By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
July 16, 2008 - Pakistan must do more on its side of the border with Afghanistan to combat terrorist extremists, U.S. defense leaders said here today. "We're seeing a greater number of insurgents and foreign fighters flowing across the border with Pakistan, unmolested and unhindered," Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during a news conference. "This movement needs to stop."
Mullen, who recently returned from a trip to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, said all involved with operations on the border must do a better job of policing the region and eliminating the extremists' safe havens in Pakistan's federally administered tribal areas that are launching pads for attacks on coalition forces. The most recent example was an attack on a coalition and Afghan military outpost in Wanat, in which nine soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team were killed.
"We either find ways to work better together or we fail to secure a better future for the people we've all pledged to protect," Mullen said. "We can and must do better."
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said there is no question that the absence of pressure on the Pakistani side of the border is creating an opportunity for more terrorists to cross and launch attacks.
"There are efforts under way to try and improve that on both the Pakistani side and on the Afghan and coalition side," he said. "There is a real need to do something on the Pakistani side of the border to bring pressure to bear on the Taliban and some of these other violent groups."
Gates and Mullen said the enemy in Afghanistan has grown bolder, more sophisticated and more diverse. They also said the enemy is taking advantage of the safe havens to train and plan attacks. Mullen said that doing something about the situation was the main message he delivered to all leaders he met in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The new Pakistani government needs to face the reality that it faces a security challenge of its own from these groups, Gates said. The number of terrorist attacks inside Pakistan has doubled in a year, he noted.
"One of the things that is really important is the civilian government gaining a full appreciation of the magnitude and reality of the danger to them posed by these groups and the lack of control or the lack of pressure in the FATA and in the Northwest Province," the secretary said. "So it seems to me the first thing is for the Pakistanis to have a clear understanding of what's happening. We can make a contribution there. And then, ... as I've said before, we are ready, willing and able to help them in any way we can."
Defense Department officials are looking closely at sending more U.S. troops to Afghanistan. President Bush said the United States would like to send three brigade combat teams to Afghanistan in fiscal 2009. "I think that we are clearly working very hard to see if there are opportunities to send additional forces sooner rather than later," Gates said. "No decisions have been made; no recommendations have been made."
Gates said a need clearly exists to provide additional forces. Commanders in Afghanistan are looking within Afghanistan to see how to reposition the forces they have. The French, for example, are sending a 700-man battalion to Regional Command East that could free up U.S. troops for action elsewhere in Afghanistan.
Gates indicated that military planners are looking at a variety of options on how to respond to the need for more troops.
"I will tell you that I have sought assurances that there will be no return to longer than 12-month deployments," Gates said. "That's not something we're considering, and I'm not aware of any plans to extend anybody beyond the extensions that have already taken place."
Showing posts with label policing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label policing. Show all posts
Friday, July 18, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Gates Calls on NATO Allies to Live up to Pledges
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
June 13, 2008 - NATO has made significant progress in Afghanistan, and the alliance now needs to deliver on the goals the alliance's heads of state set when they met in April, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today. Gates spoke during a news conference at NATO headquarters following two days of meetings with NATO defense ministers.
Alliance heads of state agreed at their Bucharest, Romania summit in April that more capabilities are needed at the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. They also promised to field all the troops the NATO operations plan calls for.
"Many of the same shortfalls that existed 18 months ago still exist today," Gates said he told defense ministers during a working dinner yesterday.
The secretary said he put aside his prepared remarks at the dinner and spoke to his fellow defense ministers from the heart.
"I told them that my expectations are simple: I expect government decisions and actions to match government rhetoric," he said. "Last month, for the first time, more coalition forces were killed in Afghanistan than were killed in Iraq. And just since we've gathered here in Brussels, three more coalition soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan."
The NATO operations plan calls for three more battalions in Afghanistan than ISAF has in place. France, the United Kingdom and Poland have said they will send additional units to the country in the fall, and other NATO countries have pledged smaller numbers of troops to serve as military and police trainers. The United States has pledged to send more troops to the country.
Gates ordered more than 3,000 U.S. Marines to Afghanistan in March on a one-time deployment. Some 1,600 Marines are supplementing forces taking on the Taliban and al-Qaida in NATO's Regional Command South. The rest are serving as trainers and are part of Operation Enduring Freedom. All will leave the country in the fall, and they will not be replaced.
"It's important that we live up to our pledges in both civilian and military spheres necessary for success in Afghanistan," the secretary said.
Gates said the defense ministers also discussed NATO transformation, missile defense and Kosovo.
The alliance achieved consensus on standing up a Kosovo security force and standing down the Kosovo protection corps, he said. The force will be a multi-enthic, lightly armed force that protects all Kosovars and supports the country's nascent democracy. "This is much needed as Kosovo readies to enact its constitution on June 15," Gates said.
There is still work to be done in Kosovo, the secretary said. "The United Nations and the European Union must broker a smooth transition in the policing mission that ensures the NATO Kosovo Force retains its original mandate and is not called upon to serve as a first responder," he explained.
In their meetings here, the defense ministers pledged to present options for "real, comprehensive integrated missile defense options" so NATO leaders can make a choice at the alliance's 2009 summit, Gates said.
Missile defense has to defend all NATO territory, they agreed, and the U.S. missile defense system that will be based in the Czech Republic and Poland, would defend most of Europe against an Iranian missile. But areas of Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria and Romania would not be covered, so planners are looking at short- and medium-range defense options to integrate into the American system, he said.
American Forces Press Service
June 13, 2008 - NATO has made significant progress in Afghanistan, and the alliance now needs to deliver on the goals the alliance's heads of state set when they met in April, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today. Gates spoke during a news conference at NATO headquarters following two days of meetings with NATO defense ministers.
Alliance heads of state agreed at their Bucharest, Romania summit in April that more capabilities are needed at the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. They also promised to field all the troops the NATO operations plan calls for.
"Many of the same shortfalls that existed 18 months ago still exist today," Gates said he told defense ministers during a working dinner yesterday.
The secretary said he put aside his prepared remarks at the dinner and spoke to his fellow defense ministers from the heart.
"I told them that my expectations are simple: I expect government decisions and actions to match government rhetoric," he said. "Last month, for the first time, more coalition forces were killed in Afghanistan than were killed in Iraq. And just since we've gathered here in Brussels, three more coalition soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan."
The NATO operations plan calls for three more battalions in Afghanistan than ISAF has in place. France, the United Kingdom and Poland have said they will send additional units to the country in the fall, and other NATO countries have pledged smaller numbers of troops to serve as military and police trainers. The United States has pledged to send more troops to the country.
Gates ordered more than 3,000 U.S. Marines to Afghanistan in March on a one-time deployment. Some 1,600 Marines are supplementing forces taking on the Taliban and al-Qaida in NATO's Regional Command South. The rest are serving as trainers and are part of Operation Enduring Freedom. All will leave the country in the fall, and they will not be replaced.
"It's important that we live up to our pledges in both civilian and military spheres necessary for success in Afghanistan," the secretary said.
Gates said the defense ministers also discussed NATO transformation, missile defense and Kosovo.
The alliance achieved consensus on standing up a Kosovo security force and standing down the Kosovo protection corps, he said. The force will be a multi-enthic, lightly armed force that protects all Kosovars and supports the country's nascent democracy. "This is much needed as Kosovo readies to enact its constitution on June 15," Gates said.
There is still work to be done in Kosovo, the secretary said. "The United Nations and the European Union must broker a smooth transition in the policing mission that ensures the NATO Kosovo Force retains its original mandate and is not called upon to serve as a first responder," he explained.
In their meetings here, the defense ministers pledged to present options for "real, comprehensive integrated missile defense options" so NATO leaders can make a choice at the alliance's 2009 summit, Gates said.
Missile defense has to defend all NATO territory, they agreed, and the U.S. missile defense system that will be based in the Czech Republic and Poland, would defend most of Europe against an Iranian missile. But areas of Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria and Romania would not be covered, so planners are looking at short- and medium-range defense options to integrate into the American system, he said.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Soldiers, Airmen Help Afghan Police Hone Skills
By Army Sgt. Jessica R. Dahlberg
Special to American Forces Press Service
May 13, 2008 - The sound of idling Humvees resonated in the air as the police mentoring team commander briefed his team on convoy operations. With their orders received, the team mounted up and prepared to roll out, bound for Dandar, a small village in Afghanistan's Parwan province. Army Capt. Mark Moeckli and his team rolled out of Bagram Air Base and embarked on a scenic and treacherous journey over winding mountain roads.
Their task was to instruct the Afghan National Police on hand-to-hand combat, community policing, coordination-cell training, and criminal investigation.
Moeckli's team is made up of servicemembers who were trained in an array of military occupational specialties. With their combined expertise, they make a highly skilled and effective team, ready to tackle the task of teaching the skills Afghan police officers need to remain effective, he said.
The confident commander seemed secure in his team, which began work immediately.
"Some of the Afghan people do bad things, but most of the Afghan people want to see the Taliban gone and their country safe, just like we do," Moeckli said after returning from a meeting with Afghan National Police Col. Masoum Farzaie to discuss the day's objectives.
While the police mentoring team leadership met with the Afghan police colonel, the remaining team members prepared for a class on techniques for physical apprehension and restraint.
"We took it upon ourselves to give these training classes," said Army Capt. Donald Young, an Idaho National Guardsman and police mentoring team leader.
The teams of soldiers and airmen teach a variety of classes based upon the needs of the police in each district, Young explained. The day's classes were taught by the team's airmen, who are charged with training police in two provinces and 17 districts, and who recently taught police officers how to search personnel and control access to resources.
"The training is very good for us," Dawa Jan, an Afghan National Police officer, said. "Our main goal is security, and the classes the Americans give us help prepare us for that goal."
During the hands-on part of the class, Air Force Tech. Sgt. Chris Padron, deployed from Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., coached the police officers and gave them useful tips to help master the techniques.
"I love doing what I do," Padron said. "Teaching the Afghanistan National Police has been a great experience."
To become an Afghan National Police officer, applicants must have a high school education, go through testing and then attend a six-week course at one of the country's four academies. U.S. forces augment their training, helping them to retain the training they received at the academy.
"It is good for my policemen to learn from the Americans," Farazie said. "They have improved greatly since the Americans have come to teach them."
As the police mentoring team travels all over Parwan province, its goal is to give the Afghan National Police training and confidence they'll need to work without the assistance of coalition forces.
"We want to make the Afghanistan National Police sufficient, because in the end, it is not about us at all," Young said. "It is all about them."
(Army Sgt. Jessica R. Dahlberg serves with 382nd Public Affairs Detachment.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
May 13, 2008 - The sound of idling Humvees resonated in the air as the police mentoring team commander briefed his team on convoy operations. With their orders received, the team mounted up and prepared to roll out, bound for Dandar, a small village in Afghanistan's Parwan province. Army Capt. Mark Moeckli and his team rolled out of Bagram Air Base and embarked on a scenic and treacherous journey over winding mountain roads.
Their task was to instruct the Afghan National Police on hand-to-hand combat, community policing, coordination-cell training, and criminal investigation.
Moeckli's team is made up of servicemembers who were trained in an array of military occupational specialties. With their combined expertise, they make a highly skilled and effective team, ready to tackle the task of teaching the skills Afghan police officers need to remain effective, he said.
The confident commander seemed secure in his team, which began work immediately.
"Some of the Afghan people do bad things, but most of the Afghan people want to see the Taliban gone and their country safe, just like we do," Moeckli said after returning from a meeting with Afghan National Police Col. Masoum Farzaie to discuss the day's objectives.
While the police mentoring team leadership met with the Afghan police colonel, the remaining team members prepared for a class on techniques for physical apprehension and restraint.
"We took it upon ourselves to give these training classes," said Army Capt. Donald Young, an Idaho National Guardsman and police mentoring team leader.
The teams of soldiers and airmen teach a variety of classes based upon the needs of the police in each district, Young explained. The day's classes were taught by the team's airmen, who are charged with training police in two provinces and 17 districts, and who recently taught police officers how to search personnel and control access to resources.
"The training is very good for us," Dawa Jan, an Afghan National Police officer, said. "Our main goal is security, and the classes the Americans give us help prepare us for that goal."
During the hands-on part of the class, Air Force Tech. Sgt. Chris Padron, deployed from Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., coached the police officers and gave them useful tips to help master the techniques.
"I love doing what I do," Padron said. "Teaching the Afghanistan National Police has been a great experience."
To become an Afghan National Police officer, applicants must have a high school education, go through testing and then attend a six-week course at one of the country's four academies. U.S. forces augment their training, helping them to retain the training they received at the academy.
"It is good for my policemen to learn from the Americans," Farazie said. "They have improved greatly since the Americans have come to teach them."
As the police mentoring team travels all over Parwan province, its goal is to give the Afghan National Police training and confidence they'll need to work without the assistance of coalition forces.
"We want to make the Afghanistan National Police sufficient, because in the end, it is not about us at all," Young said. "It is all about them."
(Army Sgt. Jessica R. Dahlberg serves with 382nd Public Affairs Detachment.)
Monday, March 24, 2008
Team Works to Turn 'Posse' Into Professional Police Force
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 24, 2008 - The landscape in Afghanistan's Zabul province reminds some Americans of a scene from a western movie. So did Afghan law enforcement when Army Capt. Curtiss Robinson and his police mentoring team rode into the province's Shahjoy district. Robinson recalled that the police force there at the time was really nothing more than a "posse," because they had enthusiasm but no formal police training.
There were no police advisors in Shahjoy before Robinson's team got there in July, so the first step was to create a training plan for the police.
Robinson is an Army logistics officer with civilian law enforcement experience in South Carolina. Others on his team also had police experience, so they used it and their military training to teach the Afghans some fundamental policing skills.
The next step came from Afghanistan's Interior Ministry, which implemented a new "focused district development" strategy late last year to reform the Afghan National Police and improve local governance, public works and the rule of law.
Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan, with the Interior Ministry and the international community, developed a plan to take all the police out of their communities, retrain and re-equip them at regional training centers, and send them back to their districts.
Seven of the most challenging police districts were chosen for the first training cycle. Three of them, including Shahjoy, were from Zabul province.
During the eight-week course at the Jalalabad regional training center, Shahjoy's police learned about general police duties, weapons, building clearance, first aid, human rights and Afghan law and culture. After graduating, the police returned to their district and police mentoring team advisors began the next phase: sustainment training and advising. Now that they've been trained what to do, Robinson explained, they need to practice how to do it.
The Afghan police officers will have to improve their skills quickly; after they returned to Shahjoy, Taliban insurgents also began returning to the area.
The commander of Nowrak patrol base, Lt. Fazal Rahman, took his men on a patrol and found a prepared fighting position with four rocket-propelled grenades for attacking passing trucks. It was only 25 meters from Highway One.
U.S. Army Capt. Dave Perry leads the Shahjoy district police mentoring team and has developed a patrol plan for the police officers. Rather than have them wait for trouble on the road, he wants them to patrol the nearby villages, where most of the security threats originate.
"Policing before was static," he said. "We're getting them out in the community to show the people some government representation so they know the police are there to help."
The next day, Rahman's men patrolled Nowrak village and Perry accompanied them through the village to introduce them to the village elders. The local citizens provide information, Perry said, and helping them is the heart of "community-based policing."
The police in Shahjoy no longer resemble a "posse," and officials hope having a professional police force will make the district seem less like the Wild West. Police Chief Mohammed Rasool said that perhaps someday the police in Shahjoy will need to carry only nightsticks – not guns.
(Navy Petty Officer 1st Class David M. Votroubek serves with the Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan Public Affairs Office.)
March 24, 2008 - The landscape in Afghanistan's Zabul province reminds some Americans of a scene from a western movie. So did Afghan law enforcement when Army Capt. Curtiss Robinson and his police mentoring team rode into the province's Shahjoy district. Robinson recalled that the police force there at the time was really nothing more than a "posse," because they had enthusiasm but no formal police training.
There were no police advisors in Shahjoy before Robinson's team got there in July, so the first step was to create a training plan for the police.
Robinson is an Army logistics officer with civilian law enforcement experience in South Carolina. Others on his team also had police experience, so they used it and their military training to teach the Afghans some fundamental policing skills.
The next step came from Afghanistan's Interior Ministry, which implemented a new "focused district development" strategy late last year to reform the Afghan National Police and improve local governance, public works and the rule of law.
Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan, with the Interior Ministry and the international community, developed a plan to take all the police out of their communities, retrain and re-equip them at regional training centers, and send them back to their districts.
Seven of the most challenging police districts were chosen for the first training cycle. Three of them, including Shahjoy, were from Zabul province.
During the eight-week course at the Jalalabad regional training center, Shahjoy's police learned about general police duties, weapons, building clearance, first aid, human rights and Afghan law and culture. After graduating, the police returned to their district and police mentoring team advisors began the next phase: sustainment training and advising. Now that they've been trained what to do, Robinson explained, they need to practice how to do it.
The Afghan police officers will have to improve their skills quickly; after they returned to Shahjoy, Taliban insurgents also began returning to the area.
The commander of Nowrak patrol base, Lt. Fazal Rahman, took his men on a patrol and found a prepared fighting position with four rocket-propelled grenades for attacking passing trucks. It was only 25 meters from Highway One.
U.S. Army Capt. Dave Perry leads the Shahjoy district police mentoring team and has developed a patrol plan for the police officers. Rather than have them wait for trouble on the road, he wants them to patrol the nearby villages, where most of the security threats originate.
"Policing before was static," he said. "We're getting them out in the community to show the people some government representation so they know the police are there to help."
The next day, Rahman's men patrolled Nowrak village and Perry accompanied them through the village to introduce them to the village elders. The local citizens provide information, Perry said, and helping them is the heart of "community-based policing."
The police in Shahjoy no longer resemble a "posse," and officials hope having a professional police force will make the district seem less like the Wild West. Police Chief Mohammed Rasool said that perhaps someday the police in Shahjoy will need to carry only nightsticks – not guns.
(Navy Petty Officer 1st Class David M. Votroubek serves with the Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan Public Affairs Office.)
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Afghanistan Initiative Seeks District-by-District Police Reform
American Forces Press Service
Feb. 22, 2008 - On the outside, they look like any other police officer in Afghanistan, but if U.S. Army Col. James Klingaman is right, this group of 143 newly trained Afghan National Police might prove to be the best in Afghanistan. Klingaman, commander of Afghanistan Regional Security Integration Command West, addressed the new police officers at their graduation Feb. 21. This was the first Afghan National Police class for the Afghan government's focused district development initiative to be trained in Herat.
The initiative is a reform by the Afghan Interior Ministry designed to improve policing in Afghanistan district by district. It was developed by Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan officials to address issues of inadequate police training, poor equipment and corruption, which made it difficult for the police to provide public safety and internal security.
These police officers from the Bala-Beluk district in western Afghanistan have just graduated from Phase 3, in which their entire district was reorganized, re-equipped and retrained during an eight-week course. Civilian police instructors teach the initiative's courses at eight regional police training centers throughout the country.
Phase 4 will involve re-inserting the new police officers back into their districts, which should take about a week and will be the initiative's true test, said Army Col. Peter W. Foreman, deputy to the commanding general for police development for Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan.
"The real test will be this next week, when the police go back to their districts and we see how the people perceive them," Foreman said.
The police officers won't go back to Bala-Beluk alone. A mentoring team of U.S. soldiers will be there to help them use their newly taught policing skills. The senior enlisted mentor for that team is Army Master Sgt. John Welgos, who reminded the graduating class of their responsibility to protect the public.
"The eyes of the people will watch you closely," he said. "Stay on the path of good."
(From a Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan news release.)
Feb. 22, 2008 - On the outside, they look like any other police officer in Afghanistan, but if U.S. Army Col. James Klingaman is right, this group of 143 newly trained Afghan National Police might prove to be the best in Afghanistan. Klingaman, commander of Afghanistan Regional Security Integration Command West, addressed the new police officers at their graduation Feb. 21. This was the first Afghan National Police class for the Afghan government's focused district development initiative to be trained in Herat.
The initiative is a reform by the Afghan Interior Ministry designed to improve policing in Afghanistan district by district. It was developed by Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan officials to address issues of inadequate police training, poor equipment and corruption, which made it difficult for the police to provide public safety and internal security.
These police officers from the Bala-Beluk district in western Afghanistan have just graduated from Phase 3, in which their entire district was reorganized, re-equipped and retrained during an eight-week course. Civilian police instructors teach the initiative's courses at eight regional police training centers throughout the country.
Phase 4 will involve re-inserting the new police officers back into their districts, which should take about a week and will be the initiative's true test, said Army Col. Peter W. Foreman, deputy to the commanding general for police development for Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan.
"The real test will be this next week, when the police go back to their districts and we see how the people perceive them," Foreman said.
The police officers won't go back to Bala-Beluk alone. A mentoring team of U.S. soldiers will be there to help them use their newly taught policing skills. The senior enlisted mentor for that team is Army Master Sgt. John Welgos, who reminded the graduating class of their responsibility to protect the public.
"The eyes of the people will watch you closely," he said. "Stay on the path of good."
(From a Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan news release.)
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Neighborhood Checkpoints Keep Residents Safe
By Pfc. April Campbell, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service
Feb. 20, 2008 - Citizens in the northern Baghdad neighborhood of Qahira play a large role in securing their backyard through local checkpoints. Army Lt. Col. Michael Pemrick, deputy commander of the 4th Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team in Multinational Division Baghdad, said these "Sons of Iraq" forces are one of the key elements in the recent reduction of violence in the area.
Without the Sons of Iraq, the area would have more attacks on coalition and Iraqi forces and civilians by al Qaeda in Iraq and Iranian-trained and –funded 'special groups,' Pemrick said.
Pemrick stopped to visit with several Sons of Iraq at their checkpoints during a patrol here Feb. 14.
"The guys were alert," he said. "They had weapons; they had ammunition; they understood what their purpose was."
Pemrick also noted the protection level of the checkpoints as a marked improvement.
Mohamad Imad Shehab, a member of the neighborhood Sons of Iraq group working at one of the checkpoints, appeared confident his efforts were helping his community.
"I do feel that I am contributing to the neighborhood," Mohamad said through an interpreter. "I am doing my part to keep this place safe."
While the Sons of Iraq are an effective force, they ideally will be incorporated into and trained as official members of the Iraqi security forces, Pemrick said. "The idea is that these guys would eventually transition to become Iraqi police officer and work in the local communities where they are from to increase not only the manpower of the Iraqi police, but also their local presence and credibility, since it'll be local men that are actually policing the communities," he explained.
Because of the experience he gains as a Sons of Iraq member and his prior experience in the Iraqi army, Mohamad said, he hopes to be accepted into one of the Iraqi security forces.
Ultimately, the transition of the Sons of Iraq into the nation's security forces is the responsibility of the Iraqi government. "The Iraqi police and the Iraqi government are the ones who are making this happen," Pemrick said.
(Army Pfc. April Campbell serves in Multinational Division Baghdad with the 4th Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Feb. 20, 2008 - Citizens in the northern Baghdad neighborhood of Qahira play a large role in securing their backyard through local checkpoints. Army Lt. Col. Michael Pemrick, deputy commander of the 4th Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team in Multinational Division Baghdad, said these "Sons of Iraq" forces are one of the key elements in the recent reduction of violence in the area.
Without the Sons of Iraq, the area would have more attacks on coalition and Iraqi forces and civilians by al Qaeda in Iraq and Iranian-trained and –funded 'special groups,' Pemrick said.
Pemrick stopped to visit with several Sons of Iraq at their checkpoints during a patrol here Feb. 14.
"The guys were alert," he said. "They had weapons; they had ammunition; they understood what their purpose was."
Pemrick also noted the protection level of the checkpoints as a marked improvement.
Mohamad Imad Shehab, a member of the neighborhood Sons of Iraq group working at one of the checkpoints, appeared confident his efforts were helping his community.
"I do feel that I am contributing to the neighborhood," Mohamad said through an interpreter. "I am doing my part to keep this place safe."
While the Sons of Iraq are an effective force, they ideally will be incorporated into and trained as official members of the Iraqi security forces, Pemrick said. "The idea is that these guys would eventually transition to become Iraqi police officer and work in the local communities where they are from to increase not only the manpower of the Iraqi police, but also their local presence and credibility, since it'll be local men that are actually policing the communities," he explained.
Because of the experience he gains as a Sons of Iraq member and his prior experience in the Iraqi army, Mohamad said, he hopes to be accepted into one of the Iraqi security forces.
Ultimately, the transition of the Sons of Iraq into the nation's security forces is the responsibility of the Iraqi government. "The Iraqi police and the Iraqi government are the ones who are making this happen," Pemrick said.
(Army Pfc. April Campbell serves in Multinational Division Baghdad with the 4th Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team.)
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