Publication:Chattanooga Times Free Press
Date:Sunday, May 01, 2005
Section:Front Page; Page:1

DISPATCH Iraq

By Edward Lee Pitts Military Affairs

KHANAQIN, Iraq — The 278 th Regimental Combat Team officially handed over to Iraqi security forces Friday the controls of the Joint Coordination Center here, marking the first such transition of power near the Iranian border.

"When the Army rolls in, we are the boss until somebody shows us they can take care of themselves," said Sgt. Larry Hollandsworth, 27, of Murfreesboro, Te nn. "They have gotten to that point. So we are giving the town back to them. We are not the boss here anymore."

Capt. Jim Reed, whose Iron Troop unit patrols this area, said he is confident Iraqi police, army and border patrol can take the security reins of this largely Kurdish city.

Joint Coordination Center buildings in both Balad Ruz and Mandila still are manned by 278th soldiers.

Iraqis have been operating independently a center in Tuz, a city farther north and with more U.S.-friendly Kurds, since before the 278th’s arrival here last December. The coordination centers function as emergency management headquarters, not unlike 911 call centers in the United States.

Col. Dennis Adams, 278th regimental commander, said the transfer of authority to the Iraiqs of this one building is a small symbol progress is being made in the Dialya province at the twoyear anniversary of when President Bush anounced major combat had ended in Iraq. He said sending U.S. soldiers home depends on Iraqis taking over operations such as this Joint Coordination Center.

"As time goes by we will stand up more Iraqi forces, and they will take over more day to day operations," Col. Adams said.

Capt. Reed said the transition is something his soldiers have been working on almost exclusively for the last three weeks. It means less U.S. manpower will be needed to patrol Khanaqin, a city of about 100,000.

"We’ve had someone here 24 hours a day, seven days a week," said Capt. Reed, of Cookeville, Tenn. "We’ve had a platoon outside of FOB (Forward Operating Base) Cobra since we’ve been in the country."

Platoons no longer will live here on a rotating basis. Instead they will remain at nearby Cobra where they can respond if needed.

"If the people in this area can see them (Iraqi security forces) run this JCC operation successfully on their own, it will send out a big signal that these guys are learning how to do their jobs," said Staff Sgt. Chris Newcomb, 29, of Shelbyville, Tenn.

"The people will start trusting them and depending on them instead of us," he said.

Sgt. Hollandsworth said insurgents might test the Iraqi security forces here once word gets out they are manning the headquarters alone.

"But they are strong enough," said Sgt. Hollandsworth, who said he is impressed with the will of the Iraqi soldiers.

"They are like iron. They can stand here all day," he said.

Leading up to this change, 278 th troops have been instructing the Iraqis on how to provide security for a building used to coordinate communications among the forces responding to threats around the city.

At the beginning of April the Iron Troop soldiers began conducting regular security duties here with the Iraqi forces alongside as observers, according to Staff Sgt. Bruce Bailey, 32, of Murfreesboro, who oversaw the transfer along with Staff Sgt. Newcomb.

About two weeks ago the roles switched, with the 278 th soldiers watching the Iraqis as they manned gun towers on the headquarters’ roof and controlled the front gate.

"In the middle of the night at odd hours we’d walk around and try to catch them messing up," Staff Sgt. Bailey said.

Soldiers stationed here must be prepared to react immediately to attacks.

They also handle Iran-Iraq border surveillance, orchestrate the efforts of the Iraqi army and police in Khanaqin and nearby cities of Jalula and As Sa’diyah, and coordinate patrols and meetings with area U.S. forces.

Over the past week, the skeleton crew of 278th soldiers left here turned all 24-hour operations over to the Iraqis.

"We trusted them enough to go to sleep at night," said Staff Sgt. Bailey, who hasn’t left the joint control facility for nearly a month.

The 278 th soldiers allowed the Iraqis to move upstairs in the two-story building’s residences, quarters previously occupied exclusively by the 278 th. There the two units shared meals, played on computers, watched Kurdish music videos and politely laughed at each others jokes — even though the language barrier sometimes rendered the punch lines meaningless.

Col. Adams said that two years after the war, most U.S. troops are involved in a hybird mission requiring both peacekeeping and combat skills. He said soldiers bonding with the Iraqis such as what has occured the last few months at the Khanaqin Joint Coordination Center is one peacekeeping duty needed to judge the readiness of the country’s security forces.

"I came here prepared not to get close to the Iraqi people," he said. "But after being here I have learned the average Iraiq wants the same thing we want — a good life."

The Khanaqin center is significant to the 278 th troops because of a suicide bombing attack here that killed eight Iraqis the day before the country’s Jan. 30 elections. Capt. Reed said the explosion and its aftermath united the soldiers from both countries.

The 278 th 3 rd Squadron troops respected the sacrifices of their Iraqi counterparts, who died protecting the Americans by preventing the bomber from getting past the compound’s main gate.

Since then soldiers such as Staff Sgts. Newcomb and Bailey say they have sealed friendships with many of the Iraqis working here.

"They are better soldiers because of the bombing," Staff Sgt. Newcomb said. "After that they started becoming more concerned and wanted to learn. It woke them up."

Knowing danger can arrive in an instant, the Iraqis have become adept at setting up their own searches of suspicious cars or people, Staff Sgt. Newcomb said.

"It used to be they didn’t want to do anything without asking us first," he said. "Now instead of asking what to do, they are letting us know what they are doing."

With the end of full-time Joint Coordination Center duties, Staff Sgt. Bailey said Iron Troop soldiers might turn their attention to bulking up border enforcement along the vast boundary with Iran.

E-mail Lee Pitts at lpitts@timesfreepress.com

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