English: Shrapnel from an improvised explosive device riddled the window of this humvee, which is used by Marines from 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment to patrol towns and villages along the Euphrates River near the Iraqi-Syrian border. The Marines, who operate out of small outposts along the Euphrates River villages in Iraq's western Al Anbar Province, patrol the region daily to provide security to local towns and villages. The southern California-based battalion faces everything from occasional mortar attacks and roadside bombs to temperatures well in the 100s in Iraq. Greeted by locals everywhere they go near this region in western Al Anbar Province, the Marines are usually swarmed by children, who ask the uniformed men for candy, toys and soccer balls. Still, Marines say the friendly atmosphere the locals provide simply masks the fact that this is still a dangerous area. Just several weeks ago, a team of Marines killed an insurgent who was planting roadside bombs on one of the main roadways in broad daylight. The battalion arrived in Iraq in March and will be replaced by another southern California-based Marine Corps unit in the Fall.