File:USMC-20099.jpg

English: Lt. Col. Larry L. White and Lt. Col. Nicholas Marano, both U.S. Marines, shake hands with local tribal leaders in Karabilah, Iraq, after a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the city�s newest girls� elementary school July 7, 2006. Marano is the commanding officer for 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment � the U.S. military unit which provides security to the city of about 30,000 on the Iraq-Syria border in western Al Anbar Province. White is the director for the local civil military operations center. About one week before its opening, insurgents planted an improvised explosive device inside the school which would have leveled a good portion of the building, destroying nearly three months of work by Marines and locals, said Gunnery Sgt. Joseph S. Mallicoat, the team leader for the civil affairs team here. Since arriving here four months ago, the Marines say they have seen a decrease in enemy activity after conducting daily security patrols in 100-degree weather alongside Iraqi soldiers. The city also has a new police force, which conducts security operations alongside the Twenty-nine Palms, Calif.-based Marines.