Sgt. Frankie Hibberd (far right), of 150th Armored Reconnaissance Squadron, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, uses hand gestures and animated facial expressions to teach nine members of the Daughters of Iraq search techniques at an old high school in Yusifiyah, June 12. Photo by Spc. Ruth McClary, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team.

Loud chatter filled the room as ten women from the Daughters of Iraq (DoI) gathered at an old high school in Yusifiyah, south of Baghdad, to train new-hires, update information in the U.S. forces database and discuss present conditions with U.S. Army officers, June 12.

The DoI female security program, an unarmed spin-off of the Sons of Iraq, started in October 2008. They work with the Iraqi Police to search women at checkpoints in an attempt to reduce female suicide bombers and the threat of male bombers who may dress up like women.

“This is one step in the process to help eliminate suicide bombers,” said Capt. Walter Hatfield, 150th Armored Reconnaissance Squadron (ARS), about the DoI. “They do not carry weapons; their weapon is intuition.”

Female Soldiers of the 150th ARS served as training aids for the women to practice search techniques. Three DoI new-hires practiced those techniques with Sgt. Frankie Hibberd, of Company D, 230th Brigade Support Battalion.

“Tell them, remember when they came in, I searched them,” said Hibberd to the interpreter. “Tell them to practice on me.”

Communication during the class was more visual than vocal as Hibberd used animated facial expressions and hand gestures to break language barriers when the interpreter was busy.

The women were entertained as she drew a question mark in the air to explain questioning suspects with large sums of money and the women gasped when Hibberd pulled out a small knife that a trainee missed during her mock search.

Hadia Hamwed Alwan, a DoI widow whose husband was killed by an insurgent bomb, smiled at Hibberd and said in English, “I love her, I love her!”

After the class, the women discussed their current status with Hatfield and Capt. Jason Bowen, from B Troop, 150th ARS. Hatfield and Bowen are negotiating with the Iraqi Police to extend the DoI’s contract from June 30 to December.

“Although the program is well appreciated, these women have been working for three months and want to know when they will be paid,” said Entasar Yosif Yakoub, the manager of the 55 DoI workers in that area.

According to Hatfield, the change of command and misplaced paperwork is the cause of the pay issues for the women. Most of them are divorced or widows with children and are the sole providers for their households.

The women’s workday is from 7 a .m. to 6 p.m., three days a week, 15 days a month and they are paid about $250 a month. Yet, most of them have not received any pay since they started, said Yakoub.

It’s a great concern officials are working on. Another concern is what will happen to the women after their DoI employment.

Hatfield asked Yakoub to attend the weekly community meetings and push for women’s rights, giving the women another course of action after DoI.

“Start attending the weekly community meetings now to push women’s rights, discuss medical needs and education so the women can get into these fields once DoI comes to an end,” said Hatfield.

At the end of the day, the DoI expressed their concerns to listening ears. Just a few years ago these women walked behind their men carrying loads. Now as DoI, they stand behind their country by seizing weapons and helping to keep their streets safer.

“You are helping to protect your community and families; this is a good thing you all are doing here in Yusifiyah,” Hatfield said as he addressed the women.

“I joined the DoI to support my kids and to help all of Iraq become safer,” said Hozei Jasim, one of the new trainees.

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By Spc. Ruth McClary
30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team

Today’s Bloggers’ Roundtable was with Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Kulmayer, Chief of Reconciliation and Engagement, Multi-National Corps – Iraq, OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM. He discussed the on-going transfer of the Sons of Iraq [SoI] to the Iraqi government.

The Sons of Iraq is a program developed by Coalition forces based upon the success seen in al Anbar Province with the Anbar Awakening. The Awakening was a largely volunteer effort that predated the SoI progam by nearly a year.

The SoI were locals who were recruited for infrastructure security duties within their community. They use their personal weapons and guard buildings, operate security checkpoints and patrol highways.

At its height, the SoI program employed 94,000 men in 9 provinces. Some 800 contracts were in place allowing these SoI to be paid by the Coalition. Overall hiring ended in June 2008.

Kulmayer told us that on October 1, 2008, the SoI in Baghdad were transferred to Iraqi authority. This was about 51,000 men hired under 385 contracts. Diyala Province transferred next, moving another 9,000 men onto the Iraqi payroll.

The Colonel stated that all the Sons of Iraq would be on the Iraqi payroll after March 1 of 2009, barring any complications. The Ministry of Defense has control over these units but the payroll come from the National Reconciliation budget. As of today’s interview, about 75% of the total number of SoI are being paid by the Iraqis.

The SoI are about 85% Sunni and the remainder are Shia. Kulmayer has seen little ethnic tension, either in the existing program or after the transfers to Iraqi authority.

The goal is to integrate about 20% of the SoI into the Iraqi Security Forces, and to find the remainder employment with the government or in the private sector. Training programs are being developed or underway. Until an alternate job is found, the SoI will continue their duties and be paid by the Iraqi government.

About 3,000 former SoI have been hired by the Iraqi Police, and another 1,600 have been found employment elsewhere. The process is slow but new programs will be coming on line as time passes.

The SoI have been in battle and have suffered because of it. In 2008, LTC Kulmayer reports about 500 were killed and about 750 wounded. Pay varies for the SoI, with those in Baghdad being paid $300 a month and those in al Anbar $130 monthly.

There are about 800 Iraqi women in the Daughters of Iraq program, 400 in Baghdad and the remainder throughout the country. The women are not part of the SoI integration plan. Those in Baghdad are under Iraqi authority and paid by them. The 400 women outside Baghdad remain controlled by and paid by the Coalition.

The Colonel made it quite clear that the Iraqi government sees the SoI as important and as a critical part of the nationwide reconciliation process. The Diyala Provincial Governor recently stated that the SoI ‘saved Diyala”.

Unemployment remains high in Iraq and complicates the placement of SoI. Security forces are at or near budgeted manpower levels which slows the integration of the 20% of SoI into the forces, as do educational requirements for many of the positions.

LTC Kulmayer was upbeat with his report. He continually remarked on the “amazing progress” made by the Iraqi government and sounded very encouraged by the anticipated future progress in integrating the SoI with the government.

For additional information:
Daughters of Iraq / Lioness program

SoI and Iraqi Police

The continuing empowerment of women in Iraq.

Iraqi women graduated from a security training course at the Alabarrah Police Station in the Diyala Province of Iraq to become members of the Daughters of Iraq July 13.

One-hundred-and-thirty women attended the course and 70 represented them at the graduation.

Several Iraqi children celebrated the occasion by joyfully belting out the Iraqi National Anthem to a crowd of women ready to assist with the protection of their nation.

“We have seen some courageous, strong women stand up and volunteer for this training to help defend their country,” said Lt. Col. Robert McAleer, commander, Fires Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, as he addressed the crowd of graduates.

The Daughters of Iraq is a sister organization to the Sons of Iraq that seeks to employ more Iraqi women in roles that help provide and improve security for their nation.

“The four-day course the Iraqi women attended focused mainly on searching vehicles and personnel for weapons and explosives,” said Capt. Charles Knoll, commander, Charlie Battery, Fires Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment. “There’s a critical need to have Iraqi females who can help search other Iraqi females. This will help us better detect and deter female suicide bombers in the future.”

They have performed excellently in the training they have received over the last week. You can really see they have a willingness to do what is necessary to secure their villages, said Knoll.

“At first, you could tell some of the Iraqi women were hesitant. They were a little shy, but they’ve really opened up and embraced the training,” said 2nd Lt. Rachel Roberts, a Fire Support Officer with Charlie Battery, Fires Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment.

The recent upsurge in female suicide bombers in the Diyala Province was one factor in the creation of the Daughters of Iraq.

There was a need to have more Iraqi women who were qualified to search other Iraqi women and this course will allow that to occur.

Around 130 Iraqi women attended the course led by Iraqi Police to become members of the Daughters of Iraq.

The Daughters of Iraq graduation was the first to occur in the Diyala region. The goal is to continue the program and seek to enroll more women in the course. “What we have seen here today is leadership and vision,” said McAleer.

The recent graduates will now be stationed throughout the Diyala Province in key locations where their expertise will be put to use improving security.

MNF-I

As part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Task Force Rogue worked with the Sons of Iraq to thwart criminal activity in the Al Mansour District of northwest Baghdad for 13 months.

Now the plan is to add women to the ranks.

On, May 17, 31 women from the Adil and Jamia neighborhoods of northwest Baghdad began training to become part of the Daughters of Iraq.

The 10-day training program was held at the Joint Security Station in Adil. There Soldiers incorporated hands-on-instruction with classroom activities to teach women basic military skills.

The women learned how to search rooms, how to handle Kalashnikov rifles and how to identify the threat of a suicide bomber.

The program was designed to give women the skills necessary to conduct operations alongside their Iraqi brethren.

After graduation the women will use these skills to shore up security at schools, checkpoints and government buildings.

The Daughters of Iraq will give Iraqi security forces the ability to combat the increasing threat of females being used as suicide bombers.

“The Iraqi culture has some strict rules on how men should treat women,” said Maj. Christopher Budihas, a plans officer with 1st Bn., 64th AR. “A lot of times they will not search women because of these cultural rules.”

The Daughters of Iraq presence at checkpoints will be an acknowledgement of these cultural rules.

They will also assist security forces with routine house searches where it is not uncommon to find a house full of men, children and women.

Capt. John Dixon commander of Co. A said the goal is to search everyone and to do it within Iraqi cultural standards.

After graduation the new recruits will work in Adil and Jamia.

Dixon also said TF Rogue hopes the success of the program will encourage more women to train and in turn double the amount of women in the program.

DVIDS