U.S. soldiers, Iraqis sound off on deal

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U.S. soldiers, Iraqis sound off on deal
By Heath Druzin, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Saturday, November 22, 2008

BAGHDAD — In the midnight darkness, U.S. soldiers show up unannounced at a house in the south of the capital to ask about some graffiti on a wall across the street praising Jaish al-Mahdi, a Shiite insurgent group.

As the soldiers checked the home, the elderly patriarch of the family living there says he knows nothing about the graffiti and that the family has no weapons. Two AK-47s, a stockpile of suspected explosive materials and a can of spray paint later, Sgt. John Hardin calls the Iraqi National Police to turn over three young men in the house as suspected insurgents.

The incident this week was a satisfying outcome for the soldiers. Like troops around the country, Hardin and his men are still working to ferret out insurgents while honing the skills of Iraqi security forces to do the same.

Will the Iraqis be able to carry out the same actions? Will they summon Americans for help?

Those questions are gaining urgency as Iraqi lawmakers debate the Status of Forces Agreement between the two countries. On Sunday, the Cabinet adopted the so-called security pact, which now awaits parliament’s approval.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=58982