Turkey offers 1,200-1,800 soldiers to assist US in Iraq The United States Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz declared that Turkey offered relief aid and other assistance in the rebuild of Iraq, as well as 1,200 to 1,800 troops.
According to a news article published in influential American newspaper the New York Times, between 20,000 and 30,000 allied troops from more than a dozen nations will begin arriving in Iraq in mid-August to replace some of the American forces leading the military occupation there. The international forces -- from countries including Italy, Spain, Ukraine and Honduras -- would join divisions led by Britain, Poland and perhaps another country, possibly India, and assume responsibilities for parts of central and southern Iraq. The News York Times also reported that Pentagon officials are negotiating with several other countries, including some that did not support the war. Defense officials have set aside their anger at Turkey for refusing to allow American forces to enter northern Iraq through Turkish territory during the war, to discuss Ankara's offers of reconstruction support. According to the newspaper, the U.S. administration officials met recently with the Turkish Foreign Ministry's second-ranking official Ambassador Ugur Ziyal, who offered relief aid and other assistance, as well as 1,200 to 1,800 troops. "Turkey is eager now to assist us in the reconstruction of Iraq," Mr. Wolfowitz said. "That's just one example of a country that has begun to move in our direction." Assistant Secretary of Defense Peter W. Rodman recently visited New Delhi to discuss troop commitments with Indian officials. A cabinet committee has yet to decide how to proceed, and the Indian government has said it will consult other political parties before deciding. How many American troops will remain in Iraq depends largely on the security situation there and how many other nations ultimately send forces, officials said. There are now about 146,000 American troops in Iraq, just 5,000 fewer than at the peak of the war. About 12,000 troops from Britain and seven other countries are also on the ground. Ankara - Turkish Daily News Article at: http://www.turkishdailynews.com/old_editions/06_21_03/for.htm#f10
