It’s been another week in Iraq, with plenty more craziness. I first started off in the Diyala River Valley, north of Baqouba. It took days to coordinate but I finally got in touch with a U.S. Marine military transition team attached to an Iraqi army brigade.
The small teams, known as MITTs, live and work alongside the Iraqis. They often eat Arabic food and sleep under the stars on cots together (not actually on the same cot, you dirty-minded people). Also, there are no shower or bathroom facilities available to wash away the powdery dust that clings to your sweaty skin.
On one patrol we walked with protective gear for a few miles clearing a thick palm grove in 120-plus temperatures. It may have been dry heat but let me tell you, it sucked. In the four days I spent with the team, nothing really happened, other than the strong continuous stench that rose from my filthy self. (See story: www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=64181&archive=true)
When I returned to the main base, I headed to Baqouba where a 14-year-old girl had been caught with a suicide vest packed with C4 explosive, ready to be detonated.
I had the chance to interview her and her mother, which was a somewhat disheartening experience. It appears that she had been drugged and forced to walk into town on a suicide mission by her husband’s family. But who knows for certain. The Iraqi people are notorious liars and anything they say must be scrutinized. (See story: www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=64179&archive=true)
There were plenty other stories throughout the week but not as sexy as these two.
Today I’m bored out of my mind inside a combat outpost in Baqouba. I woke up at 0100 this morning and tagged along with soldiers on a stakeout for a high-value target. We commandeered a two-storey Iraqi home that offered a good view of the culprit’s home. The Iraqis in the home didn’t seem to mind as we headed to the roof for a better view. I ended up taking a nap on the roof, dreaming that we’d capture the guy. However, like many other times, the bastard eluded the soldiers.
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