Iraq: Update for May 25, 2005
| Weekly Update [PDF file] Electricity load served last week increased significantly to an average of 92,500 MWh, with several power plants coming back online. Hours of available power likewise increased to 9.9 hours in Baghdad and 9.0 hours countrywide. Peak capacity is above pre-war levels and is expected to increase into the summer months. On May 19, the Iraqi Police Service graduated 167 police officers from advanced training and specialty courses at the AdnanTraining Facility. The courses consist of Basic Criminal Investigations with 58 graduates, Interview and Interrogations with 21 graduates, Critical Incident Management with 25 graduates, Violent Crime Investigation with 29 graduates, Mid-level Management with 19 graduates and Basic Computer Skills with 15 graduates. Small steps, but necessary for the overall development of the Iraqi police forces. Over 4,000 houses have been connected to Baghdad’s revitalized main water system. Contractors have installed 47 kilometers of new pipeline to date, providing approximately 40,000 people with safe drinking water. The three major cell phone companies in Iraq (Asiacell, Iraqna, and Atheer) continue to enroll new subscribers at healthy rates. As of May 1, there were 2,180,355 active cellular subscribers in Iraq, a 6 percent increase over last month. Landline telephone subscribers in Iraq have also increased to 992,416. Prior to the war, there were approximately 833,000 landline subscribers and no cellular network. This continues to be a huge, and underreported story. The ability to communitcate around the world at will cannot be undereastimated as a positive influence for democracy. The Trade Bank of Iraq (TBI) issued Iraq’s first credit/debit cards on May 24. A number of VISA cards were distributed to ministers, government officials and financial professionals in a ceremony at the TBI headquarters in Baghdad. Ninety additional Fiji soldiers will be deployed to the United Nations Assistance Mission to Iraq in July. A Fijian military spokesman said the extra Fijian troops would be posted to man the two additional guard units in Iraq, specifically in Basra and Erbil. These troops are in support of the U.N. and not directly in support of the MNF efforts. |
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