Published: December 18, 2006

Shia Iraqis make donation for displaced Sunnis

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

An Iraqi National Policeman carries a box of clothing into the Red Crescent in Samarra 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.

"If we can all work together, it will help improve the safety of this area," he added. "We are all Iraqis in the end."

Sgt. 1st Class Edward Rodriguez, 402nd Civil Affairs Battalion team noncommissioned officer in charge, 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 roughly 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."

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