JUST MAKE THE TRAINS RUN ON TIME:

U.S. Sees Samarra as a Model Operation: The strategy for quelling city's insurgents is not a one-size-fits-all solution, general says. Skeptics question its success (Edmund Sanders, October 6, 2004, LA Times)

The bullets had barely stopped flying here when a convoy of military engineers braved the deserted streets this week to begin rebuilding water pumps, electricity lines and roads.

It was risky business. At the first checkpoint, a skittish Iraqi national guardsman fired a warning shot. Then, U.S. tanks accidentally ran over and mangled new aluminum electricity cables awaiting installation.

Fearful that patrolling U.S. soldiers would mistake them for insurgents and open fire, workers refused to return to the local water treatment plant until they received a hastily scribbled authorization note from a U.S. commander.

Moving so quickly with reconstruction projects in a chaotic combat zone where residents dared travel only with white flags may seem overly eager, but it's part of an evolving U.S. military strategy to oust insurgents in Iraq and restore stability before January's election.

The new model — previewed in Najaf this summer and fine-tuned in Friday's invasion of this predominantly Sunni Muslim city — comes after a string of failed U.S. efforts over the last year to quell insurgents in other hot spots, including Fallouja, Ramadi and Baghdad's Sadr City.

The blueprint involves invading with a massive show of force, relying heavily on Iraqi troops, attempting to win over the local population with swift reconstruction aid and maintaining a U.S. presence after the fighting stops.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-najaf6oct06.story>Najaf Accepts Price of Stability: Residents are relieved by militants' departure but bemoan damage and lost business after the deadly battle. The U.S. is aiding rebuilding effort. (Patrick J. McDonnell, October 6, 2004, LA Times)

NAJAF, Iraq — They destroyed the Old City in order to save it.

More than a month after a U.S.-led offensive against the militia of Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada Sadr, the historic core of this holy city remains a sealed-off zone of devastation and rubble.

The utilitarian hotels that sheltered pilgrims are gutted and charred. Blown-out storefronts line the once-bustling labyrinth of alleys leading to the gold-domed shrine of Imam Ali, which remains resplendent amid the post-apocalyptic cityscape. Stray dogs paw the ruins along deserted streets in a district that for centuries has been the domain of turbaned holy men, their acolytes and the devout masses.

The bleak panorama is testament to the destructive power used by U.S. forces for three weeks in August to flush militants from their havens amid the warren of shops and hostels, as well as from the tombs in the adjacent cemetery, sacred ground to Shiites. Hundreds were killed and injured before a political settlement was reached that left Sadr free but removed his Mahdi militia from the city.

Despite misgivings about the devastation, there is much relief in this war-weary town that the young men in black with Kalashnikovs and grenade launchers appear to be gone — at least for now. The Shiite guerrillas were unpopular with large segments of Najaf's generally conservative, business-oriented populace, which relies on a religious tourist trade that evaporated with the fighting.

"We all live with hardships, but the people of Najaf are pleased with the tranquillity and stability they are enjoying now," said Sayed Baqir Qubbanchi, a high-ranking cleric here. "This is much better than the time of war."

Large-scale U.S. reconstruction projects were launched immediately after combat ended in the city of 500,000 about 100 miles south of Baghdad.

Throughout Najaf, schools, clinics and other facilities are being refurbished as part of the $200-million, U.S.-funded rehabilitation plan, which includes extensive repairs to roads, sewers and water infrastructure.

"We have to be able to get the contractors to work and not get shot at," said Erich Langer of the Iraq Project and Contracting Office, the Pentagon agency charged with distributing the multibillion-dollar aid package nationwide.

Provide folks with security and they'll tolerate a lot of imperfections.

Posted by Orrin Judd at October 6, 2004 9:25 AM