The Iraqis were said to be polite to the families they met last week. Many homes, however, were abandoned as residents fled the U.S. offensive.
In one empty house, the Iraqis helped themselves to sodas and candy and offered to share with their American counterparts.
At another home, they watched television, soldiers said. When they found a water tank, they paused in their search to take baths.
Fear and relief
Though some residents said they were willing to work with the Iraqi security forces to end the lawlessness in their area, many were fearful of them.
One elderly woman shrouded in black tipped off U.S. troops about homes used by insurgents. She pleaded tearfully with them to make sure Iraqis in the next room did not tell anyone what she had done, for fear she would be killed.
Ali Muthar, a former officer in Saddam Hussein's army, expressed relief that the U.S. soldiers were forcing out the gunmen who had terrorized the neighborhood. But he appeared taken aback at the idea that Iraqi forces eventually would replace the American troops.
Muthar said Shiite Muslim militiamen had filled the ranks of the police and army in Diyala, as they have in Baghdad, and used the forces as cover to kill Sunnis.
The widespread fear of Shiite militiamen appears to have been exploited by Al Qaeda as it dug into the neighborhoods.
"Without Al Qaeda, the militias might overrun us," Muthar said.
Muthar's son joined the police force and was killed in a drive-by shooting last year, a death the family blames on the young man's fellow officers. Muthar carries his son's police identification card and pulled it out sadly when questioned by U.S. soldiers.
The U.S. military has been encouraging more local recruitment into the security forces. Qusai, who is from Khatoon, said almost half of his men are from Diyala; the rest came from Baghdad and the overwhelmingly Shiite south.
The U.S. military is also allowing armed residents, some of whom probably fought against the Americans a few months ago, to patrol their neighborhoods in parts of east Baqubah. The move is part of a countrywide push to work with local leaders, including tribal sheiks, clerics and some insurgent groups that have turned against Al Qaeda after the successes in Al Anbar.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, a Shiite Muslim, has criticized the strategy, saying the Americans are in effect backing militias.
zavis@latimes.com
