2008 PRT News
More PRT Information
May - June
New Security Helps Save Date Crop in Central Iraq
June 19, 2008 During the past two years the insurgency interfered with an important agriculture related pest control function here in Diyala Province. The pest is the Dubas Bug or the Date Palm Leafhopper. The Dubas Bug has seasonal breeding cycles that disrupt the cultivation of dates.
Sun Powers Fallujah Water Purification Units
June 17, 2008 The hot air erupts with shouts and laughter as a young Iraqi man holds a bottle to capture the water splashing from a hose connected to a strange-looking device. They’re cheering in this village because that small stream means these villagers, for the first time in more than three years, will have clean, accessible, inexpensive drinking water.
PRT Helps NGO Partner with Kirkuk Government
June 5, 2008 Recently, the Kirkuk chapter of Kurdistan Save the Children (KSC), a youth centered, non-governmental organization, working in coordination with the Kirkuk Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) and the Kirkuk Province Directorates of Health and Education, successfully completed a free prescription eyewear program for elementary school children.
Orphanage Visit Brings Smiles to Kids…and Soldiers
June 5, 2008 Samawa, Iraq. Representatives of a U.S. State Department Reconstruction Team joined the 82nd Airborne to visit an orphanage on June 3rd in downtown Samawah, the capital city of the poorest of Iraq’s 18 provinces. Eyes widened and hearts quickened as the 40 elementary school-aged children gathered in a classroom to receive donated toys and books.
ATM Cash Machine Comes to Iraq’s Diyala Province
May 28, 2008 Baqubah – Customers of Al’Warka’ Bank in rural Diyala province can now get instant cash from an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) because of improved security and an enterprising Iraqi private sector.
Iraqi Civil Servants Learn Computer Skills with PRT Help
May 28, 2008 Diyala Province – Provincial civil servants are gaining confidence and capacity to track and implement resources for development -- made possible with increasing oil revenues -- through computer training provided by the local Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT).
Iraqi Provinces Get Two New US Development Teams
May 26, 2008 Karbala and Najaf Provinces – A new chapter in the reconstruction and stabilization partnership between the United States and Iraq has begun with the establishment of two new PRTs (Provincial Reconstruction Teams) in southern Iraq.
Breathing the Same Air as Iraqi Counterparts
May 25, 2008 Tallil, Dhi Qar Province – Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) working directly with locals are being emulated as successful development models by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) like the United Nations/World Bank’s International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI).
PRT Provides Medical Supplies, Engineer Training for Iraq
May 20, 2008 Al Kut, Wasit Province – The Provisional Reconstruction Team (PRT) in this eastern province recently addressed a critical medical need when it partnered with Provincial Council members to supply 3,000 Blood Storage Bags to the Al Kut Blood Bank.
Securing The Iraqi Province…And The Relationship
May 20, 2008 Combat Outpost 6, Muthanna Province. Representatives of the 82nd Airborne, Iraqi Police and Highway Patrol units, and the Muthanna Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) inaugurated a new Joint Security Site (JSS) on May 10th to facilitate the flow of information and resources between U.S. and Iraqi forces.
USIP Partners with PRTs to Further Reconciliation in Iraq
May 20, 2008 Baghdad – Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) like the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) are working closely with Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) to bring about understanding and tolerance among tribal leaders thus forming the basis for lasting security and economic recovery.
Seeds of Revitalization Planted at Iraqi Agricultural Fair
May 16, 2008 Al Wahdah, Baghdad Province – The first-ever agricultural fair was recently held in this farming district outside the capital with the help of U.S. Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) and their Coalition Forces partners.
Mozart Comes to Muthanna with PRT Help
May 16, 2008 Muthanna Province, Iraq -- The families of Muthanna are mostly underprivileged, subsistence farmers who were long neglected during the years of Saddam’s regime. On the United Nations's Deprivation Index, Muthanna ranks last among all Iraqi provinces -- eighteenth out of eighteen. Unemployment hovers around 60% of the population.
USAID Farm Program Puts Money in Iraqi Pockets
May 16, 2008 Taji, Iraq, – Hundreds of farmers in this rural district outside Baghdad are reporting double and triple production yields thanks to quality hybrid seed they received from the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) “Inma” agriculture program.
Building Capacity in Iraq One Life at a Time
May 14, 2008 Baghdad- In the Intensive Recovery Unit of a Coalition Forces hospital in the International Zone, Mahmoud Hassan al-Hadi slowly lowered himself to a chair and handed his crutches to Dan Bisbee, a member of Baghdad’s Provincial Reconstruction Team. Though clearly exhausted, Mahmoud was equally determined to thank the people around him.
In Iraq Music Has No Boundaries, Only Bridges
May 14, 2008 Baghdad – Physical as well as mental boundaries have unfortunately divided people in this country. But there are influences: social, economic, and now cultural working to bring people and communities together, including the soothing and healing balm of music.
New Legs for Shahad: Soldiers, PRT Help Iraqi IED Victim
May 12, 2008 Diyala Province, Iraq -- It is the greatest tragedy of any conflict that children are killed and injured. And victims like 10 year-old Shahad Abbas Aiez, who lost both legs to an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in November 2007, are proof that Iraq is no exception.
Popular Iraqi TV Show Makes Big Hit in Provinces
May 11, 2008 Al Kut, Wasit Province -- A lucky audience in this town 125 kilometers southeast of Baghdad got a special treat May 3 with a free performance by the cast of the popular Iraqi Television show “Bait al-Teen” or Mud House.”
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.
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 Muqdadiyah, Diyala Province -- A competent, non-sectarian police force, something Iraq did not have under the Ba’athist regime of Saddam Hussein, got a boost recently with the opening of the Iraqi Regional Police Training Center near Muqdadiyah.
Iraqi Mayors Attend Historic Cities Forum in Chicago
May 2, 2008 Baghdad – Three Iraqi mayors became a part of history recently as they flew to Chicago to attend the first-ever U.S.-Arab Cities Forum where they discussed important development issues with fellow civic leaders from the United States, Canada and Arab world.
U.S. Sports Academy Honors Iraqi Soccer Team with Award
May 1, 2008 BAGHDAD – Athletes and team sports in general got a boost in Iraq with the recent presentation by the United States Sports Academy of its “Team of the Year” award to the Iraqi national soccer team.
Water and Soil Quality are High Priority for PRTs in Iraq
May 1, 2008 Diyala Province - With agriculture one of Iraq's largest employers, water and soil quality are of prime importance to Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) working to upgrade farmers’ capacities to increase crop and livestock production.
PRT Helps Introduce New Military Unit to Muthanna
April 28, 2008 Muthanna Province, Iraq -- The State Department’s Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) and elements of the 82nd Airborne Division are engaging in an unprecedented level of cooperation to affect a true reconstruction partnership with Iraqis in this southern province.