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Elite Iraqi police putting training to use

Apr-14-2005 » Filed Under: Iraq News

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By Sandra Jontz, Stars and Stripes

CAMP DUBLIN, Iraq — He was a soccer star in a previous life, the one untouched by war. He was famous among his fellow Iraqis, as soccer players usually were.

But now, he lives a life in obscurity — his face hidden behind a black ski mask when on the job. It’s too risky for the 24-year-old soccer star-turned-cop to reveal to the world his life as a member of the Emergency Response Unit, an elite part of the rebuilding Iraqi police force.

He prefers his new life.

“My jobs are almost the same. In soccer, we made goals. Now I make goals. Goals by capturing terrorists,” he said Monday during a training break at Camp Dublin, near Baghdad International Airport.

Last summer, the U.S. military’s Civilian Police Assistance Training Team began rigorous training programs to establish specialized police teams in three areas: Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), emergency response, and dignitary protection, similar to functions carried out by the U.S. Secret service. The training team also is responsible for organizing, training, equipping and mentoring the entire Iraqi police force.

The specialized teams being formed are unlike anything the Iraqi police force has seen in the past, said an Iraqi company commander. Because of the volatile security situation and the targeting of Iraqi police forces by insurgents, he and other members interviewed asked that their names not be published. [...]

During a deployment to Mosul last month, the team helped the U.S. Army in various missions that involved the freeing of hostages. The Iraqis also captured two high-value targets following an attack on the 25th Infantry Division that resulted in U.S. casualties, Howard said.


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