Marines prop up ailing local gov't in Iraq (Ramadi)

[Barrett808]

Marines prop up ailing local gov't in Iraq
By ANTONIO CASTANEDA, Associated Press Writer

RAMADI, Iraq - Peering over piles of sandbags in this ravaged city, U.S. Marines sometimes see more gunmen on the streets than municipal employees going to work.

The provincial governor regularly arrives at his office with armed guards in tow. Young Marines notice few others on his staff trail behind.

After three years of war in Ramadi, the U.S. military has yet to move from combat to stabilization operations in most of this Sunni Arab city of 400,000 people, the capital of Anbar province.

Here full-fledged combat still rages. Efforts to build a local government have faltered.

...

"The only way this thing is going to get normal is if Iraqis stand up for themselves," said Sgt. John Strobridge, 21, of Orlando, Fla., as he walked through the empty police station. Pointing to the damaged police vehicles, he observed, "As you can see, they didn't last long."

(more)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060730/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_wild_west

[Pithlet]

1. Duplicate.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2424081