Civil Military Engagement Team Advises and Assists

TAL AFAR, IRAQ

09.09.2017

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Veasley 

Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve   

By: Matthew Veasley
CJOC-E Public Affairs NCOIC
BADOUSH, Iraq—“The little girl came to our camp unaccompanied, hungry, dehydrated and scared. I picked her up and sat her in my lap. She was obviously afraid of me and didn’t trust me. She stared at me for a while; like I was the enemy,” said Brigadier General Jabbar Mustaf Hassoun, a 40 year Iraqi Air Force veteran. “It wasn’t until I fed and talked to her, that she started to open up to me. When she started to laugh was when I knew that what we are doing here was worth it all.”
Similar stories resonate through the war-torn region of Iraq as coalition forces advise and assist the Government of Iraq to defeat ISIS and the self-proclaimed caliphate that has plagued this country since 2014.
Infamous for being the most barbaric terror organization in the history of humanity, ISIS is imposing a level of inhumanity and violence on this region that is nothing less than inconceivable. This terror organization has instilled deceitful narratives and brutal tactics to influence and impose fear and control on the people of Iraq. The utilization of human shields, IEDs, juvenile combatants and personnel-borne improvised explosive devices (PBIEDs) in particular have been a continuous concern in regards to the liberation efforts in the region. ISIS has implemented the demented technique of sending PBIEDs into the midst of Internally Displaced Persons attaching these explosives to women and children.
“Suicide bombers are always an issue,” said Mustaf. “We can’t stop supporting the people just because of the bombers. We have to find a way to build trust and to support the evacuees.”
“In recent military operations during the liberation of Mosul, ISIS increasingly used females as suicide bombers,” said U.S. Army Major Christopher Evans, Civil Affairs Officer with the Coalition Joint Forces Land Component Command, in Baghdad Iraq. “This practice exploited cultural norms that discouraged males from touching and/or searching female IDPs as they approached checkpoints to receive assistance.”
Evans indicated that during the Mosul offensive, the Iraqi security forces encountered more than 17 female suicide bombing attacks in one day. During that time, the ISF did not have female screeners readily available that could aid in the proper searching procedures required for women and children in the IDP camps.
To address this critical security concern while accommodating cultural considerations, the Prime Minister’s National Operations Center (PMNOC) and the UN Child-Protection Sub-Cluster developed advice that guides the security screener in how to best handle children in areas of military operations. Additional tactics, techniques and procedures to screen women in a culturally appropriate manner have also been developed through the collaboration of a diverse set of concerned actors.
Seeing an opportunity to assist the ISF with their screening capabilities, Evans reached out to the Civil-Military General Staff, local Sunni Turkmen tribal leadership and the Non-Governmental Organization Spirit of America. This engagement was planned to enhance security measures, influence civilian behavior and most importantly, understand cultural perspectives in regards to safe and decent treatment of vulnerable displaced civilians.
Spirit of America is a non-profit organization that works to provide materiel and subject matter expertise to the U.S. military and diplomats in difficult environments. Zack Bazzi, a representative for Spirit of America, and former U.S. Army Infantryman, stated that their main focus is to provide solutions to assure that troops and diplomats are safer and more successful in their missions forward. For this mission, Spirit of America donated and delivered ten handheld metal detector wands to the ISF to enable them to screen women and children for explosives in a minimally invasive manner.
“The metal detectors represent a critical capability that did not previously exist,” said Bazzi. “While we're waiting to see the full effects of the support, both we and the Iraqi Army are confident this will add a layer of security that will both save lives and strengthen relationships between the Iraqi government and vulnerable communities who have suffered from years of conflict.”
Although the metal detectors are just one of the several measures taken to expedite safe and culturally appropriate screening of men, women and children, they signify a bigger partnership for future operations and support in the region.
“Providing the Iraqi security forces with the ability to screen displaced women and girls in a humane, dignified way is not only critical for security near the front lines of battle but, just as importantly, it shows Iraqi civilians that the Iraqi Army invested in their safety, dignity, and well-being. In the long term, an Iraqi Army that defends all Iraqis is crucial for the viability of the country,”Bazzi concluded.
Evans reiterated that collaboration with Spirit of America and the ISF is not intended to replace or supplant enduring Coalition Force train and equip programs that have provided Iraqis with the capability and capacity to defend their borders. As the Iraqi military prepares for the liberation of Tal Afar, lessons sorely learned in the battle to free Mosul from ISIS control are being rapidly transferred from one front line to the next; a fluid environment where the uniquely flexible and adaptive organization Spirit of America provides focused assistance with maximal effect.
“We stand shoulder to shoulder with our Iraqi partners as they prepare to engage in the next chapter of liberating Iraqi cities, towns and villages west of Mosul,” said Evans. “As our partners interact with the civilian component of this operation, it is our goal to ensure that we have equipped and mentored them to treat every battlefield encounter be it with a man, woman or child, as an ethical transaction of mutual trust and respect.”
CJFLCC is serving a nine-month deployment to the region at the request to the Government of Iraq. Advise and assist teams are enabling partnered forces to defeat ISIS by providing training and guidance with military operational planning, maneuver, intelligence and air support on the battlefield.

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• Date Taken: 09.09.2017
• Date Posted: 09.09.2017 07:43
• Story ID: 247552
• Location: TAL AFAR, IQ