Feb
They have been training iraqui soldiers and policemen on fighting the Islamic State
Some 140 soldiers from the Spanish Army Special Operations Command have trained more than 2,000 Iraqui soldiers and policemen over the past year in their fight against the Daesh (Arabic acronym for the Islamic State or IS). This support has been taking place since January 2014 at two instruction centers deployed by the international coalition in Iraq, located at Baghdad airport and at the Taji Air Base, 29 kilometers northeast of the capital.
In coordination with Special Operations Units from other International Coalition member countries that support Iraq in its fight against jihadist terrorism (such as Germany, United States, France, Italy and United Kingdom), this specific training is lead by the Spanish Army “Green Berets” coming from their base at Rabasa (Alicante). Spanish personnel has taught Iraqi military and security forces a number of specialization courses focused in urban warfare.
Tactics and procedures related to street advancement through an enemy seized town, “door by door” fighting and counter “booby trap” explosive devices are some of the topics taught in both theoretical and practical training sessions, together with providing medical first aid capability in urban scenarios, enhancing the leadership and decision-taking abilities and varied tactics at both individual and unit level, as well as improving snipers skills.
One of the trained units took the opportunity to put into use the newly acquired skills on occasion of the re-conquest of Ramadi, capital city of the Al Anbar province, freed by the Iraqi government months after it was seized by the Daesh.
