Soldiers of the 511th Military Police Co., Fort Drum, N.Y., descend stairs on the banks of the Tigris River, heading for the Iraqi police's river patrol boats at the start of a river patrol in al Kut, Nov. 24. The patrol was the first joint patrol between the IPs' river patrol section and any coalition forces in al Kut. The patrol allowed the MPs to reach islands that would be otherwise inaccessible and to train the River Patrol in patrolling and weapons search tactics.