The purpose of the meeting was to introduce the brigade commander to the sheikhs as well as discuss partnership as it related to the U.S. - Iraqi security agreement, said Maj. Richard Fierro, fire support officer for the brigade. The commander spoke with the sheikhs and explained what contributions U.S. forces will bring to the province.
“Since we moved into the province, I wanted you to hear from me what our purpose is and what we are doing to help the people of Basra,” Kievenaar said during the meeting.
Kievenaar also talked about closing several bases as the June 30 deadline approached.
“We are turning over this month two locations. They both will be handed over to the police before the end of the month,” he said. Kievenaar also told the sheikhs two other locations will continue to have a U.S. presence to train the Iraqi Security Forces at the request of key leaders in the province.
The commander continued, highlighting some of the brigade’s civic action initiatives to help the city of Basra. “Currently, we have 103 projects ongoing in the city of Basra. These projects are all designed to help improve the quality of life for the people of Basra,” he said.
“Part of the challenge with these projects is that by our own U.S. law, we have to go in and certify these projects. After the 30th of June, I’m sure you will hear from your people how they saw Americans in Basra, but please assure them we are only there to continue the work on these projects and make sure the contractors get paid,” he added.
Maj. Gen. Hussein Abd Ali Abdullah, operations center deputy commander and Abdul Ali al-Musawi, the leading Shiite Cleric in Basra, were among the guests at the conference.
Fierro said meeting the sheikhs in the area is a great way to reach out to the people of Basra.
“Talking to the sheikhs is another avenue of approach to foster partnership with the populace,” he said.
The sheikhs discussed issues with the colonel concerning agriculture, power and water distribution as well as continuation of the projects once the U.S. forces depart. In conclusion, Kievenaar reiterated his intent to keep lines of communication open between the sheikhs and himself.
“What we are trying to do is open up communications between all of the tribal leaders and our forces so that there are no secrets and we are sharing information to provide an avenue to resolve any issues,” he said.
