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U.S. Trains New Iraq Defense Dept.

American officials are helping Iraqis build a new, civilian-controlled defense department ahead of the U.S. transfer of sovereignty to Iraqis in July. U.S. officials have little time left to train dozens of officers from Iraq's old army -- long accustomed to working under a dictatorship -- how armed forces work in a democracy. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports.

Copyright 2004 NPR

Eric Westervelt is a San Francisco-based senior editor-correspondent for NPR's National Desk.
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