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Blackanthem Military News
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Mar 19, 2010 - 6:16:21 PM |
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Iraqi Operator Training Course molds elite warfighters, celebrates 10th class graduation
By U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Melissa Phillips, CJSOTF-AP Public Affairs
Oct 16, 2007 - 2:26:31 PM
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Blackanthem Military News
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| Students from the Iraqi Operator Training Course board an Iraqi Mi-17 helicopter to practice combat entry and exit procedures Oct. 1 in Baghdad. The tenth class of students graduated the course Oct. 2 after completing the prestigious 90-day school, which is modeled after a U.S. Army's Special Forces course and teaches elite Soldiers advanced combat training to mitigate and stop terrorism. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Tasha Woodson) |
BAGHDAD, Iraq - For one Iraqi general, the key to building a united, non-sectarian Army lies in fostering a mindset of religious and cultural tolerance among his Soldiers.
However, Brig. Gen. Fadhil Jameel Jameel Barwari, Iraqi Special Operations Forces commander, is the first to proclaim he doesn't extend that same courtesy to the criminal terrorists trying to rip apart his beloved country. He's intolerant of their actions.
After spending most of his life fighting Saddam's Baathist regime, the Kurdish officer has vowed to lead his blended crew of more than 3,000 Sunni, Shi'a, Kurdish and Christian Soldiers to root out terrorists and insurgents wherever they may lurk.
During the 10th Operator Training Course graduation here Oct. 2, he charged the 36 graduates students with their future duties, "You are now equipped to fight terrorists, killers and outlaws."
OTC is a prestigious 90-day school, modeled after a U.S. Army's Special Forces course, which teaches elite non-commissioned officers and officers advanced combat training to mitigate and stop terrorism.
During the course, students learn first aid procedures, close-quarters battle, urban combat, basic survival skills and how to conduct vehicle operations. The students are also required to take classes in the law of land warfare, ethics and morals, mission planning, weapons familiarization, leadership development and detainee handling prior to graduating.
ICTF Soldiers are premier fighting force of Iraqi Army
It's a tough school. In this class session, more than 1,200 Soldiers initially enrolled, but only 36 completed all of the training and graduated, earning the right to be members of the elite force.
When the Soldiers graduate from OTC, they are funneled into the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Force. Those who don't complete the course are assigned to one of the three other battalions within the ISOF.
"The ICTF is this country's premier counter terrorism force," said a U.S. Army major assigned to the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force - Arabian Peninsula, Balad Air Base, Iraq. As the senior advisor to the ISOF in the field, he and his men use their countless years of experience and expertise to advise and support the ISOF brigade.
"The ICTF deploy throughout Iraq and are tasked to complete high-profile missions," the major said.
ICTF Soldiers are called in for tough tasks like hostage rescue and specific tasked-oriented missions assigned by the Ministry of Defense. As specialists in the art of warfare, they use everything in their arsenal to track and stop terrorists and insurgents throughout the country.
Impartiality is prerequisite to stop terrorism
Impartiality is another core competency bred into the new ICTF members.
Although diversity, tolerance and impartiality are prerequisites to membership in the ICTF, old habits are often hard to dissolve - at least at first.
When a 27-year-old Sunni private from Baghdad enlisted in the program, he admits he still had an unconscious habit of stereotyping other sects.
The war has created an environment where neighboring sects who once coincided in relative peace are now often wary of one another.
"This course and unit is open-minded," the private said. "It's given me a different point of view."
When Soldiers face off against the barrel of an enemy's gun together, units often find it's a great equalizer to resolve racial and religious barriers.
"You have to look at the person," the private said. "Before I attended the course, I didn't completely understand that."
General Fadhil believes it's this bond that creates a successful fighting force.
"We make our recruits feel welcome regardless of their religious background," said General Fadhil.
Give me liberty or give me death...
Embracing this diversity is something he partially credits to the influence of his U.S. counterparts.
Some of the other branches of the Iraqi Military and Security Forces retained the training that their U.S. advisers provided them, but they haven't always adopted a non-sectarian mindset.
 Consequently, it's the general's opinion that those units may be making it harder on themselves to make progress in their provinces.
"We tell our Soldiers that it's about being a good Soldier and that their tribe or sect doesn't matter in making them a good Soldier," the general said. "We let them know that with the ICTF, they fight for Iraq."
Dedicated cadre instills teamwork
There are a team of people dedicated to making that happen. The general, his staff and more than a dozen Iraqi instructors and U.S. advisers accomplish this feat through a variety of methods.
For five months, the recruits are isolated. They have no social interaction with family or friends. However, the isolation cements the bonding process and ferrets out Soldiers who lack commitment.
The course is physically grueling. Students miss sleep, and they are placed in realistic, stressful scenarios daily to test their physical and mental endurance.
Only the truly fit survive.
"They are sacrificing a lot to be here," the general said. "As a father, it is rewarding to watch these young Iraqi men graduate from a course that will help make Iraq better."
The course is designed to challenge and exhaust each recruit to give them a taste for their mission ahead. It is necessary in order to prepare them for what they will face once they leave the complex's guarded gates.
Risking life and limb to make dreams come true
Murder and mayhem await them.
The Soldiers and their families are hunted down for supporting the country they love. Terrorists target them with improvised explosive devices and explosively formed projectiles. Every operation they go on, they're faced with guns, suicide vests or booby-trapped devices strapped to people, vehicles, children and animals.
Day in and day out, the soldiers risk their lives, so one day they can give the gift of freedom - from hatred and oppression - to their children.
"I came into the military because I want to protect my country," said a 25-year-old Shi'a lieutenant.
The general believes the country is now starting to reap the benefits of his Soldiers' arduous progress.
"When we clean up citizens' towns and areas from terrorists and criminal activities, they feel safer," the general said. "It is a good feeling when they realize what we are doing for the country."
Learning together, fighting together
The general says he's happy that he's not alone in the global quest to eradicate terrorism.
"I will never forget the American and Coalition men and women ... who provided the first stepping stones for us to make our country better," the general said. "We are family. We go out on missions together. We fight together."
Throughout history, one of the first steps to breaking the bonds of tyranny and oppression has been education.
The OTC classroom is a prime example of that theory. The hands-on class serves as a think tank and refinement process to mold future warfighters and leaders who are intolerant of terrorism and who put their lives on the line to protect their nation from criminal opportunists.
When asked why he is willing to take such a risk, the general simply answered, "If I do not do it, who will?"
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:
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| Students from the Iraqi Operator Training Course board an Iraqi Mi-17 helicopter to practice combat entry and exit procedures Oct. 1 in Baghdad. The tenth class of students graduated the course Oct. 2 after completing the prestigious 90-day school, which is modeled after a U.S. Army's Special Forces course and teaches elite Soldiers advanced combat training to mitigate and stop terrorism. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Tasha Woodson) |
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| A U.S. Air Force member inspects the landing zone for hazards during combat entry and exit training aboard an Iraqi Mi-17 helicopter for Iraqi students attending the prestigious Iraqi Operator Training Course Oct. 1 in Baghdad. U.S. service members from the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force - Arabian Peninsula and Coalition Forces work together to advise the Iraqi Special Operations Force here to teach elite non-commissioned officers and officers advanced combat training to mitigate and stop terrorism. The tenth class of students graduated Oct. 2 in Baghdad. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Tasha Woodson) |
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| Students from the Iraqi Operator Training Course board an Iraqi Mi-17 helicopter to practice combat entry and exit procedures Oct. 1 in Baghdad. The tenth class of students graduated the course Oct. 2 after completing the prestigious 90-day school, which is modeled after a U.S. Army's Special Forces course and teaches elite Soldiers advanced combat training to mitigate and stop terrorism. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Tasha Woodson) |
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| Students from the Iraqi Operator Training Course board an Iraqi Mi-17 helicopter to practice combat entry and exit procedures Oct. 1 in Baghdad. The tenth class of students graduated the course Oct. 2 after completing the prestigious 90-day school, which is modeled after a U.S. Army's Special Forces course and teaches elite Soldiers advanced combat training to mitigate and stop terrorism. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Tasha Woodson) |
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