Photo By Staff Sgt. Miles Elder | HIB HIB, Iraq (June 10, 2006) -- Maj. Jay Bullock (left) is interviewed by a...... read more read more
Subscribe
The Iraqi Security Forces" reaction in the aftermath of the operation that led to the death of the nation's most-wanted terrorist was commendable and will boost their morale in months to come, according to U.S. officers charged with their training.
Iraqi Police were the first to respond on the scene of the June 7 attack that took the life of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Hib Hib, a small farming community near Baquabah in central Iraq. Iraqi Army forces were soon in place to set up a security ring around the site.
"The Iraqi Army and the Iraqi Police basically provided the inner and outer cordon after the detonation here at the house," said Maj. Jay Bullock, Military Training Team commander, supporting the Iraqi Army's 1st Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Division. "The Iraqi Police were the first on the scene."
Bullock, an Armor officer who hails from Fort Worth, Texas, has been in charge of training his Iraqi counterparts. He said the unit has been validated and was prepared for the task before it.
"We do operations all the time," Bullock said. "My Iraqi battalion has assumed their battle space within the area and they are a very aggressive unit.
"We're used to responding to emergency events, and conducting mainly cordon and searches and raids."
Iraqi Army forces got word of the 6:15 p.m. local time attack and were on the scene within minutes, Bullock said.
"These guys are cool and calm under pressure," Bullock said. "We come up with a plan and go execute."
Among those MTT members joining Iraqi Army forces on the scene were Capt. John Roder, who serves as the team's intelligence officer. He commended his Iraqi counterparts on their performance.
"We basically pulled 100 percent security throughout the evening and the next morning," Roder said. "It was a long 36 hours, but we had no incidents.
"We had no civilians breech the scene and we had no anti-Iraqi forces attack. It was pretty easy to handle."
Both officers said there was a celebratory mood among Coalition and Iraqi forces on the scene. It mirrored images of civilians celebrating the death of such a notorious terrorist.
"When we got the word that in fact it was Zarqawi, we were elated and excited," Bullock said. "You could see the impact and you could really feel how monumental an event it was when you saw the reactions of the Iraqi Soldiers and the Iraqi police."
While Soldiers rushed to the scene to support Iraqi police efforts, there was a spring in their steps. There was even some dancing, Bullock said.
"Americans don't normally dance around a whole bunch, but we were all very, very excited," Bullock said. "The Iraqis were dancing around.
"We got lots of congratulations and it was quite an exciting moment. I was glad to have participated."
Soldiers and police weren't the only ones excited, Roder said. In his dealings with Iraqi civilians many have expressed relief that Zarqawi was gone.
"From what I've heard so far, the everyday Iraqi is very happy," Roder said. "He is elated that it was a joint mission and that the Iraqi Police, Iraqi Army, U.S. Army and Air Force were able to hit such a big target."
While the operation's success was a boost, it's certainly not the end of the struggle to rid Iraq from terrorist activity. However, both officers expressed confidence in the Iraqi Security Forces" ability to meet the future challenges.
"Many people think there will be increasing attacks due to the fact that Zarqawi's men will not want to feel weak," Roder said. "They want to feel strong and show that even without Zarqawi they can do harm to this country as well as they may want revenge for their leader's loss.
"The ISF and the American Army are prepared for any such attacks. We've done multiple raids after this incident that targeted some of his henchmen and we've been pretty successful with these missions."
Bullock agreed. However, he said the force he has helped train will stand firm.
"I think the enemy will try to reinsert itself in the area, but the Iraqi security forces get stronger every day," Bullock said. "They are getting to be a more competent army and a more competent police force.
"They train hard, they fight hard, and they are doing very well. It's only a matter of time, and this one of the major steps toward the ultimate victory here."
| Date Taken: | 06.15.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 06.15.2006 10:50 |
| Story ID: | 6814 |
| Location: |
| Web Views: | 232 |
| Downloads: | 108 |
This work, Iraqi Security Forces React Quickly After Attack on Zarqawi, by SSG Miles Elder, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
