Governor Invites New Iraq Army Recruits

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The governor of Iraq's volatile Anbar province on Monday urged members of Saddam Hussein's dissolved military to form a unit under the new Iraqi army to help defend the troubled region.

Sheik Fassal Raikan al-Gout said the move would enhance stability in the province which includes Ramadi, a hotbed of Iraq's insurgency, and Fallujah, the former guerrilla stronghold overrun in a major U.S. Army offensive in November.

"Implementing the state's policy and out of keenness on the country's unity ... we call on all our brothers and sons of the dissolved army, officers and all ranks, to form a squad in the new Iraqi Army," al-Gout told The Associated Press.

A defense ministry spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the interim government wants former army members and technical experts to volunteer and form teams under the command of the new Iraqi army. He declined to provide details.
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U.S. Embassy spokesman Bob Callahan said the United States welcomes the participation of any Iraqis, including members of the dissolved army, provided their loyalty is not questionable.
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