seruriermarshal
05-27-2004, 06:40 AM
Ukraine to add 150 troops to its Iraq force
Ukraine said Thursday that it planned to add an additional 150 troops to its 1,600-plus contingent in Iraq this summer, reinforcing its support for the US-led campaign.
"This is a decision forced by the situation" in Iraq, a defense ministry official told AFP by telephone, as officials advanced early August as the likely date for the soldiers' deployment.
A former Soviet republic that has been voicing its intentions to join the NATO alliance -- a likelihood that at the moment seem remote -- Ukraine has the fifth-largest contingent in Iraq, serving in the southern sector overseen by Polish troops.
Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, who has strained relations with Washington because of his country's much-criticized human rights record, has vowed to keep his forces in Iraq despite decisions by Spain, Honduras and the Dominican republic to pull out their troops.
Three Ukrainian soldiers so far have been killed in combat, and the country's parliament has passed a resolution allowing for up to 1,800 of its troops to be dispatched to the country.
They were first deployed to the region in September 2003.
God bless Ukraine
Ukraine said Thursday that it planned to add an additional 150 troops to its 1,600-plus contingent in Iraq this summer, reinforcing its support for the US-led campaign.
"This is a decision forced by the situation" in Iraq, a defense ministry official told AFP by telephone, as officials advanced early August as the likely date for the soldiers' deployment.
A former Soviet republic that has been voicing its intentions to join the NATO alliance -- a likelihood that at the moment seem remote -- Ukraine has the fifth-largest contingent in Iraq, serving in the southern sector overseen by Polish troops.
Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, who has strained relations with Washington because of his country's much-criticized human rights record, has vowed to keep his forces in Iraq despite decisions by Spain, Honduras and the Dominican republic to pull out their troops.
Three Ukrainian soldiers so far have been killed in combat, and the country's parliament has passed a resolution allowing for up to 1,800 of its troops to be dispatched to the country.
They were first deployed to the region in September 2003.
God bless Ukraine