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FOB KALSU, Iraq (April 25, 2008) - After months of fighting,
coalition forces in Arab Jabour, Iraq, have rid the area of
al-Qaida in Iraq terrorists and have turned their attention to
rebuilding the community.
Those efforts have opened numerous schools, water pumps and
health clinics in Arab Jabour. The Islah School, Alula School and
Al-Alemia School are currently undergoing repairs.
Army Capt. James Anthony, commander of the 3rd Infantry
Division's Company C, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd
Brigade Combat Team, and his soldiers are overseeing the repair of
the Al-Alemia School in the Bayija village. Anthony said the school
was in disarray after al-Qaida in Iraq used it as a base of
operations.
"The exterior walls were destroyed, and whole classrooms were
demolished," Anthony said. "All of the electrical wiring had been
removed, to include the generators powering the water filtration
system."
An intelligence assessment determined that more than half of the
area's al-Qaida in Iraq leadership lived near the school. The
battalion conducted numerous combat operations in the area,
resulting in many terrorists being killed, detained or fleeing.
After the operations, most of the al-Qaida in Iraq leadership was
gone, but they left behind dangerous traps for coalition forces and
citizens in the form of improvised explosive devices.
"Multiple IEDs were found on the school grounds, as well as in
several of the stairwells and classrooms," Anthony said. Company C
removed the IEDs, and nine teachers and more than 35 students began
classes within two days, he added.
Soldiers from the regiment's Company B saw a similar trend at
the Alula School in the village of Abd al-Salman. Since al-Qaida in
Iraq was forced out of the area in late 2007 and early this year,
more than 800 children have returned to school.
When Anthony and his company saw residents' eagerness for their
children to return to school, they made it a priority to repair and
improve the school. Commander's Emergency Response Program funds
were secured to finance the school's repairs, which serves as both
an elementary and a primary school.
"When 1-30th Infantry invests its time and energy into the
repair of infrastructure, … we are investing in the future
leadership of a peaceful Iraq," Anthony said.
To turn their attention to rebuilding schools, infantry, or
armor soldiers and scouts must adjust their focus.
"It gives many of the soldiers a different look at the
population," Anthony said, adding it was hard to believe that just
months earlier the school was uninhabitable due to the IED
threat.
Army Capt. Cesar Santiago, Company B executive officer, said
improving education is one of the first steps in rebuilding
Iraq.
"Education is one of the most vital tools to improve quality of
life in this community, and that begins with providing the
appropriate learning environment," he said.
Most of the repairs at the three schools include installing new
windows and doors, fixing electrical wiring, installing new sinks
and toilets and providing fresh water.
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