SHEIK IBRAHIM, Iraq — Mohammed Said Abudullah let out an incredulous laugh when asked if terrorists had provided his impoverish villagers with money to harbor weapons and provide a hideout.

“Look at what our children are wearing,” he said, pointing to their broken sandals and tattered clothing. “Look at the dirt on their faces. We are poor. There are no terrorists here. They have not given us money.”

And neither has the U.S. military, the 25-year-old Iraqi pointed out, speaking through a translator.

The 200-house village of Sheik Ibrahim, tucked in the foothills of northern Iraq less than 50 miles from the Syrian border, is difficult to reach.

But as battalions of the Iraqi Army become better trained and equipped to assume security responsibilities of the nation, towns like Sheik Ibrahim will be getting their fair share of attention, Iraqi leaders said.

In the meantime, residents can expect surprise sweeps by U.S. and Iraqi forces as they seek to root out insurgent strongholds, as was done Monday when soldiers with the 2nd Battalion, 8th Field Artillery, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division swooped in, cordoned off the village and had all the military-aged men assemble in the schoolhouse.

The forces have done the same in about 10 towns and villages in the past seven months.

“We pull all the men out of their houses, and away from their weapons. This way, it’s easier to control their movement and actions,” said Sgt. 1st Class Ivan Baez-Santana, convoy commander with Headquarters and Support Battery, 2nd Battalion, 8th Field Artillery.

“It’s easier to search a town if all the military-aged men come to a central point,” said Maj. Ken Kamper, battalion executive officer. “Of anyone who stays behind, there’s a better chance he’s a bad guy.”

Assembling the men “also gives a chance to have the Iraqi Army leaders address the men of the town and explain what we’re doing here and to thank them for their cooperation.”

Cooperation and surprising patience, Kamper said.

“In the States, I don’t think we’d be so patient. Just like when we do traffic checkpoints, you would think after sitting in traffic half-a-mile long, they would be upset. But if you ask them, they are happy we provide them with security. They are generally very thankful we are here.”

Sheik Ibrahim is next to the larger town of Muhallabiyah, where U.S. and Iraqi forces busted a car bomb manufacturing plant and destroyed three ready-made car bombs on May 7. They also detained 34 residents identified by multiple sources as terrorists, Army officials said.

Intelligence indicated that insurgents had set up networks and hideouts in neighboring Sheik Ibrahim.

The Muhallabiyah takedown was a huge morale booster for the soldiers.

“Man, we’ve been getting hammered in Mosul with VBIEDs,” Baez-Santana said of the military’s acronym for car bombs.

So finding nothing in Sheik Ibrahim was a bit of a letdown for the U.S. forces, but translated into welcomed information for the Iraqi forces.

“It is good that the terrorists are not here,” said Brig. Gen. Ali Atala Malowh, commander of the 102nd Iraqi Army Battalion.

During the round up of men, however, residents said a group of between 30 to 50 men from the hub city of Tal A’Far has occasionally converged in Sheik Ibrahim for late-night meetings. That information will put extra scrutiny on the town, military officials said.

Such missions also help the Iraqi Army develop its skills, Kamper said.

“Every time we do one of these, the IA gets a little bit better at it,” he said.