FORWARD OPERATING BASE RUSTAMIYAH — Iraqi national police took the lead during a combined operation with Multi-National Division – Baghdad soldiers in the eastern Baghdad neighborhood of Kamilayah recently.
National police from 2nd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 1st National Police Division, in Beladiat, worked with soldiers from 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, and 2nd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 1st National Police Division, national police transition team, during the cordon-and-search mission; the Soldiers from both supporting units are attached to 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, MND-B.
“The operation went perfect,” said Bilal Jahsem Ahmed, a national policeman with the 2nd Bn., 4th Bde., 1st NP Div. According to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s orders, the objective (was) to halt the bad activities carried out by Jaysh Al Mahdi members and other terrorists, explained Ahmed.
“We did a great job today,” he declared.
A recent change to security policies was the focus of the cordon and search, said Ahmed. In the past, residents in the area were allowed to carry weapons; however, the policy has changed and now all weapons in the neighborhood must be collected.
“This was actually our first time going out with them on a cordon and search of this magnitude,” said Capt. John Coligado, an Elk Grove Village, Ill. native, who serves as the executive officer for 2nd Bn., 4th Bde., 1st NP Div. NPTT. “It’s not an abnormal operation, but it is the first time that they are going out and conducting a mission of this size.”
A company-size element of national police rolled out with their MND-B counterparts to lead the mission. Coligado said the national police’s ability to follow the orders of their chain of command was key to mission success. The national police held themselves to the same standards of the rules of engagement MND-B Soldiers do, and they were able to reassure area residents of their safety and security, he added.
“A mission like this denies JAM (Jaysh Al Mahdi) and terrorists areas of operations to work in,” explained Coligado. These missions are a preventative measure against the establishment of weapons caches in the area. Their partner battalion, 1st Bn., 4th Bde., 1st NP Div., recently found a weapons cache just north of the area they were searching.
“It’s an important step,” said Coligado, in talking about the development of the national police. Eventually, he added, the goal is for the national police to operate autonomous from its MND-B counterparts.
“We are going to continue some more training events and more leadership courses and try to coordinate more joint patrols,” he added. “They will continue to conduct operations like this in which national police are in the lead and, hopefully, national police will be able to run an operation like this without coalition support.