Troops with the 1st Infantry Division's 1-26th infantry dismount from a Bradley fighting vehicle in exercise at the Hohenfels training area, southern Germany, on Tuesday, March 7, 2006. At the Hohenfels Training Area (HTA), the second largest of the three U.S.-controlled major training facilities in Europe, the U.S. Army prepares their soldiers for special needs in conflict regions in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq.
(AP Photo/Thomas Langer)
1st Infantry to train Iraq, Afghan forces
WASHINGTON --The U.S. 1st Infantry Division will provide support teams to help Iraqi and Afghan troops take the lead in counterinsurgency and security missions in their countries, the Army said Saturday.
The division at Fort Riley, Kan., was chosen to provide "small unit transition teams" of 10 to 15 members to assist the local troops in assuming the key role in the war zones from American and coalition forces.
The U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East and Southwest Asia, requested the operation as "a vital element" in its strategy for success in Iraq and Afghanistan, an Army statement said.
The 1st Division's 1st Brigade, backed by the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Armored Division, will create a permanent force of 800 soldiers to organize and deploy 3,500 to 4,000 troops for the training and mission transfers over the course of a year, the statement said.
The operation is expected to last several years, the Army said.
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