Making friends at last? US troops meet nervous Iraqis

[Barrett808]

Making friends at last? US troops meet nervous Iraqis
by Ahmad Fadam

BAGHDAD (AFP) - It was too soon to be sure, and the threat of violence still hung heavy in the hot Baghdad air, but the US troops bargaining for fruit and chatting with locals seemed to have made a minor breakthrough.

The neighbourhood of Ameriyah, once a virtual no-go zone roamed by sectarian death squads and anti-American insurgents, was extending a nervous hand to its new protectors, a squad of American armoured cavalry troopers.

"We're going to block off these roads," Major Scott Coulson explained to an Iraqi father and his boisterous kids on Monday. "The only two ways into Ameriyah will be on Market Street, and we'll see how that works."

In Washington the debate has been about how quickly US troops should quit Iraq, while Ameriyah has seen hundreds more GIs, backed by the Iraqi army, deployed in response to an eruption of sectarian violence.

(more)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060831/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrestusbaghdad

[ShaneGR]

1. It's an interesting strategy...

Sad that the only way to keep the Sunni and Shi'ite factions from killing each other is to erect walls.

[brentspeak]

2. Not that optimistic, but I'm hoping it works in ending the violence

[truthisfreedom]

3. part of the military "PR" campaign.our US tax dollars at work, propaganda

we're paying for.

[UpInArms]

4. related: Positive Press on Iraq Is Aim of U.S. Contract/ WaPo

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2486315&mesg_id=2486315

TexasLawyer (1000+ posts) Wed Aug-30-06 10:30 PM
Original message
Positive Press on Iraq Is Aim of U.S. Contract/ WaPo
Our tax dollars at work...

Positive Press on Iraq Is Aim of U.S. Contract

By Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 31, 2006

U.S. military leaders in Baghdad have put out for bid a two-year, $20 million public relations contract that calls for extensive monitoring of U.S. and Middle Eastern media in an effort to promote more positive coverage of news from Iraq.

The contract calls for assembling a database of selected news stories and assessing their tone as part of a program to provide "public relations products" that would improve coverage of the military command's performance, according to a statement of work attached to the proposal.

The request for bids comes at a time when Bush administration officials are publicly criticizing media coverage of the war in Iraq.

The proposal, which calls in part for extensive monitoring and analysis of Iraqi, Middle East and American media, is designed to help the coalition forces understand "the communications environment." Its goal is to "develop communication strategies and tactics, identify opportunities, and execute events . . . to effectively communicate Iraqi government and coalition's goals, and build support among our strategic audiences in achieving these goals," according to the statement of work that is publicly available through the Web site http://www.fbodaily.com .

<snip>

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/30/AR2006083003011_pf.html