In a comment today I mentioned new military academies in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Winds of Change published exclusive photos of Reception Day at the Afghan academy when it opened its doors for the first time a year ago.

Iraq actually has two academies now. One, located in Baghdad, is organized along the lines of the UK's Sandhurst. Saddam was rejected when he applied for admittance, perhaps because he never graduated from high school. Like Sandhurst, this academy focuses solely on military training. Activities at Al Rustamiyah were interrupted when Coalition forces took Baghdad in 2003 and resumed in June 2005.

The other Iraqi academy is in northern Iraq - specifically, in Zakho, a mainly Kurdish town near the border with Turkey. The facility has been significantly upgraded by the US Army Corps of engineers. Its new program is organized along the lines of West Point, offering education and training that results in bachelor's degrees equivalent to engineering degrees here, as well as in commissions in the new Iraqi forces. It was the academy in Zakho that I had in mind in my comments on subtle indicators of success in Iraq.

Interesting detail: the new athletic facility at Zakho contains both male and female locker rooms.

Zakho Military Academy has 213 cadets at present. The Al Rustamiyah academy in Baghdad started with 135 but is down to 90 at present.