The US-led administration in Iraq has announced plans for the creation of a new army for the country. The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) also said it would make monthly payments to many of those who lost their jobs when former President Saddam Hussein's military machine was disbanded. Coalition officials had previously said that all former Iraqi soldiers would receive just a single month's severance pay.
Former Iraqi soldiers have taken part in sometimes violent protests against the CPA since they were sacked following their defeat by American-led forces in the Iraq war.