The Conversation: The Iraqi Police have paid a heavy price in combating ISIS terrorism

A report by The Conversation confirmed that the Iraqi police are the most vulnerable groups of the security forces that have suffered damage while performing their duty to combat terrorism, crime, and stabilize the security situation in the country.
The report stated that at least 14,000 Iraqi police officers were killed while performing their duties since the beginning of the US invasion of Iraq, while 24 policemen were martyred in the first four months of 2021 as a result of ISIS attacks.
It added that the Iraq Body Count project revealed the death of Iraqi policemen as a result of shooting, detonation of car bombs, suicide bombers and executions by terrorist groups, as they were killed while monitoring checkpoints, patrolling the streets, protecting towns and villages from attacks, and dismantling bombs.
The report continued, that Iraqi police officers are the largest, most vulnerable, and most targeted group of non-military personnel. Iraqi police officers were recruited to a large extent after the 2003 invasion, and are usually chosen from the communities they serve, and police service generally reflects the demographic composition of their neighborhoods.
In 2018, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior developed a roadmap, in consultation with the United Nations Development Program, and the roadmap defines basic police functions in Iraq, giving priority to security and protection, crime management, traffic enforcement, and community policing.
The report indicated that the Iraqi police are receiving insufficient training to be able to deal with the enormous security challenges in the country, and have struggled to assert their authority. Iraq may be a democratic state since the first parliamentary elections in 2005, but it is still a country with internal weaknesses and internal threats to its leadership.