As Coalition forces develop plans for withdrawal from the country, advisors believe it is essential that they ensure provisions are in place to continue this training. Throughout the country, platoons of highly skilled Iraqi army soldiers are assuming responsibility for the training of their country’s soldiers.
One such program recently wrapped up operations near the town of Hawijah.
Soldiers from 2nd Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division, conducted a three-week training course that covered an array of topics including weapons maintenance, basic rifle marksmanship, reflexive fire training, basic infantry skills and urban combat tactics.
The final test of their training was the execution of a series of raids in the Hawijah district.
With arms swinging to a 90 degree angle in front of them, soldiers from the 2nd Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division high stepped in time up the dusty road to the range. Following the range briefing, soldiers lined up to receive magazines and earplugs.
They first fired from the prone position. Then they went reflexive fire, which is similar to what troops might encounter while on patrol.
During the reflexive fire Iraqi army 1st Sgt. Dani demonstrated the proper posture and techniques necessary to effectively execute this drill.
The students lined up on the 50m mark, faced their inanimate adversaries and loaded their magazines. “Haya! Arme!” “Ready! Fire,” yelled Muhammed, one of the instructors.
“The soldiers are getting much better and we have had no real problems,” commented Dani through a translator.
Cpt. Hussein, one of the students and also the commander of the Special Forces Platoon, 2nd Brigade, 1st Iraqi Army Division, said he was incredibly pleased with the training.
“The instructors are teaching us skills we didn’t know before and are helping us improve,” Hussein said with help from a translator. “From the first day until now [the final day of training] everything has been perfect.”
The final element of the training was an urban combat skills course. The group moved from the range to an adjacent “shoot house.”
There soldiers charge doors, knocking them down, and practice clearing rooms and houses.
With this final piece of training complete, the students took their training to the streets of Hawijah.
As the soldiers prepared to return to their units and share this training to their fellow soldiers, they were eager about the future.
“We are getting stronger and this three-week course taught by Iraqi instructors shows that we are almost to a point were we can start taking things into our own hands,” asserted Hammed.