The road to peace in Iraq is fraught with danger around every corner; the most obvious threats to Iraq's young democracy being insurgent forces and sectarian violence.
President Obama, who recently met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, stated, "There will be attacks on Iraqi security forces and the American troops supporting them. There are still those in Iraq who would murder innocent men, women and children. There are still those who want to foment sectarian conflict."
But there are also silent threats to the Iraqi people, such as hunger and malnutrition. Late last year, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) reported that 930,000 people were suffering from hunger in Iraq.
Another 6.4 million Iraqis live on the edge of hunger. They are getting barely enough food, and without the Iraqi government's monthly food ration, they too would fall into the pit of hunger. Iraqis struggling to receive this most basic necessity do not present a picture of a stable, successful democracy.
The U.S. army recently undertook a number of missions in the country to help relieve hunger. On July 15th, forces from the U.S. 25th Infantry Division, together with Iraqi soldiers, carried out a humanitarian aid drop to help hundreds of families in a neighborhood in Baqubah.
U.S. Army soldiers from Green Platoon, 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division provide security while soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 19th Brigade, 5th Iraqi Division provide humanitarian aid to villagers in Shuzayf, Iraq, on March 27, 2009. DoD photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Walter J. Pels, U.S. Navy. (Released)
Another mission in July delivered food to families in the Hiteen neighborhood of Hawijah. Army 1st Lt. Sean Spencer explained, "Hiteen has been identified by the Hawijah city council as the poorest area of Hawijah."
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