The Iraqi government has announced the reinstatement of some 20,000 army officers who served under Saddam Hussein. The US occupation force disbanded the Iraqi army shortly after overthrowing Hussein’s government in 2003. The de-Baathification policy was widely credited with fueling the Iraqi insurgency. The reinstatements come just one week before Iraq holds national elections. Critics have dismissed the move as an attempt to win more votes for the coalition of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.