Soldiers run. |
| 00:00 |
| BROWN: It's easy to be killed on the edge of town. | 00:20 |
| Every long road is a sniper's shooting gallery. | 00:30 |
| Every bump and kerb, and every bag of rubbish, a home made bomb. | 00:36 |
| It's more than four years since the United States invaded. Yet these soldiers are fighting, block by block, to regain control of Ramadi, a city of around four hundred thousand people. | 00:45 |
Soldiers on rooftop | The soldiers have a group of Sunni Muslim insurgents cornered. | 01:11 |
| Radio: ...a lot of dead bodies sighted. | 01:16 |
Crais on radio | CRAIS: Ok I understand building 166 and 171 a lot of dead bodies inside of it. Location compromised. Is that correct? Over. | 01:19 |
| BROWN: They think they are on the verge of success. | 01:26 |
| These Iraqi soldiers with their US advisors are the working model of America's strategy for victory in Iraq. | 01:32 |
Ali with soldier by wall | Colonel Ali is a former special forces soldier who spent 23 years in Saddam Hussein's army. | 01:42 |
Crais and Brown walk | He has fought in all of Saddam's wars, including the one in 2003 against the American led coalition. | 01:49 |
Ali. Super: Colonel Ali | COLONEL ALI: There is a difference when you are fighting an enemy or collaborating with a friend who is trying to free the country. | 02:00 |
Ali with soldiers | BROWN: Like most of his men, Colonel Ali is a Shiite from Baghdad's tough eastern suburbs. | 02:12 |
Crais | CRAIS: In this situation we have enough forces out here to close the deal on these bad guys... | 02:20 |
| BROWN: Captain Ryan Crais is a US Marines adviser on his third tour of Iraq. The last time he was here he won a marine citation with a V for valour. | 02:23 |
| CRAIS: Akeed Ali or Colonel Ali is, he's very | 02:39 |
Crais. Super: | rock star like he's got a strong reputation throughout the country, throughout the Iraqi army. | 02:41 |
Ali's troops on patrol | BROWN: Colonel Ali's men are the most experienced unit in the new Iraqi army For the Americans to leave, the Iraqis will have to be strong enough and competent to secure the city. CRAIS: Initially I thought it was more | 02:50 |
Crais | I'm the smarter American captain - I'm here to advise, I'll tell you which way to go. Now it's become more - this is my boss - I work for him. | 03:07 |
Malaab streets | BROWN: The need to retake important cities like Ramadi now is a consequence of the Bush administration's former strategy of having too few troops on the ground. COLONEL ALI: In the aftermath of the operations in Mosul and Fallujah, | 03:24 |
Colonel Ali. | the majority of terrorists came down from the north towards Ramadi. | 03:42 |
Night patrol | They regarded it as a secure bastion for terrorists. CRAIS: It just drove us to not patrol during the day and to begin operating only at night. | 03:48 |
| BROWN: Back then, the insurgents ruled these streets. The local police chief's cousin had his hands cut off. None of the residents would risk being seen to be close to the Americans. | 04:01 |
Colonel Ali | COLONEL ALI: I consider it to be the most powerful army in the world, with its sophisticated weaponry, equipment and technology. Despite all that, they were not able to do much, and this is a reality. | 04:13 |
Troops patrol | BROWN: Sector by sector, American and Iraqi units have hit back at the insurgents | 04:37 |
Crais | CRAIS: Really, the only way you do it is by going out and hunting those bad guys down like dogs and killing them, | 04:47 |
Soldier photographs captured man | whether in front of the locals or ensuring that the locals know that you've done that. | 04:54 |
Blindfolded man is led away | BROWN: It's a ruthless approach, designed to show the residents that the soldiers, not the insurgents, own this turf | 05:02 |
Concrete barriers/Malaab streets | They've sealed off the Malaab district with concrete barriers to stop suicide bombers. The streets are constantly patrolled. The soldiers want to prove that they, not their enemy, can provide a safe place where community life can get back to normal. | 05:16 |
Ali and soldiers at market | Colonel Ali takes us for a tour of the local market. He's keen to buy something for his friend Captain Crais -- a dress for his wife. | 05:35 |
| Ali: What size your wife? Medium? | 05:45 |
| BROWN: Colonel Ali says the public must have confidence in him and his men. | 05:47 |
Ali at market with man. Super: Colonel Ali | COLONEL ALI: He feel now, all of them feel, the army stay. And make strong point to stay, insist to stay. No move. | 05:57 |
| BROWN: It was clear though that the locals have many concerns. | 06:10 |
Ali with man at market | MAN: The citizens are hungry , and with hunger... Ali : That's true that's true. MAN: You can help , use your vehicles to provide security for deliveries. | 06:16 |
| No gas, no food, no nothing. We have nothing. And if someone falls sick, there are no medicines. There is absolutely nothing. | 06:30 |
Ali | BROWN: Can you help all the time? COLONEL ALI: Yep. BROWN: Every time? COLONEL ALI: Every time, because this, all this family from Iraq. So me from Iraq, I come to help, to support. | 06:40 |
| BROWN: A few days later Colonel Ali | 06:53 |
Ali and soldiers at market | did deliver. He arranged for a couple of trucks loaded with supplies to make it into Market Street. However, more lasting relief will have to wait. | 06:54 |
Soldier's see man behind barriers | To keep the district secure, the soldiers patrol its borders. Those caught out on the streets as the curfew looms are viewed with instant suspicion. | 07:10 |
| SOLDIER: I think the second one's a kid. | 07:20 |
| CRAIS: All right shoot to his left about 10 metres off of him, into the ground. | 07:24 |
| SOLDIER: M4 or... CRAIS: M4... | 07:28 |
Soldier fires | Oh shit, he's brought his daughter out. Like, oh, they just shot at me , I'll pull my daughter out now! | 07:32 |
Joint Security Station Malaab | BROWN: This is the main coalition base in the district: Joint Security Station Malaab. Captain Crais likes to call it JSS Freedom. | 07:48 |
Soldiers relax at security station | Here, the soldiers unwind in between missions. Ventilation comes courtesy of a hole from a mortar that crashed through the roof a couple of weeks ago. | 07:58 |
| CRAIS: We have another IED. 3rd company's area right here. | 08:09 |
Int. Tactical operations centre | BROWN: In the tactical operations centre they're responding to a the latest sighting of an improvised explosive device, or IED. | 08:13 |
Bomb disposal team | The bomb disposal team is always busy in this part of town. | 08:27 |
| An IED is more than just a home made mine. It's a sign that insurgents still walk these streets. CRAIS: About two weeks ago I had a | 08:32 |
Crais in Humvee. Super: | dismounted IED attack. We were actually on a foot patrol and had the Iraqi soldier cut in half right in front of me. | 08:44 |
| His legs were cut off, like literally cut in half by the IED. | 08:52 |
Bomb disposal team | BROWN: The bomb disposal team moves in on the latest find. --The dog? --No... no. --Oh the pressure plate right there. You see it? --The little bottle - right past that, the little thing sticking up. --Right, got you. | 09:06 |
Family with white flag | BROWN: The neighbours are clearly nervous. | 09:23 |
| SOLDIER: Just wait for five minutes. | 09:27 |
Soldier shows speed bump IED | SOLDIER: Here we've got a speed bump IED. What this is - it's called a speed bump because of the way it looks. It's packed full of explosives, home made explosives, and you've got a pressure switch which is laid across the top. You wrap it in brown tape - it helps disguise it in the sand. Vehicle runs over this - Boom. | 09:31 |
| BROWN: In this block by block fighting Iraqi houses are commandeered - and turned into combat outposts. Sometimes the soldiers even pay rent to the owners. | 09:52 |
Eagle's Nest | This is the Eagle's Nest -- it's on the edge of the Malaab district. | 10:04 |
| There's a mortar still lodged in the roof The snipers around here use armour piercing bullets. | 10:09 |
‘Feich' cooking | Not exactly home away from home. Even so ‘Feich' the cook still manages a mean tomato stew. The Eagle's Nest is a staging post for the soldiers in the Malaab district. And they can be called onto the street at a moment's notice. | 10:16 |
Soldiers break into house | Winning hearts and minds is supposed to be at the centre of this campaign strategy, but sometimes that goal can be clouded in the heat of the moment. | 10:41 |
| SOLDIER: Come out! One at a time! | 10:54 |
| CRAIS: This is a very dangerous area right here, so some aggressiveness required. These people will give us the answer of what they saw and where those guys came from. | 10:56 |
Crais | BROWN: It seems a little rough on these locals here now? CRAIS: It is, absolutely. These guys mean business because there's guys trying to kill ‘em right now. | 11:10 |
Soldiers capture man | SOLDIER: Why are you outside? MAN: I swear, I swear this is my home. SOLDIER: Go line up. MAN: Do you want my ID? SOLDIER: Shut up! | 11:18 |
| BROWN: The neighbours are certainly put off by what they see as heavy handed tactics. | 11:24 |
| SOLDIER: Don't say anything. MAN: We want you to | 11:29 |
Man with Crais on street | restore peace, secure the area and this place is dangerous! | 11:33 |
| CRAIS: We're here to fix it. You see all these soldiers around. | 11:42 |
| MAN: Yes, but we are terrified because they treated us badly, they rebuked us, they said bad words against us | 11:47 |
| CRAIS: Sir, they are here to fix it. | 11:53 |
| MAN: Ok, I pardon them. CRAIS: Thank you, sir. Sir, you see these bullets right here? You know why these bullets are here? The enemy stands right here he shoots at us - the enemy stands right here and shoots at us, you know that. MAN: Yeah, yeah. CRAIS: He comes on your roof, he shoots at us... | 11:56 |
Soldiers with detainees | BROWN: The men are being asked to prove their identities. | 12:12 |
Ali with man on street | COLONEL ALI: We don't know who's an enemy or a friend. Remain in your homes -- look after yourself and your children. | 12:15 |
Detainees being led away | I don't want to sacrifice my men. | 12:24 |
| BROWN: Community leaders in the Malaab have been demanding a gentler approach. | 12:30 |
Tribal Sheikhs meeting | SHEIKH: You are the army and you have taken this responsibility. Soon the Americans are going to leave, and you will remain to defend the fatherland. | 12:36 |
| BROWN: At a meeting of tribal sheikhs the treatment of civilians at the hands of the military emerges as a major concern. | 12:47 |
| SHEIKH: That's the issue, that's the issue - the raids against our homes - morning, afternoon, everyday... and it's the Iraqi soldiers who kick the doors off their hinges. | 12:54 |
Iraqi police and soldiers patrol | BROWN: If all goes according to plan, these concerns will be eased when Iraqi police take over from the soldiers. The police are Sunnis, they are from Ramadi. They know the city and they should have a lighter touch. | 13:15 |
| The US military says of the Iraqi forces: "As they stand up, we will stand down." | 13:31 |
| CRAIS: Until we see strong Iraqi police patrol the area, | 13:39 |
Crais | I don't think we're leaving here any time soon. | 13:43 |
Sheikh Satar meets American on the steps | BROWN: The key is to get more recruits. One of the most influential Sunni leaders in Ramadi, Sheikh Abdul Satar, is making that happen. An American tank guards his walls. | 13:46 |
| It's an impressive compound and the sheikh is a friendly host. When radical Islamists, like al Qaeda in Iraq, began targeting the tribal sheiks, their intimidation campaign backfired. Now the sheikhs have declared war on al Qaeda and its allies. | 13:56 |
Sheikh Satar | SHEIKH SATAR: They've represented Muslims as killers, and Islam as being about murders, explosions and destruction. But Islam is not so. | 14:20 |
Recruits in line/ Storming house training | BROWN: The sheikhs are sending thousands of young men to join the army and the police. All of these recruits have been promised they will be allowed to serve in Anbar province - they'll be in the national army, but they'll be defending their home turf. | 14:32 |
Recruit | RECRUIT: Wicked people have destroyed Ramadi - created orphans and forced families to evacuate. I volunteered to save those families and ourselves from those wicked people. | 14:55 |
Recruits training | BROWN: The security they crave will come at a price. | 15:12 |
Iraqi soldiers get their orders pre-dawn | The soldiers assembled at the Eagle's Nest get their orders. They're being sent in to the sector dubbed Papa 10; the killing ground where a small group of insurgents is still holed up. They've hung on there even as the soldiers have gradually tightened their grip on the rest of town. The final assault is now at hand. Iraqi civilians wake to tank fire. | 15:25 |
Troop movement | The warnings broadcast over the loudspeakers are all but drowned out. | 15:56 |
| MAN ON LOUDSPEAKER: Attention, attention citizens of Ramadi. The Iraqi and American forces in your area are conducting a military operation to implement security. | 16:02 |
| CRAIS: To me it's the final bastion in this area. | 16:22 |
Crais. Super: | We have lived here for five months, we have consistently taken sniper fire from this area that they are clearing out | 16:24 |
Troop movement | and we have never controlled that area. | 16:29 |
Tanks fire on houses/Troops move | MAN ON LOUDSPEAKER: Remain in your homes, stay inside. Don't climb to the roof. For your own safety, if the coalition and Iraqi forces order you out hold your arms out, shoulder high, palms open. | 16:38 |
| BROWN: The soldiers get a foothold in the first block of Papa 10. They'll now fight their way across the sector, from back yard to back yard. | 17:06 |
Capturing detainees | It's not long before the first detainees turn up. | 17:19 |
| SOLDIER: Hey sir, there's no need for that. | 17:23 |
| BROWN: One of the men has been found with what looks to be the makings of a home made bomb. | 17:27 |
| SOLDIER: This is evidence - that's from the guy in the blue robe, this belongs to him. | 17:32 |
Detainees at Eagle's Nest | BROWN: The first round of questioning takes place in the bathroom at the Eagle's Nest. These men won't be going home soon. | 17:37 |
Ali walks with troops | Colonel Ali decides it's time to check the aftermath of the attack. | 17:50 |
Bodies on road | The battle in Papa 10 has been fierce. The streets are littered with the bodies of those who went down fighting. | 17:59 |
US Major | MAJOR: We saw the guy in the house there. He actually had an AK47 on him. The other guy had a hand grenade. | 18:11 |
Body on street | BROWN: Some of the dead are Iraqi, others appear to be foreigners. Our Iraqi army guides say this was a radical Islamist stronghold. The assault on Papa 10 is being judged a success. | 18:21 |
| Residents tell us a horrible mistake has also been made. I can see the bodies of a woman and several young children trapped in a collapsed house. Colonel Ali won't let us film. The soldiers say an American helicopter came under fire from someone beside the house. The Americans returned fire. | 18:46 |
| LIEUTENANT RAED: The American Apache about three days ago, | 19:10 |
Raed. Super: Lieutenant Raed | they shoot this house, but they don't have insurgents inside-- just four girls and one lady all dead. | 19:14 |
Troops on battle site | BROWN: The US military says the day after its air strike its troops went to the site and no bodies were found. They launched an investigation into the exact circumstances of this killing. The facts remain unclear. | 19:26 |
Soldiers photograph body | The soldiers won this fight. They say they've brought badly needed security to this area of Ramadi. | 19:50 |
| However, the real test of success will be how the residents view the legacy of this battle. When the troops clear the streets, will the residents be able to rebuild a normal life? | 20:02 |
| Music | 20:18 |
Credits: | Reporter: Matt Brown Camera: Brant Cumming Editor: Bryan Milliss
Production Company: ABC Australia - Foreign Correspondent |
20:30 |