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US asks S Korea to send large contingent of troops to Iraq
Seoul, Sept 15: South Korea is studying a US request that it send thousands of infantry troops to Iraq in what could become its largest overseas troop dispatch since the Vietnam war, a senior government official said today.
Seoul, Sept 15: South Korea is studying a US request that it send thousands of infantry troops to Iraq in what could become its largest overseas troop dispatch since the Vietnam war, a senior government official said today.
The United States, South Korea's most important ally, made the request in early September when State Department and Pentagon officials visited Seoul for regular talks on strengthening their alliance, forged during the Korean war, said the official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity.
US officials did not specify how many South Korean troops they wanted, but cited the Polish-led international division of 9,500 troops operating in southern Iraq as an example for South Korean involvement, he said. "They asked US to send light infantry capable of independent operations," he said. "We will make a careful decision after reviewing our traditional alliance with the United States, international situation and opinions of the people and the Parliament."
Seoul considers boosting its military alliance with Washington as vital to security on the Korean peninsula, where tension remains high because of a nuclear standoff between North Korea and the United States and its allies. But many South Koreans, especially young voters, oppose sending combat troops to Iraq. Activists staged violent protests when the Parliament voted in April to send 675 military engineers and medics, all non-combat troops, to assist in the US-led reconstruction of Iraq.
Bureau Report
US officials did not specify how many South Korean troops they wanted, but cited the Polish-led international division of 9,500 troops operating in southern Iraq as an example for South Korean involvement, he said. "They asked US to send light infantry capable of independent operations," he said. "We will make a careful decision after reviewing our traditional alliance with the United States, international situation and opinions of the people and the Parliament."
Seoul considers boosting its military alliance with Washington as vital to security on the Korean peninsula, where tension remains high because of a nuclear standoff between North Korea and the United States and its allies. But many South Koreans, especially young voters, oppose sending combat troops to Iraq. Activists staged violent protests when the Parliament voted in April to send 675 military engineers and medics, all non-combat troops, to assist in the US-led reconstruction of Iraq.
Bureau Report