Baghdad: Army officers who served under ousted dictator Saddam Hussain can return to claim pensions in Iraq and some of lower rank may be able to find employment again in the armed forces, a military spokesman said on Monday.
Many of the leaders of the army under Saddam fled the country after the 2003 US-led invasion, fearing they would be arrested or hunted down as members of the once-dominant Baath party. Most of the officer cadre under Saddam were Sunni Arabs while Iraq now is ruled by majority Shiites.
Defence Ministry spokesman Major-General Mohammad Al Askari said the government wanted to sort out once and for all who may be entitled to a pension as an ex-military member and so was reaching out to former officers abroad.
"We formed a committee in Amman, and also decided to do so in Sana'a, Egypt, Dubai and Damascus. We want former officers to fill in forms so we can create a database."