Photo By Staff Sgt. James Hunter | Iraqi Special Operations Force Soldiers show their marksmanship capabilities during...... read more read more
It is a battle Iraqis deal with everyday. The uncertainty of surviving in the neighborhoods they grew up in is unsettling. Iraqis want the certainty of knowing that their families are safe.
The Soldiers of the Iraqi Special Operations Forces Brigade believe they have the capabilities to defeat the terrorists who are attempting to destabilize Iraq, said an Iraqi ISOF instructor.
The ISOF Brigade Soldiers continue to specialize and hone the combat skills that make the brigade a driving force in Iraq's campaign for freedom.
The Iraqis continued their progress when nine ISOF Soldiers graduated from the Convoy Security Course Feb. 9.
As the Iraqis continue to train, they move closer to securing their country's freedom.
Initially, U.S. Army Special Forces directly trained the ISOF. From those Soldiers, the U.S. SF trainers then selected the best-qualified Iraqi Soldiers to become instructors and teach the Special Operations coursework to their fellow Iraqis.
Now, the American SF Soldiers serve as advisers to the ISOF Brigade on training and operations, helping the Iraqi Soldiers on things they can sustain and improve upon, said one of the ISOF's U.S. advisers, a captain from the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force -Arabian Peninsula.
"The course gives the Soldiers the ability to protect themselves on the roadway and protect convoys," the U.S. captain said. "As we know, convoys are the most dangerous parts of being in Iraq."
Throughout the course, the Iraqi Soldiers learn a variety of skills, starting with basic marksmanship and weapons familiarization.
They then learn infantry movement tactics, such as advancing toward an objective and breaking contact with the enemy. The Soldiers then learn to operate Humvees.
Finally, they put all the training together, mount weapons on the vehicles and conduct a mounted tactical movement.
An Iraqi ISOF instructor said that his goal as an instructor is to proficiently train his students, making them skilled Soldiers who are ready to defeat the enemy.
"God willing, we will do it. We will fight terrorism, fight the Saddamists, and gain the freedom of Iraq," he said. "We are Iraqi Special Forces. We shall go on many missions and all the students will be trained and ready to fight in the streets."
Iraqi Soldiers are ready to conduct their own convoy operations without the supervision of American forces, said the U.S. captain serving as an ISOF adviser. The Soldiers are trained, and equipped with modern weapons and armored vehicles. They are skilled, and ready to fight terrorism to take back their country.
Once they are given a mission, they coordinate everything, he said. The Soldiers write their own operation order, conduct the mission and survive on their own.
"This training is vital," the U.S. captain said. "Not only to survival on the road but to the overall mission."
"Their passion for what they do, their love for their country and their desire to have it back is unparallel," he said. "In Iraq their people take nothing for granted. Their Soldiers know what is at risk everyday in their lives and for their families."
The Iraqi ISOF instructor said his overall goal for the Iraqi special operations is to protect their freedom and the people of Iraq.
"For God, for country, and for freedom. Long live Iraq!" he strongly urged.
| Date Taken: | 02.24.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 02.24.2006 10:06 |
| Story ID: | 5487 |
| Location: | IQ |
| Web Views: | 185 |
| Downloads: | 31 |
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