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Babil Province Police Recruiting Effort Draws 1,100
Nearly 1,100 Iraqis converged on a police recruiting center south of Baghdad Jan. 13 to compete for 100 jobs at police stations throughout northern Babil Province, according to 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit officials.
The large turnout came as a pleasant surprise to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which has teamed with local police chiefs to steadily build their forces. A recruiting call is conducted about once a month, and the number of applicants is usually just enough to cover the number needed.
Marines attribute the surge to the intervention of prominent sheiks in the area, who have recently begun signaling to the Marines their interest in assuming a greater role in fostering security and stability in the province.
Maj. Matt Sasse, operations officer for Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment - the expeditionary unit's ground combat element - said he believes the Marines' aggressive efforts to defeat an insurgent-driven campaign of intimidation and terror are paying off.
"These individuals felt safe enough to come here and obviously safe enough to become Iraqi policemen," he said. "1,100 is a huge number for 100 slots."
Insurgents have in recent months targeted the fledgling Iraqi security forces, including police officers and stations. In northern Babil, insurgents scored a string of successes last summer before the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which arrived in July, helped Iraqi forces turn things around...
Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-01-16
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=53823