21381: Esser: Marines raid apartments in Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: D. Esser

Stars and Stripes
http://www.estripes.com

April 15, 2004

Marines raid apartments in Haiti
By Sandra Jontz, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Thursday, April 15, 2004

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — In the predawn hours Wednesday, Capt. Sean
Connelly ticked off a last-minute checklist with his Marines of Kilo
Company just before rolling out for a raid in a hostile area near the
city’s port.

“But what I want most today is to have 121 people coming back here,”
he said at 4:34 a.m. as Marines awaited their 5:06 a.m. rollout from
their main headquarters. “Even though this is the freakin’ mother of
all raids we’ve done, let’s make sure we do it all right. Muzzles
elevated, but don’t point them at Haitian nationals.”

Kilo Company was but one element of Wednesday’s mission, the largest
that Marines of 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines has conducted since
arriving in early March, and one for which Marines and their
commanders prepped for four days.

More than 300 Marines from three companies, security platoons,
explosive ordnance disposal experts, communications and soldiers of
the Army’s Psychological Operations battalion slogged through streets
polluted with trash and human excrement to raid the 10 pastel pink,
purple and green apartment buildings.

It was an area suspected to be home to gang members hostile to
patrolling U.S. forces, who have come under fire several times in
recent weeks.

The mission also included 18 National Haitian Police SWAT members,
who stormed apartments alongside the Marines.

The search yielded just one handgun, a bit of a disappointment
because the primary reason for raiding the complex had been to seize
weapons used in recent attacks on Marine convoys.

They also found stolen vehicles, computers and suspected cocaine and
marijuana, some in plain view as they entered the apartments, either
by residents opening their doors to Marines, or with a sledge hammer.

Marines detained three Haitian men in the apartment where the
suspected drugs were found, and turned over the evidence and the men
to Haitian police.

While the operation itself ran smoothly, commanders said afterward,
the preparation for it could have gone better. And perhaps some of
the missteps tipped off the would-be suspects.

For example, a three-hour reconnaissance mission early Tuesday was
compromised, said Battalion Commander Col. David Berger.

“You might as well have had a sign saying ‘we’re looking at you,’” an
annoyed Berger said Tuesday as he made his rounds to the recon and
sniper units who had been surveying the complex for more than 24
hours. “The information [collected] was good, the method was all
wrong. But that’s part of the learning experience.”

Wednesday morning, one balcony displayed an American flag, which
Marines said was suspect because residents either sympathize with the
chimere, a gang who fought in support of ousted president Jean
Bertrand-Aristide, or are subject to the gang’s intimidation tactics.

Some residents interviewed said they welcomed U.S. forces. “I think
it’s a good thing for them to take weapons off the bandits,”
23-year-old Billy Dorseus said through a translator.

However, the “bandits” don’t live in the complex, said Dorseus and
20-year-old Pierre Peter.

“They come from time to time. And the police come to fight them off,
and they shoot and then we are victims,” Dorseus said.

When asked if they trusted the local police, the eight people
gathered at the entrance of one building replied “no” in unison.

Under Aristide, the police had a reputation of being corrupt, which
many feel is still true, despite his expulsion, Berger said. Having
them work and practice with Marines is an effort to restore their
credibility.

And for Connelly, as with the rest of the battalion, main mission
accomplished.

“We went out with 121 human beings, and we came back with 121. In
spite of a few problems, you all did a freakin’ outstanding job.”
.