Story and photo by COMBINED JOINT TASK FORCE-OPERATION INHERENT RESOLVE
For one Kurdish-born Soldier, joining the Iraqi security forces and training at one of the building-partner-capacity sites will better enable him and his Iraqi brethren to defeat Daesh. Cpl. Ayob Khursheed Rasheed said there is no mistaking the threat that Daesh poses.
“Our enemy does not discriminate between our uniform or what country we come from,” he said. “We want to kill Daesh and clear the whole of Iraq of them.”
Despite the long road ahead, Rasheed said he hopes one day all Iraqi people will be free of danger and terrorist organizations like Daesh.
“The Iraqi flag represents the whole country; it represents the Kurdish and the Arabs. It represents everyone who lives in Iraq under one flag. It represents the Iraqi people,” he said. “For me, I was with an Iraqi division that was separated; they reassigned me to the peshmerga, and now I am serving with the Iraqi Army again.”
Rasheed has sacrificed much for his country and was determined to serve in the Army following the horrifying acts committed by Daesh.
“I came here with my brothers to defend Iraq against Daesh,” he said. “Daesh has raped our women, killed our families and pushed us from our lands. We are all hurt so badly that we have volunteered to defend the country and our families.”
Originally from Kirkuk in northern Iraq, Rasheed is the only son in his household. “My mom didn’t want me to join the Iraqi Army but [my family] is really proud I am serving and defending the country,” he said.
Rasheed received training as part of the “building partner capacity” mission and expressed gratitude for the skills he is learning. But he realizes the fight against Daesh rests with him and his country.
“The Iraqi people need to support the Iraqi Army by providing information on terrorists,” Rasheed said. “My hope is that the whole Iraqi population and all the people in Iraq cooperate because the Iraqi Army cannot fight and defeat Daesh by itself.”