Displaced Families Given Assistance
Zambraniyah, Iraq
When fighting was at its most severe in the Zambraniyah region around the first of January, many residents fled to avoid the danger. Coalition forces advised many Iraqi families to flee rather than to be in danger. As the families fled, members of the insurgency were not able to blend in very well, and many were caught or killed. Over the course of the exodus away from Zambraniyah, more than forty extremists were killed, and a couple of dozen suspected terrorists were arrested.
Now, the reverse is happening. Now that the area has been declared secure, families have begun to pour back into the Zambraniyah area and surrounding region. Nearly one thousand people who had fled have returned so far, after learning the Iraqi National Army forces and coalition troops had returned security and peace to the area.
The Coalitions soldiers have been focusing on giving aid to the families that are returning. Soldiers with the 6th Squad, 8th Cav, 4th BCT, 3rd infantry who are attached to the 2nd BCT, 3rd infantry have stepped forward to help. They are working to help organize returning families in areas of food, shelter, and security defense.
Previously, members of the community who spoke up were threatened or killed by Al Qaeda. Now that so many families are returning and peace has been restored, the citizens are very willing to assist. More than five hundred Iraqi citizens have been gathered together in a local community program called the “Sons Of Iraq.”
Using these brave local citizens, more than one hundred IED and other roadside explosive devices have been turned in or reported over the last couple of weeks. Coalition Troops are working to develop micro grants and other financial and supply support for the returning families, to assist in returning economic prosperity to the area.
