U.S. training Iraqis on IED analysis, prevention
Tuesday, November 3, 2009 E-Mail this story Free Headline Alerts
BAGHDAD — The U.S. military has introduced a new method to train Iraqis to counter suicide and other bombs.
The U.S. Army has deployed the first of its explosive hazard teams to teach Iraqis to identify and neutralize explosives.
The army's 130th Engineer Brigade's 15th Explosive Hazards Team has launched a course in Iraq's Nineveh province, regarded as a major stronghold of Al Qaida and the site of nearly daily car bombs. "A critical part of our mission is training the Iraqi security forces in everything they need to know to replace U.S. forces as far as conducting counter-IED operations," Lt. Manuel Orozco, detachment commander, said.
The course has focused on isolating and neutralizing improvised explosive devices, including car bombs and mines. The 15th EHT, one of four such teams in the army, was said to have undergone months of intensive training to work in Iraq.
"The training we went through as a unit certified us to be able to instruct other units in IED defeat, area clearance, and mine detection operations," Sgt. James Williams, a technical intelligence analyst with the 15th EHT, said.
The seven-member U.S. team was assigned to help the 130th Engineer Brigade to track explosives and clear routes. The team was also ordered to serve as a military training squad for Iraqi combat units.
Officers said a key focus of the Iraqi training would be evidence collection. They said this would enable Iraqi investigators to identify bombs and their producers.
"We train the trainers, so the Iraqis can take what they learn from us back to their own units and teach them how to effectively counter the IED threat," Orozco said.