FOB WARRIOR — In the small, impoverished neighborhood of Huzzeran, near Kirkuk, jobs are few and far between. Drinkable water is not readily available, and the school in the area doesn’t have running water.
A week after a clearing op led by an Iraqi emergency service unit and IP in the neighborhood, Bravo Btry, delivered essential supplies. “Things are bad here - people don’t have work or anything really,” said Mohammed Sadek, a teacher at the neighborhood’s school. “It’s very good that U.S. Forces are helping the people here who are without jobs.”
One of the goals of this mission was to assess the civil issues of the area and gather info about immediate needs. “We need good water in the school,” said Sadek. “The children like coming to the school, but there're certain things it needs.”
The Soldiers were able to pinpoint 100 families in the area that were most in need, with the assistance of Brig. Gen. Hijran, cmdr of the Iraqi ESU, and Col. Adnan, the chief of the Adallah IP district. “Today was a great success,” said Capt. Tyler Donnell, cmdr of Bravo Btry. “U.S. Forces have been doing this for years, but with the help of Col. Adnan and Gen. Hijran, we were able to help the people who need it most.”
The delivery presented an opportunity for the Adallah IP, the emergency service unit, and U.S. Forces to open lines of communication between the community, its civil leaders and local SECFOR. “It's a great thing the U.S. Forces have done for the people of Adallah,” said Col. Adnan. “It's a way of reassuring the people that they're not forgotten by anyone.”
The humanitarian assistance drop was performed at the Hamza Bin Ab Al Mutlik School, a central point in the neighborhood. “The school gave us a semi-secure location to do the delivery,” said Donnell. “We chose to do it on a Saturday because school would be out.” Bravo Btry has tentatively planned future assistance drops, and evaluations to further assist the people.
