Iraqi security forces have nearly 5,000 more personnel to assist as hold forces in eastern Mosul -- and eventually will fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in western Mosul -- following recent graduation ceremonies at Taji, Besmaya, Erbil and Al Asad Air Base.
At Taji and Besmaya, nearly two thousand Ninevah policemen graduated and are poised to assist in the fight against ISIS in Mosul.
Taking the Fight to ISIS
“Task Group Taji IV is proud to see them develop into an effective security force, ready to take the fight to ISIS,” said Australian Col. Richard Vagg, task group commander.
Australian and New Zealand Defense Force soldiers are the lead element at Task Group Taji IV, one of four Combined Joint Forces Land Component Command-led training locations in Iraq. Over the past month, the coalition provided infantry-based tactics, techniques and procedures to men who will play a major role in defending, holding and stabilizing liberated areas.
In Besmaya, Spanish coalition members led Ninevah police forces training.
Iraqi Police Trainees ‘Young, Determined’
"The police trainees are determined to defend their country against ISIS,” Vagg said. “They’re young and determined -- many of them come from Mosul where they’ve lost family members to ISIS’s campaign of terror.”
In addition, 300 Iraqi soldiers graduated from patrol and clearing techniques training at Al Asad Air Base. The training, led by the combined efforts of Danish, British, Latvian, Estonian and American forces, will ensure the Iraqi forces are operationally capable in their efforts to defeat ISIS.
The government of Iraq, supported by the Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve multinational coalition, launched the Mosul offensive in October 2016 to liberate Iraq’s second-largest city which was taken from them in 2014.
Liberation of Eastern Mosul
After three months of intense fighting, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the liberation of eastern Mosul Jan. 24. As the Iraqi security forces prepare to engage in the next phase of their operation, hold forces such as the Ninevah police will be essential to provide immediate support and security, enabling the ISF to focus on the western side of the Tigris River.
Combined Joint Force Land Component Command-Operation Inherent Resolve is the ground forces command that supports the Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve’s ongoing multinational coalition mission to defeat ISIS in Iraq.