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Iraqi Ministry of Industry and Trade
staff check the moisture content of seed
corn temporarily stored outside at the
Al Alam corn mill, near Tikrit.
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David Drew and Ron Verdonk, FAS US
Embassy-Baghdad and Sainey Ceesay, SaD
PRT, check the quality of seed corn
processed at the Al Alam corn mill near
Tikrit currently undergoing
reconstruction funded by USF-I. |
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Young Iraqi vendors sell fruits and
vegetables on the sidewalk at the Al
Alam market near Tikrit. |
Young Iraqi merchants proudly display
their products to American customers at
the Al Alam market near Tikrit. |
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Major Mark Chandler, S-9 Civil Affairs
officer embedded with the PRT,
unsuccessfully barters a handful of
candy bars for a roast chicken at the Al
Alam market near Tikrit. |
Quality control staff from the Iraqi
Ministry of Industry and Trade bag
sample grain from the silo at the Al
Alam corn mill near Tikrit for analysis
at their lab in Baghdad to verify that
the seed meets Ministry standards.
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John Schnittker, Agricultural Economist
with FAS at the US Embassy-Baghdad
checks the condition of zucchini squash
blossoming under low plastic tunnels in
the desert east of Tikrit. The plastic
will be removed in a few weeks as Spring
temperatures begin to moderate. |
Tea brews over an open fire as a Sheikh
and his farmers describe to their PRT
and military guests their problems in
farming the desert with no electricity ,
high fuel prices, and poor water
quality. |
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Convoy of six Mine Resistant, Armor
Protected (MRAP) Cayman’s transport the
SaD PRT Ag Advisors through the
outskirts of Tikrit, Iraq to visit a
Sheikh and the local farmers in the
desert east of Tikrit. |
A desert Sheikh and farmer explains the
use of plastic covered, low tunnels to
grow early season vegetables along with
the difficulty in profitably raising
crops in the desert to SaD PRT Ag
Advisor, Tom Pick and Ron Verdonk,
Agricultural Counselor, US
Embassy-Baghdad. |
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PRT and their military escort visit a
desert village warehouse used to store
products for the Public Distribution
System. In the foreground is an outlet
for a pump distributing groundwater into
an open ditch system for flood
irrigation. |
Military movement team passes under a
monument to Salah ad Din Province’s
historical figures near Tikrit, SaD’s
capital city. Saladin (SaD’s namesake)
was a Kurdish Muslim born in 1138 in
Tikrit. He became the Sultan of Egypt
and Syria (1174-1193) and is noted for
his bravery and success against the
Crusader Kings as well as for his
chivalrous behavior in battle. |
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The PRT’s US Army security convoy
travelling down Hwy 1 passes under
Saddam Hussein era arches marking an
entry point into the city of Tikrit,
Iraq. Tikrit was the birthplace of
Saddam Hussein. Portrait now on the wall
is of a martyred Iraqi police officer. |
Members of Bravo Battery, 2-32 Field
Artillery Brigade clear their weapons
after returning to COB Speicher from a
PRT movement mission. |
