Iraqis, Marines will police Anbar city

HIT, Iraq – An Iraqi army battalion backed by U.S. Marines will be stationed in Hit, making it the first deployment to regularly police a city in the volatile western Anbar province, military commanders said Saturday.

The new strategy is designed to restore order in the region and not pull back as in previous offensives in the area when U.S. Marines would conduct raids over several days and then leave.

“We’re not going to let (residents) down by pulling out three weeks from now,” said Marine Col. Stephen Davis, who commands the Second Regimental Combat Team. “We’ve got to pay attention.”

Previously, there haven’t been enough Marines to stay and police the vast Anbar province, which is about the size of South Carolina and extends from near Baghdad to the porous Syrian border – a main entry point for foreign fighters.