Global Policy Forum

By Michael R. Gordon

Even as American and Iraqi troops are fighting to establish control of the Sadr City section of this capital, the Iraqi government's program to restore basic services like electricity, sewage and trash collection is lagging, jeopardizing the effort to win over the area's wary residents.

For weeks, there have been reports that Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki is preparing to move ahead with a multimillion-dollar program to rebuild the southern swath of Sadr City, which is currently occupied by Iraqi and American troops. But almost a month after American and Iraqi forces pushed into the area, there are no signs of reconstruction. Instead, the streets are filled with mounds of trash and bubbling pools of sewage. Many neighborhoods are still without electricity, and many residents are too afraid to brave the cross-fire to seek medical care. Iraqi public works officials, apparently fearful of the fighting, rarely seem to show up at work, and the Iraqi government insists the area is not safe enough for repairs to begin.

On Saturday, three Sadr City residents gingerly approached an American Army position to deliver a warning: Unless the Iraqi government or its American partner did something to restore essential services and remove the piles of garbage, the militias would gain more support. The Iraqi government has long had difficulties improving services for its citizens, but the delay in mounting reconstruction efforts in Sadr City is complicating the American strategy to thwart the area's militias and halt the mortars and missiles that had been fired from its streets toward the fortified Green Zone.

Hoping to stabilize the southern portion of Sadr City, American forces are building a wall to partition the neighborhood, and have moved with the Iraqi Army into the Thawra and Jamilla areas, south of where the barrier is being built. But a standard — and, according to many here, crucial — counterinsurgency tactic is to appeal to a skeptical population after fighting through an area, by restoring and improving basic services. "He who is able to fix the public utilities holds the keys to the kingdom in terms of winning the support of the Iraqi people and ultimately ending this conflict," said Sgt. Alex J. Plitsas of the 312th Psychological Operations Company, who met with Sadr City representatives. "People tell me time and time again that they see their basic needs as being more than food, clothing and shelter," said the sergeant, whose team is attached to Company B, First Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment. "They include electricity, water and sewage. And until the Iraqi government provides them with such basic services, they won't trust them."

Indeed, the Mahdi Army, the militia founded by Moktada al-Sadr, the anti-American cleric who holds sway here, has long used the delivery of aid and basic services as a means of building political influence. "Through a ‘Hezbollah-like' scheme, the Shiite Sadrist movement has established itself as the main service provider in the country," notes a recent report by Refugees International, an advocacy group. "As a result of the importance of nonstate actors in the delivery of assistance and security, civilians are joining militias."

Sadr City is so large and poor that large swaths have been in chronic disrepair, but the fighting inflicted further damage. Residents have repeatedly asked American troops during patrols why the garbage cannot be removed and basic repairs made in the areas the Americans control, especially since the most intense fighting appears to be over in these sectors. The soldiers have stressed that they are not standing in the way of such efforts, and would also like them to begin. But while the government has been willing to fix water, sewage and electrical lines in the past, officials say that it was still too dangerous for work to begin. The Iraqi government held a joint news conference with the American military on Sunday to promote their plans to help Sadr City, including $150 million to bolster the area's infrastructure. But when pressed on the timetable for reconstruction, an Iraqi spokesman for the Baghdad security plan refused to estimate a starting date.

"We're not saying we're going to disperse supplies today, but once it's stabilized we will work on these projects," said Tahseen al-Sheikhly, the security plan spokesman. "Because of security, there will not be any projects for a while." The delays in restoring basic services are readily apparent to the American troops who patrol the area. During a patrol on Sunday, soldiers walked through gray clouds of burning trash and sidestepped puddles of sewage. Residents complained about the garbage strewn across the streets and the broken water pipes. One man, who said he was afraid to give his name, said that the Iraqi government had done nothing to create jobs.

The Fire Department is operating, but students complained that schools were closed. One young boy, who said he was too afraid to travel up a battle-scarred street to go to a nearby hospital, asked the American soldiers if they could treat a skin rash. American officials say that while it might be simpler for the United States to pay for and organize the work on broken sewage pipes or downed power lines, American policy is to shift such reconstruction responsibilities to the Iraqi authorities.

"We are trying to show some patience here," said Capt. Alex Carter, the civil affairs officer for the First Squadron, Second Stryker Cavalry Regiment, which is attached to the Third Brigade Combat Team of the Fourth Infantry Division. Still, encouraging the Iraqis to move forward has often been a frustrating experience. The local Iraqi public works office is housed in a lime-green building near a major intersection in Thawra. American officials say that much of the staff appears to have stopped coming to work. "There is not much accountability going on right now on the G.O.I. side," said Captain Carter, using an acronym for the government of Iraq.

The three Sadr City residents who approached the Americans were anxious about being observed talking with the soldiers. They were ushered into the compound quickly and met alone with Sergeant Plitsas. The Iraqis said they had contacted the local public works office and even the Ministry of Electricity. But the answer was the same: The Iraqi officials said they had no intention of venturing into Thawra until the area was safer.

If the government was not up to the job, the residents argued, it was the Americans' duty to act, since they were at war with the militias. Sergeant Plitsas told the Iraqis that they should do their part to make the area safe for reconstruction by providing tips on militia activity, and passed their concerns up the chain. As they wait for the Iraqi government to act, the Americans have taken some steps. A new civil-military operations center, which is to be operated by Americans and Iraqis, is being established. It will provide residents with a place to file damage claims against American forces, check on the status of detainees and meet with Iraqi officials.

As a stopgap, the Americans are undertaking a $400,000 program to distribute large trash bins and employ up to 200 local Iraqis. More than 90 have been hired, but some of the workers have failed to show up and some of the results, Captain Carter acknowledged, have been poor. The trash collectors are outfitted with yellow vests. On Monday morning, a soldier asked for an "eyes on" report over the tactical radio on how many workers were picking up trash along a major thoroughfare. The reply over the radio was not encouraging: "They started at 20, but are down to 4."