Perspective: Taming Iraq's 'wild west'

A military operation in Husaybah in 2005

HUSAYBAH, IRAQ — It's midday in this farming-and-smuggling town on the Syrian border, and the market square is bustling.

A colorful array of fruits and vegetables and plump fish from both sides of the border is for sale in stalls along the muddy main street. The smell of freshly baked bread permeates the air. The jewelry stores, bridal salon, Internet cafe, pharmacy, and bicycle and butcher shops are crowded with customers. So is the pool hall.

"Business is good," Ahmed Ratib, the town cobbler, said as he nailed new heels on a pair of shoes. "Not like in the past."

Two years ago, the same streets were fraught with roadside bombs and snipers, and sellers and buyers stayed away. The area was considered too dangerous even for a quick tour by a U.S. general in his armored Humvee.

The Qaim region was routinely described, including in The Times, as an out-of-control "wild west" where the Marines were fighting with only limited success to control the smuggling of insurgent fighters and weapons from Syria.

Today, Marines walk the downtown beat, chatting with residents, fielding their complaints, encouraging them to contact the Iraqi police if they suspect insurgent activity.

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