Diggers called to help protect energy assets
ISLAMIC State has made a resurgence in western Iraq and parts of eastern Mosul, prompting an Iraqi appeal to Australia to extend its military training now to “energy police” to protect the country’s assets.
The move comes as there is confirmation ISIS has mastered the ability to convert offthe-shelf drones into guided missiles, dropping explosiveladen remote controlled aircraft onto Iraqi forces on the frontline.
There have been multiple injuries reported in the past 48 hours from up to 40 drones, but no deaths, although the strikes have slowed the advance of Iraqi troops.
While ISIS is nearing defeat in its self-declared Iraqi capital of Mosul, it has begun to resurge along the Euphrates River west of capital Baghdad, as well as in eastern Mosul, which was retaken by the Iraqis last year.
The resurgence is also being seen in Anbar’s provincial capital Ramadi where security forces are rushing to build a 45km long wall made up of trenches.
News Corp Australia has learnt the development has prompted a repositioning and expansion of the Australian military’s training regime of Iraqi security forces for the frontline assault on ISIS to now include paramilitary training of two different tranches of police.
Australian soldiers from Task Group Taji north of Baghdad have now been asked to train what’s known as “energy police” to protect the country’s vital assets, notably oil fields, electricity infrastructure and domestic supply lines.
This is on top of their commitment to train police in paramilitary tactics and urban warfare to help protect towns and villages liberated from ISIS, particularly in the Nineveh province of Mosul, and training of Iraqi soldiers for the frontline fight.
Lieutenant Colonel Chris Gardiner, commanding officer of the Taji training group, confirmed the training program had expanded to general police and energy police to give them military skillsets essential to put down “sleeper cells” of ISIS militants in Iraq and protect the country’s fragile economy.
He said the ISIS resurgence was aimed at “distracting” and drawing Iraqi security forces away from the frontline.