Skip to main content

U.S. Building Forts On Iraq Border to keep foreign fighters out

CBS News | U.S. Building Forts On Iraq Border:

The line of trucks and cars waiting to approach this Iraqi- and U.S.-manned checkpoint on the border with Syria stretches for dozens of miles. Drivers are forced to wait days before they're allowed to pass into Iraq. And many are turned back. Most of them are men of fighting age.

A force of about 500 Iraqis patrols this area of the border. Overseen by U.S. Marines, the Iraqis call themselves the "Desert Wolves." Many are former soldiers from Saddam Hussein's regime and most are recruited from Tikrit (Saddam's hometown), Samarra and Baghdad.

They were trained in Jordan to take over for a border police force that was largely disbanded because of corruption. Acting on the orders from the interim Iraqi government, Marines stripped many of the former guards of their weapons and vehicles.

Securing these borders is a priority of Task Force NAHA, based at Camp Korean Village near the town of ar Rutbah. And at the remote Al Walid border crossing, just over two dozen Marines work with the Iraqis, overseeing their inspection of cars and trucks.

The U.S. military is also supervising a complex of 32 forts being built along the borders with Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria. The Marines move the Iraqis into them as quickly as possible, because in the past the forts have been looted and destroyed before they could be manned.

U.S. officials say the number of foreign fighters they've detained has decreased in this area. But while the order to turn back men at the al Walid checkpoint may be having some effect, military officials admit they still see evidence the Syrian-Iraqi border is being infiltrated elsewhere.
[...]

At one outpost in the so-called "Triangle," where Iraq's border meets Syria and Jordan, 50 Iraqis are manning a fort, still under construction. It sits so close to the border, Syrian soldiers are clearly visible, and come out to watch, as a convoy of Marines heads to the fort to check on the progress of the Iraqis. When the Marines arrive, the Iraqi commander asks for kerosene (for heating) and drinking water.

U.S. military officials admit supplying these outposts will be difficult and they're working with the Iraqi government to speed up deliveries. Logistics will continue to be a problem as more of the forts are built and manned.

Still, Capt. Abbas, the commander of this unit of Desert Wolves, says his men feel good about the job they're doing. He says they believe much of the violence in Iraq is being inflicted by foreigners. In the future, he hopes to keep those outsiders from making their way into the country undetected.

The Marines hope the border patrol forces will eventually number more than 1,200.

"But this is a start," said Marine Capt. Chris Curtin. "They understand and have demonstrated a desire to make a difference out here."

And when the Iraqis become more competent at their jobs, Curtin says that will not only protect U.S. forces fighting insurgents elsewhere in the country but will stabilize all of Iraq.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Insulin Resistance- cause of ADD, diabetes, narcolepsy, etc etc

Insulin Resistance Insulin Resistance Have you been diagnosed with clinical depression? Heart disease? Type II, or adult, diabetes? Narcolepsy? Are you, or do you think you might be, an alcoholic? Do you gain weight around your middle in spite of faithfully dieting? Are you unable to lose weight? Does your child have ADHD? If you have any one of these symptoms, I wrote this article for you. Believe it or not, the same thing can cause all of the above symptoms. I am not a medical professional. I am not a nutritionist. The conclusions I have drawn from my own experience and observations are not rocket science. A diagnosis of clinical depression is as ordinary as the common cold today. Prescriptions for Prozac, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, etc., are written every day. Genuine clinical depression is a very serious condition caused by serotonin levels in the brain. I am not certain, however, that every diagnosis of depression is the real thing. My guess is that about 10 percent of the people taking

Could Narcolepsy be caused by gluten? :: Kitchen Table Hypothesis

Kitchen Table Hypothesis from www.zombieinstitute.net - Heidi's new site It's commonly known that a severe allergy to peanuts can cause death within minutes. What if there were an allergy that were delayed for hours and caused people to fall asleep instead? That is what I believe is happening in people with Narcolepsy. Celiac disease is an allergy to gliadin, a specific gluten protein found in grains such as wheat, barley and rye. In celiac disease the IgA antigliadin antibody is produced after ingestion of gluten. It attacks the gluten, but also mistakenly binds to and creates an immune reaction in the cells of the small intestine causing severe damage. There is another form of gluten intolerance, Dermatitis Herpetiformis, in which the IgA antigliadin bind to proteins in the skin, causing blisters, itching and pain. This can occur without any signs of intestinal damage. Non-celiac gluten sensitivity is a similar autoimmune reaction to gliadin, however it usually involves the

Blue-blocking Glasses To Improve Sleep And ADHD Symptoms Developed

Blue-blocking Glasses To Improve Sleep And ADHD Symptoms Developed Scientists at John Carroll University, working in its Lighting Innovations Institute, have developed an affordable accessory that appears to reduce the symptoms of ADHD. Their discovery also has also been shown to improve sleep patterns among people who have difficulty falling asleep. The John Carroll researchers have created glasses designed to block blue light, therefore altering a person's circadian rhythm, which leads to improvement in ADHD symptoms and sleep disorders. […] How the Glasses Work The individual puts on the glasses a couple of hours ahead of bedtime, advancing the circadian rhythm. The special glasses block the blue rays that cause a delay in the start of the flow of melatonin, the sleep hormone. Normally, melatonin flow doesn't begin until after the individual goes into darkness. Studies indicate that promoting the earlier release of melatonin results in a marked decline of ADHD symptoms. Bett