At least 100 students from the Fourth Military College in Dhi Qar province suffered health complications in late May due to high temperatures and extreme physical exhaustion during a training session, which led to the deaths of two cadets and sent the injured to the hospital.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani quickly acted by dismissing the head of the military academy, Nasser Ghannam, along with his deputy and the commanding officer of the regiment whose cadets were affected.
The Iraqi army on Sunday “began transporting students from the Fourth Military College, from the college headquarters in Dhi Qar province to the capital Baghdad, and 15 buses were allocated for this purpose,” state media said.
“This measure comes as part of a plan to redistribute the students among military colleges in Taji, Duhok, and Sulaimani, according to the geographical area and in line with the training and organizational requirements of the military institution,” it added.
After their deaths, Sudani also instructed the rank of Second Lieutenant to be posthumously awarded to the fallen cadets, making their families eligible for compensation.
During the reception process on May 21, “nine cadets began showing signs of dehydration and health complications” due to prolonged sun exposure, the Iraqi defense ministry noted, adding that “they were immediately transported to Nasiriyah Hospital by the military college’s medical team.”
The Iraqi parliament’s security and defense committee later said that more than 100 cadets had suffered fainting and severe exhaustion, and announced the formation of a follow-up team to investigate the incident.