Armed with Their Teeth

Najaf's civilians watched with hope and concern last week as members of the 101st Airborne Division made repeated incursions into the city, rooting out the remnants of regular and irregular Iraqi forces. After four days of cautiously advancing–sometimes fighting house to house, sometimes guided by civilians who pointed out the positions of Saddam's men–the Division's 1st Brigade gained control of the area on Wednesday, April 2. The following day Najaf had the feel of a liberated city. Smiling citizens crowded every street around the American positions. There was a constant stream of people willing to give information and loudly condemn Saddam. American soldiers who a day before had been in close combat were now basking in the cheers and applause, their arms tired from returning friendly waves.

But the euphoria was almost lost over an incident at the mosque located within the Tomb of Ali in Najaf, one of Shi'ite Islam's holiest sites. It began when the local imam, who had spent 20 years under house arrest until the city fell and his captors fled, asked American soldiers to protect him and the mosque. He neglected to explain this, however, to the crowds outside. As the soldiers of Bravo Company of the 2nd Battalion, who had formed a tight perimeter on the street, began heading toward the mosque, citizens started shouting and moving forward. With rabble rousers (later identified by Iraqis as Baath Party members) shouting, "The Americans are storming the mosque," the crowd began to chant and shake their fists. That's when Colonel Chris Hughes made his move. Grabbing a microphone he calmly announced over a loudspeaker, "Second Battalion soldiers, take a knee and point your weapons at the ground." Seconds later every one of the men was on a knee, and not a single weapon was pointing at the crowd. Then he gave a most unusual directive: "Smile."

It worked. Hughes kept his men like that for about five minutes and then returned to the microphone. "Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, we are going to stand up and then walk slowly back to base. You will not point any guns at the crowd, and you will smile at everyone." A minute later the Smilin' Second was walking away from the mosque, and the Iraqis began intermingling with them, patting them on the back and giving them thumbs-up signs again.

By midday, however, citizens began to raise more pressing concerns. People stopped praising Bush and began asking for water. The brigade brought in 1,000 gallons, but that wasn't enough to meet the need. U.S. military engineers, meanwhile, set to work to restore power and the water supply. But the people still seemed overjoyed, if thirsty. The biggest problem U.S. soldiers faced was keeping the crowds away from them as they tried to patrol the streets.

The Americans were further encouraged when a group of local Shi'ites said they wanted to join the fight against Saddam. Both sides agreed to convene at the city center, and tanks were sent to secure the area. The site, it turned out, was dwarfed by a giant statue of Saddam on horseback. Lieut. Colonel Ben Hodges, the brigade commander, got an idea. After confirming that the statue really was of Saddam, he had engineers wrap the base with explosives. With a thunderous blast Najaf's most visible symbol of Saddam's regime toppled in a heap of twisted metal. People ran from the side streets cheering and climbing over the wreckage, enjoying the giddiness of the moment.

—from TIME, April 14, 2003

Questions

1. How did American troops respond to a potentially dangerous situation at the mosque in Najaf?

2. What were the two primary needs of citizens of Najaf? How did these citizens respond to the presence of American troops in their town?