Patroling

I am now permanently at JSS Ur. I arrived a few days ago and already went on a few patorls. I am planning on doing 2-3 a day, get the most I can out of it, try to memorize the ins and outs of the neighborhood, get a feel for the local population, etc. Recently, right before I arrived, we were attacked by a few RPGs, and we also had a Mortar attack yesterday that totally missed the base.

My impressions of the Shishan- Hay Ur (specific names that the area we are in go by) area? It is pretty much a shithole. The riftraft of Sadr City and Baghdad live in this area, it is inhabited by illegal squatters, road conditions are poor, trash and abandoned vehicles everywhere, packs of wild dogs roam the streets and outskirts (they get in the way a little too often), sewage is poor or nonexistent, smells like shit...

Good stuff? Seems like a good majority of people like us or are indifferent. The primary enemy in the area in JAM or Jaysh Al Mahdi- which is basically a bunch of shia thugs that use to run the streets before US Forces arrived. They kidnap people, terrorize the local population, try to undue the good we have done in the area. Al Sadr is a pretty popular figure around here, google him if you get a chance (hence the name Sadr City).

The first part of the deployment, they rounded up alot of the bad guys, and the population has noticed a difference. Now, we are trying to maintain our gains, and continue to deny the enemy use of our area of operations.

Learning alot in these last couple of days, going to continue to go on patrols and get used to the area.

Aufweidersehn!