Albu Faraj, Iraq, Jan. 3, 2007: An Iraqi policeman searches a home suspected to be a base of operations for insurgents. Like most of the Albu Faraj officers, he wears a scarf to hid his identity for safety reasons. Iraqi Border Police Col. Yousef Tariq, who is represents police officers in Jazeera where Albu Faraj is located, said he is against the practice of concealing identities, but added that as places become more secure the police officers feel more comfortable to reveal who they are. “Slowly but surely we’ll get to where we want to be,” he said.

Read the 2007 article on the Iraqi operations in Albu Faraj here.