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DIYALA, Iraq — The morning of May 28, proved to be a sweltering one throughout all of Diyala province, Iraq. This was especially true for the palm groves of the area, which provided a canopy that trapped humidity making the heat index underneath at 115 degrees Fahrenheit as Gen. Khalis, the division headquarters Iraqi police commander for Abu Sayda, led his men through on the hunt for weapon caches.
Advising and assisting Gen. Khalis and his men was Company C, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, along with military working dogs, an Explosive Ordinance Disposal Team, and scout weapon teams from the U.S. Forces.
"We were there because history has shown us that Abu Sayda and the surrounding areas are littered with caches," said Capt. Preston Aaron, commander of Company C, 5/20 Inf.
According to Aaron, three weeks prior to this mission, a wild fire devastated the palm groves in the area. As the fire spread, three weapon caches exploded, contributing to the rapidly growing flames as they went on to destroy crops, homes and personal property of Iraqi civilians. This, along with a rise in improvised explosive device attacks in the area prompted Aaron to do a clearing operation in the area.
"I brought up the idea to Gen. Khalis," said Aaron. "He was very energetic about the idea and wanted to do it right away. We did it literally two days after initial planning."
The movement plan through the groves and how to utilize assets was done by Gen. Khalis. Everywhere he went Aaron was two steps away, there by his side to give him advice or assistance if needed.
"We're really starting to transition to an advise and assist role with them," said Aaron. "We're stepping back, seeing how they want to do these missions, and coach, teach and mentor them. So far, it's working well."
No weapon caches were found in the particular palm groves they searched, but Aaron does not view this as a failure because he believes this has helped to strengthen his partnership with the policemen and show a presence in the area.
"It was a huge step in the right direction," said Aaron. "It was a success because our number one task of continuing intelligence driven missions in the area was achieved."
As U.S. Forces move into this advise and assist role, many Iraqi security forces in the area are going a step further and operating completely independently during unilateral operations.
"Many of the units in this area are doing so many missions, so many raids, that unless we keep up with them on a daily basis, we lose track of what they're doing," said Capt. Aaron. "They're starting to get ahead of us."
The Sykes Regulars of C Company plan on assisting Gen. Khalis and his men with missions coming up to make Abu Sayda a safer place. Even though there is more work to be done to rid the area of weapons and criminals, Gen. Khalis has seen what the work done in the past has done for this place.
"The situation here is very good, it has improved greatly in the past months," said Gen. Khalis. "I credit this not only to us, but to our strong relationship with U.S. Forces."
| Date Taken: | 05.28.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 05.31.2010 04:11 |
| Story ID: | 50572 |
| Location: | DIYALA, IQ |
| Web Views: | 204 |
| Downloads: | 180 |
This work, Iraqi Police and Sykes' Regulars get hot on missions in Abu Sayda, by SGT Adrian Muehe, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
