Iraqi Police Donate Clothing for Displaced Sunnis in Samarra

By Sgt. Tony White
5th Mobile Public Affairs Det.

SAMARRA — Members of the largely Shiite Iraqi National Police made a clothing donation to the Sunni-dominated Red Crescent Tuesday.

In a show of good faith, the predominantly Shiite national police force presented the Red Crescent, an organization similar to the Red Cross, with three truckloads of clothing to be distributed among the nearly 1,500 displaced Sunni Muslims living in the Samarra area.

Meant as a way to promote positive relations between the two factions, the national police were pleased to help, said one Shiite police officer.

“Doing something like this will help these families,” said the police officer, who wished to remain anonymous.

Sgt. 1st Class Edward Rodriguez, 402nd Civil Affairs Battalion, said this was first time in the Samarra area that a gesture of this scale has been made.

“They (Iraqi National Police) wanted to do something for the families and we had this extra clothing,” Rodriguez said. “So they asked us if they could donate these clothes as a sign of support. We hope this is a positive step towards helping the differences between the Iraqi people.”

With about 40 boxes of clothing donated for the nearly 1,500 refugees, Rodriguez said he believed the operation would have an impact.

“It made a difference,” he said. “The director of the Red Crescent was pleased; not only because she received clothing to help the displaced people, more importantly she was pleased because it was the Shiites showing a sense of unity between the two Muslim factions.”