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Iraqi Army activates new 5th Brigade

By Staff Sgt. Raymond Piper
July 1, 2005

BAGHDAD, Iraq (Army News Service, July 1, 2005) – The Iraqi Army activated its 5th Brigade, 6th Division during a ceremony at Muthana Airfield June 29.

Iraqi soldiers in the eight-week long program received tactical and strategic training to allow them to defend their country against enemy threats.

“This is an important day for the people of Iraq,” said Maj. Gen. William G. Webster Jr., Task Force Baghdad commander. “These men before you are all volunteers and have sworn to defend Baghdad.”

“All of the TV stations are here so that the people can see the ceremony,” said Iraqi Army Col. Mohamed Hashim Al-Musawy, the 5th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army. “As our training goes on, the citizens, houses and the streets of Iraq will be safe. If the U.S. forces keep helping us in our training, we will control the Iraqi streets and we’ll protect the citizens from the explosions the terrorists make against the Iraqis.”

The newest Iraqi Army brigade will be responsible for defending the Green Zone and surrounding areas in Baghdad.

“I think they will play a vital role in the freedom of Iraq and Baghdad. With these Soldiers, they will show the American and Iraqi people that they are up to the task and can handle the job,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Taylor, 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment.

The brigade, made up of more than 2,500 Iraqi Soldiers, began training April 18 at Muthana Airfield. Soldiers from 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment and Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment worked with the fledgling Iraqi Soldiers.

“They have trained hard and worked hard to get where they are at today. The activation ceremony was a turning point for the brigade from training to actually doing patrols and securing the Green Zone,” Taylor said.

Soldiers were trained on a variety of tasks that they will use on the streets of Baghdad, such as reflexive fire, basic marksmanship and clearing rooms.

“I feel proud that the Iraqi soldiers can defend the country of Iraq,” Mohamed said. “I hope God will make them brave and keep them safe. We have soldiers that are very young, and we thought that they might fail, but because of the Americans that gave us good training they made it.”

Mohamed added that the Iraqi Soldiers now feel proud to be a part of the Iraqi Army.

“In the past they were scared to be one of the Iraqi Army Soldiers so no one from the terrorists would kill them, but now, there are many volunteers,” Mohamed said. “I learned from our training that they have high feelings (morale) about their training and they’ve proved it during the operations that they’ve had in Dora and Haifa Street, Abu Dasheer and Karada.”

“They may not be as good as American Soldiers today, but one day they will be just as good,” Taylor said. “They put their lives on the line every day, either at checkpoints or on patrols, and they are right beside us doing the same things we’re doing.”

Mohamed said that the Iraqi troops have been successful in these areas because of the U.S. Soldiers training and they will continue to get better.

“I hope the same unit will train the next brigade,” he said, “so the new soldiers will receive the highest level of training,”