The American forces found a new way to keep the militia fighters from infiltrating Baghdad. They decided to put up a massive concrete wall which will divide the capital’s Sadr City from the rest of the neighborhood.

The troops started bringing in heavy concrete blocks Tuesday night and the first barriers were placed on Al Quds Street, which separates the Tharwa and Jamilla districts to the south from the heart of Sadr City to the north.

“You can’t really repair anything that is broken until you establish security. A wall that isolates those who would continue to attack the Iraqi Army and coalition forces can create security conditions that they can go in and rebuild,” said Lt. Col. Dan Barnett, commander of the First Squadron, Second Stryker Cavalry Regiment according to the New York Times.

Ever since the start of the operation, the teams building the barriers have been working around the clock under heavy protection by the U.S. military. Many M-1 tanks, Stryker vehicles and Apache attack helicopters were called on duty to make sure the activity will be completed with as little incidents as possible. A small group of fighters were scared away by a round blasted from a M-1 tank and a militia team equipped with rocket-propelled grenades was scattered by an Apache helicopter’s Hellfire missile.

The whole neighborhood has been filled with concrete barricades upsetting some of the locals. Residents fearing they might be isolated asked for explanations and were calmed down by the U.S. troops after clarifying that the walls are needed for an effective block on future insurgent attacks.