Courtesy Photo | Col. Gallup the commander of the Commando Battalion, 16th Iraqi Army Brigade, 4th...... read more read more
By Capt. Timothy Nash
SALAH AD DIN, Iraq — Iraqi commandos cordoned off an area in the village of Zanjaliyah, in Salah ad-Din province, and arrested five wanted individuals, Aug. 23. The mission was intended to be a combined operation, but U.S. soldiers were present only to provide support, if needed.
Soldiers of Company B, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, were on standby to support the Commando Battalion of the 16th Iraqi Army Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division.
“It was really more of an accompanied operation than a combined operation,” said Col. Jack Daniels, the 4th IA Division Stability Transition Team Chief and the senior adviser to 4th IA Div. “All the intelligence data was Iraqi driven. The operations plan was Iraqi driven and the majority of the troops that took part were Iraqi troops. We just provided support from 1/27 …. Frankly, they could have done it as an independent operation.”
The operation began as an assessment of the 4th IA’s capabilities to plan and execute a mission, which was developed with minimal support or assistance from U.S. forces.
Capt. Chris DeFiori, company commander for Company B, 1/27th Inf., thinks the Iraqi soldiers in the 4th IA need very little direct support during their missions.
“A lot of the times we have to provide a convincing reason for them to take us, because they are a lot more confident and can really handle a lot of this on their own,” said DeFiori. “In the past they’ve needed us for everything.”
According to Daniels, the mission was a great success that delivered a message to both the Iraqi Security Forces in Salah ad-Din and their U.S. counterparts. For Americans, it shows that the ISF and – more specifically – the 4th IA are willing and capable to take over security from the U.S. military when soldiers leave Iraq in 2011.
The next step, said Daniels, is helping the Iraqi Army work with Iraqi police, as well as the local and federal court systems.
“I think what we’re going to see in the 4th IA’s area is more and more of the Army working collectively with the police to conduct combined missions,” said Daniels.
| Date Taken: | 08.23.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 08.30.2010 10:13 |
| Story ID: | 55401 |
| Location: | SALAH AD DIN, IQ |
| Web Views: | 159 |
| Downloads: | 5 |
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