Australian troops serving in southern Iraq as part of Operation Catalyst have delivered a training program for 750 Iraqi soldiers who will be sent to Baghdad in support of the Baghdad Security Plan.

The Iraqi soldiers from the 2nd Battalion of the 3rd Brigade based in the Dhi Qar province will be sent to Baghdad to support counter-insurgency operations.

The training, conducted by Australian and British troops, was conducted at an Iraqi Army Barracks on the outskirts of Al Gharraf, north of An Nasiriyah and focused on further refining the light infantry skills of the Iraqi soldiers.

The training included the conduct of contact drills, vehicle patrols, vehicle check points, house clearance tactics and first aid.

About 100 soldiers from the Overwatch Battle Group (West)-Two, (OBG(W)-2), based at Ali Air Base, Tallil in Dhi Qar province, were involved in the training.

Officer Commanding the Australian element Major Richard Bushby said many of the Iraqi soldiers were already well skilled, but the additional training gave them a chance to further refine their skills ahead of the Baghdad operations.

“One of the roles that the overwatch battle group performs is the mentoring and training of the Iraqi Security Forces, which is designed to increase their capacity and their ability to be able to confront the insurgency in Iraq and what we have been doing is a key part of that,” said Major Bushby.

Major James Kennedy, the Officer Commanding the British element from 19th United Kingdom Brigade (Forward) which is collocated with the Australians at Tallil, added that training was critical for the Iraqis.

“I think because they want to learn and they recognise that in the British and Australian structures, we’ve got a lot to offer, they have taken things on and they are certainly a more well prepared unit,” Major Kennedy said.

OBG(W)-2 has been conducting other training activities with the International Security Force in Dhi Qar and Al Muthanna as the local authorities continue to strengthen their capabilities maintaining the security situation in the two provinces.

More than 500 soldiers, drawn mostly from Darwin’s Robertson Barracks, are serving with OBG(W)-2.


Training in Iraq - Operation Catalyst fact sheet