26/08/2024
Following a meeting in Baghdad with representatives of the Iraqi Ministry of Interior, the need to provide national counter-terrorism experts has been underlined.
From right to left: Director of the CT-JUST Project and CT expert, representative of EUAM, and representatives of the M.O.I. Iraqi with her director of the Women's Police Training and Training Center
In the framework of the training and capacity building plan for Iraq 2024-2026, the European project CT-Just has held a meeting with the Director of the Women’s Police Training and Capacity Building Centre, Colonel Hala Hamid Kattan, and Colonel Mina from the Counter-Terrorism Division.
This meeting underlined the importance of increasing the participation of female police officers in the training activities of the CT-Just project, a crucial effort for their professionalisation and improvement in the Iraqi counter-terrorism fight. The meeting was attended by the director of CT-Just, the magistrate José María Fernández Villalobos, the Commissioner of the National Police and expert in CT, Esperanza Jalkh Guerrero, the representative and counter-terrorism expert of EUAM Anders GUSTAVSSON and the counter-terrorism expert of EEAS Michele Facciorusso.
The meeting focused on the need to ensure that Iraqi policewomen receive the same training and education as their male counterparts. Colonel Kattan and her team stressed that training in counter-terrorism investigation techniques and battlefield evidence collection, among others, are key training activities for the Women’s Training Centre, which has already benefited from previous CT-Just Project activities.
The conclusions of the meeting highlighted the need to optimise the selection of female candidates for training activities, and the willingness of the Women’s Training Centre to provide national counter-terrorism experts, thus promoting the exchange of experts and strengthening international cooperation and better understanding and knowledge of Iraq’s counter-terrorism culture. This cooperation not only strengthens the operational capabilities of police forces, but also promotes gender equality in an area crucial to national security.
This bilateral achievement reaffirms the commitment of CT-Just and the European Union in the fight against terrorism, consolidating the operational capabilities of the Iraqi police forces and guaranteeing compliance with human rights and international legal regulations. The collaboration with the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior has not only improved the investigative and scientific-police skills of Iraqi police officers participating in various courses and training activities carried out by the FIIAPPP Ct-Just Project, but has also fostered an environment collaborative and mutual understanding, essential for effective efforts in the fight against terrorism.
In conclusion, this activity marks another significant milestone in the CT-Just project, reaffirming the importance of specialized training and international cooperation in improving counterterrorism efforts in Iraq from a gender perspective with a claim to equality and inclusion. of policewomen in police activities to strengthen their professionalism in the fight against terrorism.
