Community Workshop on Truths and Myths About Islam Set for May

The U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, and the Huntsville Islamic Center will present a workshop on May 17 at the University of Alabama in Huntsville to help the community learn more about its Islamic members.

Community members from all faiths and backgrounds are invited to attend the workshop, titled, “Combating Islamophobia: Truths and Myths about Islam.”

“The United States is a nation built on principles of religious tolerance and inclusion. Knowledge about the culture and religion of others can enhance those principles,” said U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance. “Americans come from a wide diversity of backgrounds and religions. The more we work to understand one another, the easier it is to bridge misunderstandings, build partnerships, and create more secure communities for all Americans,” Vance said.

The May 17 workshop will include the presentation “What is Islam and Who are American Muslims?” by Lobna “Luby” Ismail, executive director of Connecting Cultures Inc. Ismail is a training specialist with more than 15 years of experience in the areas of cross-cultural communication, cultural competency, Arab and American cultures, Islamic awareness, and religious diversity. She is the author of “Doing Business in the Middle East and North Africa” and “Finding Diversity.” She frequently is used as an expert by national media and major international news programs.

The Huntsville Islamic Center will present a panel discussion during the workshop and answer questions from the audience.

The event will be free and open to the public. It will be held at UAH from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Shelby Science Center, 301 Sparkman Drive, Room 107.

The U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations Service, UAH Muslim Student Association, Birmingham Islamic Society, Interfaith Mission Service, UAH Office of International Programs and Services, and the International Services Council of Alabama are helping the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, and the Huntsville Islamic Center present the workshop.

For more information, contact Lyndon Laster at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, 205-244-2001 or lyndon.laster@usdoj.gov.

Afghans to Debut Community Policing Program, Official Says

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

Dec. 24, 2008 - Afghanistan's government is preparing a pilot program in community policing that's expected to debut in the near future, a senior Defense Department official said here today. Afghan authorities are starting to take a look at a community engagement type of program on a small scale, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters.

The program is designed to facilitate information sharing and build trust between Afghan citizens and their local, provincial and central governments, Whitman said.

"This is an Afghan initiative that is supported by the military forces that are there [and] by the U.S. government," Whitman said.

The pilot program is to be tested in Wardak province, Whitman said. That province, located near the Afghan capital city of Kabul, has experienced increased Taliban activity in recent months.

The pilot is envisioned to be of modest scale, involving just "dozens" of Afghan citizens, Whitman said. Afghan authorities, he said, still are working out details.

The Afghan initiative also could be described as a "community-type policing program," Whitman said.

Successful application of the initiative offers "prospects that could lead to improved Afghanistan security," Whitman said.

Whitman also addressed a reporter's question about the tone of some recent media reports that the reporter said seem to imply that the Pentagon is telling incoming officials of President-elect Barack Obama's administration that the campaign against terrorists in Afghanistan is not going well.

"That's not the case at all," Whitman emphasized. "And, that's unfortunate. I think that any number of our commanders have said we're not going to fail, and we're not failing in Afghanistan."

Senior U.S. officials have identified the need to send more troops to Afghanistan, said Whitman, who also pointed to the ongoing U.S.-governmentwide review of the strategy employed in Afghanistan.

"One of the primary recipients and benefactors of doing this [Afghanistan] strategy review will be the new team that is coming in," Whitman said.

Meanwhile, anyone who'd describe the situation in Afghanistan as being "in some kind of dire straits," Whitman said, would be engaged in "a mischaracterization."

Program Trains Auxiliary Police Officers in Afghanistan

By Navy Lt. Neil Myers
Special to American Forces Press Service

June 30, 2008 - A Kunar Provincial Reconstruction Team program here trains Afghan men to become part of the Afghan National Auxiliary Police force. The three-week Police Training and Advisory Team program was conducted at Camp Wright, near Asadabad, and is the only one of its kind in the province. The trainees come from every district in the province and are housed at the Asadabad police headquarters during their training.

"Many of the police trainees arrive at the ANAP course with poor discipline," Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carlos A. Ramirez, of the Kunar PRT, said. "We teach them discipline through repetitive activities and specially designed physical exercise."

After physical exercise, the trainees attend classroom training led by one of three Afghan police officer instructors attached to the Police Training and Advisory Team program.

Trainees learn traffic accident investigation, weapons familiarization, domestic violence investigation, vehicle searches, community policing, explosives detection, the penal code, baton training, handcuffing, and a variety of other law enforcement skills.

"I think it's good to have our three Afghan teachers leading the lecture part of the training, because they speak the Pashto language, and about half of the trainees speak very little English," Navy Seaman Brian L. Boyd Jr. of the Kunar PRT said.

The Police Training and Advisory Team military staff, assisted by four interpreters, teaches practical, hands-on training in the afternoon.

"Initially the trainees are reserved, due to the fact that for many, this is their first interaction with coalition forces," Boyd said. "Midway through the class, they interact more with us. By graduation, many of us are good friends. If we maintain this program, Afghanistan will improve, because these trainees want to become [Afghan National Police officers] and truly want their country to succeed."

The goal of coalition forces is to have Afghanistan secure and govern itself. Security is a big issue in Kunar province, and the police play a huge role toward accomplishing that goal, PRT officials said, and the PTAT contributes to that effort by providing a steady pool of well-trained police officers who are ready to serve their country.

A typical auxiliary police candidate, 36-year-old Ali hails from the Shigal district. He is married and has seven children. Ali is eager to complete the training and eventually get hired by the Afghan National Police at the end of his three-year auxiliary police contract. He has a positive attitude toward the coalition forces and understands they are here to help him rebuild his country, officials said.

The program also mentors police chiefs.

"We go to every district and survey the police station, meet with the police chief, and ascertain their needs," Ramirez said. "Whether it be facility improvements, more staff or equipment, the PTAT mentors and shows police chiefs how to properly coordinate assistance with other agencies for help run their stations. In some cases, PTAT provides assistance with building upgrades and repairs."

To date, PTAT has trained 290 auxiliary police officers, with 90 more candidates now enrolled.

(Navy Lt. Neil Myers serves with the Kunar Provincial Reconstruction Team.)

Commander Charts Progress in Baghdad, Diyala

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

May 15, 2008 - A mix of force, good governance and economic stimuli has resulted in a turnaround for an area in Iraq that once was a hotbed of Sunni and Shiite insurgents. The 3rd Infantry Division's 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team is completing a 15-month tour as part of Multinational Division Center, and the unit commander, Army Col. Wayne W. Grigsby Jr., spoke to Pentagon reporters yesterday about the deployment.

The "Sledgehammer" brigade arrived in February 2007 as part of the surge of additional forces into Iraq. Violent crime was out of control, Grigsby said, and al-Qaida in Iraq intimidated Sunni portions of the area, allowing the terrorist group to use them as safe havens.

"In our time here, murders have declined by greater than 50 percent, from 631 in '06 to 253 in '07," Grigsby said in a video hook-up from Baghdad. "Shop owners are selling their goods in revitalized markets, and we are now down to maybe one attack every other day."

The heavy brigade accomplished this by conducting counterinsurgency operations. "We wanted to bloody the nose of the enemy and make them fear us," he said. "We did bloody the nose of the enemy, and the enemy does fear us, both coalition forces and Iraqi security forces. We never forgot what a U.S. Army heavy brigade combat team is built to do: to close with and destroy the enemy."

Brigade soldiers killed 160 enemy combatants and detained more than 500 suspected criminals. "We cleared every enemy sanctuary that existed prior to our arrival," the colonel said.

This has not been without cost. Twenty-nine brigade soldiers have been killed, and 162 were wounded. But the level of violence went from four to five attacks per day to an average of an attack every two days.

In and around Salman Pak -- a majority Sunni area -- al-Qaida and other Sunni extremist groups have been decimated.

"We estimate there are three Sunni extremist groups of no more than 10 personnel per group in our battle space, disrupted and not able to synchronize operations," Grigsby said. "We killed or captured their leaders, denied them use of safe houses and support zones, and with our 'Sons of Iraq' allies we are sitting in the former supply lines, holding the terrain, not letting the extremists come back in."

The Sons of Iraq are local citizens who assist with security efforts in their neighborhoods.

Though their operations brought security to the region, the soldiers of the brigade weren't solely about force. They worked to build relationships with the various ethnic groups, tribes and sheikhs.

"Since we worked out of eight patrol bases and four joint security sites in the middle of population centers, we never commuted to work," Grigsby said. "When a combat patrol began each day, Sledgehammer soldiers were already among their neighbors, living with them."

They also lived with Iraqi security forces. Grigsby said the unit worked with an outstanding Iraqi national police brigade and very capable Iraqi army units. U.S. soldiers will continue to work with local police to improve their community policing, the colonel said.

Security was the bedrock of the progress. The Americans and Iraqis gave the residents their communities back, Grigsby told reporters.

"By taking extremists and criminals off the streets in Jisr Diyala, Wahida, Salman Pak and Nahrawan, we emboldened the good people to step back into the traditional roles of leadership -- leadership by the tribal leaders, leadership by local governmental officials -- rather than leadership by fear, where individuals use murder [and] intimidation to control the masses," he said.

Markets, water distribution systems, sewage treatment plants, schools and health clinics all followed. The unit even helped Iraqis build a soccer stadium. Employment also has followed. The Narwan brick factory in the region now employs 15,000 Iraqis, up from 3,000 a year ago.

Money, too, has followed. In 2007, the Iraqi government spent about $1 million in the region. In 2008, the government already has spent $86.1 million for projects and improvements.

The unit's soldiers head back to Fort Benning, Ga., knowing they have made a difference, Grigsby said.

"We have seen a significant reduction in violence," he said. "We have seen the economy spring back to life. We have seen the local governance structure continue to mature and progress. We most definitely have momentum, and we have made gains."

The brigade is one of the most deployed units in the Army. It was part of the original thrust to Baghdad in 2003, was back again in 2005, and is completing its current mission now. Some 60 percent of the soldiers in the brigade are combat veterans from previous deployments. They are passing along their hard lessons to the 1st Armored Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team, home-based in Germany.

Grigsby said 2nd Brigade will continue the momentum his brigade began, because the gains in the region remain tenuous. To ensure stability, coalition and Iraqi forces must continue "to hunt the enemy where he sleeps, and we will continue to assist our Iraqi partners where they look to make improvements."