September
21, 2007
Erbil-Hewler, Kurdistan region 'Iraq', ---
The South Korean military has deployed over 1,000
troops in the Kurdistan region of 'Iraq'. Though
they are part of the multinational force, the
soldiers do not patrol the streets or take part in
combat operations.
Instead, the South Koreans teach local Iraqis new
skills, from repairing cars to baking cakes. VOA's
reporter recently visited the South Korean base
known as Camp Zaytun and files this report.
Juhan Habid is training to be one of the first
female commercial truck drivers in Iraqi Kurdistan.
"I would like to be the first in this job and let
others follow me. Why should every job be for men?"
Habid is one of more than 1500 students who have
taken vocational training at the South Korean
military base in Kurdistan 'northern Iraq'. The
economy in the relatively safe Kurdish region is
thriving and the demand for skilled labor is great.
South Korean soldiers built a $1.4 million
vocational training center to give the local people
the skills they need to reconstruct their country.
Students accepted into the program receive a $100
monthly stipend and most find jobs in their field.
Classes range from operating construction machinery,
to repairing engines, to baking cakes.
Hawzeen Mohammed, who teaches cake decoration, says
there are lots of opportunities for people today.
"It may be difficult to open a bakery but we can get
jobs catering for events and parties."
Lt. Colonel Kim Chang Ho, the South Korean military
commander here, says there is also a military motive
in providing vocational training. “One of the
biggest reasons why people join the militias or
insurgencies is because of illiteracy and they
cannot earn their own livelihood. We believe that by
providing them the means to earn their own
livelihood and earn a certain standard of life, we
can deter them from joining the militia or the
insurgency."
Officials with the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq point
to this project as both a sign of progress on the
ground and proof the multi-national war effort is
effective. But anti-war critics say South Korea's
presence in the relative safety of the Kurdistan
region proves the coalition is more a political
facade than military alliance. |
Zaytun camp, the base of South Korean troops in
Iraqi Kurdistan
Lt. Colonel Kim Chang Ho
Juhan Habid, one of the first woman commercial truck
drivers in Kurdistan-Iraq. photo VOA |
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