New boats increase effectiveness of Iraqi River Police

Photo By 1st Lt. Michele Perez | A member of Lake Habbaniyah's Iraqi river police detachment participates in a beach assault demonstration for a ceremony held on the northern shore of Lake Habbaniyah, Iraq, April 21. During the ceremony, coalition forces transferred seven refurbished boats to three IRP detachments who are responsible for interdicting criminal activity on Iraqi waterways throughout the Al Anbar province.  

LAKE HABBANIYAH, IRAQ

06.09.2009

Courtesy Story

II Marine Expeditionary Force   

LAKE HABBANIYAH, Iraq — During a ceremony held on the northern shore of Lake Habbaniyah, Iraq, members of the Iraqi river police commemorated the launch of seven new boats, April 21, in an effort to continue to strengthen security in Al Anbar province.

The seven refurbished fiberglass boats were part of a nearly $60,000 project that took several months to complete. Coalition forces worked through a local Iraqi contractor to provide and repair engines for the boats that will be used by the IRP at three specific locations: Lake Habbaniyah, Lake Thar Thar and Lake Qadisyah.

Senior leadership and members of the Iraqi police were very excited about the results of the project, and are optimistic about the capabilities the new assets will bring to their units.

Brig. Gen. Abass Hamieb, a senior police official in Al Anbar province, said the ceremony was a big celebration for his men. He is confident that the police have the skills to independently carry out full-scale missions without the assistance of coalition forces.

"What I am confident of is the command of the qualified officers ... the river police will do an excellent job," said Hamieb. "I'm sure if you come back and see them doing their job by themselves, you will be impressed with their performance."

Lake Thar Thar's IRP detachment received three of the seven new boats for their unit. Their commanding officer, Capt. Muhanand Khedier Abbas, expressed that the additional boats will help them accomplish their daily mission of conducting 24-hour security operations. The Lake Thar Thar detachment's mission includes the surveillance of fishing boats, shorelines and islands within their jurisdiction that may lead to the interdiction of smuggling and insurgent operations.

According to Abbas, before they received the new boats his men would have to borrow wooden boats from civilians in order to conduct their operations. He believes that the uniformity of the boats will help identify them as IPs and will reinforce their presence to the local populace. The boats have also instilled a sense of pride throughout his unit.

"[The police] are very positive and I have great confidence in them," Abbas said. "The turnover of the boats will motivate them."

Approximately 40 sailors with Riverine Squadron 1 stationed aboard Camp Al Taqaddum, Iraq, have been working alongside the Lake Habbaniyah IRP detachment for the past five months.

The training between the RIVRON sailors and IRP focused primarily on small boat handling, waterborne formations and interdiction, and how to insert and extract ground personnel from the boats. Additional training included basic first aid, land-based patrolling formations, outboard engine maintenance and repair, and mission planning.

After providing the IRP with the basic skills of small boat operations, RIVRON planned combined patrols, allowing the Iraqi police to apply what they had learned. With time, the RIVRON sailors gradually started to take a step back, allowing the IRP to take the lead on patrols. According to Lt. j.g. Terence M. Nicholas, officer-in-charge of Detachment 3, RIVRON 1, there are noticeable improvements in the capabilities of the Lake Habbaniyah IRP.

"The IRP are now able to plan and execute their missions independently," said Nicholas. "We are now only acting as a support for them and to further advise them as they continue to develop."

Nicholas says the ceremony marks a major victory for the relatively new IRP force, which was activated in July 2008.

"Prior to that ceremony they relied on us for providing boats for them to use ... they [now] have their own boats to operate with [and] can develop a strategy for the entire Al Anbar province on how to best deploy their new craft," Nicholas said. "Now the IRP can present themselves as an independent unit, not reliant on support from coalition forces."

With the largest bodies of water in Iraq located in Al Anbar province, the new boats will allow the IPs to better maintain a constant and effective security posture in the area.

• Date Taken: 06.09.2009
• Date Posted: 06.09.2009 08:22
• Story ID: 34777
• Location: LAKE HABBANIYAH, IQ