Arab Jabour: An Introduction

Posted By Laughing_Wolf

The last half of my most recent embed was spent in Arab Jabour with the 1/30th, 3rd ID, commanded by Lt. Col. Kenneth Adgie. You've probably been hearing about the area in the news, and reading about it in posts here. The map above is something I created (since there are no current maps available via PAO offices, hint, hint) using part of an old Russian (Soviet?) map, and is very rough but gives a reasonable idea of the area. That said, I'm not swearing to that southern border...

Arab Jabour is a primarily rural area, filled with citrus groves, date palms, and farmland. It is a study in contrasts these days, as the northern part of the area is engaged in "the awakening" while the southern part is still hostile territory. Here's a short video to introduce you to some of the area.

Arab Jabour was used as a weekend getaway area for rich and influential people. Indeed, the headquarters building for PB Murray where I stayed was one of Uday (Odai) and Qusai's weekend homes. A number of the canals in the area had been upgraded, lined with concrete, and outfitted with raised portions for anti-aircraft positions and scud launchers -- protected anti-tank ditches in other words. There are underground bunkers, and several sources cited that the area was intended as a fallback position, and liberally seeded with caches.

In the northern area, microgrants and other activities are creating an economic resurgence as shops reopen, new shops are started, and a variety of civic improvements are underway. Street lights, both on the grid and solar powered, are going up. Canals are being cleaned out, pumping stations rebuilt so that water can flow west to farms in western Arab Jabour and beyond, and new building is underway.

The southern portion, on the other hand, remains an AQIZ stronghold. Again, more than one source has indicated that some of the best AQIZ fighters moved to this area, and that they have made good use of the stocks Saddam had hidden in the area. As a result, mortar and rocket fire is common, heavy weapons are in use against troops, and light weapons are plentiful.

That said, AQIZ has not had an easy time of it. At least within the area of operations for the 1/30, I would go so far as to say that AQ leadership has undergone a several hundred percent turn over, as said leadership has been killed or captured. Indeed, they have had such a rough time of it that reports are that they are having to offer money to recruit teenagers to their cause, and that money is often not enough: AQIZ is having to threaten families in order to get teenagers and women to do jobs for them.

This week, I hope to show you a bit more about the area. I was there when a new governance center opened, and when it actually started operations with a "city council" meeting. I was also there when a clearing operation was conducted that helped set the stage for current operations. For various reasons, this didn't get out in a timely manner, so it lacks the B5 TV intro and credits, but I thought you might enjoy seeing this interview with Sgt. Giles.

Stay tuned, more to come.

LW

As always, thanks to Soldier's Angels and to Prudent Publishing (parent company of The Gallery Collection) for sponsoring this embed.

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Arab Jabour: An Introduction

The last half of my most recent embed was spent in Arab Jabour with the 1/30th, 3rd ID, commanded by Lt. Col. Kenneth Adgie. You've probably been hearing about the area in the news, and reading about it in posts here. The map above is something I created (since there are no current maps available via PAO offices, hint, hint) using part of an old Russian (Soviet?) map, and is very rough but gives a reasonable idea of the area. That said, I'm not swearing to that southern border...

Arab Jabour is a primarily rural area, filled with citrus groves, date palms, and farmland. It is a study in contrasts these days, as the northern part of the area is engaged in "the awakening" while the southern part is still hostile territory. Here's a short video to introduce you to some of the area.

Arab Jabour was used as a weekend getaway area for rich and influential people. Indeed, the headquarters building for PB Murray where I stayed was one of Uday (Odai) and Qusai's weekend homes. A number of the canals in the area had been upgraded, lined with concrete, and outfitted with raised portions for anti-aircraft positions and scud launchers -- protected anti-tank ditches in other words. There are underground bunkers, and several sources cited that the area was intended as a fallback position, and liberally seeded with caches.

In the northern area, microgrants and other activities are creating an economic resurgence as shops reopen, new shops are started, and a variety of civic improvements are underway. Street lights, both on the grid and solar powered, are going up. Canals are being cleaned out, pumping stations rebuilt so that water can flow west to farms in western Arab Jabour and beyond, and new building is underway.

The southern portion, on the other hand, remains an AQIZ stronghold. Again, more than one source has indicated that some of the best AQIZ fighters moved to this area, and that they have made good use of the stocks Saddam had hidden in the area. As a result, mortar and rocket fire is common, heavy weapons are in use against troops, and light weapons are plentiful.

That said, AQIZ has not had an easy time of it. At least within the area of operations for the 1/30, I would go so far as to say that AQ leadership has undergone a several hundred percent turn over, as said leadership has been killed or captured. Indeed, they have had such a rough time of it that reports are that they are having to offer money to recruit teenagers to their cause, and that money is often not enough: AQIZ is having to threaten families in order to get teenagers and women to do jobs for them.

This week, I hope to show you a bit more about the area. I was there when a new governance center opened, and when it actually started operations with a "city council" meeting. I was also there when a clearing operation was conducted that helped set the stage for current operations. For various reasons, this didn't get out in a timely manner, so it lacks the B5 TV intro and credits, but I thought you might enjoy seeing this interview with Sgt. Giles.

Stay tuned, more to come.

LW

As always, thanks to Soldier's Angels and to Prudent Publishing (parent company of The Gallery Collection) for sponsoring this embed.

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» Arab Jabour - an introduction from Tammi's World
Laughing Wolf has a great post up over at Blackfive that gives us a bit of a lesson on Arab Jabour from his recent trip there. Complete with Video. A couple videos actually. Take the time to read and watch.... [Read More]