Yesterday in Erbil (Iraq), the change ceremony of the Commander of the Kurdistan Training Coordination Center (KTCC), the unit of the Coalition in charge of training the Kurdish security forces, took place.
In the presence of the highest political and military authorities of the Autonomous Region of Kurdistan and in the presence of the deputy commander general for training at the Combined Joint Forces Land Component Command - Operation Inherent Resolve (CJFLCC-OIR) in Baghdad and commander of the Italian contingent, Brigadier General FM Ceravolo was given Italy the Command. For the next six months the command of the training unit, which coordinates the training provided by the instructors of the 9 contributing nations, is in fact entrusted to Colonel L. Cucciniello.
Il Kurdish Training Coordination Center (KTCC) is composed of approximately 350 men and women from Italy, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Finland, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey and Hungary who are part of the "global coalition" created in September 2014 to defeat international terrorism and Daesh .
Since it was established, in January 2015, the Peshmerga belonging to the Kurdish Security Forces, trained by Italian instructors, are about 10.800.
The training cycles capable of simultaneously forming 2 entire battalions (approximately 1.400 units) have a total duration of 9 weeks which in this specific post-Mosul-oriented stabilization phase are centered on training aimed at protecting the population, infrastructures and territory control.
This activity of training today finds its main effort also in the so-called “T3” (Train the Trainers) and “Battalion Staff Course” courses with which the Italian personnel contribute to the training of future cadres of the Peshmerga Units up to brigade level.
Furthermore, the C-IED (Counter - Improvise Explosive Device) provided in the BPC (Building Partner Capacity) that developed in two directions: as EOD courses (Explosive Ordinance Disposal), therefore in favor of personnel specialized in the research, identification and safety of improvised explosive devices and as EHAT courses (Explosive Hazard Awareness Training) in favor of all Kurdish security forces in acquiring awareness and capacity in high risk IED environments (Improvise Explosive Device).
Italy contributes to the "Inherent Resolve" operation to combat international terrorism with the "First Parthica" mission: around 1500 Armed Forces soldiers are employed in the Baghdad and Erbil offices, in the training of Kurdish security forces and Iraqi.
