Army recruitment centers swamped with applications in south

 

By Bassem al-Rikabi

 

Azzaman, May 26, 2005

 

More than 23,000 young Iraqis in the southern province of Dhiqar have responded to a call to set up a new battalion to protect the province.

 

The provincial authorities have been swamped with applications, Governor Aziz Kadhem told the newspaper.

 

He said the authorities had asked for maximum 1,000 volunteers but “we have received more than 23,000 applications so far.”

 

The new force will be based in Nasiriya, the province’s capital and home to more than 550,000 people.

 

Nasiriya, on the Euphrates River, is relatively quiet but, according to Kadhem, the new force is needed to bring stability across the province.

 

Kadhem said the applicants will be vetted and admission will mainly rely on merit.

 

“Other points to consider include geographical representation. We want the force to be drawn from the whole province and not only the provincial center,” he said.

 

Southern provinces are setting up special battalions consisting solely of volunteers living within provincial borders.

 

Dhiqar is also reported to have established an efficient civil defense force which is currently engaged in defusing unexploded bombs and ordnances in the province.

 

The force’s commander, Captain Ahmad Hadi, said his men have so far defused 26,000 such bombs.

 

“The southern part of our province was a battlefield for the U.S.-led multinational forces.

 

“We still get reports of people killed and injured due to the presence of these bombs,” he said.