Saddam joins Iraq civil defence

A BEAMING Saddam Hussein was among 100 graduates who joined the ranks yesterday of the US-trained Iraqi Civil Defence Corps.

The 21-year-old namesake of the former Iraqi dictator said he was proud to join Iraq’s new internal defence force. Saddam Hussein Ali said he believed he would serve his country far better than the deposed leader did.

“I am happy that Saddam Hussein is not in power any more,” he said after receiving his graduation certificate and commemorative bayonet. “He did nothing for our country but kill people and build palaces for himself.”

Naming children after Saddam was common in Iraq, especially during the early years of his rule, from 1979 to 2003.

The ceremony was held in one of the former Iraqi president’s old palaces in his home town of Tikrit, now the headquarters of the US Army’s 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment of the 4th Infantry Division.

More than 900 Iraqi troops have joined the new civil defence force in western Iraq, which was established following the US-led defeat of Saddam’s regime. The Iraqis underwent three weeks of training by US forces and will operate throughout the country, performing tasks like establishing check points, conducting searches and serving as a rapid reaction force.