ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Peshmerga soldiers at the Zeravani Training Base just outside of Erbil were awarded certificates on Thursday after completing a nine-and-a-half week training course. The course was run by the Kurdistan Training Coordination Center (KTCC) from February 28 through to Thursday, May 5. The KTCC is made up of instructors from the militaries of Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, Norway and Hungary -- all of whom are members of the multinational United States-led coalition fighting ISIS. The course, which taught the Peshmerga infantry tactics, is a part of the coalition’s plan to build professional Peshmerga brigades based on US Army specifications. The Peshmerga have also been provided with equipment from the US, including body armor, helmets, first aid kits, and M16 assault rifles. Rows of High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs, Humvees) and Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAPs) vehicles were also present at Thursday’s award ceremony. The Peshmerga thanked their coalition advisors for helping them attain their new military skills. Then the newly trained personnel saluted their instructors, shook their hands, and received their “Certificates of Training”. The Peshmerga reiterated their vow to defend the Kurdish people and nation while continuing to respect human rights. Coalition personnel trained these Peshmerga in a variety of fields that must be mastered before entering battle against ISIS, everything from intelligence to physical training, including signals training, how to disarm improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and first aid. They were also shown how to use their new weapons for both offensive and defensive operations. The German commander of the KTCC, Colonel Bernd Prill, expressed his satisfaction with how the course had gone. “Our US allies have provided the Peshmerga with the equipment they need for the current fight,” he said. Prill also pointed out that ISIS is a threat to everyone, indicating that assisting the Peshmerga is in the self-interest of the coalition countries, which are also at risk of falling victim to ISIS terrorist attacks. “We achieved what was possible to achieve in these short few weeks” one of the German military instructors told Rudaw English. “Of course they will need more training in the future and will have to rehearse the skills they have learned in recent weeks.”
