Soon, all four Humvees were circling the block in unison, passing rusted-out
cars, blown-out apartment blocks and children raising their fists in the air to
show support.
Unlike other joint missions, only the Iraqis were radioing their
minute-by-minute progress back to base.
Ahmed's role was to provide back-up support for the foot patrol, which swept
the apartment complex with several Marines in tow. Ahmed said if need be, his
Humvees could evacuate casualties, or open fire with heavy machine guns.
Such support has traditionally been the job of the U.S. military. Marines
weren't taking chances Friday, though, and had a separate supporting patrol that
halted traffic so the Iraqi convoy could move unhindered.
The Iraqis didn't go far. The base's barbed-wire-topped wall was often
visible as the Humvees repeatedly circled past it. Following the Marines'
advice, the Iraqi gunners kept their heads down in their turrets to avoid
snipers. Less than two hours later, Ahmed was back on base.
"It's baby steps," said Marine Capt. Carlos Barela, commander of Lima
Company. "They're nervous, but that's good. If they weren't, they'd be
careless."
It was a quiet first trip out, though it might not have been. Insurgents,
apparently, had been watching. A Marine in a watchtower spotted a man planting a
roadside bomb one street over from where the Iraqi Humvees had been circling.
Ahmed praised the newly arrived vehicles, but expressed a deep concern for
lack of other equipment. Although his men had uniforms, kneepads, and aging
Kalashnikov rifles, they have no mortars, sniper rifles or rocket-propelled
grenade launchers.
Capt. Jabar, an Iraqi commander who directed Ahmed's movements from base,
agreed.
"The insurgents are better armed than us," Jabar said. "The Humvees will
help. And we can still fight them, but we depend on the Americans for
everything" — medics, logistics, firepower, air support.
Jabar said his 90-man company had only two sets of night-vision goggles.
Another Iraqi commander, who made similar complaints about equipment at an army
recruiting drive in Ramadi last week, said his unit had to share armored vests
to go on patrols.
Barela said American commanders were aware of the complaints — and Iraqi
soldiers' concerns over pay — but ultimately, those were issues for the Iraqi
Defense Ministry to overcome.
"We could solve all their problems for them, but if we do it all, that's
going to make them dependent," said Barela, 35, of Albuquerque, N.M. "We're
standing up a military from scratch. There's going to be growing pains."
A lot more training will be needed before Iraqi forces can stand on their
own. In central Ramadi, for example, only Marines are going out on night
patrols.
The U.S. command in Baghdad says the Iraqi army numbers about 111,000 troops,
and is expected to reach full strength of 130,000 next year.
But they are struggling to retain those who've already joined up. Some quit
because of the hazards of duty, others because of low pay.
Iraqi troops deployed here get one week of vacation after every three-week
stint. "Every month, two, three, five members of each company don't come back,"
Jabar said. "At this rate, our companies will be reduced to single
platoons."