Lance Cpl. John Skordos, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment and his cohort, Barasco, wait for a convoy headed to South Hit, Iraq, Friday after insurgents fired at Marines in the area. (Jimmy Norris / S&S)
Lance Cpl. John Skordos, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment and his cohort, Barasco, wait for a convoy headed to South Hit, Iraq, Friday after insurgents fired at Marines in the area. (Jimmy Norris / S&S)
Right to left, Lance Cpl. Benjamin Kelly, Lance Cpl. Joel McLaughlin and Staff Sgt. Ryan Nikzad, with L Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regmient, wait to board trucks in a convoy headed to South Hit, Iraq, after a shooting there Friday. (Jimmy Norris / S&S)
Capt. Seth MacCutcheon, L Company commander, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, radios to members of his unit for information while questioning possible witnesses about a shooting outside a mosque in South Hit, Iraq, on Friday. (Jimmy Norris / S&S)
SOUTH HIT, Iraq — A burst of weapons fire Friday in the town of South Hit and a bomb blast a few hours later marked the first time that Marines from Combat Outpost Hit faced hostile actions in the seemingly pacified region since their arrival in Iraq last month.
The shooting took place outside the Abu Tayid Mosque, whose weekly religious services have been known for anti-coalition messages.
Marines from L Company’s 4th Platoon were listening to the sermon outside the mosque when they were fired upon.
Marines returned fire, but their attackers escaped.
Troops from four platoons within the company arrived in a convoy at the mosque and combined with Iraqi police to search the surrounding area and questioned possible witnesses.
Friday’s attack was the second outside the Abu Tayid. In May, small arms fire claimed the life of an American soldier.
Capt. Seth MacCutcheon, commander of L Company, said the area around the mosque is one of the last trouble spots in the Hit area in Anbar province.
"But that’s a trouble spot by 2008 standards, a few rounds every couple of months," MacCutcheon said. "Not like two years ago when a trouble spot could get 40 attacks in a day."
A bomb went off on the lead vehicle in the convoy on the return trip to COP Hit, causing minor damage, but no injuries.
A search of the area turned up one "suspicious" Iraqi, who was detained and escorted back to COP Hit for further investigation.
MacCutcheon said several bombs have been found along the Bronze route, one of the main highways through the Hit area in recent months, but this was the first time one had exploded on any of the company’s convoys.
While there were no casualties, the attacks serve as a reminder to the Marines that the area, where children rush to the roadside to wave at military vehicles and Marines grouse about the lack of action, has yet to be completely pacified.
"There’s always going to be a nationalist element here," said L Co. commander Capt. Seth MacCutcheon.
MacCutcheon said the incidents were likely not connected and will not affect the way Marines at COP Hit operate.
"The main push is obviously on the civil affairs side," MacCutcheon said. "The attacks will go away as the locals see it’s not in their best interest to attack the people that are helping them, which for the most part is what you see happening and why the attacks are down."
