Photo By Gunnery Sgt. Jayson Price | American and Iraqi forces wrap up a meeting before disposing of a stockpile of 57mm...... read more read more
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AL ANBAR PROVINCE, Iraq — In a countryside marred by years of war and strife, unexploded ordnance poses a danger to everyday Iraqi citizens striving to make a better life for themselves and their families. Whether it is reused by criminals or terrorists as a weapon, or simply lying unnoticed in a farmer's field, unattended munitions can be deadly if not handled properly.
After years of relying on U.S. and coalition explosive ordnance disposal teams to rid its country of UXO, Iraqi EOD teams are now showing they have what it takes to get the job done to make their country a safer place.
"The Iraqi Bomb Disposal Company has been independent for almost a year and they've proven themselves," said Staff Sgt. Kelli Cairns, an engineer with Military Transition Team 7, the unit primarily responsible for helping train the 7th Iraqi Army Division. Cairns is the primary advisor to the 7th IA Division's Bomb Disposal and Military Police Companies.
"They've recovered about 2,000 improvised explosive devices in the past two years."
Cairns went on to say that Iraqi EOD has been operating independently of coalition support, and has even responded to calls for help from coalition forces that have encountered IEDs or other munitions in Iraq's Al Anbar province.
The Bomb Disposal Company of the 7th IA Division recently had an opportunity to show off its skills and make Iraq just a bit safer when it led an operation to dispose of a substantial quantity of UXO. After a group of Iraqi civilians found a stockpile of 57mm projectiles hidden in the desert, they promptly notified government officials, who in turn passed the information on to the National Iraqi Intelligence Association. It wasn't long thereafter that the Bomb Disposal Company got the call.
The disposal operation took place May 21, 2009, and included EOD teams from the Iraqi Army and U.S. Navy, representatives from the NIIA, as well as security detachments from the Iraqi army and Regimental Combat Team 8. After evaluating the munitions and discussing tips and techniques with the Navy EOD technicians, the Iraqi EOD team conducted a controlled detonation to dispose of the cache.
Even though most of the rounds found in this cache were old and of limited use, they still posed a danger if left unattended or if the wrong people got hold of the explosives. Cairns said the operation had a deeper meaning than simply ridding Iraq of dangerous explosives.
"The most successful part of the operation was the fact that we had the NIIA here to see the Iraqi Bomb Disposal Company outside the wire working with coalition EOD," said Cairns. "They are showing they have the same capabilities as coalition force EOD and similar equipment to get the job done."
Thanks to the help and diligence of ordinary civilians and the increasingly proficient Iraqi EOD teams, Iraq is rid of another cache of unexploded ordnance and one step closer to a peaceful future.
| Date Taken: | 06.11.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 06.11.2009 05:15 |
| Story ID: | 34875 |
| Location: | AL ANBAR PROVINCE, IQ |
| Web Views: | 322 |
| Downloads: | 223 |
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