Volunteer centers for the police and army opened in the city of Mosul in a government step to consolidate security conditions in the city. The city has experienced a certain degree of tension recently following a series of explosions carried out by Al-Qaeda’s terrorist groups.

The announcement about the new measure came during the latest trip by Defense Minister Abdul Qader Al-Obaidi to the city of Mosul. He also met with the Lieutenant General Riad Jalal Tawfiq, Ninewa’s Operations Commander. It also coincides with the visit by Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, in which he confirmed the integration of the sons of the city of Mosul into the security forces. He also noted the renewed confidence of the citizens of Mosul in the armed forces’ ability to rid the city of terrorist attacks, in which citizens are most often the victims.

New volunteers will be accepted in early February. That is supposed to be the time when most volunteers will sign up.

In the period following the fall of the previous regime, many youths did not volunteer for the police and army because of the armed groups. These extremist groups had a hold on the minds of the youths by means of threats and extremist religious ideas. The current change in the outlook of young people regarding volunteering can be seen as a loud cry to reject terrorism

Security volunteers from among the sons of the city of Mosul have recently expressed their joy at the opportunity of playing a role in reclaiming security in their region. “We cannot express our happiness with the opportunity to volunteer, as we were previously unable to volunteer to control the armed groups in Mosul,” said Abdul Qadir Said, a volunteer in the military forces. “In joining the volunteers, we see enormous interest on the part of the volunteers, which reflects the disappearance of the fear that was within us because of the threats from the armed groups.”

Lieutenant General Riad Jalal Tawfiq said that making room for the sons of the city of Mosul in the armed forces is done pursuant to the guidelines set out by the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki. The volunteer center in the Ninewa operations command confirmed the acceptance of 2,400 volunteers. Four hundred of then are previous army officers.

According to Lieutenant Raid, other volunteer centers were opened last week in the Al-Kisk military base, west of Mosul, in order to accept volunteers from among the sons of the western regions.

Brigadier General Khalid Abdul Sattar, the Official Spokesperson for the Ninewa Operations Command, said that volunteers from the western region in the Al-Kisk military base, west of Mosul, now number more than 2,500, and that the number is “constantly rising.”

Meanwhile, Major General Wathiq Al-Hamdani, Ninewa Police Director, said that the police department’s door is open to volunteers from among the sons of Mosul. He indicated that police volunteers from the region now total 2,000. At the same time, he renewed his invitation to all those who see themselves as capable to join the police forces, so that the city can regain security and stability through the efforts of its people.

On his part, Brigadier General Musalat Ahmed Attiya Al-Jabouri announced the formation of a national police unit in Mosul. This is done pursuant to orders from the Minister of Interior, under the direction of Brigadier General Musalat Ahmed Attiya Al-Jabouri. The unit will be directly linked to the national police command in the Ministry of Interior, with Ninewa Operations Commander Lieutenant General Riad Jalal Tawfiq responsible for following up at the ground level.

He added that the new unit will be named after deceased Brigadier General Saleh Hassan, former Police Chief of Ninewa, in honor of his heroism.

He affirmed that the unit will be responsible for securing volatile areas, wherein the unit will act as a rapid response force. It is hoped that it will take the place of one of the military brigades in the city of Mosul.