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FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARRIOR, KIRKUK, Iraq — Training Iraqi emergency services units and Iraqi police continues to be a priority for U.S. forces in Kirkuk, Iraq, to perfect their skills and provide security throughout the city.
Members of the 1st Iraqi ESU battalion participated in refresher training on how to properly conduct vehicle searches at checkpoints with an emphasis on safety by Soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Sept. 12.
"Today's class is on vehicle searches at checkpoints and making sure it's done safely," said Sgt. Ronald Heise, a Jackson, Mich., native and one of the trainers from 3rd Bn., 82nd FA.
Heise said they've been training and advising the 1st Bn. ESU since deploying to Kirkuk in early February, and that this was not only a refresher course, but also a beneficial learning experience, because with different instructors comes new approaches to conducting checkpoint operations.
"It's important because every class we give has a different person's point of view, whether it's being taught by Iraqi police or a U.S. Soldier, it gives a broader basis to work with," Heise explained.
According to Heise, having this broad training and repetition will help the ESU react better to situations they may encounter and train them to work better with the civilian population.
Brig. Gen. Hidran Omar Tofiq, the 1st ESU Bn. Commander, who's unit has been working with the U.S. nearly three to four times a week for training and advisement, emphasized the importance of the training.
"We need more training because we need to have more power to defeat [insurgents]," Hidran said.
Hidran said the training has enabled his IP to conduct security operations in the city to near perfection.
"I appreciate the Iraqi ESU training because the ESU are quick learners and perform their duties properly after the training," Hidran said.
One additional area Hidran wants to emphasize was marksmanship training.
"We have been through most of the training, but we need to go through the firing range to become more proficient," he said.
Checkpoint operations are not the only function the ESU serves. In the past two weeks Kirkuk's ESU have conducted multiple clearing operations within Kirkuk to search for illegal weapons caches, illegal residents, and terrorist suspects, which resulted in the detention of more than 58 suspects.
Following several iterations of the training to thoroughly search vehicles and people, the ESU members received certificates of completion for their efforts in the training.
| Date Taken: | 09.17.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 09.20.2009 13:59 |
| Story ID: | 39049 |
| Location: | KIRKUK, IQ |
| Web Views: | 358 |
| Downloads: | 290 |
This work, Kirkuk Iraqi Emergency Services Unit trains to perfection, by SFC Jason Douglas, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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