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Tight security ahead of vote
14/12/2005 19:03 - (SA)
Mosul - Police took up positions on rooftops and Iraqi soldiers moved into position on Wednesday to provide security for highly-anticipated elections, but if either group needs help United States soldiers are just a radio call away.
At hundreds of schools across northern Iraq final preparations were carried out for voting on Thursday. US soldiers helped deliver the last of the ballot boxes and other election materials, as well as food and water for Iraqi security forces.
US troops moved into a supporting role on Wednesday, after carefully coaching Iraqi police and soldiers on how to guarantee a safe election. But if they should need help, almost every US combat soldier will be on alert on Thursday to respond.
In southern Mosul, lieutenant colonel John Norris has been responsible for election preparations. As commander of the 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, his unit patrols the southern half of Mosul, 360km northwest of Baghdad.
Setting the stage for US withdrawal
The ethnically diverse town has seen horrific insurgent attacks since the US invasion and Mosul has distinct Shiite, Sunni Arab and Kurdish populations, all with candidates vying for seats in the parliamentary elections which will select a government for the next four years.
The election is a critical part of a US strategy to turn control of the country back to Iraqis and set the stage for a US withdrawal.
Norris, of Louisville, Kentucky, told his staff that despite a recent drop in insurgent attacks and pledges by some groups not to disrupt the vote, American soldiers needed to remain on guard.
He ordered all of his officers to not only inspect the schools that have been transformed into polling stations, but to also check for hidden bombs where people will be standing in line.
Long lines were expected on Thursday after Sunni Muslim clerics called on their followers to vote. The ballot is also much more complicated this time, with multiple parties to choose from, and that will likely exacerbate the lines.
Security measures
Norris visited several polling stations on Wednesday, meeting with Iraqi police, mayors and election officials to check on preparations. Unlike last January's election or October's constitutional referendum, all of the materials were in place and no one reported any major complaints.
Habib Said Issa, who was supervising a polling station in a Christian town, said he was pleased with the security efforts and predicted a high turn out.
Back at the 4th Battalion's Tactical Operations Centre, several officers from two Iraqi army battalions in Norris' area had set up a liaison office in the conference room.
The battalion operates Stryker armoured personnel carriers, the US army's most advanced infantry vehicles. On computerised maps in each Stryker, every polling station was marked and mobile phone number for local polling officials and Iraqi officers readily available for a quick response if needed.
- AP
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