S.Korea cancels plan to send troops to northern Iraq

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, March 19, 2004

S.Korea cancels plan to send troops to northern Iraq

South Korea has canceled its plan to send troops to northern Iraq city of Kirkuk, according to the Defense Ministry here Friday.

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South Korea has canceled its plan to send troops to northern Iraq city of Kirkuk, according to the Defense Ministry here Friday.

The ministry said in a statement that it was looking for a new location to send the 3,600 troops it has promised to dispatch to Iraq to help with the country's reconstruction.

"South Korea and the United States share the understanding that it was inevitable to change the location of our troop dispatch because the security in Kirkuk, our original candidate area, has worsened," it said.

"The United States cited inevitability for offensive operations to keep security in order in the Kirkuk area, and proposed that a certain number of US troops would remain in Kirkuk to continue to conduct stabilization operations under the tactical control of South Korea," it said.

However, the statement noted that South Korea's intention is to keep its own operational command system and conduct peaceful reconstruction in Iraq.

So far South Korea has sent about 460 medics and military engineers in southern Iraq.

Source: Xinhua

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