Ramadi posts seen as 'symbol of occupation'

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RAMADI, Iraq -- U.S. Marines in Ramadi, one of the deadliest cities in Iraq for American forces, decided in June to halt their patrols through the town and set up observation posts in tall buildings instead.

The idea was to show respect for Iraqi sovereignty and cut down on battles with insurgents, in which innocent civilians could be injured. But rather than reducing tensions, the new strategy may be having the opposite effect.

"When we were originally doing patrols, foot and vehicle, a guy would see the coalition pass by his house for 30 seconds once a week and that would be the extent of his contact," said Lt. Jonathan Hesener, a Marine platoon commander.

"But now everyone in Ramadi sees us on top of the hotel every day as they drive down the street. To them, it's not decreased presence. It's a symbol of occupation."

Much attention is focused on nearby Fallujah as the flash point of violence in Iraq, but it is here in Ramadi that U.S. military officials think that Sunni insurgents must be defeated if the nation is to be stabilized.

The importance of Anbar province, of which Ramadi is the capital, can't be overstated: It is the size of Wyoming, encompasses the vital highway to Amman, Jordan, and borders on Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria. But officials think that the province cannot be secured until Ramadi -- the former base of Saddam Hussein's special forces -- is pacified.

They are already starting out behind the game: Not a single member of the new interim Iraqi government hails from Anbar, a fact that is not lost on local leaders.

With a population of about 400,000, Ramadi also is home to several U.S. military bases, including the headquarters of the 1st Marine Division and of the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment -- a unit that has suffered one of the highest casualty rates in the postwar period.

In April, after months of relative calm in Ramadi, a dozen Marines were killed in an ambush. The attack kicked off two days of intense fighting and opened a new chapter in the lives of U.S. troops there: They are attacked almost daily, either with roadside explosives, rocket-propelled grenades, mortars or small arms.

More than 129 Marines have been killed in Anbar province since March. At least 30 of them died in Ramadi -- at least 22 of those from a single 185-man company of the 2/4 battalion.