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S Korea confirms troop dispatch to Iraq
Seoul (South Korea), Nov 09: South Korea confirmed today that it will send thousands of troops to Iraq to help US forces there.
Seoul (South Korea), Nov 09: South Korea confirmed
today that it will send thousands of troops to Iraq to help
US forces there.
Washington and Seoul, however, differed on the size of south Korea's troop deployment, with Seoul offering to send 3,000 soldiers while Washington requested more, said Lee Soo-Hyuk, a senior Foreign Ministry official.
The two sides will continue their discussions when US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld visits Seoul in mid-November, said Lee, who led a government delegation to Washington last week to work out details of the deployment.
"After Turkey canceled its plan to dispatch troops, the United States earnestly wants other countries to send troops," Lee told South Korean news media. "The United States expects much from South Korea, which is a staunch ally."
South Korea, which already has hundreds of non-combat troops in Iraq, said last month it would send more troops. But it did not disclose the number, type and other details of the new deployment.
Lee said South Korea wants to send troops for "peace and reconstruction" in Iraq, indicating that it wants to dispatch mainly non-combat personnel.
Bureau Report
Washington and Seoul, however, differed on the size of south Korea's troop deployment, with Seoul offering to send 3,000 soldiers while Washington requested more, said Lee Soo-Hyuk, a senior Foreign Ministry official.
The two sides will continue their discussions when US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld visits Seoul in mid-November, said Lee, who led a government delegation to Washington last week to work out details of the deployment.
"After Turkey canceled its plan to dispatch troops, the United States earnestly wants other countries to send troops," Lee told South Korean news media. "The United States expects much from South Korea, which is a staunch ally."
South Korea, which already has hundreds of non-combat troops in Iraq, said last month it would send more troops. But it did not disclose the number, type and other details of the new deployment.
Lee said South Korea wants to send troops for "peace and reconstruction" in Iraq, indicating that it wants to dispatch mainly non-combat personnel.
Bureau Report