HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND
7115 South Boundary Boulevard
MacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101
Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894
Release Number: 04-05-10
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MARINES PUMP UP SECURITY FORCES, CIVIL AFFAIRS THROUGHOUT AL ANBAR PROVINCE
FALLUJAH, Iraq - Marines received weapons, 15 trucks and radio equipment designated for the Fallujah Brigade Wednesday.
"We anticipate that Iraqi operations in Fallujah will show that various security force organizations can work together, with the support of coalition forces, to address the security needs of the Iraqi people," said Lt. Col. Rick Jackson, Iraqi Security Forces coordinator for the 1st Marine Division.
In Nukhayb, Iraq, over the past month, Iraqi Civil Defense Corps soldiers have run effective vehicle checkpoints and patrols, even interrupting a hijacking in one instance. They arrested three and returned money and a stolen vehicle to the victim.
Marines and Soldiers also met with Nukhayb's mayor to sign over about $62,000 for beautification projects, including a trash compactor to help clean up the town, a city park, a parking lot paving project and masonry entrance signs for each end of the road leading into the city.
At the Saudi border, civil affairs officials signed contracts for the Ar-Ar Iraqi Border Patrol. About $40,000 was spent on a four-wheel drive vehicle, a fuel tanker, computers, water tanks, digital cameras to collect evidence and other equipment.
At the Syrian border, Marines in the western Al Anbar Province checked on projects to repair two mosques in Mahummadi. The projects are 70 percent complete and final payments were made.
In Fallujah, Marines came to the aid of a woman who claimed to have been severely beaten by foreign fighters. Marines provided emergency medical care. The woman told Marines that terrorists accused her of providing information to Coalition forces, despite the fact she was homeless and had only sought shelter in the city's train station during the fighting.
Also in Fallujah, Marines are aiding Iraqi technicians in repairing power lines, contracting cleanup of debris and assisting a fuel re-supply to Fallujah's fueling station.
Marines provided $133,134 in funds to the Al Anbar Adult Literacy Program. The program employs 48 teachers instructing 1,080 men and women ages 15 and older. The course focuses on basic reading, writing and arithmetic. New textbooks were also purchased for the classes, scheduled to arrive in the next few weeks.
In Kharma, a Marine civil affairs team helped an Iraqi man suffering a heart attack Wednesday. The team gave the man medical attention and quickly evacuated him to the nearby Jordanian Hospital.
In Ramadi, Soldiers from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, assigned to the 1st Marine Division, received a $3.5 million bid for the Al Jazeera Water Project. The bid included a 15-year guarantee on pipes and a 10-year guarantee on the facility. The bid also included 17 skilled labor positions and another 30 unskilled positions. The bid relies upon heavy equipment to dig ditches.
Soldiers are attempting to obtain a similarly priced bid that relies on human labor for the work, which will boost employment significantly.
"We are pursuing long-term job employment through the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and short-term employment through local construction projects," said Lt. Col. Keil Gentry, a Civil Military Operations officer, for the 1st Marine Division. "We plan and execute high-impact, follow-on civil affairs projects immediately after every combat operation. This has a double impact of improving the quality of life for Iraqis and stimulating the economy."
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