Zip tied and Blindfolded

We went out with the AF MPS today to see the Iraqi police operate. There were some pretty big differences in the way the AF does business than the way I’m used to seeing the Army and Marines do it.

The MPs don’t keep their weapons on them. They are all kept in an armory whenever they aren’t on a mission. So each time they are going to head out, they spend about two or three hours drawing weapons, checking and cleaning their vehicles, briefing and doing practice drills.

At first I thought the whole routine would be a waste of time. But, as they crawled over their humvees checking them over, and mounting weapons, I was impressed with the attention to detail. A few issues were discovered and corrected before heading out the gate.

There was also a couple of females on the mission. One was a .50 cal gunner and was no different than any of the airmen on the mission.

The patrol was very organized but relaxed. The drivers communicated with the gunners and the gunners swiveled and covered all the angles as we drove a crazy route through the city to avoid the main roads and the IEDs that were surely laid upon them.

We wound up at Hy al Amil patrol police station.A police station that I remember being at with the 101st way back in March 2003. A large VBID went off a few blocks away disabling a styker vehicle.

The MPs brought a bunch of office supplies to help out the IPs, but the big meeting was to discuss the IED that struck and injured two airmen from the MP squad. The three police that were supposed to be at a checkpoint weren’t around when the IED went off.

Turns out there was a legit excuse, but the episode made the Iraqi’s aware of some pretty big gaps in their communication and reporting procedures. The question is whether they will doing anything to address the problems.

While we were waiting to leave, a police pick-up pulled in to the compound. As it drove past, the lowered tailgate revealed the soles of a pair of shoes. In those shoes was a middle aged Iraqi man, blindfolded, hands zip-tied behind his back, and shot through the head.

It was terror. It was a message. All the police got it. I don’t think much is going to change very soon.