United States Marine Corps

Press Release
Public Affairs Office
11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable)


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Release # 0907-04-0942

Iraqis and Marines work together on reconstruction efforts in Najaf and Kufa
Sept 5, 2004

Forward Operating Base DUKE -- Sister cities Najaf and Kufa bustle with activity as Iraqis and MEU Marines and sailors work together to continue reconstruction efforts started after fighting in the city ceased Aug. 28. Local Iraqi citizens, government leaders, security forces, reconstruction and clean-up workers are joining in the effort to re-establish "life as normal" for its citizens and improve infrastructure to its pre-fighting condition.

At the request of local leaders, MEU explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) Marines continue to assist Iraqi police, national guardsmen and two battalions of Iraqi Intervention Forces to clear weapons caches and IEDs hidden by Sadr's militia in the holy Wadi al-Salem cemetery and Old City. Approximately 240 IEDs have been discovered and disabled in the sacred site and along roads in the Old City. Iraqi security forces report that locals and cemetery caretakers have voluntarily joined in the clean up effort, moving weapons caches alongside the cemetery's roads for easy pickup by Iraqi forces.

Large amounts of weapons and ammunition continue to be uncovered in buildings surrounding the shrine, to include a large parking garage west of it. These caches, as well as the prevalent IEDs, pose a great danger to Iraqis visiting the cemetery and living in the Old City district. As a result, Iraqi troops and EOD Marines are working tirelessly to remove these dangers as quickly as possible. (See statistics below.)

Iraqi security forces also continue to maintain an active security presence in the cities. Iraqi national guardsmen and police man vehicle checkpoints as other policemen patrol the cities and conduct cordon and knock operations to find and confiscate illegal weapons and ammunition caches.

11th MEU Marines are busy as they resume training Iraqi national guardsmen in Najaf. Marines are also conducting presence patrols around the two cities in order to identify areas in need of reconstruction projects as well as to monitor the progress of civil military projects currently underway.

Civil Affairs Projects

Civil affairs Marines and soldiers attached to the MEU continue to work closely with the governor's office to identify future projects and critical services in need of restoration, and procure funding for them. Projects are making headway while construction efforts are in full swing.

For more than a week, eight clean-up crews have made a remarkable difference around the streets of the Imam Ali Shrine and Old City as they methodically clear rubble and trash from the streets in the neighborhood. Each all-Iraqi crew consists of one project manager, 10 supervisors and 100 workers who will be paid for two weeks to conduct the clean-up. Funding for these projects was received from the Commanders Emergency Response Program. CERP funds come from a U.S. Congressional appropriation to the Department of Defense to pay for collateral damage caused by combat operations, as well to fund other humanitarian and reconstruction projects. The cities of Najaf and Kufa will take part in a $4.8 million CERP funds allocation for the provinces of An Najaf and Al Qadisiyah that will cover rebuilding costs this month.

Other CERP projects in the two cities include funds to repair schools damaged in the fighting, improve conditions at the city’s Human Rights Center, and repair critical facilities providing life support services to the local people. Schools are expected to open on time for the beginning of the school year in a few weeks.

Other Recent Events

· Around noon on Sept. 3, more than 200 anti-Muqtada al-Sadr demonstrators took to the streets surrounding the Imam Ali Shrine, carrying banners and chanting andi-Sadr slogans urging him and his militia to depart the city. During the same day, calls for a demonstration against the local government by self-styled Grand Ayatollah Hassani, a radical Shite cleric, never materialized.

· More than 250 Iraqi men congregated at the Waffa Police Station in Najaf Sept. 2 to volunteer their time, stating they'd work for free with the hopes they could get hired in the future. The police chief and the Minister of the Interior's office are working the screening process for these men.

· The Arabic website "An Najaf News Network" posted a Sept. 1 press statement by the holy An-Najaf Seminary on the atrocities of the Muqtada al-Sadr's "so-called" Sharia Court. It stated that "mutilated bodies and torture machines have been found and crimes discovered" in the court, and that these acts have nothing to do with Islam. The Shiite seminary called those involved in these crimes "fake imposters" and demanded that they "be referred to justice in order to receive the punishment they deserve." The press statement also states that Sadr "exceeded all bounds" when he took over the Imam Ali Mausoleum and its compound, and that they had warned him of "waging a losing battle whose outcome was known in advance."
· The local government recently established a claims office in the Human Rights Center in Najaf, which began taking claims on Aug. 29. A radio and TV ad campaign prepared by the local government immediately began notifying residents about the establishment of this office once fighting in the city ceased. The office will initially process claims for death, injury and loss of residence. Claims for property damage will subsequently be processed.

Captured Muqatada Militia Weapons Caches

Hundreds of Muqtada Militia weapons caches have been retrieved in the cemetery, buildings surrounding the Imam Ali Shrine, and numerous other locations since fighting ended Aug. 28:
o (784) AK-47 rifles
o (143) various other rifles (not AK-47s)
o (157) RPG launchers
o (53) 60mm mortar tubes
o (26) 60mm mortar tripods
o (20) 60 mm mortar baseplates
o (16) 82 mm mortar tubes
o (3) 82 mm mortar tripods
o (4) 82 mm mortar baseplates
o (1) 120 mm mortar tube
o (49) medium and heavy machine guns
o (2) pistols

TOTAL WEAPONS FOUND: 1, 258

Captured Muqtada Militia Munitions

· Thousands of munitions found in cemetery, Old City, and during vehicle checkpoints by Iraqi security forces and 11th MEU forces have been collected and destroyed since Aug. 28:
o (242) IEDs
o (3) bombs (to include a 250 kg bomb located in a street intersection north
of the Imam Ali Shrine)
o (925) mortars (60, 82, 120mm)
o (40) grenades
o (273) rockets
o (6) guided missiles
o (41) mines
o (108) fuses for IEDs
o (42) miscellaneous explosives
o (8,930) small arms ammunition
o (58) other (pyrotechnics, depth charge)

TOTAL MUNITIONS DESTROYED 10,596


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