POB conducts first mission without coalition oversight

Courtesy Photo | Public Order Brigade troopers proudly display the Iraqi flag after their first raid without U.S. oversight in Baghdad Sept. 24.  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

10.04.2005

Courtesy Story

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Spc. Ben Brody
2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO

BAGHDAD --

The mission was directed against members of terrorist groups and criminal gangs in Medain, a district south of Baghdad.

In all, the 2nd POB detained 20 suspects and confiscated several AK-47 assault rifles.

"Medain is a very important area for us to secure -- many people suspected of terrorism live in that region," said Brig. Gen. Hamed Aabdullah Abrahim, 2nd POB commander. "Our brigade is conducting qualitative operations, not quantitative, and it has resulted in a safer Baghdad."

"This is the first joint mission, planned and led by the 2nd Public Order Brigade. The Iraqis are out front," said Maj. Rick Ackerman, Special Police Transition Team. "There was no American intervention -- 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry provided an outer cordon and the Special Police Transition Team provided a liaison between Coalition Forces and the Public Order Brigade."

The Special Police Transition Team is a Fort Drum, N.Y., based unit that specializes in training and advising the Special Police in combat. They have worked extensively with the 2nd POB in Baghdad for the past six months.

"The Public Order Brigade will be instrumental in keeping Baghdad safe," said Maj. John Hinrichs, a Special Police Transition Team member from Gouverneur, N.Y. "They are critical to security in the city."

The POB is a paramilitary wing of the Iraqi Police, designed to provide large-scale law enforcement operations in Baghdad in order to avoid using Iraqi Army troops in dense civilian populations.

According to Ackerman, from Jamestown, N.D., the next step is to repeat this type of mission to establish a pattern of competence that will help the Special Police Transition Team assess the POB's readiness.

"The Public Order Brigade will continue doing what they demonstrated today -- taking the lead in every aspect of the mission, while they further refine their planning," Ackerman said. "We're moving towards a point where the Public Order Brigade won't need us -- our job is put ourselves out of a job. As the Public Order Brigade stands up, we stand down."

"Conducting joint operations helps both U.S. and Iraqi units," said Lt. Col. Robert Kerecz, Special Police Transition Team commander. "The more we understand and appreciate each other's capabilities, the more effective team we are."

"We will hunt terrorists wherever they dwell," Abrahim said after the mission. "We give the Iraqi people hope as we develop our army, and make it more advanced -- so we may live in peace."

• Date Taken: 10.04.2005
• Date Posted: 10.04.2005 14:56
• Story ID: 3181
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ