HADITHA DAM, Iraq — Even before Saddam Hussein's regime was toppled, U.S. military planners knew that this mammoth hydroelectric dam about 150 miles northwest of the capital was important to Iraq's future.
To prevent retreating Iraqi troops from destroying the dam and flooding the region, Army Rangers seized the site on the night of April 1, 2003, a week before the fall of Baghdad, while warplanes hammered an Iraqi army unit nearby.
Nearly two years later, as U.S.-led forces battle an insurgency that has targeted much of the war-ravaged country's infrastructure, protecting the 10-story dam that provides electricity for a third of the country remains a priority.
The job is split between U.S. Marines and a company of soldiers from Azerbaijan.
The Marines, notoriously tough in their evaluation of other military forces, say the Azerbaijanis have been impressive with their discipline, respect for authority and careful handling of their weapons.
"If the Marines are an 8, the Azerbaijanis are at least a 4," said Sgt. Refugio Llamas, 38, of San Jose. "The Iraqis, well, they're not on the scale."
The Marines, members of the 1st Battalion, 23rd Regiment, a reserve unit from Houston, provide security to the area's towns and roadways. The Azerbaijanis, in their crisp tan and green field uniforms and pith helmets, are responsible for security inside the dam and within its fenced perimeter.
Each day, the Azerbaijanis search Iraqi dam workers as they arrive and leave. Some of the workers have made their displeasure known, but the soldiers appear unmoved.
"They don't like us," said Maj. Elkhan Shalbuzov, the top Azerbaijani officer. "Our soldiers tell them nothing. We are not here to talk to Arabian people but to catch terrorists."
Since gaining independence in 1991 from the former Soviet Union, Azerbaijan has made military service mandatory for young men and sent troops to Kosovo and Afghanistan. The U.S. has responded with military aid for the nation of about 8 million people.
Haditha, Iraq's second-largest hydroelectric dam, was a showpiece for the Hussein government. The structure was designed by Soviet engineers and built by 2,000 workers from Eastern Europe. After eight years, the first phase was completed in 1984.
During construction, the course of the Euphrates River was altered and archeological sites and small villages were flooded.
