Press Releases: Department of State Antiterrorism Assistance Program Graduates First All-Female Iraqi Police Class
Media Note
On July 26, the Department of State’s Antiterrorism Assistance (ATA) program graduated its first class of all-female Iraqi law enforcement officers at a training facility in Jordan.
U.S. representatives from U.S. Embassy Amman and Embassy Baghdad joined Jordanian and Iraqi officials at the graduation of 20 Iraqi police women at the Jordanian Public Security Department’s Princess Basma Institute for Training Police Women.
The police officers, all from the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior police units, were trained in terrorist crime scene investigation techniques taught by ATA trainers with the Diplomatic Security Service.
The officers will return to their units in Iraq, where they will apply their new skills to investigate terrorist attacks and related incidents. They will join the nearly 11,000 other women police officers who make up the 500,000-strong Iraqi police forces.
About the Antiterrorism Assistance (ATA) Program
Established in 1983, the Department of State’s Antiterrorism Assistance (ATA) program is the U.S. Government’s premier counterterrorism training and equipment provider for foreign law enforcement agencies. All ATA assistance is delivered within a rule-of-law framework that promotes respect for human rights and fosters development of a self-sustaining capability through best practices such as embedded mentors and train-the-trainer programs.
ATA receives funding and policy guidance from the Bureau of Counterterrorism and is administered by the Bureau of Diplomatic Security and its Diplomatic Security Service.
Through ATA, DSS personnel build the critical counterterrorism capabilities of law enforcement partners abroad with both knowledge-enhancing training courses and tactical skills development to detect, deter, and disrupt terrorist activities. With its cutting-edge curriculum and equipment grants, the ATA program continues to contribute greatly to the security of our nation, our partners worldwide, and overall international peace and stability.