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Azerbaijanis end mission at Haditha Dam

Multi-National Force-Iraq

Wednesday, 03 December 2008
Multi-National Corps – Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
APO AE 09342

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RELEASE No. 20081203-07

Dec. 03, 2008

Azerbaijanis end mission at Haditha Dam

Multi National Force – West PAO

CAMP RIPPER, Iraq – Coalition forces thanked soldiers assigned to the 1st Azerbaijani Peacekeeping Company for their service in Iraq at a ceremony held on Al Asad Airbase Dec. 3 as the Azerbaijanis ended their mission in Iraq.

“This is a historic day for the nation of Iraq and the nation of Azerbaijan, but it’s a bittersweet day in the sense that we must say farewell to our partners in the Coalition,” said Maj. Gen. Michael Ferriter, deputy commanding general for operations, Multi-National Corps – Iraq.

The ceremony featured the Azerbaijani, Iraqi and American national anthems, a brief gift presentation and the casing of the Azerbaijani colors.

Azerbaijani forces began their mission in Iraq when a company arrived Aug. 15, 2003 to guard the Haditha Dam. Completed in 1987, the dam produces approximately one-third of Iraq’s power. Through 11 rotations, more than 1,000 Azerbaijanis served honorably in Iraq.

Members of the 1st Azerbaijani Peacekeeping Company have devoted the last year to continuing the mission of providing security for the dam, the most critical piece of infrastructure in western Anbar province.

The Azerbaijani soldiers manned all of the exterior checkpoints, searched the 630 dam employees as the latter entered the facilities every morning, escorted employees to shared areas of the structure and scanned the waters of Lake Qadisiyah to the north and the Euphrates to the south for insurgent activity.

During their tenure, the dam incurred no large-scale attacks and continued to develop as an integral source of Iraqi power.

Thanks to the Azerbaijanis’ efforts, control of the dam was transferred to the Iraqi government this afternoon in a ceremony attended by Al-Kumanji Mawafek Mohammed, Dirctor of Real Estate and Maj. Gen. Martin Post, Multi-National Force – West deputy commanding general.

“The victory story about the Azerbaijanis is that peace is breaking out in al-Anbar. Peace is breaking out in Iraq, and the Iraqi Security Forces, in this case the Iraqi Army, are taking control of the dam. They are on those positions now,” said Col Patrick Malay, the commanding officer of Camp Pendleton-based Regimental Combat Team 5. “The [Azerbaijanis] were a good, tough, well-disciplined organization.”

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