Making the distinction between friend and foe in Diyala province is tough

Making the distinction between friend and foe in Diyala province is tough
By Heath Druzin, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Saturday, January 24, 2009

KARAB, Iraq — A deadly silence stalks edgy soldiers in this devastated collection of earthen and concrete hovels.

Every frayed wire and shuttered door is suspect. As if the soldiers need a reminder, a gaping hole in a smashed home shows the consequences of a misstep.

"That son of a bitch kicks in that door, I’m going to kick his head in," Staff Sgt. James Gautier barks, calling off an Iraqi police officer about to burst in to an unsearched house.

Gautier has reason to worry: Four soldiers from his battalion have been injured, some grievously, in the past two months by booby-trapped homes, and a local man was recently killed when a mine exploded on his farm.

Only a handful of people remain in this parched agricultural outpost in Diyala province, the majority of residents having long since fled a terror campaign that left much of the area sown with bombs. U.S. soldiers patrolling the area are tasked with helping local residents rebuild their livelihoods, but sorting victim from perpetrator is difficult.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=60212