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More than 1000 Sons of Iraq completed their first phase of Iraqi Police Basic Recruit Training, Nov. 6, 2008, at the al Furat Iraqi Police Training. Photo by Lt. Col. Michael Indovina, 18th Military Police Brigade. BAGHDAD — More than 1,000 former Sons of Iraq (SoI) recently completed their first phase of training at the al Furat Iraqi Police (IP) Training Center here. To kick off the program, 608 SoI registered for the training Oct. 31. Now with the first phase of training completed, 1,031 SoI are integrated into the IP training program. The second phase of training began Nov....

JSS HOR AL BASH — Now that the Sons of Iraq have transitioned to Government of Iraq control, many will head to jobs in the Iraqi Army and Police, and recruiting drives are helping to make that a possibility. The most recent recruiting drive occurred Nov. 4 in Hor al Bash, northwest of Baghdad, thanks to the efforts of Soldiers from Company B “Hammer,” 52nd Infantry, attached to 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry “Strykehorse,” 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team “Warrior,” 25th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad. On the recommendations of Sawa sheiks, 186 Sons of Iraq members traveled to here...

HADITHA, Iraq — Some describe Haditha’s police chief, Col. Faroq Taih Hardan, as a heroic figure, and one of the only Iraqis in Haditha willing to stand up to insurgents at the height of violence in the region. Others describe him as a strongman who ignores local laws and uses bullying tactics to advance his own position. Police Transition Team commander Capt. Scott Newton describes Faroq as a "gunslinger" who’s struggling to adapt to a more stable environment. Faroq took charge of Haditha’s police force in 2006, but helped lead the fight against insurgents in the area much earlier than...

CAMP TAJI — Soldiers from Multi-National Division – Baghdad (MND-B) hosted an Iraqi Police (IP) recruiting drive here at Combat Out Post Falahat for Sons of Iraq (SoI) members, Oct. 30. Since the government of Iraq (GoI) took control of the SoI, many of its members look to pursue positions with the local IP or elsewhere within the Iraqi security forces (ISF). Coalition forces, along with the GoI, came to an agreement to transition many SoI guards into ISF positions. Local leaders were asked to select potential candidates for the selection process. “We asked the sheiks to select their best...

BAGHDAD — The Iraq ministry of interior’s Division of Border Enforcement graduated 1,538 border police in September, one of its highest monthly graduation rates this year. With the new graduates, the border police surpassed an assigned strength of 43,000. The graduating classes included 1,173 basic recruits. The border police graduates completed specialized skills training such as non-commissioned officer and platoon sergeant schools, and courses in internal affairs, immigration, and patrol tactics. “The Division of Border Enforcement now includes 13 brigades with 51 battalions, along with the Coast Guard for guarding Iraq’s ports and coastline,” said Ashford Mohammed, the DBE’s CPATT/DOIA...

Iraqi Police officers speak to a woman outside the Izza station in al Kut, Sept. 17, 2008. Photo by Sgt. Daniel West, Multi-National Division-Central. FOB DELTA — Iraqi Police (IP) in Wasit province are transforming their force from a paramilitary police force to a more traditional one, changing a structure left over from Saddam Hussein’s regime. The restructuring, a directive from the national ministry of the interior, aims to place IPs in positions to exploit their greatest strengths.“We assign IPs with military backgrounds to the special response teams and the checkpoints,� said Brig. Gen. Alawy Hussein Alsaray. “Those who have...

Jubilant Iraqi Police graduates jumped with joy as they graduated from Ashraf Training Center Wednesday in Diyala.  There were 704 graduates, including 21 females who were the first women to graduate from the Ashraf facility and join the Iraqi Police.“They were incredibly happy, jumping and singing about Diyala,” said Scott Johnson of AFN, who helped cover the ceremony.“This is one of the happiest days of my life.  I have always dreamed of becoming an Iraqi Policeman,” said Ali, one of the graduates.Iraqi Police Maj. Gen. Abdul, acting provincial director of police in Diyala, congratulated the graduates for their commitment to...

BAGHDAD — A large Iraqi security force (ISF) convoy, which included several Iraqi Army Humvees, exited the international zone in Baghdad at midday, Sept. 10, 2008. At the front and back of the convoy was an Iraqi Police (IP) patrol vehicle providing escort security for the convoy. “That says something in itself,” said Capt. Nathan Brookshire, a Military Police commander, while viewing the long line of Humvees exiting the international zone. “Iraqi Police pulling security for an Iraqi Army convoy, you don’t see that every day.” At least you don’t in Baghdad, where until recent months the local populace security...

While a Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldier searches a vehicle, an Iraqi policeman pulls security in the northwestern Baghdad community of Ghazaliyah, Iraq, Aug. 29, 2008. Photo by Sgt. Matthew Vanderboegh, 101st Airborne Division (AA) Public Affairs. BAGHDAD --- During a joint patrol with Iraqi Police, Capt. Michael Kolton, a native of Fairfax Station, Va., stopped to talk with a group of men standing in the shade of a cluster of trees. The conversation went from questions regarding security, to the future of Iraq, elections and the Iraqi Police. “The Iraqi people would rather have Iraqis fix their own problems,�...

BAGHDAD -- A suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowd of Iraqi police recruits, killing 28 people and wounding 45, police said. It was the biggest attack for weeks in Iraq, where which has been enjoying some of its lowest levels of violence in four years. It came amid Iraqi efforts to conclude a security deal with the United States that would allow American forces to leave Iraq by the end of 2011. A police source said the bomber, wearing an explosive vest, struck a large crowd lining up to apply to join the police in the town of...

BAGHDAD — In January 2008, Multi-National Division – Baghdad’s 18th Military Police Brigade developed a new method to further improve the surging Iraqi police force by implementing the enhanced Police Transition Teams to concentrate on supporting IP systems in Baghdad. The ePTT is a group of Soldiers who have subject matter expertise in: personnel, communications and logistic operations and techniques in support of large organizations; their mission is to assess the IP organization and provide assistance to better the organizational management of the IPs in these areas. Since then, the ePTTs have been embedding with the IP force at the...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq, Aug. 14, 2008 – Leaders from Iraqi security forces and Multinational Division Baghdad came together Aug. 12 for the grand opening of a new landmark in local security for Iraqis in southwestern Baghdad. Brig. Gen. Yousef Kadhim, commander of the Iraqi Police Rashid District headquarters, speaking on behalf of the Police Forces Command al-Karkh and Iraq’s Ministry of Interior, addresses local leaders, sheiks and Iraqi security forces attending the grand opening of the Radwaniyah Police Station in Baghdad’s Rashid district, Aug. 12, 2008. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Brent Williams, Multinational Division Baghdad  (Click...

CAMP VICTORY — Coalition forces once named the predominantly Sunni area in central Iraq, consisting of the cities of Yusuifiyah, Mahmudiyah, Iskandariyah and Latifiyah, the “Triangle of Death.” The troop surge initiated in 2007 neutralized much of the area enabling Iraqi Security Forces to take a leading role in the securing the region. An uprising there in March raised concerns and directed attention to the Iraqi Security Forces operating in that area; Coalition forces feared the ISF would struggle to maintain rule of law in the communities. “We got word that special group members were going to be coming down...

BAGHDAD — The room was dark and quiet as the insurgents were planning their next attack, surrounded by weapons and explosives, when the door is kicked open and members of the Iraqi Police flood into the room, “Get down on the ground,” the insurgents were caught red-handed. The date is July 24, 2008, and it is graduation day, for the members of this Iraqi Police attack force, and the scenario was their final exam in the Iraqi Police Master Trainer Program. The “insurgents,” were played by their instructors from the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division...

BAGHDAD — 1,698 officers, the largest class ever, graduated from the Ministry of Interior’s Baghdad Police College here July 20 and took the loyalty oath to uphold the rule of law and protect the citizens of Iraq. The new course is known as the 1st Qualification Course. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki spoke of this initiative during Basrah operations as a means to promote both reconciliation and new jobs for former government employees and other recruits who met the qualifications. To become lieutenants in the police force, the graduates must complete the retraining and certification in the four-month course. Most were...

SALAH AD DIN PROVINCE — Whooping and whistling like children on a roller coaster ride, Iraqi Police soared through the sun-soaked July sky on their way home from a successful mission. Their enthusiasm was not borne of the high-speed helicopter ride, but of the hard day’s work, which helped save the lives of countless Iraqi citizens. In the predawn hours of July 12, Iraqi Police, along with Soldiers from the 1st Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, conducted an air assault into the arid farmlands north of Balad. Throughout the burning July morning, the Iraqi SWAT...

Here are a couple nice interviews with Marine Major John Cowarts regarding his experiences in Iraq Interview, part 1 Interview, part 2

A bomb has exploded in the western Iraqi city of Falluja, killing four policemen and a civilian, police say. Fifteen people were injured in the blast outside a bank in the city. Falluja was at the centre of the Sunni Muslim insurgency following the US-led invasion of Iraq, until local tribes turned against al-Qaeda militants. The casualties were people who were inspecting the scene of an earlier blast when the second explosion was detonated, police said. Police did not say who was behind the attack, but al-Qaeda remnants in Anbar province are often blamed for such bombings. The US military...

WASHINGTON, July 2, 2008 – Lasting security in Iraq is one of the top challenges facing those in the country and one of the benchmarks for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the region, a senior military officer said today. One way to attain lasting security is through a well-trained and professional police force, Army Maj. Gen. Jerry Cannon of the Michigan National Guard’s 46th Military Police Command, said in a teleconference with online journalists and bloggers today. Deployed to Iraq and assigned as the director general for the Civilian Police Assistance Training Team, Cannon oversees all aspects of training...

Sons of Iraq (Abna al-Iraq) wait in line outside the the Furat Iraqi Police Training Facility, June 17, to start the process of becoming IP recruits. The four day recruiting drive is part of the Multi-National Division - Baghdad plan of Iraqi police expansion. Photo by Sgt. Daniel Blottenberger. CAMP VICTORY — As a sandstorm blanketed Baghdad, June 17, an estimated 2000 Iraqi citizens endured the elements to start the process of becoming Iraqi police at the Furat Iraqi Police Training Facility. Iraqi police officials and military police Soldiers with the 18th Military Police Brigade, Multi-National Division - Baghdad set...

An Iraqi national policeman assigned to 8th Brigade, 2nd National Police Division, uses his rifle to search debris for weapons and explosive materials during a cordon and search operation in the Beladiyat area of eastern Baghdad, June 10. Along with Iraqi army soldiers, national police detained 23 suspects and confiscated illegal weapons, including 62 AK-47 rifles, six Simonov rifles, four pistols and two artillery shells prepared as improvised explosive devices in Muhalla 740. Photo by Staff Sgt. Matthew Meadows. FORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY — For Iraqi national police officers and Iraqi army soldiers, conducting cordon and search missions is nothing...

Iraqi police have captured three Iranian-backed Special Groups operatives behind the kidnapping and murder of five US soldiers at the Karbala Provincial Joint Coordination Center in January 2007. Meanwhile, US troops captured another Special Groups leader in the Al Kut region, The Iraqi police captured the three "key criminals" behind the 2007 Karbala attack in Musayyib, just south of Baghdad, on June 5. The three Special Groups operatives are "suspected of trafficking and emplacing explosively formed projectiles." Explosively formed projectiles are the signature weapon of Shia terrorists with links to Iran. The US military immediately suspected Iran's Qods Force, the...

MOSUL, Iraq, June 3, 2008 – The residents of Yarimjah, a neighborhood in southern Mosul, were apprehensive when Iraqi National Police officers arrived at 4 a.m. May 24. They had heard many rumors about the national police from neighbors and television. Iraqi National Police Col. Fasial Majed Muhsen listens to concerns of a villager during security operations in Yarimjah, Iraq. Iraqi National Police photo by Lt. Col. Mohammed  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. What the neighborhood residents experienced was unexpected. The 2nd Battalion, 6th National Police Brigade, under the command of Col. Fasial Majed Muhsen, moved into the...

KARMA — The Karma Iraqi police station was bustling with activity. Men lined up inside the station as family members waited outside, waiting for the words that they have been waiting to hear, “You are free to go to your families.” Marines of 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, assisted the Iraqi police release approximately 40 Iraqis back to their families and home, May 18. “The significance of their release is that it demonstrates that the area is very secure and that we are working with the locals to return their country back to a state of...

BAGHDAD - Lawmakers loyal to anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr accused the Iraqi government of trying to crush the movement and warned Saturday of "black clouds" on the horizon for truces that have eased fighting between al-Sadr's militia and security forces. The Sadrist Movement has heightened its rhetoric against the government in recent days, raising concerns over the cease-fires in the southern city of Basra and Baghdad's Sadr City district, the stronghold of al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia. Still, the lawmakers and other al-Sadr officials said they are adhering to the truces. The cease-fires are crucial to Iraqi security forces' sweeps in...

RAMADI, IRAQ (May 17, 2008) - Two years ago, Ramadi's police force was essentially wiped out by a strong insurgency that devastated almost every police station, leaving only a small number of officers on the job and a city considered by officials to be uncontrollable and nicknamed the “wild west.” According to an NBC News article from September 2006, a secret report concluding that the United States military could not defeat the insurgents in al-Anbar Province and al-Qaeda was rapidly filling the political vacuity.

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Iraqi Army and Iraqi National Police partnered together to conduct a multi-day joint operation in the eastern Baghdad district of Karadah to neutralize violent extremists and safeguard their citizens. In one such operation, IA soldiers from the 4th Brigade, 1st Iraqi Army Division, established the outer cordon while NPs from 1st Brigade, 1st National Police Division, conducted a search in the southeast Baghdad neighborhood of Zafraniyah. Concurrently, a company of Jundi (Iraqi Army soldiers) searched adjacent farmland and scattered homes. “This is a positive sign of increased capability and performance by the Iraqi Security Forces,” said Col....

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- An Iraqi photographer working for Reuters was hospitalized Friday after police beat him at the scene of a bombing, officials told CNN. The unnamed still photographer was in stable condition after five Iraqi policemen struck him on the head with AK-47 rifles, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said. A police official said the photographer was filming the aftermath of a suicide bombing in Fallujah when police approached him and asked him to stay back for his own safety. Seven people were killed in the suicide bombing, including an infant and four soldiers. The official, who described...

WASHINGTON, May 16, 2008 – More than 300 former members of “Sons of Iraq” graduated to Iraqi policemen during a ceremony at Kirkuk Police Academy on May 15. A Kirkuk Police Academy instructor straightens the beret of an Iraqi police recruit before a graduation ceremony, May 15, 2008. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Margaret C. Nelson, 1st Battalion, 10th Mountain Division   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The students graduated after eight weeks of training here. “The Kirkuk province has shown tremendous progress in the last year. Events like this prove we are taking the necessary steps...

HABBANIYAH, Iraq — Once a month, the Iraqi police are paid for their everyday services. Marines of the Habbaniyah Police Transition Team (PTT), who work with the Iraqi Police daily, ensured their hard work over the last 30 days was rewarded with a much deserved payday May 3. “They put in their time every day and look forward to getting paid,” said Lance Cpl. Adam C. Wemhoner, a gunner for the Habbaniyah PTT team, attached to 2nd Battalion, 24th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 1. “They’re doing a good job working with us and they are catching on to what we...

CAMP STRIKER — The people of Yusifiyah had reason to celebrate when the Yusifiyah Iraqi Police Station officially opened its doors to serve the community last week. After 10 months of renovations, the Yusifiyah police force has a new headquarters. “The constant presence of police in Yusifiyah is going to provide a consistent level of security,” said Lt. Col. Andrew Rohling, the 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) commander. Previous attempts at establishing a police station in the area failed due to al-Qaeda presence. “Security in Yuifiyah area is far better than...

WASHINGTON, May 4, 2008 – Coalition and Iraqi forces killed and captured dozens of enemy fighters and terrorists during operatrions conducted throughout Iraq over the past three days. Coalition forces captured two suspected Iranian-trained insurgents early this morning in the Rashid district in Baghdad. Intelligence information led coalition forces to the location of an individual suspected of smuggling Iranian weapons. He is also suspected of providing information to other insurgent leaders that led to rocket attacks against coalition and Iraqi forces. The terrorist surrendered without incident. Coalition forces conducted a follow-on mission to capture another suspect. There, they detained an...

BAGHDAD — Iraqi citizens, who witnessed a vehicle borne improvised explosive device that killed one Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldier, turned over a criminal to the Iraqi National Police, May 1. The citizens observed a man parking a vehicle and walking a significant distance away from it. They saw the man using a cell phone before the detonation. After the blast, Iraqi citizens chased the criminal and made a citizen’s arrest. The criminal was turned over to the Iraqi National Police, where he tested positive for explosive compounds. Two other criminals were also apprehended after they were observed and identified...

Iraqi national policemen with the 2nd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 1st National Police Division, take cover after being attacked by criminals using small-arms fire during a combined operation in the eastern Baghdad neighborhood of Kamilayah April 21. The cordon-and-search mission included soldiers from 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, and 2nd Bn., 4th Bde., 1st NP Div. National Police Transition Team.Photo by Spc. Grant Okubo. FORWARD OPERATING BASE RUSTAMIYAH — Iraqi national police took the lead during a combined operation with Multi-National Division – Baghdad soldiers in the eastern Baghdad neighborhood of Kamilayah recently.National police from 2nd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 1st National...

TIKRIT — The Iraqi Police Regional Training Center celebrated its grand opening in Diyala Province, commemorating the establishment of an Iraqi Police professional training academy May 1. Coalition forces built the interim facility in order to make possible the immediate training of thousands of Iraqi Police and to help place additional police forces throughout communities in Diyala. “We would like to thank Coalition forces for helping stand up this academy,” said Staff Maj. Gen. Ghanem abbas Ibrahim Hasan al Qarayshi, the Diyala Provincial Director of Police. The facility is a sign of cross provincial cooperation as weapons and equipment for...

MOSUL, Iraq – Scores of Christian men lined up to join the Iraqi Police force during a recruiting drive in Tall Kayf, 15 km north of Mosul, April 28.The goal of the three-day event was to recruit up to 700 Christians to join the police force to help protect their respective communities in Mosul.“This recruiting drive will help bolster the economy through employment, in addition to bolstering the security effort,” said Col. Michael Bills, commander of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment.-30-

BAGHDAD (AP) - Iraqi police say gunmen have assassinated a local commander of anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in the southern city of Basra. A police official says Ali Ghalib, a commander of al-Sadr's Mahdi Army in the Hakimiya neighborhood in central Basra, was gunned down by gunmen on a motorcycle as he was driving on Monday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media. The assassination comes amid intensified clashes between al-Sadr's followers and the U.S.-backed Iraqi government.

KIRKUK — Kirkuk reached a significant milestone as it transitioned the last of its traffic control points from Iraqi army control to the Iraqi police last week, at a check point just north of the city. Governor Abdul Rahman Mustafa, the provincial governor, Maj. Gen. Jamal Thaker Bakr, the provincial director of police, Brig. Gen. Omar Aref Waly Khatab, the emergency services unit commander, and Lt. Col. Kevin Brown, deputy commander, 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, toured the TCP with the Iraqi police to greet residents as they entered the first city in Iraq to be under the full operational...

BAGHDAD - Iraq's government moved Sunday to restore discipline within the ranks of the security forces, sacking more than 1,300 soldiers and policemen who deserted during recent fighting against Shiite militias in Basra. At the same time, Iraq's Cabinet ratcheted up the pressure on anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr by approving draft legislation barring political parties with militias from participating in upcoming provincial elections.

WASHINGTON, April 3, 2008 – Building an Iraqi police force is an enormous challenge, but the coalition-and-Iraqi team working to do so is making progress, a senior U.S. Army officer working with Iraq’s Interior Ministry said today. Maj. Gen. Michael D. Jones, director general for interior affairs in Baghdad, said in an interview today that the Iraqi-led, Iraqi-planned operations in Basra pointed to both the successes and the setbacks in training the police. The sheer size of the training challenge is daunting, he said. The Iraqi police forces have grown 400 percent since 2003. If the U.S. Army had undergone...

Iraqi Police Fired for Failing to Fight Posted on: Monday, 31 March 2008, 12:00 CDT The apparent thousands of Iraqi policemen who refused to fight against Shiite militias have been relieved of duty, the Iraqi interior minister said Monday. The decision by Jawad al-Boulani covers units operating in Shiite neighborhoods in Baghdad and the predominately Shiite areas in southern Iraq, including Basra. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ordered Iraqi forces to crack down on militias affiliated with cleric Moqtada Sadr and other influential Shiite leaders, sparking widespread violence that rippled throughout the country last week. Thousands of Iraqi police officers...

Iraqi police in Basra shed their uniforms, kept their rifles and switched sides. Mehdi Army fighters loyal to cleric Moqtada al-Sadr hold their weapons while flashing the V sign in Basra Abu Iman barely flinched when the Iraqi Government ordered his unit of special police to move against al-Mahdi Army fighters in Basra. His response, while swift, was not what British and US military trainers who have spent the past five years schooling the Iraqi security forces would have hoped for. He and 15 of his comrades took off their uniforms, kept their government-issued rifles and went over to the...

HUSSEINIYA, Iraq, Feb. 29, 2008 – Children swarmed around the men in uniform and extended their hands, eager to receive a newspaper. Although some of the children could not yet read, the colorful pictures were enough to ignite their curiosity. Navy Lt. j.g. Clint Phillips (right), an Ontario, Calif., native, and 1st Lt. Dale Donaldson, a Bartlesville, Okla., native, walk down the street handing out newspapers with policemen in Husseiniya, Iraq, Feb. 26, 2008. Phillips serves as the team leader for Civil Affairs Team 11, Company B, 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion, 360th Airborne Civil Affairs Brigade, and is currently...

BAGHDAD – National police from the 2nd Brigade, 1st National Police Division along with Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers discovered two caches Feb. 15 during a joint mission in Boob al Sham, north of Baghdad. The joint patrol discovered the initial cache of rocket-propelled grenades, ballistic vests, mortar rounds, hand grenades, small arms ammunition and plastic explosives. They requested explosive ordnance disposal assistance. While waiting for the team to arrive, the National Police and members of Company D, 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, continued searching the area and discovered a second...

TIKRIT, Iraq – A UH-60 Blackhawk experienced an in-flight emergency which required a precautionary landing in At Ta’Mim Province, Feb. 15. The Blackhawk made a safe landing in an unsecured area while its wingman provided security and called for Coalition air and ground security forces. The Iraqi Police from the Sargaran Police District were the first to arrive on scene and immediately secured the area, allowing crew members time to troubleshoot their Blackhawk. Coalition forces said that the IP response, support, and cooperation allowed the safe evacuation of passengers and eventual safe recovery of the aircraft. “Sargaran Iraqi Police, without...

BAGHDAD — More than 1,000 Iraqi recruits moved through a security checkpoint near the front entrance of the FuratTraining Center, Feb. 10. “We are here to become Iraqi Police (IP) officers, to get a good job and we are here for our country,” said Jabbav Mitir, one of the more than 1,000 IP recruits who arrived at the Furat Training Center to begin their training to become Iraqi policemen. Mitir, like some of his fellow recruits, was formerly a part of the ‘Sons of Iraq’; a citizen security program, and now wants to give more back to his country by...

.."seized large quantities of arms, ammunition and explosive materials, and a number of vehicles which were in possession of the armed men, as well as large quantities of alcohol.."

FALLUJAH – At the end of 2006 there were 3,000 Marines in Fallujah. Despite what you might expect during a surge of troops to Iraq, that number has been reduced by 90 percent. All Iraqi Army soldiers have likewise redeployed from the city. A skeleton crew of a mere 250 Marines is all that remains as the United States wraps up its final mission in what was once Iraq's most violent city. “The Iraqi Police could almost take over now,” Second Lieutenant Gary Laughlin told me. “Most logistics problems are slowly being resolved. My platoon will probably be the last...

BAGHDAD — The Iraqi National Police issued 158 arrest warrants in the fourth quarter of 2007 for crimes of terrorism including murder, kidnapping and stolen property, a 79 percent increase from the third quarter. The quality of investigations has improved because of a maturing judicial process, a respect for the law that is taking hold within Iraq and a developing relationship of mutual respect and trust between the police and the Ministry of Justice, said Lt. Col. Maher, officer in charge of National Police HQ Investigations Section. Before a NP investigator can obtain an arrest warrant, the Ministry of Justice...

NUMANIYAH, Iraq – The Iraqi National Police graduated approximately 1,830 recruits from various training courses at Numaniyah National Training Center, Jan. 21. The Iraqi National Police host graduation ceremonies for basic recruit training and specialized training at the site. These graduating classes are unique because the class composition ranged from Sunni, Shi’a, Kurdish, Turkman, and Christian recruits.  The ceremony was attended by U.S. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, Multi-National Force – Iraq commanding general and Jawad al Bolani, Iraqi Minister of Interior.“We must prohibit partisanship and sectarianism in the ranks of the ministry to gain the public trust,” said Bolani....