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Night raid in Balad

Courtesy Photo | Iraqi Soldiers from Company D, 3rd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division...... read more read more

09.21.2005

Courtesy Story

22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

By Staff Sgt. Matthew Acosta
22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

FORWARD OPERATING BASE PALIWODA, Balad, Iraq- Recently, units in the Iraqi army have started taking over the role of Coalition Forces by spearheading operations.

Using its intelligence assets to gather information, Company D, 3rd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 4th Division is now planning, rehearsing and executing missions with little or no Coalition Forces help.

"They are almost completely independent of our support," said Army Capt. Phillip Poteet, commander, Troop C, 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry, 1st Brigade Combat Team, Task Force Liberty. "The only reason we're there is to coordinate air medical evacuations in case the event arises and to ensure quality control."

The Iraqi army does have medical vehicles available to them, Poteet said, but since Coalition medical technology is better and more effective he makes it available to the Iraqi soldiers if needed.

"Other than that, these (Iraqi Soldiers) gather intelligence, plan and conduct the missions flawlessly at times," Poteet said.

During a mission Aug. 26, Company D soldiers raided a small village outside Balad that yielded three men suspected for operating an improvised explosive device-making cell.

"By the time I had gotten out of my vehicle and walked up to the objective, these guys had all the males rounded up outside in the front yard, searched the men and had them lying face down, with their target already identified," Poteet said.

The efficiency level they operate at is a tremendous improvement since last year, he added.

"After the mission I gathered with my men and talked about it," said Iraqi Army Capt. Ahmed Hikmet Abdul-Jabar, Co. D commander. "They told me that we should do missions like that everyday and they are proud to be taking bad guys off the streets."

Although the Coalition Forces have newer technology than their Iraqi counterparts do, there is something the Coalition Forces lack.

"Because the Iraqi army lives here they can talk to the locals better than we can, therefore they have better intelligence gathering capabilities when talking to people on the street," Poteet said. "They know when they're being lied to, and they know how to use informants and can use them more effectively than we can."

Poteet said one reason they can utilize the locals for better 'street knowledge" than Coalition Forces, is because they are trusted more since they are part of the community, where as the Coalition Soldiers are foreigners.

"It's good for the people because they feel safe knowing the Iraqi army is here making them safe," said Ahmed. "Sometimes they are scared by the American Army but we live here and they are not afraid of us."

The locals and those who vow to protect them share this fearlessness.

"When my men wear this uniform, working on patrols and raids they are not afraid of anything," said Ahmed.

"(Coalition Soldiers) taught us everything they know about moving with the squads and security around objectives, and when we do it, we do it well," Ahmed added.

Since the training started, the Iraqi soldiers have made advances in their proficiency, moving toward the eventual goal of assuming total responsibility for security in Iraq.

"I'm really proud of them for the job they have been doing, and it's an honor to sit back and watch them execute the mission they planned and researched," Poteet said. "They receive the training very well and apply it to the missions they execute.

"They are making great strides in taking over the responsibilities of these operations and the security of this country. The more they do, the less we have to do, which also gives my guys a chance to rest and breathe easy."