Defense forces send new team of instructors to Iraq
A new team of instructors of the Estonian Defence Forces took over their duties in Iraq this week. The Estonian team will continue to train members of the Iraqi security forces alongside Danish, Latvian, Lithuanian, American, and British instructors.
Before heading to Iraq, the instructors underwent a six-week preparation program in Denmark. The Estonian service members are stationed in Iraq’s western province of Anbar, and are part of the Danish contingent there, a press release of the Estonian Defence Forces (EDF) stated.
The team about to be replaced by the new contingent has trained close to 250 members of the Iraqi security forces from the border guard and police as well as combat units, whose direct task it is to liberate towns and villages from Daesh/ISIS fighters. The EDF’s instructors also trained the air force units who guard the Al Asad base, where the Estonian personnel are stationed.
The commanding officer of the previous team, Cpt. Rainer Samarokov, said that the level of preparation of Iraqi units varied widely, which required different approaches to training. New recruits were easier to train, and better results had been achieved with them, he added.
Editor: Editor: Dario Cavegn
Source: BNS
