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PATROL BASE YATES, Iraq (April 29, 2008) - As part of their
commitment to keeping insurgents away, members of the Sons of Iraq
built a checkpoint on a narrow stretch of road through Fuhail
Mujeer Village, 25 kilometers southwest of Baghdad, April 25.
As recently as December, Rakkasan Soldiers of 3rd Brigade Combat
Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), established a presence
in the area, which was previously an insurgent safe haven.
Now Soldiers from 2nd Platoon, Company C, 3rd Battalion, 187th
Infantry Regiment, assigned to their battalion's Company D, are
living at the newly built Patrol Base Yates and working with the
SoI to maintain security in the area.
The first of eight SoI checkpoints was constructed in mid-March
approximately 400 meters north of the site where a Rakkasan Soldier
was wounded by an improvised explosive device. Working their way
toward the patrol base, checkpoints have been placed in strategic
locations along the road to deter insurgent activity.
Increasing the SoI's ability to maintain the security on the
road benefits both the Soldiers and the village, said 1st Lt.
Michael Nolan, from San Antonio, platoon leader for 2nd
Platoon.
With the SoI working to maintain security, there is less need
for Coalition Soldiers to patrol the area, keeping the Soldiers
safer and the road less congested for traffic. It also brings peace
of mind to the Soldiers when they do patrol the village.
"When we first went out there, there weren't any SoI
checkpoints," Nolan said. "It was a little nerve-wracking ... Now
that we have SoI checkpoints nearly 500 meters apart, with clear
lines of sight between them, we know it will hinder insurgents'
abilities to plant (IEDs)."
With the SoI improving their hold on security in the village,
Nolan is able to increase his platoon's reach and presence in the
area while reducing the enemy's capabilities.
"Having a presence in (the area) and having SoI checkpoints on
the road through the Fuhail Mujeer Village shows we're taking the
area back from the insurgents, pushing them further and further out
and giving them no safe havens," he said.
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