East Los Angeles, Calif. native 2nd Lt. Lauren Cabral, a maintenance officer with the 3rd Infantry Division's 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, helps an Iraqi woman get comfortable with the AK-47 automatic rifle during a weapons familiarization class, Oct. 10, that was part of the training for the first group of female Iraqi security volunteers in Baghdad's Adhamiyah neighborhood. Photo by Sgt. Michael Pryor, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Public Affairs
The reports coming out of Iraq, while many are cautious, seem almost uniformly good. Even the Washington Post is reporting progress from some of their most pessimistic writers. Now, here comes a story (h/t first to John of OPSEC here then to The Captain’s Journal here) about Iraqi women learning security techniques from American soldiers, military press release here: read it all!
Let me see…deaths of US GI’s and Iraqi civilians are declining, Marine Colonel Simcock is reporting success in Anbar, and now Iraqi women are learning how to shoot AK’s? WOW! Last weekend, I was at party and a Joint Staff friend of mine updated me from his son in Iraq. Two years ago, they couldn’t leave the base and were receiving incoming constantly. Now, they are actually rebuilding infrastructure and are out and about all the time. What changed, the locals got tired and pissed off. He said a few months ago, a local Sheik got so fed up with Al Qaeda that he walked down the street with his guys and started pointing out Al Qaeda and his men….well…took a little sword justice to their necks.
I, personally, am cautiously optimistic. To all in the AO: Drive on and keep safe!