ABSTRACT
Iraqi soldiers stationed at Ba'aj operated from an encampment set up in the ruins of the town granary. The multi-story, Soviet-built silos were the tallest structures around and could be seen for miles across the desert. The Iraqi Army used the towers as an observation post and to mount radio antenna and machine guns. The insurgents used them as a reference points to aim mortars and rockets. Below, the tents in which the Iraqis lived had earthen barriers on the sides but no overhead protection. The only available bunkers lay scattered a few hundred yards away on the empty half of the compound that American forces had occupied. A US cavalry troop, Special Forces detachment, and transition team had shared quarters with the Iraqi battalion when it arrived in June 2005. The Americans gradually withdrew as the Iraqis demonstrated their proficiency. Furthermore, the American civilian maintenance contractor who supported the division refused to distribute parts.
