One sure sign that the war with Islamic radicals is over is the dismissal of most of the 500,000 local militiamen. These civilians were paid a good wage to carry guns and just keep the Islamic radicals out of villages and neighborhoods. Thousands died, killed by groups of Islamic radicals who were able to overpower the local militia force. The government started taking back the guns and stopping the monthly payments last year. Now the process is nearly complete, and there are several hundred thousand more restive unemployed men in the country.