MAJ. TIMOTHY CHAVIS/U.S ARMY
In March 2015, more than 700 Iraqi Soldiers graduated from the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) Academy’s commando training after a tough two-month program in which one out of every five trainees drops out.
Multiple nations are contributing to the training of Iraqi security forces. That includes the Iraqi CTS Academy, which supports the CTS in its battle against Da’ish by providing about five courses annually. As special operations forces cannot be mass produced while maintaining their specialized skill set, the CTS is selective with its recruits, while still meeting the demands of the CTS battalions fighting Da’ish. Ensuring that the force remains representative of Iraqi society, recruits cover the range of the country’s religious sects, ethnicities, tribes and regions, which has helped build trust in the fight against Da’ish.
“Before Da’ish swept into Anbar, the CTS course was about 30 days long, but the CTS leadership knew they needed more training, so the new curriculum was developed in response to the current situation,” said Maj. Gen. Fallah, director of academia for the CTS Academy. “The training includes demanding physical fitness, urban warfare, multiple weapons training, tactical maneuvers and most importantly, how to work as a team and protect each other.”
Fallah said the training has become more organized and tougher over the past year with the help of coalition partners, who have added crucial new lessons on providing tactical medical care and dismantling improvised explosive devices.
Fallah said the training continues to develop based on feedback from the CTS units. In 2014, each CTS battalion rotated companies through the academy for refresher training with an emphasis on urban warfare.
Twenty-four graduating students were selected for a follow-on sniper course, but according to Fallah, the rest are needed at their battalions to continue CTS gains against Da’ish.
“Many Soldiers have been wounded or killed during the fight against Da’ish, and the [CTS] battalions need new Soldiers who are ready to fight the enemy, not to protect just Iraq, but to protect all the world because Da’ish is dangerous for the whole world.”