IRAQ: IRAQI SECURITY FORCES TAKE OVER RESPONSIBILITY FOR GUARDING STRETCH OF BORDER WITH IRAN

Record ID: 647856

  • Title: IRAQ: IRAQI SECURITY FORCES TAKE OVER RESPONSIBILITY FOR GUARDING STRETCH OF BORDER WITH IRAN
  • Date: 28th September 2003
  • Summary: (W7) QUANQIN, ON IRAN-IRAQ BORDER (SEPTEMBER 27, 2003) (REUTERS) 1. MV TWO U.S. SOLDIERS IN TRADITIONAL CALVARY UNIFORMS HOLDING U.S. FLAG 0.03 2. SCU IRAQ SOLDIER HOLDING IRAQ FLAG; SLV /SCU LINE OF IRAQI BORDER POLICE; SCU WEAPONS (4 SHOTS) 0.19 3. MV/ SLV FLAG HANDOVER CEREMONY; PEOPLE APPLAUDING (5 SHOTS) 0.47 4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRIGADIER-COLONEL BARBERO SAYING "And now the border police are up and operating too. So everytime we can turn a mission over to an Iraqi and not another American or another coalition force, that's what we want for the future and that's our goal." 0.59 5. SLV/LV IRAQI BORDER POLICE MARCHING 1.07 6. MV IRAN-IRAQ BORDER POINT (ZERO POINT); MV MOSAIC PICTURES OF IRANIAN AYATOLLAHS (2 SHOTS) 1.16 7. SLV PEOPLE WAITING TO CROSS BORDER; SMV WALL WITH IRANIAN POSTERS;L SLV WOMEN WAITING TO CROSS; MV MAN CHECKING PASSPORT (4 SHOTS) 1.28 8. SCU U.S. SOLDIER WITH BINOCULARS LOOKING INTO IRAN; SLV BORDER AREA; SLV U.S. SOLDIERS LOOKING THROUGH WALL; SLV U.S. SOLDIER STICKING HIS FOOT THROUGH GATE TO TOUCH IRANIAN SOIL; SLV U.S. SOLDIERS TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OF IRANIAN SIDE (8 SHOTS) 2.02 9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SPECIALIST MILAKOV SAYING "The last time I actually really heard much about Iran was 1980 with the hostages. And now I'm probably twemty metres from the border. I never in my life thought I would be here. It's pretty, it's impressive." 2.16 10. SLV PEOPLE NEAR BORDER 2.21 11. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SERGEANT PICKET SAYING "It's definitely weird being this close to Iran. Definitely. With all the people around and the pictures of the Ayatollahs over there, it's weird." 2.29 12. SCU U.S. SOLDIERS PHOTOGRAPHING EACH OTHER AT ZERO POINT 2.33 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 13th October 2003 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: QUANQIN, IRAQ
  • Country: Iraq
  • Reuters ID: LVAAFK5ZJAA23YJQXCGX8GX43SKN
  • Story Text: Iraqi security forces take over responsibility for
    guarding a stretch of the border with Iran.

    Heralded as a high-profile success, U.S. troops on
    Saturday (September 27, 2003) gave a new Iraqi security force
    responsibility for guarding a stretch of the border with
    Iran.

    It was the first time since the toppling of Saddam
    Hussein that Iraqis were fully in control of a section of
    their border. The 335 km (208 mile) stretch runs from
    mainly Kurdish populated territory in the north to a point
    east of Baghdad.

    The United States has trained and equipped the
    1,200-strong Iraqi Border Force over the past three months,
    drawing mainly from the local population, including former
    police and troops.

    U.S. officials say foreign guerrillas have sneaked into
    Iraq to link up with Saddam loyalists and fight the U.S.

    occupation.

    The area under the force's control has become a magnet
    for people smugglers on both sides of the border, who take
    advantage of thousands of Iranian pilgrims seeking to visit
    holy sites in Iraq which had been off limits since the
    1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.

    Since the end of August, U.S. and Iraqi border guards,
    in training until now, have briefly detained some 14,000
    pilgrims.

    Iraqi force commander Colonel Nazim Sherif Mohammad, a
    Kurd, said the priority was to help pilgrims as they try to
    reach holy sites, and to screen for anti-U.S. infiltrators.

    U.S. officers said training was easier because the
    force is "predominantly Kurds", who regard U.S. forces as
    liberators, not occupiers, due to their persecution during
    Saddam's rule.

    The pilgrims are dumped in Iran about two kms (1.2 miles)
    from the border and walk another 10 kms (six miles) to a main
    road in Iraq where they are picked up by other smugglers.


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