 720th |
"Task Force Gauntlet" |
 3rd Cav. |
 1st Armor |
AL-FALLUJAH, Iraq--The city of Al-Fallujah, Iraq was on the brink of chaos in the last week of April. As the 82nd Airborne Division withdrew from the city, anti-American riots erupted in the streets. Several civilians were shot and seven U.S. soldiers were wounded when a grenade was thrown into their compound by hostile forces.
Lt. Gen William Wallace, commanding general, V Corps, responded by assembling a task force and sending it to Al-Fallujah to end the violence. Within two weeks, Task Force Gauntlet had not only ended the violence, but restored order and stability in the city.
Lt. Col. David Poirier, commander, 720th Military Police Battalion (MP), was in charge of the task force. TaskForce Gauntlet included two cavalry troops from the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment; one company from the 1st Armored Division (C-2/6 Infantry); the 411th MP Company; as well as civil affairs, psychological operations (PsyOps) and counter intelligence teams.
Al-Fallujah, located about 20 miles west of Baghdad, has approximately 200,000 residents. It had a bustling weapons market and was littered with unexploded ordinance, including grenades, land mines and missiles. Citizens were becoming increasingly frustrated with propane, electricity and fuel shortages. In addition, several former prominent Ba’ath party members lived in the city and intelligence sources indicated they were planning attacks on U.S. forces.
Poirier said the task force had three main goals: “To stop the violence by taking weapons off the street and out of bad people’s hands; to make the existing police force in Al-Fallujah a more credible and viable force to enforce law and order in the city; and to identify and arrest former Ba’ath party members who were major operators under the Saddam Hussein regime,” he said.
The task force accomplished its goals by using a full range of forces, according to Poirier. Soldiers from PsyOps, civil affairs, counter-intelligence and the MPs were able to gather accurate information about the location of weapons markets and homes of Ba’ath party members in the city.
Once the information was gathered and objectives determined, military police, infantry and armored cavalry soldiers conducted raids without a single U.S. or civilian casualty. They confiscated hundreds of weapons, ammunition, and arrested eleven prominent Ba’ath party members.
Soldiers also conducted daily patrols throughout the city and manned key checkpoints where they confiscated additional weapons and ammunition.
Poirier and other task force leaders worked with the local mayor, as well as tribal and religious leaders, to address their concerns about restoring city services, government, and security. MPs also conduced joint patrols with local police to build the citizens’ confidence in their own police force.
PsyOps soldiers walked the streets and greeted citizens, while distributing pamphlets with coalition messages and warnings about unexploded ordinance.
Poirier said that communication, with political and religious leaders, as well as with ordinary citizens, played a key part in Task Force Gauntlet’s success.
“Our soldiers were out there every day explaining to people why we were in Al-Fallujah, that we were there to create a safe and secure environment for the city, and the residents welcomed that,” he said.
Task Force Gauntlet’s combination of combat elements also contributed to its success, said Maj. Paul Green, operations OIC, 3rd ACR and Task Force Gauntlet. Green said the MPs’ fighting agility and information gathering abilities, plus the firepower of the M1 Abrams tanks, Bradley fighting vehicles and dismounted infantry troops, teamed with the communication abilities of the PsyOps, civil affairs and counter intelligence teams was very effective.
Task Force Gauntlet not only accomplished its primary mission, but also earned the confidence and trust of Al-Fallujah’s citizens.
“When we first arrived here, nobody waved at us or smiled,” said Poirier. “People in Al-Fallujah were furious that U.S. soldiers occupied their city, but today everyone waves and gives us the thumbs up sign.”
On May 17, Task Force Gauntlet left Al-Fallujah and became attached to the 4th Infantry Division in Tikrit. Poirier said before he left, the mayor and several local leaders thanked the task force for bringing the city together
Edited for, Iraqi News, Al Fallujah, By PFC Jason Phillips, Task Force Ironhorse PAO, (89th Military Police Brigade PAO), 22 May 2003.