Active Unit News

U.S. Troops Try to Build Trust in Tikrit
In Saddam's Hometown, American Troops Making Slow Inroads in Trying to Build Trust
By DAVID RISING, Associated Press Writer
TIKRIT, Iraq May 8 — From the outset, it was clear that the task would be monumental. As U.S. troops rolled into Tikrit last month, they saw, in the glowering crowd, two Iraqis waving in welcome. As soon as the convoy drove by, three other Iraqi men beat the greeters bloody with clubs, melting away before American scouts could apprehend them. Tikrit is Saddam Hussein's hometown, and it shows. Commanders of the 4th Infantry Division find themselves still engaged in a two-pronged battle, flushing out old regime hard-liners who owe everything to the former dictator and convincing residents they no longer have to fear Saddam's wrath. "When I first came into town I thought, 'How are we going to do this?'" said Col. Don Campbell, commander of the division's 1st Brigade, which is responsible for the area from Samara to Baiji, including Tikrit. "This was Thug Central." Progress has been slow, but American commanders say their approach is working rounding up Saddam supporters in nighttime raids while working daily with tribal leaders and professionals to restore civil society. "The problem we have here is we have Baath Party loyalists, Fedayeen and Republican Guard the people who have the most to lose and nothing to gain with a new government," said division commander Maj. Gen. Raymond Odierno, who has set up his headquarters in one of Saddam's many palaces in Tikrit. "What we have to show is that we won't tolerate any activity from them," he said. "People are still afraid, and we have to show them that there is no reason to be afraid." Some 500 prisoners have been taken in the last two weeks in this city of 28,000, Odierno said. About half were arrested for looting ammunition caches and the rest for what U.S. officials said was their allegiances to the former regime and attempts to undermine American authority. The number of arrests has slowed to a trickle in the past three days, however, and about 20 people were released at the request of tribal leaders as a show of faith. Many Iraqis have also been killed. On Friday, one man was shot while trying to take a rifle from an American soldier in a raid on his home, and 17 others were shot by an Apache helicopter while pilfering ammunition from a cache. Residents remain wary of the U.S. presence in Tikrit, birthplace of the great 12th century Muslim conqueror Salah ad-Din, known in the West as Saladin. Many wonder if the war was about democracy or Iraq's oil resources. Graffiti appears daily in English: "USA Go Home" and "Down with Bush" in English. Other Arabic scrawlings threaten citizens with death if they help the Americans. As soldiers get out more and mix with the population, they are trying to build the trust needed to help people move away from the former regime. "In Tikrit, many families have a close relationship to the family of Saddam Hussein the 90 percent that had problems and the 10 percent that had the power," said Dr. Saad al-Rawi, a forensic pathologist who works at Saddam Tikrit Hospital, which recently dropped the "Saddam" from its name. "The people are still scared. He was a powerful person we used to respect," al-Rawi said. "It takes some time, and we will forget the old regime and start a new life." Americans are working with hospitals, turning over medication confiscated from military facilities, providing gas for ambulances, and getting phone lines and food supplies restored. A curfew imposed after a spate of mortar and small arms attacks was lifted Sunday night. Some 90 percent of the city now has electricity, compared to 50 percent two weeks ago. Most banks are now open, with soldiers posted as guards until Iraqis can take over. Police began reporting to work for administrative duties Tuesday, and a few teachers and others on the government payroll have also begun returning. Tikrit University plans to reopen May 17. A provincial governor, Brig. Gen Hosin Jasem Mohamed al-Jbouri, a Tikrit native, was installed by the United States on Wednesday. An Iraqi army officer who fought the Americans during the 1991 Gulf war, he said he isn't worried about being perceived as a U.S. lackey by pro-Saddam forces. "They are not a majority. They are a minority," al-Jbouri said. "And if we do a good job for the people, they will learn the good side of the Americans. When you see things are going well, you get their trust." Lemes Amer, who has returned to her job as an engineer, expressed hope that U.S. forces would stay to control the robbery and looting that occurred as Saddam's authority crumbled. "We don't want the Baath Party to stay they are responsible for everything," said Amer, 38. "It's better (the Americans) do stay best to stay until there is a new government."

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