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Three brigades of the Scouting Unit recently participated in a major exercise in Judea and Samaria. This training prepared the trackers to operate in one of Israel’s most dangerous regions, which in the past year has seen a rise in terror attacks on civilian centers and Israel Defense Forces [IDF] soldiers.
Cpt. Bader Said, a senior IDF tracker, led soldiers through a five-kilometer [3.1 mile] course designed to simulate major threats. The drill trained the scouts to follow suspects for long distances. Footprints guided them through a diverse terrain, bringing them to mock explosives hidden deep in the grass.
Cpt. Said, a veteran of military service in Judea and Samaria, is intimately familiar with the region’s dangers. “The threat level is rising all the time,” he said, recalling a handful of incidents in the past month. “Two weeks ago, my soldiers found an armed suspect. Then a week ago, my soldiers found an explosive device on the way to an [Israeli] community.”
“There are constantly incidents,” another veteran tracker commented. “We respond to explosives, shootings on the main roads, home invasions, firebombs on IDF positions, and infiltrators cutting through security fences.”
Like many Bedouin trackers, Cpt. Said developed scouting skills as a child. This knowledge, combined with IDF training, has helped him hunt criminals and prevent attacks in Judea and Samaria. Cpt. Said was part of the IDF force ambushed during the 2002 Shabbat Massacre, in which Palestinian terrorists killed 12 of his comrades. In addition, he helped locate the terrorists responsible for the massacre of the Fogel family in Itamar, a town in Samaria.
Bedouin soldiers have fought in the IDF’s ranks as trackers since Israel’s War of Independence. Despite the dangers of their work, today’s Bedouin scouts value their contributions to the IDF. Whereas most soldiers are required to serve in the military, nearly all of the trackers serve as volunteers.
“I volunteer because I want to protect my country,” one soldier said. Another scout said his service could lead to a successful career, helping him work in law enforcement or a related field.
“When I tell people what I do, and what I did in the past, it gives me a sense of purpose,” Cpt. Said stated. “We are the ones who respond to every incident. We are the ones who need to be ready.”
Source: By Malka Grossman and Zachary Rosenzweig, Israel Defense Forces
Photo Credit: www.wikipedia.org/ flickr/ IDF
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