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New Iraqi command opens

The Iraqi Training and Doctrine Command officially opened in a ceremony at the Cultural Center Compound in Baghdad Tuesday.

The ITDC now has the ability and sufficient resources to oversee all Iraqi national defense related education and military doctrine development.

This is an important milestone as Iraq progresses toward its goal of being fully operable by July 2007, said Gen. Babakir Badir Khan Zebari, Iraqi Joint

Forces commander.

"Compared to the activities of insurgents and terrorists who try to plant death and destruction in every part of Iraq, our government pursues a project

of national reconciliation and the army builds the training and educational infrastructure and the foundations for Iraqi military doctrine that army

personnel have desired for a long time," said the general.

"A modern and developed Doctrine coordinated with our national vision and interests helps create a culture for national security," he said.

Subordinate organizations such as the Iraqi Tactical Doctrine Center and the Iraqi Lessons Learned Center have already achieved operational status

and the Iraqi Defense Language Institute recently graduated its first students and will achieve operational status by the end of 2006.

Assisting Iraqis in establishing the ITDC has been one of NATO's most important projects since the NATO Training Mission - Iraq started in 2004. NTM-I

has until now led the development of the ITDC, but will gradually reduce its role to advising and mentoring.

Source: Multi-National Force-Iraq