Cherry Street Fish Market Opens Doors

Wednesday, 11 February 2009

FOB FALCON â€" For thousands of years, fishermen near the Ma Baynaa Al-Nahreen, the Land Between the Two Rivers, sold their catch to others to sustain their existence.

Today, the Saydiyah Fish Market stands as a classic example of where Iraqi fishermen sell their wares to their neighbors from across Iraq.

Senior Multi-National Division â€" Baghdad leaders attended the Saydiyah Fish Market’s ribbon-cutting ceremony with their Iraqi Security Forces partners, Feb. 9, to mark the re-opening of the market that fell to disrepair during the war.

Muzhir Ali Salman, the General Cooperative Union chairman, welcomed the attendees to the market's compound along Cherry Street in the Saydiyah community of southern Baghdad.

Muzhir thanked the Coalition forces for starting the project to rejuvenate the fish market and the commanders who worked on the project.

"This is the main fish market in all of Iraq, not just Baghdad," he added.

The fishermen sell their fish wholesale to the other provinces in Iraq as well as retail to the citizens of Baghdad, Muzhir explained.

Brig. Gen. Faiswl Malikmhsen al-Talall, commander of the 5th Brigade, 2nd National Police Division, recognized the importance of the market and the eagerness of the community.

"We thank Coalition forces for their contribution to this project. I appreciate the readiness of the people and their ideas to embrace progress," he said.

The rebuilding of Iraq began after the security situation improved in the area due to the cooperation of everybody, said Faiswl, who used the ceremonial scissors to cut the ribbon at the entry into the compound.

The fish market is not just important to Saydiyah, but it is significant to the rest of the city of Baghdad, said Sheik Abdulnazzaq, the Saydiyah Tribal Support Council chairman.

The 1st BCT’s embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team displayed a tremendous effort using the co-ops in Baghdad and the neighborhood councils to come up with this fantastic opportunity, said Col. Ted Martin, commander, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, MND-B.

"We are priming the pump to bring a better life back to the Cherry Street Market," said Martin, who hails from Jacksonville Beach, Fla. "The only reason we can do a project like this is because of the increase in security in Saydiyah. It was a hot spot for insurgent activity, but now all the sects get along to live together peacefully."