Japan orders dispatch of main air force to Iraq

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, January 09, 2004

Japan orders dispatch of main air force to Iraq

Defense Agency Director General Shigeru Ishiba signed Friday an order under which an advance unit of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) could go to Iraq as early as nextweek.

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Japanese Defense Agency Director General Shigeru Ishiba signed Friday an order to send the main troops of the Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) to Iraq.

The main ASDF troops will include not more than eight transport planes and other aircraft, according to the operation plan issued last month.

Japan has sent an advance ASDF team to Kuwait and Qatar preparing for the arrival of the main force which is expected to depart in the middle of this month. The ASDF planes will be shuttling between Iraq and neighboring countries on transport mission.

Ishiba, at the same time, gave the order to send an advance unit of ground troops to Iraq.

Earlier in the day, Ishiba said he had not decided when to order the ground troops' dispatch.

The order came after the New Komeito party accepted Thursday the dispatch plan brought forward by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Liberal Democratic Party.

The advance team of some 30 members will be stationed in the southern city of Samawah. Its mission includes assessment of local security situation. Koizumi would make decision on whether to send some 500 main ground troops there after reviewing the team's report.

Ishiba will leave on Sunday for Britain, the Netherlands and France for a six-day visit. He would ask Dutch Minister of DefenseHenk Kamp for help for Japan's dispatch. The Netherlands has troops in Samawah guarding local security.

Japan passed a bill in July, authorizing the SDF to carry out the humanitarian mission in Iraq. But incessant attacks hindered an early dispatch. About 1,000 air, ground and maritime SDF personnel along with transport planes, armored vehicles and war ships would be involved. The operation is scheduled to end before Dec. 14, 2004.

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