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CAMP
RAMADI, Iraq, - Marines and soldiers started the
new year distributing humanitarian supplies to needy
residents of a local community, Multinational Force
Iraq officials reported today.
The troops were from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd
Infantry Division, serving under the command of the
1st Marine Division of the 1st Marine Expeditionary
Force.
The 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, along with
Detachment 3, 4th Civil Affairs Group, delivered
blankets, food and shoes to residents of the small
Kurdish town of Taash, southwest of Ramadi, Jan. 2.
"This is an important mission for our soldiers and
the Iraqi people," said Col. Gary S. Patton,
commander of 2nd Brigade Combat Team. "We are in
Iraq to not only secure the area from hostile,
violent insurgents, but also to try to make innocent
Iraqi lives better."
During the operation, members of the brigade passed
out more than 9,500 humanitarian daily rations,
4,500 blankets and more than 3,000 pairs of shoes to
more than 400 households. In all, the daylong
mission served to improve the lives of more than
4,000 people.
"Where we see a need, we try to fill that need,"
said Marine Lt. Col. Daniel Murner, commander of
Detachment 3. "Here we saw some people who
definitely needed some food and blankets over the
winter months."
Each family received two boxes of rations and five
to 10 blankets, Murner said. Shoes were left behind
for the residents to sort through and find pairs
that fit them. Children also received hundreds of
soccer balls, candy and other items during the
mission.
Village leaders were pleased, Murner said, noting
that gaining and maintaining positive relationships
with the local populace is key to establishing a
more safe and secure environment in Iraq.
"They were very happy we came down there to help
these people," he said. "Village leaders were
helpful to the mission because they were quickly
enlisted to help organize the residents and help
establish order."
Taash is an Iranian Kurd refugee camp built by the
United Nations in 1982. Refugees are mostly
political refugees who are unemployed. There is no
industry in the area, so the community relies on
humanitarian aid for its survival.
In addition to the humanitarian supply mission, the
units are working on longer-term community
improvement projects, such as a local health clinic
and an improvement on the local water pumping
station.
"(We want to show the local population that)
multinational forces are not here to impose our will
on them," Murner said. "We are here to improve their
living conditions
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