Photo By Maj. Philip Crabtree | Trucks loaded with equipment assigned to Troop B, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment,...... read more read more
CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, Iraq – After the transfer of a former U.S. outpost several miles west of Mosul, Iraq, the transition of Al Kisik Military Base, home to 3rd Iraqi Army Division, is now complete.
Soldiers assigned to 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, transferred responsibility for Joint Security Station W-4, a small U.S. base located within Al Kisik, to 3rd IA Div., Aug. 1.
“Everything is going smooth,” said Sgt. 1st Class Mario Giron, contracting non-commissioned officer for Troop B, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th AAB. “All the right things are in place to make this happen.”
Since arriving at JSS Whiskey 4 in 2010, Troopers assigned to Troop B partnered with 3rd IA Div. soldiers to improve security through advising and training them in areas west of Mosul.
U.S. soldiers established the joint security station in 2005 to support a campaign against extremist networks that moved into Ninewa province. U.S. forces set up their base of operations in the heart of Al Kisik Military Base, which was under construction during the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.
Giron, a native of Del Rio, Texas, explained once U.S. soldiers established themselves at Whiskey 4, they brought contractors into Al Kisik to complete the construction work at the base and create a headquarters for what would eventually become the 3rd IA Div.
During the past six years, the Iraqi Army gained strength and improved logistically and tactically through training with U.S. forces. Soldiers of 3rd IA Div. now provide security for citizens in western Ninewa against extremist and criminal threats.
“Their progress from the beginning of Operation New Dawn to now has been exponential,” said Capt. Sterling Showalter, executive officer for B Troop. “They’ve absolutely grown and developed, especially in logistics.”
Soldiers assigned to “Bandit” Troop focused most of their efforts during the past year on training their Iraqi counterparts to provide skills necessary to improve Iraqis’ security capability further.
While extremist activity compelled the IA to contribute to internal threats – usually a police responsibility – security gains in the area and unit training with U.S. forces allowed IA leaders in Ninewa to focus on defending Iraq’s borders.
Showalter, a native of Mission Viejo, Calif., explained that Iraqi soldiers initially did not like the concept of the training cycles. “Now they favor it,” he said.
Captain Ramey Moore, Bandit Troop commander, reflected on their training partnership with elements of the 3rd IA Div. as time approached for the base to transfer to the Iraqis.
“We partnered with [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance], commando and military police units from 2nd and 4th battalions in the 9th Brigade,” the Paris, Texas, native said. “In some cases, we set up something like mobile training teams to train mortar crew skills, communications and combat lifesavers at their units. We also operated the Joint Forces Security Training Center here at Al Kisik, where we ran new training iterations every 10 days.”
Moore deployed to the area in 2007 with another unit and said IA soldiers made significant improvements since then. He said the IA gradually learned how to make things work for themselves in their day-to-day operations and logistical planning.
As the transfer drew closer, Showalter said he felt encouraged by the capabilities of the 3rd IA Div. and feels optimistic about their future.
“They’re definitely capable,” said Showalter. “They have the leadership and logistics in place, and they’re ready to be more assertive. They’re proficient at the counterinsurgency fight, and they’ll really step up now. They’ll be all right.”
| Date Taken: | 08.03.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 08.04.2011 03:42 |
| Story ID: | 74812 |
| Location: | CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ, IQ |
| Web Views: | 128 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, US troops transfer base in western Ninewa, empower Iraqi soldiers, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
