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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....

MOSUL, Iraq – One of the most wanted men in Salah ad Din province was killed Jan. 16 by Sharqat Iraqi Police and Multi-National Division – North Soldiers after the units came under attack by small arms fire. The extremist leader was a planner, financier and IED facilitator and was a key target Iraqi Police and MND-N Soldiers have been aggressively pursuing, said Lt. Col. Thomas Dorame, commander for 1st Squadron, 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment. “His capture eliminates one of the worst of al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders operating in southern Ninewah and the Sharqat Police District. His death damages the...

FALLUJAH, Iraq (Jan. 4, 2008) -- Iraqi police students graduated as the newest addition to the Fallujah police force at Camp Baharia, Dec. 31. It was an extensive eight-day training course teaching 70 students law enforcement skills, tactics and procedures. “We learned a lot of different skills with this training,” said Husham Rahi Daham, an honor graduate from the class. “This training gave us the merit that we all need.” Students selected for the class are Fallujah citizens who were previously helping their community by serving as neighborhood watch personnel providing security at vehicle and pedestrian checkpoints throughout the city....

ABU GHRAIB — Iraqi Police personnel traveled to Abu Ghraib warehouse to pick up 70 new vehicles, Dec. 31. The vehicles will be painted and transformed into patrol cars for the Iraqi Police Force throughout the country. “The way this system works is that the different ministries of Iraq go out to assess and submit the requirements needed to fulfill a certain mission,” said U.S. Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer Edward Polzin, deputy site commander, Abu Ghraib warehouse. “The equipment requested is then ordered and sent here to the warehouse for staging and awaiting delivery or pickup for whoever placed...

More than 65 Iraqi Police recruits line up to board an Iraqi C-130 Hercules set to transport the men to the Iraqi National Police Training Academy in Sulamaniya, Iraq. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jennifer Lindsey. NEW AL MUTHANA AIR BASE — The Iraqi Air Force provided airlift support to more than 360 National Police recruits bound for the Iraqi National Police Training Academy in Sulamaniya, Dec. 26. The Ministries of Defense and Interior executed a very smooth operation consisting of six airlift sorties by the Iraqi Air Force and administrative and logistical command and control by the...

An improvised explosive device emplacer digs a hole for his explosives during a practical exercise conducted at the KirkukPolice Academy. Photo by Staff Sgt. Margaret Nelson, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment. KIRKUK — “Upon entering our academy…you are no longer Turkman, Arab, Christian, Kurd…you are an Iraqi,� Col. Samir Murshed Khushid, commandant of the Kirkuk Police Academy and former Peshmerga Soldier, said. He tells his recruits that they are there to serve their fellow citizen. “Protect them: ethnicity does not matter.� That sentiment is built into the screening process. Ministry of Interior (MoI) standards are based on the ethnic make-up...

BAGHDAD – Iraqi National Police graduated from the first Iraqi National Police Public Affairs Course Dec. 27 at National Police Headquarters, Site 1, in Baghdad.   Iraqi Police Staff Maj. Gen. Hussein Jasim al Awadi, Iraqi National Police commander, in his continuing efforts to develop an effective Iraqi community outreach program, commended the 11 graduates on their success in the course.  The Iraqi National Police added the public affairs program to their curriculum in August to assist in diffusing their negative reputation. Each of the Iraqi National Police brigades is to have a public affairs officer assigned to them to build trust and...

A 10th Mountain Division Soldier inventories a portion of over 7 tons of ordinance discovered by Iraqi Police, Dec. 18, around 25 miles west of Kirkuk. Photo by Maj. Sean Wilson, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Public Affairs. KIRKUK — Iraqi Police (IP) uncovered a major weapons cache in Kirkuk province, Dec. 18. The discovery was made during a series of pre-dawn raids at suspected cache sites. The operation was led by the IP into the town of Ruwadah, approximately 25 miles west of Kirkuk city. The operation was named “Kura Azakan� (The Brave Men) by Gen. Sarhadt,...

12/20/2007 - BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq -- For Iraqi police to succeed in securing their nation from the hands of insurgents, they need proper training and equipment, and they get help from American servicemembers at the 732nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron, Det. 6. In five days, Airmen from the unit built a classroom, mock checkpoint, covered live-fire range and living quarters with heat and air conditioning for up to 30 students. "We are providing Iraqi police with a great facility to live and train," said Tech. Sgt. Thundercloud Hirejeta, a Det. 6 electrician. "They will be very happy with the...

An Iraqi National Policeman reacts to a simulated IED attack on his convoy during a training exercise, Dec. 17. The training is part of a 10-day course developed by the INP and Coalition forces to train new INP to become familiar and comfortable with the duties required of a personal security detachment team. Photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Erica R. Gardner. BAGHDAD — Members of a newly formed Iraqi National Police (INP) Emergency Response Unit (ERU) Company received certificates of completion Dec 17 for training completed. The ERU Company, composed of 125 men, is currently training with...

Watch Now http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15674&Itemid=130 Secretary of Defense Robert Gates visits to get first-hand look at progress in Iraq following troop surge, holds press conference. Police Progress – US Marines mentor members of Iraqi Police. The “Raid Report” – Daily update on Iraqi and Coalition security progress. Weather News Desk – Warring Iraqi parties agree to end strife in Basra. Accord heightens control of private security firms in Iraq. Red Crescent says there is a four percent drop in Iraq’s internally displaced peoples. Col. Twitty praises Iraqi Security Forces in Talafar. One Mile At A Time – Army Corps of Engineers paving...

Iraqi National Police training with Italian Carabinieri, demonstrate anti-riot policing techniques. Anti-riot policing is one of 15 topics taught in the eight-week Carabinieri training at Camp Dublin, Iraq. Photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Erica R. Gardner. CAMP DUBLIN — Italian Maj. Gen. Alessandro Pompegnani, deputy commander, NATO Training Mission – Iraq, and Italian Col. Fabrizio Parrulli, commander of the Italian Carabinieri Team, hosted a media day focusing on Carabinieri technique training for the Iraqi National Police Dec. 5. The first eight-week training course for 450 Iraqi National Police began Oct. 27.The participants range from junior to senior...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASERELEASE No. 20071103-04November 3, 2007Tip leads Iraqi National Police to cacheMulti-National Division – BaghdadFORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY, Iraq – Based off a tip from a concerned citizen, officers with the 1st Battalion, 4th Brigade, 1st Iraqi National Police Division recovered a cache in the courtyard and surrounding areas of the al Mustafa mosque in the Mualameen neighborhood of eastern Baghdad Nov. 1.  The cache included two explosively-formed penetrators, eight rocket-propelled grenades, three rocket-propelled grenade launchers, seven rocket-propelled grenade motors, three rockets, 14 mortars, one sniper rifle with a scope and a 10-round magazine. A spool of wire, body...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31, 2007 – The senior leaders of Iraq’s national police are making progress in reforming and improving the country’s law enforcement body, the commander of the Civilian Police Assistance Training Team said today. During a news conference in Baghdad, Army Maj. Gen. Michael Jones told reporters he’s “very impressed” by Iraq’s national police corps’ progress, spurred on by a recent reform program and training regimen overseen by Italian paramilitaries. “It’s actually quite gratifying to see the considerable change and the progress that’s been made,” Jones said of the roughly 27,000-strong force. The National Police Reform Program established by...

The women received their first paychecks a few weeks ago. They paid rent, bought food, wiped out debts. But the seemingly simple transaction has left at least one woman in fear for her life, another threatened with divorce. The strict tribal and religious culture of Iraq's particularly in its western Anbar province, strongly discourages women from working outside the home and brings shame on men who allow it. "Right now, our province is safe and peaceful. But anything could shake that up and we could be in danger," says Genan, a 37-year-old mother of three who's also seven months pregnant....

RAMADI, Iraq - The women received their first paychecks a few weeks ago — about $500 for a month's work as police officers. They paid rent, bought food, wiped out debts. But the seemingly simple transaction has left at least one woman in fear for her life, another threatened with divorce. The strict tribal and religious culture of Iraq's particularly in its western Anbar province, strongly discourages women from working outside the home and brings shame on men who allow it. "Right now, our province is safe and peaceful. But anything could shake that up and we could be in...

In late July when I visited a police station in the town of Mushadah just north of Baghdad, I worried that Iraq was doomed to become the next Gaza. As many as half the police officers, according to most of the American Military Police who worked as their trainers, were Al Qaeda sympathizers or agents. The rest were corrupt, lazy cowards, according to every American I talked to but one. No one tried to spin Mushadah into a success story. By itself this doesn't mean the country is doomed. How important is Mushadah anyway? I hadn't even heard of it...

BAGHDAD — A year ago the area to the east of Ramadi was a haven for insurgents who attacked the city. These days much has changed in the surrounding rural lands of the east.The once violent lands of the east are patrolled and guarded by the Abu-Bali Iraqi Police (IP) and Soldiers from Company A, 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment. Their latest mission was a joint operation, which gathered intelligence and pushed insurgents further from the city of Ramadi and its outlying towns.“Today, we did routine clearance missions east of Ramadi,” said 1st Lt. Cory Sharbo, a platoon leader with...

TIKRIT, Iraq – Iraqi Security Forces prevented an attempted hijacking by terrorists who targeted two buses filled with passengers in Nineveh province Sept. 22.After receiving initial reports, Mosul Iraqi police informed 2nd Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division of the attempted hijacking and a company of Soldiers immediately responded and engaged the terrorists, killing one and injuring another. The remaining individuals fled while IA recovered the buses without injuring any of the passengers. “The swift coordination and response by Iraqi Security Forces prevented the kidnapping of these passengers,” said Col. Stephen Twitty, commander, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. “Their...

TAJI, Iraq - More than 1,200 Iraqi males from in and around Tarmiyah stood in line for hours to join Iraqi Security Forces, local sheiks and Coalition Forces in the fight against al-Qaeda and other insurgent militias in Tarmiyah Sept. 12. Local sheiks and CF from 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment reached out to the Iraqi people, asking the citizens of the small town of Tarmiyah to volunteer to defend their homes and neighborhoods against the terrorist insurgency in their town. This concept of the people standing against al-Qaeda and other insurgents has been dubbed an "awakening," or the mental...

Iraqi police (IP) celebrate their gradation from the Baghdad police college in the Rusafa district, Sept. 20. The first class of its kind graduated 744 IPs of Abu Ghraib province from the 30-day course, which provides training before returning the local police officers to their communities. Photo by U.S. Army Spc. Leith Edgar, 7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment. BAGHDAD — Iraq’s capital gained 744 more police officers as the newest members of the Iraqi Security Force graduated from the Baghdad Police College in the Rusafa District, Sept. 20.The graduation ceremony followed 30 days of training in which the Iraqi Police...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 21, 2007 – The NATO Training Mission in Iraq is developing a new Gendarmerie-type training program focusing on key leadership skills taught by an Italian Carabinieri training unit. The French Gendarmerie and Italian Carabinieri are military bodies charged with police duties among civilian populations. Officials believe this approach is ideally suited to security conditions in Iraq. Italian Maj. Gen. Alessandro Pompegnani, deputy commander of the NATO Training Mission, said he is confident that new efforts to expand training under guidance of the Italian police force will be highly successful in allowing Iraqi security leadership to develop “the right...

BASRA: After four and a half years of fighting, British forces are to pull out from their last base in the oil port of Basra and trust their Iraqi comrades to take their place. Iraqi forces and war-weary local civilians are hopeful that the redeployment, which will leave 5,000 British troops in the country to train and support Iraqi forces, will herald a new start for Basra. "I believe the security apparatus will be able to control the situation if [the British] withdraw completely," said Brigadier Ali Ibrahim of an Iraqi army border guards unit. "We want the British to...

- France said on Friday it may be prepared to provide assistance to Iraqi troops and police, a further sign of a thaw in relations with the United States after its foreign minister visited Baghdad this week. Bernard Kouchner's three-day trip to Baghdad was seen as part of President Nicolas Sarkozy's effort to improve relations with Washington after a bitter fallout over the U.S.-led invasion under previous president Jacques Chirac. "Our intention is not to send French soldiers to Iraq. But we can perhaps see what we can do in terms of assistance to the police or the authorities that...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 10, 2007 – The deputy commander of the Civilian Police Assistance Training Team operating in Iraq said today that he’s feeling “very, very optimistic” about progress over the past several months. Army Brig. Gen. David D. Phillips told civilian defense experts he’s seen big changes since 2004, when he helped stand up the Baghdad Police Academy as commander of the 89th Military Police Brigade. “I’ve seen significant differences in the way the academy is run,” he said via teleconference from Baghdad. There’s a new level of professionalism, and the instruction is no longer provided by U.S. military police,...

How many times do we have to see the MSM reporting on a "massacre of Iraqi civilians" that turns out to be a false story planted by our enemies before we can definitively say that the MSM is purposefully aiding and abetting the terrorists? How ever many that may be, the tally is certainly on its way to overflowing and here we have another galling example of the same thing. This time Rueters is caught taking directions from the terrorists and insurgents in Iraq with the tale of "60 decomposed bodies" supposedly found in Baquba by the never identified, amorphous...