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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Iraq
Index
In 1987 the People's Army (Al Jaysh ash Shaabi--also cited as
the Popular Army or People's Militia), standing at an estimated
650,000, approached the regular armed forces' manpower strength.
Officially, it was the Iraqi Baath Party Militia and included a
special youth section. Formed in 1970, the People's Army grew
rapidly, and by 1977 it was estimated to have 50,000 active
members. Subsequently, a phenomenal growth, giving the militia
extensive internal security functions, occurred. Whereas its
original purpose was to give the Baath Party an active role in
every town and village, the People's Army in 1981 began its most
ambitious task to date, the support of the regular armed forces.
The official functions of the People's Army were to act as
backup to the regular armed forces in times of war and to
safeguard revolutionary achievements, to promote mass
consciousness, to consolidate national unity, and to bolster the
relationship between the people and the army in times of peace.
The People's Army dispatched units to Iraqi Kurdistan before 1980
and to Lebanon to fight with Palestinian guerrillas during the
1975-76 Civil War. Foreign observers concluded, however, that the
primary function of the People's Army was political in nature;
first, to enlist popular support for the Baath Party, and second,
to act as a counterweight against any coup attempts by the
regular armed forces.
Beginning in 1974, Taha Yasin Ramadan, a close associate of
President Saddam Husayn, commanded the People's Army, which was
responsible for internal security. The command of such a large
military establishment gave Ramadan so much power, however, that
some foreign observers speculated that the primary function of
his second in command was to keep him from using the People's
Army as a personal power base.
People's Army members were recruited from among both women
and men (who had completed their regular army service) eighteen
years of age and older. It was unclear whether or not Baath Party
membership was a prerequisite--especially after 1981, when the
numerical strength of the People's Army ballooned--but, clearly,
party indoctrination was at least as important as military
training. Members usually underwent a two-month annual training
period, and they were paid from party funds. Although the extent
of their training was unknown in early 1988, all recruits were
instructed in the use of a rifle. Graduates were responsible for
guarding government buildings and installations, and they were
concentrated around sensitive centers in major towns. Militia
members possessed some sophisticated arms, and it was possible
that disgruntled officers contemplating a challenge to Saddam
Husayn could rally the support of a force of such militiamen.
Futuwah (Youth Vanguard) was a paramilitary organization for
secondary-school students founded by the Baath Party in 1975.
Boys and girls between the ages of fourteen and eighteen could
join Futuwah and receive training in light arms, in the use of
grenades, and in civil defense work. By early 1988, several
thousand Iraqi youth had volunteered for Futuwah training, and
they had been organized into youth platoons. Unverified reports
claimed that some People's Army units and Futuwah units were
dispatched to the war front for short periods of time in 1983 and
1985. Visitors to Baghdad in the 1980s, however, reported that
most civil defense activities in the capital were performed by
young People's Army members.
Data as of May 1988
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