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Sunni Iraqis graduate Army basic training in Habbaniyah

Nearly 1000 Iraqi Soldiers graduated from Army basic training in a ceremony April 30 in Habbaniyah.

This milestone marks another step in the development of an Iraqi military capable of reestablishing order and preserving peace and stability in the nation.

The 1st Iraqi Army Division graduated 978 Soldiers in the first of five all-Sunni boot camp classes in Iraq. The new soldiers were recruited from the predominately Sunni al Anbar Province in order to bring a recognizable and trusted face to security forces there.

Being Sunni or not does not make a difference to the new Soldiers. They consider themselves Iraqis first.

"The most important thing I am taking from this class is the ability to fight, to protect my country, to help my people and to fight terrorism," one graduate said.

Lt. Col. Steven Greaf, the officer in charge of the basic training battalion for the Train the Sunni outreach program, said the graduation provides great benefits in the province.

"This is very significant ... all these guys came from al Anbar province. If we can get these guys into the army and make them Soldiers in the army, they will start supporting the government. They'll start drawing a good paycheck; there won't be potential recruiting grounds for the insurgency," said Lt. Col. Greaf.

Along with the obvious trust gained from having local men guard the streets in their own towns, there is also the matter of familiarity.

"These guys have the home-court advantage here. They know the area. They know their neighborhoods," said Lt. Col. Greaf. Results will improve because they know their terrain, he said.

The graduates will now become members of either the 1st or 7th Iraqi Army Divisions where they will do what they joined to do - protect Iraq.

Their loyalty is best summed up by 1st Iraqi Army Division Deputy Commander Brig. Gen. Beha'a Hussien Abed Hassan:

"In my division there are no Sunni. In my division there are no Shia. In my division there are no Kurds. In my division there are no Christians. In my division there are only Iraqis," he said.

Source: Multi-National Force-Iraq