Corps. Meanwhile, the leader of the 24th Battalion was executed after rebelling in Mankish in Dohuk Province. In predominantly Kurdish areas Battalion commanders came under the jurisdiction of the local Party branch, with Battalions being attached to the party offices for Ninewah, Ta'mim, Arbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Dohuk. The management of training camps, education sessions, the pursuit and capture of deserters, and the close surveillance of Battalion leaders and soldiers were central to the security operations of the Northern Bureau. By 1987 there were 147 Battalions, composing some 250,000 men, which made up nearly 10% of the total Kurdish population under the control of the Northern Bureau. Although 5 Battalions were disbanded in 1987 by the end of the Anfal campaign in August 1989 the force had grown to 321 Battalions made up of 412,636 soldiers. This increase was largely due to the forcible conscription of Kurds at the end of the Anfal campaign. The Battalions weren't only restricted to the North however, and some units even fought in the South in the defense of Basra during Operation Karbala-5. In addition to their counterinsurgency role the Battalions were also seen as a means by which the government could absorb young Kurds, provide them with employment, and prevent or dissuade them from joining the insurgency. The government achieved only limited success however, with the units suffering high desertion rates. It was quite typical for men to continually shift between fighting in the insurgency and fighting in the Battalions. Both choices were problematic, with family members of insurgent being victim to forced deportations and imprisonment, whilst those in the Battalions became pariahs in wider Kurdish society. Desertion however was dangerous, with execution squads being commonplace on the frontlines. Following the 1991 Gulf War, and the ensuing uprisings, the 100,000 strong force was dissolved and reorganized. The Battalions survived in a much diminsed capacity until 2003, but by 2002 there was only 1 brigade with ~1,000 men. Legacy The units were derisively referred to as jash. The Battalions, due to their prominence in the Anfal Campaign, have been the subject of controversy in Iraqi Kurdistan. During the 1990s discussion of the Jash remained very much a taboo subject, however this changed following the PUK–KDP peace agreement, as well as the 2006–2007 Tribunal, with the Kurdish press opening up discussion on the subject. Views on the jash remain divided, although there has been a somewhat