IRAQ: Nine of Iraq's militias, constituting more than 100,000 armed men, agreed to disband yesterday as part of a rewards and retraining programme. However, the deal does not cover rebel cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's fighters.
The interim Prime Minister, Mr Iyad Allawi, announced the deal, which will see most of the militia fighters reintegrated into Iraq's new security forces, while others are retrained for civilian jobs or retire with a pension.
"I am happy to announce today the successful completion of negotiations on the nationwide transition and reintegration of militias and other armed forces previously outside of state control," the Prime Minister said in a statement.
The deal includes all of Iraq's largest private political armies, including the peshmerga fighters of the country's two Kurdish parties, the main Shia militia and several smaller ones, but pointedly does not include Sheikh al-Sadr's Mahdi Army group.
The Mahdi Army launched an uprising against occupying troops across southern Iraq two months ago. Last week, US forces agreed a truce with the militia after weeks of skirmishing.
According to plans presented by the US-run coalition in Iraq, some 60,000 former militiamen will have entered the programme by July 1st, with the vast majority joining Iraqi security forces, about 10,000 going into retirement and others getting new job training or joining security firms.
A senior coalition official said $200 million, to be administered by Iraq's Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, had been set aside for paying pensions to veterans or to provide jobs, training and education to former fighters.
"To reward former resistance fighters for their service, opportunities have been created for them to join state security services or lay down their arms and enter civilian life," said Mr Allawi.
"Those who choose to return to civilian life will receive valuable job-training and other benefits. By doing this, we reward their heroism and sacrifices, while making Iraq stronger and eliminating armed forces outside of government control."
Coalition officials estimated that 90,000 militiamen would be brought under the reintegration programme by the time Iraq holds its first democratic elections in January.
However, the agreement makes no provision for al-Sadr's militia, estimated to be up to 10,000 men and Iraq's largest security threat after the Sunni-led anti-US insurgency.
By not becoming party to the agreement, this militia is now officially recognised as an illegal body, officials said, and members of it will be banned from holding political office for three years after leaving the organisation. - (Reuters)