Iraq marks Army Day

  • 12 years ago
A military parade for Army Day in Iraq - the first since the withdrawal of U.S. forces at the end of last year.
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki attends the parade in Baghdad which marked the 91st anniversary of the founding of Iraq's armed forces.
Various formations of soldiers, tanks, armoured vehicles and bomb-defusing military vehicles parade in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone.
Rockets were fired against the Zone during the parade but no casualties were reported.
The rocket attack comes a day after a series of bombs hit a mainly Shi'ite Muslim area in the capital and left at least 73 dead and scores wounded - the worst attack in Baghdad since August.
Iraq's security forces number around 900,000 according to the government and is largely trained by Americans.
But it is not yet fully equipped to fight against a stubborn insurgency - the country remains a major battleground for Al Quaeda and its affiliates - and provide a strong external defence.
Sunita Rappai, Reuters

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