Civil affairs assistance helps Kurds tell their story in northern Iraq
By Maj. Robert J. Schultz
426th Civil Affairs Battalion
DAHUK, Iraq (USASOC News Service, Dec. 29, 2004) — High atop a hillside in northern Iraq is a television tower that is now broadcasting the latest stories and updates to a wide array of viewers within the region.
The television station that owns the tower, Kurdistan TV, is one of the most widely viewed and popular channels within the Kurdish region of the country.
The station began operation on May 3, 1992, and was the first station in the region. At that time, the Kurdish region of northern Iraq had just completed ousting members of the Baath party and destroying the remnants of Saddam Hussein’s army, which had brought chaos and disarray to the region for many years. With 13 volunteers and 4 cameras, the station began to produce interviews with key leaders of the Kurdish government to provide updated information to people within the region about changes and progress taking place.
Today, with more than 100 employees, nine operative towers and nine cameramen who work three shifts to ensure adequate coverage, the station remains the most widely viewed station in northern Iraq, where 70 percent of the people within the region receive the station’s broadcast. Although the coverage and reception throughout the area is good, more personnel, more cameras, more towers and better equipment are needed for the organization to reach its broadcast goals.
To help address those concerns, the 426th Civil Affairs Battalion, an Army
Reserve special operations unit from Upland, Calif., currently deployed to
Iraq, traveled to the station to help the Kurdish broadcasters meet those
goals.
As the 426th’s Civil Affairs Team—Alpha 1, or CAT-A 1, proceeded through the TV station, it observed the staff working to finish editing a soon-to-be-released program for evening viewing. An in-depth assessment of the station’s equipment revealed the poor technology the station’s employees use to do their jobs.
“They are doing a good job with the equipment that they have but they are working with 1970s technology,” said Sgt. Brandon Davis, CAT-A 1 civil affairs sergeant. “In addition, they don’t have enough equipment to maintain a solid stream in the event of mechanical failures or breakdowns.”
The CAT-A 1 visit was a special day in the eyes of the employees of the TV station, because the civil affairs Soldiers not only made a special visit to discuss current operations, but they also donated new TV equipment as well.
“Most television stations establish a contract with Sony or Panasonic where their equipment is upgraded about every three years,” said the director of Kurdistan TV, Basil Mohammed. “With our location, the past situations, and the fact that we are a small entity, our station is unable to participate in such a program. We truly appreciate the help and assistance provided by the U.S. Army civil affairs and Sergeant Davis. He has been instrumental in helping benefit the station and getting the word out to the Kurdish region of Iraq. His assistance and techniques are a welcomed breath of fresh air to our station.”
“With the additional equipment we are able to donate to the station, this will bring their level of technology from the 70’s to the 90’s and provide a clearer picture with less strain on their current equipment,” said Davis, who works as a computer graphics and effects designer in Southern California’s movie industry in his civilian life.
Davis also said TV and communications was a hobby that he works with and explores in his free time.
“This is a win-win situation,” said Davis, “where I can expand on my hobby to assist the people of the station while at the same time provide a valuable service to the people within the region.”
At the conclusion of the donation, the Basil Mohammed insisted that although Iraqis appreciate the overwhelming reconstruction efforts of coalition troops, including the 426th CA Bn.’s visit to his station, most people are simply thankful for the liberation of their country.
“Although the station is grateful for the equipment and will make their job easier and more effective, the greatest gift that the American people have delivered to the region is the elimination of the tyrant Saddam Hussein,” he said.
Through continued work and efforts of civil affairs Soldiers and coalition information operations, positive messages regarding reconstruction efforts and accomplishments within the region will continue to spread.
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(EDITOR'S NOTE: The U.S. Army Special Operations Command Public Affairs Office contributed to this article.)
