withdrawn from the cities and are now concentrated on fewer but larger bases on urban outskirts. As of the end of June, the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police have taken control of security for the country. This is as it should be, but it’s made moving around a bit more difficult.

Now, when we go out on a mission, our convoy of Humvees goes to the main gate of the base to link up, inshallah, with a platoon of Iraqi Army soldiers in their Humvees. Then, if all goes well, the blended convoy moves out, with alternating Iraqi and U.S. Army Humvees rolling down the road. Since coming here, the Iraqi Army has showed up most but not every time. If they are not at the main gate, we will wait, but if we are not going through Basra city, we won’t wait long. If we are going through the city, we have to wait.

Some of the Iraqi Army units look pretty capable; others less so. To describe what they wear as a “uniform” is a bit of a stretch. There are all sorts of desert cammo in use. Some guys wear helmets and body armor, others wear red berets cocked at odd angles and no other protection. They are friendly enough and the rapport between the U.S. Army “green-suiters” and the IA is good. However, there is definitely a stark contrast in professionalism between the two forces. I keep saying to any of my stateside friends that we should be proud of the professionalism our young men and women service personnel. The lack of discipline and the loosey-goosey way of doing business by the IA (let alone the endemic corruption) couldn’t be more different. (By the way, on a related point, I find it difficult to disagree with a lot of what is said by Colonel Reese of the U.S. Army here.)

The other day we made a visit to Basra University, which has well-established programs in agriculture, veterinary science, fisheries, and marine science. Bringing the U.S. Army onto any university campus in Iraq is problematic. Last fall, we had to scrub a planned trip to Qadasiya University in Diwaniya because the U.S. Army was not allowed to be there for our security. The plan for the Basra University visit was for us to drive to the main gate, where we would be met by a mini-bus that would be accompanied by Iraqi Army troops for security. A small group of U.S. Army troops carrying only side-arms would be there too. When we got to the gate, there was no mini-bus, something that was supposed to have been arranged by the Iraqi Army. After sitting in our convoy for another half-hour, the mini-bus finally arrived and we loaded up. The leader of the Iraqi Army unit was unwilling to have the American troops with us and insisted that they be disarmed. One of the translators accompanying us called General Aziz, the commanding Iraqi Army general in the area, whose phone number he had stored on his cell phone, and passed the phone to the Iraqi Army platoon leader. After a short conversation we were allowed to proceed. The American soldiers hid their pistols inside their body armor so, when the IA platoon leader came on to the mini-bus to check out the American soldiers, they would not appeared armed. The American lieutenant with us said, “See, we’re only carrying radios.” After this delay, our visit proceeded without problem or incident. It probably helped matters that the university is out of session for the summer and there were only a few students on campus.

I’m not saying the new situation is excessively difficult. It’s just different, occasionally frustrating and frequently amusing. I knew when I was here last year that I was in Iraq during a unique window of opportunity. It was a time when the country was becoming increasingly stable but the U.S. Army could move around with ease, enabling our work. Now, the Iraqi’s have finally taken responsibility for their own security and we are guests (perhaps unwanted, but most definitely guests) of our Iraqi hosts, so we have to roll by their rules.