The international Plus Ultra Brigade, headed by the Spanish army, has begun training 795 Iraqi soldiers, the Spanish Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

The Iraqi soldiers will be incorporated into the Civil Defense Corps, which will constitute the core of the Iraqi Army in the future.

Military sources said 405 Iraqi soldiers were drafted in Al-Diwaniyah, while the rest came from Najaf.

The support teams of the brigade held a meeting with the Al-Diwaniyah City Council, where the payment of the reserve troops of the former Iraqi army was completed.
 
(Xinhua News Agency October 8, 2003)