Iraq Dispatch Tentatively Settled On 3,700 Troops

It is known that the number of additional troops scheduled to be dispatched to Iraq has already been decided to be 3,700 troops, including the currently dispatched supply units.

The Defense Ministry also internally set a plan to increase the ratio of combat troops, such as the Special Warfare Forces, for the additional troops scheduled to be dispatched to Iraq.

“We’ve confirmed that the total number of Korean troops in Iraq would reach the level of 3,700 soldiers, comprising of 3,000 combat forces who will carry out the self-defense operation of the camp grounds and secure the stabilization of the areas in charge, and a maximum of 700 supply forces, including the 460 engineering company and medical people currently on duty in Iraq,” said one of the senior military officials on December 7.

He added, “Most of the soldiers from the additional troop dispatch will be selected from among the Special Warfare Forces, and the supply units currently in Iraq will be moved into the newly established Korean forces’ camp in Tikrit.”

“The major role of these additional troops will be to maintain the security of the areas in charge and to support the diverse civilian affairs,” the official remarked, adding, “The viewpoint of the Defense Ministry is that this type of overseas military operation should be entrusted to the elite military units such as the Special Warfare Forces.”

“Normally, we organize one combat division and one engineering battalion in the dispatch. For example, Seohee Engineering Corps is one engineering battalion,” the official remarked. He also rejected the possibility of sending additional engineering troops to Iraq, saying, “If we send more engineering troops to Iraq, these newly sent troops will have nothing to do. In addition, when the large scale engineering troops perform their duty all over Iraq separately, it would be extremely hard to secure their safety.”

According to the date of dispatch, he said, “Even if the Defense Ministry suggests the legislation bill to the parliament in several days from now and it passes the bill by the end of this month, the actual date of dispatch would be delayed to March of next year, considering the long preparation time needed for the large scale of the troops.”

On the other hand, the Defense Ministry, in order to solve the interpreter shortage problem, has secured 90 interpreters who are proficient in Arabic, and discussed the measure to utilize Koreans residing in Iraq or Arabs who are naturalized Korean citizens to be interpreters.

Sang-Ho Yun ysh1005@donga.com