21 Nov. Christian Science Monitor - Next Job: Keeping Rebels Out.

...illustrate the difficulty of keeping insurgents permanently out of New Obeidi and the other towns in Anbar Province, along the Syrian border. Marines of the 3rd Battalion of the 6th Regiment have fought to wrest control of these towns from insurgents over the past three weeks in Operation Steel Curtain.

Resting in the bend of the Euphrates River, New Obeidi, located next to Obeidi, is a microcosm of the challenges and pitfalls of the broader fight against insurgents. It was the last city taken by the Marines in Steel Curtain. Fighting ended last Thursday, and the battle has turned to ensuring that insurgents don't return.

A day after the bullets stopped flying here, Marines began 24-hour foot patrols through the streets. Residents come forward to point out weapon stockpiles by day while insurgents plant IEDs by night. Children wave and some men shake hands with the Marines. Others hang back offering only hard stares.