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U.S. Begins Training Iraqi Dissidents
The U.S. Army started training a group of Iraqis opposed to Saddam Hussein on Monday for support roles in the event of U.S.-led war with Iraq. So far, only a few dozen volunteers recruited from Iraqi opposition groups around the world have arrived at the Taszar air base, 120 miles southwest of Budapest, where the training is taking place under heavy security. "I can confirm that the training began today," U.S. Army Maj. Robert Stern, a spokesman for the training task force, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from the base. The Hungarian government authorized the United States to bring 1,500 trainers and up to 3,000 volunteers for two training sessions at the Hungarian air base. The U.S. military has permission to use the base until the end of the year, provided the dissidents do not receive combat training. "The volunteers will be primarily responsible for translation and liaison work" between the coalition forces and the Iraqis, Stern said. Still, the volunteers will learn self-defense, laws of armed conflict including the Geneva Conventions, human rights, rules of engagement and ethical decision-making. A second round of training will focus on the conduct of civil military operations, guide and liaison work, and guard work. Stern also said translators and teachers also were at the base to help some volunteers understand the training and improve their English. Once the volunteers complete both phases of training, they will be flown from Taszar to an area outside Hungary yet to be determined. Bet we can guess. Posted by: Steve 2003-02-03 |
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