Photo By Sgt. DJ Borden | Command Sgt. Maj. James Carabello, command sergeant major of the Joint Improvised...... read more read more
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BESMAYA, Iraq - The phrase "together we stand, united we fall" has been uttered countless times and still rings true. Nations are rallying together and providing aid and support to allies in need in order to create a stronger force to defeat global enemies.
Leaders from the U.S. Army, Iraqi Security Forces, and the Spanish Legion met March 10 at the Bomb Disposal School headquarters at Besmaya Range Complex, Iraq, to discuss a number of topics including training, operations and equipment. The three nations are part of a coalition force working together with the ultimate aim of degrading and defeating the Islamic State terrorist group.
“I am here to display the U.S. Army’s commitment to training and aiding Iraqi forces for the Iraqi citizens,” said Command Sgt. Maj. James Carabello, command sergeant major of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, or JIEDDO, during the Tuesday morning meeting.
JIEDDO was established in early 2006 to help counter the large number of U.S. and allied casualties to IEDs in Iraq and Afghanistan and serves as a centralized source of expertise and experience in counter-IED tactics.
Carabello, a Boston native who met with key leaders of the Iraqi Bomb Disposal School and toured training areas to get a better grasp of current Iraqi EOD capability, said the U.S. and Spanish advisors working with Iraqi EOD technicians are providing a vital service.
“It’s important for the coalition to train Iraqi forces so our enemy has no chance in beating them,” he said.
Members of the U.S. EOD team are working alongside Spanish and Iraqi EOD team members to ensure their proficiency. The coalition forces discussed conducting a three-week training exercise consisting of various real-life scenarios for the Iraqi Bomb Disposal School students.
The goal is to get the ISF EOD team as combat-ready as possible during this exercise, a member of the U.S. team said.
The three-week training will work as an assessment, and if the leadership feels the students are not ready in a certain aspect of training they will be retrained until they can prove their proficiency.
“We are thankful for the U.S. EOD, they work well with us and we have a good relationship,” said Col. Hussein Athaib Silman, administration officer for the Bomb Disposal School. “To have a good army, like the American Army (here), we have to learn from their Soldiers.”
Over time, through the training conducted in Iraq, the bond among the coalition forces has strengthened and the Iraqi forces feel more prepared to defeat enemy forces, like DAISH, and reclaim lost territory in the nation, said the chief of the school.
“Our friends from the U.S. and Spain help us a lot,” said Brig Gen. Hassan Mohammed Zieer. “They support our team and we are ready with their help.”
Carabello spoke of obtaining more equipment for the Iraqi forces to better dispose of IEDs. He stressed the importance of keeping the coalition bond strong and bettering communication with one another for the sake of the Iraqi people.
“The most important thing in being effective is providing hope to the Iraqi people,” he said. “Everything is about the Iraqi people. Hope defeats everything that Da’ish sets [to attack us].”
Every member of the meeting agreed the threat from Da’ish was not just an Iraqi problem. According to Carabello, the enemy group is a global problem.
“If we don’t solve this problem now there will be a problem presented to our families,” he said. “The enemy, I believe, has missed his chance in defeating Iraqi Security Forces, and with this training, these soldiers will be very proficient to defeat the enemy.”
| Date Taken: | 03.10.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 03.20.2015 02:42 |
| Story ID: | 157606 |
| Location: | BESMAYA, IQ |
| Hometown: | BOSTON, MA, US |
| Web Views: | 698 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, EOD experts lend knowledge, experience to Iraqi Army in fight against Islamic State, by SGT DJ Borden, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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