"The Iraqi security forces continue to get better, become more
professional," a U.S. SOF commander, who did not want to be identified,
said.
The Iraqis underwent a three-week course that began with 30 cadets and
ended with 14. U.S. trainers acknowledged that the air assault course was
not comprehensive.
"There are certain areas they know they need a little more training on,"
U.S. Sgt. Mark Jones, of the 12th Combat, said. "That's what we attempted to
do in this course — to hit those areas they requested for additional
training."
On March 29, the U.S. Army's 1st Air Cavalry Brigade conducted a joint
exercise with an Iraqi strike force in air assault tactics at Camp Taji.
Officials said 110 Iraqi cadets graduated the training course, and 70 were
selected for advanced aerial insertion technique.
The exercise included the Russian-origin Mi-17 Hip as well as the
U.S.-origin AH-64D Apache and the S-70 Black Hawk. Officials said the Iraqi
team was drilled in the use of helicopters for conventional and
counter-insurgency missions.
"This is to lead us in the future to hope that we will be expanding this
type of operation more and more," Tahir, the Iraq Army general, said.
Officials said the Iraqi effort was to ensure that units take the lead
in air assault missions. They said the Iraqis could begin such independent
missions as early as 2011.
"We have spent the last couple of months conducting classes and training
to get them to [this level]," U.S. Army Lt. Austin Huckabee said.