Joint Operations Meet Challenges In Basra
One of the challenges in Iraq overall has been the successful hand off of security operations from coalition forces to the Iraqi National Police and Iraqi National Army. The coalition Operation Charge of Knights has been working well toward that end, helping slowly relinquish the job of security to the Iraqi forces as they come online and become trained.
The Iraqi Police and Iraqi Army have been slowly becoming more and more proficient in dealing with criminals and insurgents, and have began a series of daily patrol efforts in the different districts in and around Basra, in some cases slowly going house to house to help reinforce and maintain the rule of law.
Policemen are working hard along with Iraqi soldiers to make sure that the elements that are identified as criminals are kept out of the city, and working to interact more with the local citizens than before. The training that the Iraqi police and Iraq army are getting from the Coalition forces is allowing the slow transition, and as the soldiers and police officers become more professional, they are slowly gaining the trust of the citizens.
Checkpoints, daily patrols, even the involvement of groups such as the Sons of Iraq are all working to give the general population more confidence in their government and police. This is key to winning back the hearts and minds of the Iraqi Basra Citizen.
