Babil Province Police Recruiting Effort Draws 1,100
Iraqis compete for police jobs, undeterred by recent insurgent attacks on the fledgling Iraqi security forces
FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq, Jan. 14, 2005 — Nearly 1,100 Iraqis converged on a police recruiting center south of Baghdad Jan. 13 to compete for 100 jobs at police stations throughout northern Babil Province, according to 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit officials.
The large turnout came as a pleasant surprise to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which has teamed with local police chiefs to steadily build their forces. A recruiting call is conducted about once a month, and the number of applicants is usually just enough to cover the number needed.
"These individuals felt safe enough to come here and obviously safe enough to become Iraqi policemen," U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Matt Sasse
Marines attribute the surge to the intervention of prominent sheiks in the area, who have recently begun signaling to the Marines their interest in assuming a greater role in fostering security and stability in the province.
Maj. Matt Sasse, operations officer for Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment - the expeditionary unit's ground combat element - said he believes the Marines' aggressive efforts to defeat an insurgent-driven campaign of intimidation and terror are paying off.
"These individuals felt safe enough to come here and obviously safe enough to become Iraqi policemen," he said. "1,100 is a huge number for 100 slots."
Insurgents have in recent months targeted the fledgling Iraqi security forces, including police officers and stations. In northern Babil, insurgents scored a string of successes last summer before the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which arrived in July, helped Iraqi forces turn things around.
Repeated attempts to destroy the Rashid station north of Mahmudiyah failed. The most recent came Dec. 12, when Iraqi police and national guardsmen decisively repelled a coordinated attack by at least 10 militants using mortars, rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns and assault rifles. In a subsequent sweep of the area, 34 suspected insurgents were rounded up.
The successful defense of the Rashid station represented an important psychological victory for the local Iraqi security forces, who were not yet strong enough earlier this year to prevent the destruction by insurgents of police stations in other south-central cities and towns, including Iskandariyah, Jurf as Sakhr, Haswah and Lutafiyah.
Over the past six months, Marines and the Iraqis they're supporting have spread out across northern Babil province and southern Baghdad, establishing joint patrol bases in what had been "no-go" zones for U.S. and Iraqi forces and sending a message of unflinching resolve.
With sustained presence and reinforcing firepower provided by the Marines, the Iraqi security forces have begun to thrive. Local police, in particular, are growing increasingly confident and capable.
In recent weeks, police in northern Babil investigated and recovered a stolen fire truck in Eskan; joined the Marines in searches for weapons and ordnance; stepped up their unilateral patrolling; began manning checkpoints alongside the Iraqi National Guard in Tounis; and recovered missing equipment belonging to multinational forces.
Though kidnappings and murders have led to some attrition, recruitment continues to rise.
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