By Staff Sgt. Carlos J. Lazo
214th Fires Brigade Public Affairs Office
AL KUT, Iraq – Al Kut Iraqi police and coalition forces set up a temporary forward tactical operations center, March 31, to ensure information passes quickly between IP checkpoints and mounted military police squads.
The TOC will serve as a joint communications center between the 511th MP Company, from Fort Drum, N.Y., the IPs in al Kut and support elements at Forward Operating Base Delta.
With IPs in the lead, MP squads have patrolled several districts of al Kut. After days of sporadic small-arms fire and clashes with rogue criminals, the IPs continue operations to suppress any further violence in the city and to maintain security.
"The purpose of this is to monitor more accurately the events in the city," said Sgt. 1st Class Herbert Tulip, senior operations noncommissioned officer for 511th MP Co.
Typically, information is passed from checkpoints or stations to the IP headquarters, relayed to the MPs through an IP liaison officer and then passed on to the MP squads. The TOC functions as a direct feed for the information IPs collect at their checkpoints, said Tulip. Officers at the IP headquarters provide Tulip and his Soldiers manning the TOC up-to-the minute information from all their checkpoints and stations throughout the city.
During the first day of operations March 31, one improvised explosive device was discovered and two unexploded ordnances were located. Thanks to the forward TOC, this information was immediately relayed to units in the area and an IP explosive ordnance disposal team was called in to handle the threat.