US assembles new Iraqi army

With American ground forces stretched thin and facing dozens of daily guerrilla attacks in Iraq, the US-led coalition is stepping up the recruitment of thousands of Iraqis for the New Iraqi Army while making plans for a civil defense force.

The effort to tap Iraqis to perform some jobs now handled by coalition troops is part of a broader plan to put "an Iraqi face" on the postwar administration. It also comes amid recent setbacks to Washington's requests for thousands of additional occupation forces from foreign countries.

So far, finding Iraqi enlistees has not been a problem. A recruitment drive launched in three Iraqi cities over the weekend attracted long lines of Iraqi men in Baghdad, where US authorities handed out 3,600 applications in the first three days alone. "Some people try to jump to the front of the line, just like at Six Flags," said Army Capt. Jim Hickman as he worked to keep order at the recruitment center in the sweltering, 100-degree F. heat.

Down the sidewalk and across the street, groups of Iraqis huddled together filling out the detailed, 19-page application form and discussing their prospects for the new military.

Many of those seeking to join are former Iraqi soldiers and officers, including those bombed by US forces during the war. Driven by both a need for income and a desire to defend Iraq, none of those interviewed were deterred by recent, deadly attacks on Iraqis cooperating with coalition authorities.

"I'm not afraid. I'm ready to be trained," said Fasel al-Aubaidi, an electrical engineer and 19-year veteran of the Iraqi Army who worked in a military factory during the war.

Indeed, Mr. Aubaidi and others crowding the recruitment center were enthusiastic about the possibility of gainful employment after the old, 400,000-strong force was disbanded in May after the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime.

Angry protests by former soldiers and officers led the coalition authorities to agree to rank-based stipends and severance pay for conscripts.

But payments so far have not been enough for many like Aubaidi, a former captain and father of four, who has received a single $80 payment from the coalition. If selected for the new Army, he will earn an initial salary of $60 a month plus free food and lodging, and have access to healthcare.

"For jobs, I have no other choice," Aubaidi says.

The coalition plans to form three divisions - one each headquartered in Baghdad, Mosul, and Basra - over the coming two years, including some 30 battalions.

An estimated 12,000 troops will be trained during the first year. The Vinnell Corp. in Fairfax, Va. won a contract for training the new Army under the leadership of Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton who commanded the US Army's infantry school at Fort Benning, Ga.

The goal is to create a force of men and women aged 18 to 40 that includes all ethnic, regional, and religious groups to defend Iraqi territory from external threats.

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