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Provincial Reconstruction Teams
2008 PRT News
Air Force Partners with PRT to Improve Iraqi Living Conditions
May 11, 2008
KIRKUK – Members of the U.S. Air Force serving in northern Iraq recently teamed with the Kirkuk Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) on a project designed to help Iraqis improve waste management practices in the region.
First Iraqi Fulbright Scholar Reflects on Time in America
BAGHDAD – Before arriving in the United States in 2004 as the first post-Saddam recipient of a scholarship from the Fulbright student exchange program, Ali thought he knew "everything he needed to know" about America.
PRT Success in Iraq is Not Just a Big Fish Tale
May 7, 2008
Baghdad Province – Fish and poultry production is being stepped up in agricultural areas near the capital with the help of an Embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team (EPRT) working closely with its military counterpart.
Iraqi Regional Police Training Center Opens in Diyala
May 5, 2008
Trainees at the Diyala Pegional Police Training Center march in an Opening Ceremonies Parade.
Iraqi Mayors Attend Historic Cities Forum in Chicago
May 2, 2008
Mayors from more than a dozen Arab nations, including three representing Iraq cities, gathered in Chicago April 28-30 for the first ever U.S.-Arab Cities Forum hosted by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley.
U.S. Sports Academy Honors Iraqi Soccer Team
May 1, 2008
Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker presents Team of the Year award to Minister of Youth and Sport Gassem Mohammed Jaafar.
PRT Helps Introduce New Military Unit to Muthanna
May 1, 2008
Water and Soil Quality are High Priority for PRT's in Iraq
May 1, 2008
Diyala
PRT Medical Training Gives Hope to Iraqi Doctors
April 25, 2008
PRT Initiative Connects Iraqi Students with World
April 25, 2008
Al Kut,Iraqi Officials Learn of Millions PRT Devoted to Province
April 25, 2008
FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA,
PRT Kick-starts Soccer Outreach to Iraqi Kids
April 25, 2008
Iraqi Farmers Invest in Nation’s future with PRT Help
April 18, 2008
Mosul -- In the middle of a military push against Al Qaeda in Iraq, farmers in Ninewa Province are working across sectarian and ethnic lines to form diverse farmer associations spurring community cooperation as well as bringing hope for economic revitalization.
PRTs Indulge in Kebab Diplomacy in Iraq
April 17, 2008
Muthanna Province -- Forty local farmers and sheikhs from Iraq’s southern-most province recently joined the Muthanna Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) and its military team members over a traditional Iraqi lunch to discuss agricultural needs of the community.
Sewing center Helps Empower Women in Iraq
April 17, 2008
AL-KUT, Iraq – A women’s sewing center officially opened in Muafiqiyah village April 10, providing both employment and training for local women thrust into the position of bread winners whose men have been killed or thrown out of work by terrorist actions.
Iraqi TV Journalists Learn Skills at PRT Workshop
April 16, 2008
Erbil -- Kurdistan Region television journalists learned new techniques at a two-week training program in March and proved to be excellent students and colleagues, according to the American media expert who helped upgrade their media skills.
Increasing Engineers Target of PRTs in Iraq
April 15, 2008
Wasit Province, Iraq – As Iraq strives to overcome decades of government mismanagement and neglect, increasing the number of engineers is essential to design, contract, construct and maintain the country’s infrastructure, says Roberto Bran, Wasit Provincial Reconstruction Team’s (PRT) engineer development program manager.
Iraqis Gain Cardiac Training Courtesy of PRT
April 14, 2008
Dhi Qar Province -- Twelve medical residents from Samawa General Hospital in neighboring Muthanna Province received cardiac training April 10 in a day-long session led by U.S. Army Brigade Surgeon Colonel Thomas Dove, a cardiologist working with the Provisional Reconstruction Teams (PRT) operating in southern Iraq.
Dispatch from PRT Volunteer in Iraq
April 13, 2008
Mosul -- If it is a clear day you can look out over this city from Forward Operating Base (FOB) Marez and it looks like any other city in any country. You can barely see the destruction and the damaged buildings caused by terrorists that become evident as you travel through the city of just over two million inhabitants.
PRTs Mark Earth Day in Iraq with Palm Tree Donation
April 13, 2008
Al-Hillah – Iraq’s reputation as one of the world’s leading producers of dates is being resurrected with the help of a Provisional Reconstruction Team (PRT) that recently donated 1,000 date palm trees to Babil Province.
Rebuilding Iraq Requires Cement, PRTS Told
April 11, 2008
Muthanna -- As demand increases in Iraq’s new era of reconstruction, industry leaders in the cement business are keen to learn more about modern management and finance. They know that rebuilding Iraq requires lots of cement, and they are well positioned to make it happen.
School Laptop Project comes to Fruition in Iraq
April 11, 2008
Combat Outpost 6, Muthanna -- It’s a long way from technologically-rich Cambridge, Massachusetts to Iraq’s poorest war-torn province – Muthanna. But the distance just got smaller because of a recent agreement to initiate training in both Cambridge and in smaller desert communities to implement the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC ) program.
PRTs Promote the Rights of Women in Iraq
April 7, 2008
Taji -- "Although women have had certain constitutional rights [in Iraq], these often have proven insufficient to permit women to strive for and enjoy the same opportunities and quality of life as men," says U.S. Army Colonel George Phelan, the Rule of Law Adviser and Women' Rights Advocate for Embedded Provincial Reconstruction (EPRT) Team located outside Baghdad.
PRTs Help to Bolster Local Self Government in Iraq
April 4, 2008
Taji -- "Security and effective local government go hand in hand” and are essential for reconstruction and stabilization, says Embedded Provincial Reconstruction (EPRT) Team Leader Thomas Burke.
Burke, a career Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State, made his comments to Embassy Public Affairs Counselor Philip T. Reeker during Reeker’s March 14 visit to the team's headquarters in Taji located outside Baghdad.
Iraqi Scouts Help to Transcend and Heal Wounds
March 24, 2008
Baghdad -- Members of the Boy and Girl Scouts of Iraq recently paid a visit to a U.S. Military hospital bearing gifts of thanks and consolation for its patients and staff. Armed with popcorn and smiles, the Scouts treated both Coalition and Iraqi patients to cheer and snack food, called comfort food in America, as they visited treatment wards.
General Petraeus Lauds PRT Volunteers
March 23, 2008
Baghdad – The more than 800 volunteers on U.S. Provisional Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) in Iraq are critical to success in the war on terrorism and to the well-being of the Iraqi people, says Coalition Forces Commander General David Petraeus.
The PRTs were a “very key element of the civilian surge over the course of the past year,” Petraeus said during a recent interview on the Good Morning America television show.
PRTs Help Rekindle Iraqi Entrepreneurship
March 22, 2008
Taji -- "The Iraqis have an entrepreneurial instinct which is at least as strong as ours," says Embedded Provincial Reconstruction (EPRT) member Bill Olds.
Olds, the USAID Representative on the team operating out of Taji, a town in Baghdad District, made his comments to Embassy Public Affairs Counselor Philip T. Reeker during a visit the Counselor made to the team's headquarters on March 14.
Iraq Proves Fertile Ground for Rule of Law Programs
March 18, 2008
Baghdad – Following a year of partnering with Iraqis to improve their judicial system, U.S. Embassy Rule of Law Coordinator Jim Santelle reflected over what he termed the “steady effort” that proved as fulfilling as any work he ever did as a U.S. Federal prosecutor.
Not all Americans serving in Iraq wear military uniforms
March 17, 2008
U.S. State Department employee Sarah Francia was nearing the end of her career and looking for one last adventurous assignment.
"I went to the Middle East bureau that handles Iraq in the department and told them to take me now," she said. "Of course, they did."
Iraqi Women Celebrate Spirited Women’s Day with PRT
March 14, 2008
Dhi Qar, Iraq -- “The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.” These words from the famous poet William Ross Wallace are the ones that Shaza Al-Qaisi - leader of a civil society forum - chose to start off a spirited speech in front of 130 people, most of whom were women – at an International Women’s Day event sponsored by the region’s Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT).
Iraqis Get Taste of American Society, Values with IVLP Visit
March 13, 2008
Baghdad – Contacts with Americans left a lasting impression on Iraqis who traveled to the United States recently courtesy of the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), according to experiences they shared at an alumni reception hosted by the Embassy’s Cultural Affairs Office.
Iraqis “Ambitious” to Upgrade Agricultural Sector
March 12, 2008
Baghdad – The Iraqi government is determined to resurrect the nation’s status as the “Fertile Crescent” and breadbasket of the region while providing jobs for an agricultural workforce hard hit by a neglected and deteriorating infrastructure.
PRT Helps Anbar Province After ‘Long Night of Battle’
March 11, 2008
Forward Operating Base (FOB) Camp Ramadi, Anbar -- The best “good news” story coming out of Iraq’s Anbar Province in 2008 is the dearth of “bad news” stories. In September 2006, some U.S. military intelligence analysts declared the province completely lost to Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) and Sunni insurgents. However, the U.S. troop “surge” of 2007, as well as the rejection of AQI by Anbar’s Sunni tribes, resulted in one of the more secure provinces in the country.
Dispatch from Iraq: Winning the Peace
March 10, 2008
One night in April 2007, we boarded the Marine CH-46 helicopter at Taji, Iraq. It had to be a night flight to avoid the possibility of ground fire. Having just completed our week-long counter-insurgency training, my two-man core team and I were en route to our final destination at Camp Belleau Wood and the 6th Regimental Combat Team located within Camp Fallujah, Iraq. We would spend the next year embedded with a Marine tactical combat unit, working in partnership throughout the 1,900 square mile battle space known as Area of Operation Raleigh.
Rx for Iraq: American Engagement with Medical Community
March 10, 2008
Samawa, Iraq. U.S. Army doctor Colonel Thomas Dove made history March 4th as the first American physician to address his medical counterparts at Samawa Hospital in the capital city of Muthanna province.
The topic of his lecture to the 30 Iraqi physicians was: “Managing Heart Attack Patients” and according to hospital director Dr. Khalid Kharnoub it was the first time an American had come to address his staff.
Utica native helps rebuild Iraq
March 10, 2008
Utica, New York - Every time Mary Ann Penree of Deerfield reads an article about the war in Iraq, she thinks of her cousin Phyllis Powers. Powers, a Utica native, has been in Baghdad for more than a year serving as the director of the Office of Provincial Affairs. “She has a very prestigious job and we are very proud of her,” Penree said. “But it does make me nervous.”
Iraqi Women Form Backbone of Family
March 10, 2008
Hawr Rajab, Iraq – With violence appreciably down since Coalition Forces began a surge in operations a year ago, civil society is beginning to sprout with the help of women who have traditionally formed the backbone of their communities especially in troubled times.
Hosting Iraqis the Traditional Way
February 8, 2008
Al Toum, Iraq - local officials, farmers and Coalition Force members now have a welcoming place to meet with each other and discuss development issues thanks to the efforts of a U.S. Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) operating in Iraq’s southern Muthanna province. Political Counselor Matt Tueller, who was visiting from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, helped inaugurate the guesthouse known in Arabic as a “mudhif”. PRT Leader Paul O’Friel, whose team helped fund the structure, joined the diplomat at the February 5 event.
Iraqi Journalists Gain Skills from U.S. Workshop
January 24, 2008
Dahuk City – Iraqi citizens will soon get a clearer view of the successes and challenges facing their nation thanks to an innovative training partnership between a leading Iraqi non-governmental organization (NGO) and a U.S. Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) aimed at upgrading the reporting skills of radio, TV and print journalists.
Iraqi, American Poetry Reading Bridges Cultural Divides
January 22, 2008
Baghdad -- The power of poetry to transcend politics and bridge cultural divides came alive January 15 at the First Annual Iraqi/American Poetry Reading, sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in partnership with the Iraqi Tawasin Cultural Society.
Highway Official leaving to Help Rebuild Iraq
January 22, 2008
Hutchinson, Kansas – Martin Miller had received job e-mails from the Federal Government over the past few years, but he never opened them. After all, he wasn’t looking for a job.
Mechanics Training for Iraqi Army Fuels Engine for Change
January 2, 2008
Baghdad – One hundred and eighty-nine smiling Iraqi Jundi (soldiers) received certificates for the successful completion of a rigorous 10-week mechanics course December 30 knowing they will now play an integral role as engines for change powering their Army.