(A building bearing the aftermath of the vehicle-born IED attack.)Dujail has a violent history. In 1982, 148 Shiites from this Tigris river city of 10,000 were assassinated by Saddam’s henchmen as a reprisal for an attempt on the dictator’s life.
Saddam's signature ordering the death of the Shiite men, (most members of the Dawa Party opposed to his war with Iran), led to his conviction for murder and his subsequent hanging. Thus, as we have seen on the phone camera videos, the strongman who retaliated with extreme cruelty was executed in a way that resembled vengeance as much as justice. An Eye for an Eye. The spirit of revenge seemed to hover over the province of Salah Al Din. But not in Dujail.
In the years since the regime was toppled, the Shia-dominated city 50 km north of Baghdad has stabilized and been relatively peaceful and prosperous. There have been few direct bombing attacks within the city.
(Girls on their way home from school, stop to talk to a cultural advisor.)
“This is an equitable city, about 60 percent Shia, 40 percent Sunni," said Mr. Hashim Al-Mahdi, a successful Dujail gravel contractor who’s been working with the coalition on Joint Base Balad since 2003. "Many Sunni and Shia are married together, whereas terrorists try to use an imbalance (between the religious groups) to threaten people ."
But on Sept. 12th a car bomb blew up in the middle of the crowded market as many followers were just breaking their Ramadan fast. Dozens of Iraqi police and worshippers shopping for food were killed instantly. The bombing killed 32 and wounded 43 others.
Lt. Michael Handlan of Virgina, of Bravo Company 2nd/327th Infantry Regiment, who happened to be a part of the quick reaction force the night of the bombing said, "We grabbed a bunch of medical supplies. We medivac-ed a couple of guys to the hospital. You want to get there as quick as possible and help people. I had some people from my area who got killed."
“Maybe it’s good,” Mr. Al-Mahdi said shaking his head. “It shows the world they just kill innocents. It’s good to show people who’s the friend and who’s the enemy. It wasn’t the Iraqi Army, the U.S. Army or National Guard. Terrorists are losing support last year and now. But they feel they have to stay in business.”
This last week, members of the 2/320th Field Artillery Regiment stopped in front of the bomb scarred building that once held six shops. One of the platoons presented the city's mayor $7,000 to give to the shop owners whose businesses had been destroyed.
The 2/320th has made a point of returning to the blast site several times since the bombing to show support for Dujail where they’re been working with the city council and local businesses for over a year.
“The terrorists want to destroy the good relationship of people here,” the mayor announced before a group of Iraqi media who crowded around him in the street. “I think this is the last action for them.”
(An Iraqi broadcast report scours Dujail for an interview.)
The unit’s Command Sergeant Major, Edward Estep, said, “It’s important to bring Iraqi media to speak to the city government after the bombing. It gives people a chance to see it from the Iraqi side (of the story)."
A boy approached the Sergeant Major and a cultural advisor outside the bombed building. He told the cultural adviser that he lost his brother and father in the attack. His mother, he said, is home by herself. That there’s no reason for him to go to school. We’re all going to die, the boy said.
(A boy named Ismael, who said he lost his brother and father in the Dujail bombing.)
“The people who did this, they won if you live your life depressed,” Estep said. “Don’t let them win. Take care of your mother, go to school. Learn how to make this so it doesn’t happen to others.”
Ismael seemed to listen as he clung to the advisor's arm.
Lt. Col. John Dunleavy, commander of the 2nd/320th, characteristically reflected on the incremental progress in Dujail and the surrounding towns instead of the destruction. He said the biggest initiatives are economic, like a trucking program in which Iraqi contractors would run the convoys between U.S. bases instead of Third-country nationals and KBR contractors. “They’re already doing it in Anbar,” Dunleavy said.
If the plan takes root local contractors would provide the trucking service, with the security continuing to be U.S. soldiers until transitioned to "Iraqis guarding Iraqis". At Joint Base Balad, the country's largest logistics supply base, it's obvious that if Iraqis (probably with the initial help of international partners) could break into contracting on trucking convoys, it would be a financial boon for some and a sign of a new reconstruction stage for many.
As for Adujail, platoon leaders believe in what they've accomplished by building relationships with Iraqi security forces.
"Everyone's going to say there's JAM (Mahdi Army), there's Al Qaeda here. It used to be like being in a big city with a large gang population." You had to be affiliated. "But that was when we didn't have enough of a presence here," Lt. Handlan countered.
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