Jordan Times
Friday, July 16, 2004
Iraqi police recruits
complete training
MUWAQQAR (AP) — After eight weeks of training, 666 Iraqi police recruits marched
Thursday in their dark blue uniforms as a band played the Iraqi anthem, marking
the end of a course preparing them to help restore law and order back home.
The cadets were the sixth group to complete
training at Muwaqqar camp, 35 kilometres east of the capital.
Courses began in January under an agreement between Jordan and the now-defunct
US-led occupation authority in Iraq to train 32,000 Iraqi police officers over
two years.
About 2,500 police officers have completed the programme, which included
techniques of riot control, driving and self-defence.
Instructors are police officers from Jordan, Canada, the United States, Britain,
Sweden, Austria, Finland, Kosovo, the Philippines and New Zealand.
The Kingdom is also training Iraqi soldiers at its Zarqa Military College, 27
kilometres northeast of Amman.
About 1,650, including 50 women, have graduated from that programme, which began
in March under an agreement similar to that for police training.
The army's training courses include fighting terrorists, riot control techniques
as well as lectures on democracy and human rights.