Germany supports explosives training for Anbar police

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The German government is supportinga 75-day training course in Anbar with €4.5 million to teach the local police how to handle explosive remnants left by the Islamic State (IS).

The training, jointly organized by the Iraqi Ministry of Interior and the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), will educate local police in explosive ordnance disposal and improvised explosive devices disposal.

The local police will receive training from UNMAS and Police Instructors.

Explosive hazards left by IS continue to pose a significant risk for people returning to their homes, as well as for the security services providing the initial response to the explosives threat.

The Kurdistan Region continues to bear the brunt of the wave of displacement caused by the extremist group’s emergence in Iraq and Syria in mid-2014.

According to statistics by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Kurdistan is home to over 1.4 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees. The KRG has relied on its own resources to support the influx of displaced persons.

“Explosive hazard clearance remains of the utmost importance in order to allow displaced people to return to their homes. Such clearances are a vital part of our stabilization efforts,” Cyrill Jean Nunn, Ambassador of Germany to Iraq, stated. 

“Therefore, Germany remains committed to supporting UNMAS in this important task,” Nunn added.

“Capacity enhancement support to enable local police response to explosive hazards is critical for the re-establishment of the rule of law in liberated areas,” Pehr Lodhammar, UNMAS Senior Programme Manager, said. 

Since January 2018, over 370 police officers have been trained as first responders, and 30 police officers are now able to instruct other officers in Anbar and Kirkuk Governorates.

Germany remains the largest contributor to UNMAS in Iraq, providing a total of €44.2 million since 2016.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany