CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, TIKRIT, Iraq - Iraqi Police took control of Joint Security Station Siniyah from the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division during a transfer ceremony March 8. The Iraqi Police in the area are now fully responsible for providing security for the people of Siniyah.
"Today, March 8, is a historical event for the Iraqi Police in the area of Siniyah where we have assumed responsibility over this area of operation from the Coalition Forces," said Lt. Col. Khalid Fahad Muhamed, Siniyah Iraqi Police Chief. "This ceremony is a great symbol and proclamation to the people of Iraq that Iraqi Police are capable of taking the lead of security from Coalition Forces," he continued.
With the new security agreement, Coalition Forces have a deadline to be out of Iraqi cities by June. This is the second in a series of small U.S. outposts to be transitioned to the Government of Iraq in the Salah ad-Din province.
"Today I am overjoyed and thrilled to see the Iraqi Police step forward and take charge of the security of all of Siniyah," said Col. Walter Piatt, brigade commander, 3rd Inf. Bde. Combat Team, 25th Inf. Div. "The Iraqi Police in this area are more than ready-they're well equipped, well trained and well led. We will be here available for our brothers when they need us, all they have to do is call and we will be ready to help," he said.
The Joint Security Station in Siniyah is an ideal location, in the heart of Siniyah, enabling the Iraqi Police to respond quickly to the needs of the people, and it provides an operational local IP station for the people of Siniyah, taking the pressure off the district IP station there, according to Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Gehosky, 561st Military Police Company, operations non-commissioned officer, attached to 2nd Bn., 27th Inf. Regt., 3rd Infantry Bde. Combat Team, 25th Inf. Div. There are now two Iraqi Police stations in Siniyah.
During the ceremony an Imam recited a verse from the Koran, and local city leaders spoke as Iraqi Police stood in ranks, poised to take on the responsibility of providing security for the people of Siniyah.
"Since I was a child, being a policeman has always been a choice for me because of the amount of policeman I have in my family," said Khudir Muhamed Ajaj, a Siniyah Policeman. "I believe in the French proverb, 'to be a policeman or not to be,'-- at the end of the day, all of us in uniform serve to provide security and protection for our families and to our country," he added.
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