The Australian soldiers assembling in Kuwait before moving into southern Iraq for a six-month mission say they will pay special attention to the local power blocs in Al Muthanna province. The rules of engagement for the Iraq deployment are meant to emphasise the minimum use of force during the mission. But the troops will rely on political stability as much as military force to keep the province secure.Warrant Officer Class 1 Bob Aboud says keeping the locals in Al Muthanna on side will be a top priority. "For our mission to succeed and for us to do our job as the way we intend to do it, we need the consent of the local population," he said. Ninety-seven per cent of the province's people are Shiite Muslims and many of them are intent on preserving the relative calm in their province, repelling outsiders from the north who come to make trouble and building their own political power. "Understanding the Muslim culture, understanding the Shiite population and the tribal factions that exist in the province will be very important," Warrant Officer Aboud said.
The troops will have 40 light-armoured vehicles armed with 50-calibre machine guns capable of firing at a target and hitting it up to two kilometres away. Lieutenant Dave Herbertson says the vehicles give him a certain feeling of security. "[It has] a lot of mobility, a lot of firepower, very good communications and it also offers the crew a very good amount of protection," he said. Trooper Daniel Flynn says their rules of engagement will keep the use of force to a minimum. "When we feel there's hostile intent taken towards us or the people around us, like our mates or who we are assigned to protect, and if their lives or our lives come in danger - that's when we use it," he said. While there have been some concerns that the troops would arrive under-prepared, Sergeant Jeff Rolfe says he and his colleagues are ready for their mission. "All the training has come together and we have honed in our skills and are pretty confident about what we're doing here," he said.