National Police takes the lead, enforces weapons-free zone

Photo By Spc. Grant Okubo | Iraqi policemen assigned to 1st Battalion, 4th Brigade, 1st National Police Division, lay out weapons they confiscated during a search with their National Police Transition Team partners in the Al Amin area of eastern Baghdad, July 13.  

RUSTAMIYAH, IRAQ

07.13.2008

Story by Spc. Grant Okubo 

4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Public Affairs

Spc. Grant Okubo
4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division

FORWARD OPERATING BASE RUSTAMIYAH, Iraq – National policeman and their U.S. National Police Transition Team partners took to the streets of eastern Baghdad to enforce a weapons-free zone in and around Al Amin, July 13.

Policemen from 1st Battalion, 4th Brigade, 1st National Police Division, led a clearing operation of the Al Amin power station and the surrounding area. Capt. Arthur Benson, an intelligence advisor with the 1st Bn., 4th Bde. 1st NP Div. NPTT explained that the Government of Iraq declared Al Amin an area where no weapons are allowed.

"Any household that had an AK-47 now does not," said Benson, a Mount Hope, Kan. native assigned to 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, which is attached to 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Multi-National Division- Baghdad.

U.S. Forces working with National Policemen gathered the intelligence that prompted the mission. Their intelligence indicated possible caches and Special Groups leaders living in the area, said Benson.

In a continuing positive trend, National Policemen took the lead as U.S. Soldiers supported them through coaching, teaching and mentoring during the mission, explained Benson. In addition, the NPTT Soldiers were there to provide backup and a little more firepower if mission conditions called for it, he said, commenting that the National Police performed superbly.

"They've got great officers and (are) also developing a great non-commissioned officer corps," said Benson.

Hakeem Jabar, an intelligence official with 1st Bn., 4th Bde., 1st NP Div., said he is proud of the work the National Police are doing as they improve the overall security for the people of Iraq.

The National Police has come a long way since Benson arrived as the NPTT intelligence advisor, he said. They have formed individual companies, 1st through 4th, and a Special Weapons and Tactics platoon, he cited as examples.

"They (National Police) got the mission late last night, prepared quite well and did their pre-combat checks and pre-combat inspections," explained Benson. Once NPTT Soldiers met with their National Police counterparts that morning, the policemen were ready to roll out and conduct the mission without any problems, he said.

Overall, National Police intelligence has improved from the very basic alerting of an improvised explosive device to now knowing specific information about the names and locations of IED makers, explained Benson.

• Date Taken: 07.13.2008
• Date Posted: 07.20.2008 08:23
• Story ID: 21658
• Location: RUSTAMIYAH, IQ