Generals want troops to stay on in Iraq
written by: Kim Min-seok and Brian Lee, 17-Oct-04
 | | A South Korean soldier on patrol outside an airport in the northern Iraqi city of Arbil. |
A South Korean defense official said yesterday that the armed forces' leadership will seek authorization from the National Assembly to extend the deployment of the Korean troops sent to Iraq by one year. Without an extension, South Korea's Zayituun unit, the third largest contingent in the coalition in Iraq, would have to come home without having undertaken actual operations,
The original mandate for the deployment expires at the end of this year.
The bill to send troops was passed on Feb. 13, but the dispatch was not completed until seven months later amid massive public protests and political infighting. An Uri Party official said that a decision to extend the stay of the troops would have to be made, considering the country's duties to the international community.
Defense Ministry officials are also stressing the need for an extension.
"Since the troops only arrived in Irbil early this month, in order to conduct any peacekeeping missions, we need to extend their stay for another year," said a Defense Ministry official.
"There might be some noise in the National Assembly, but if a new mandate does not get through on time, it would be impossible for us to execute the budget necessary to maintain the unit," said the official, who pointed out that Zayituun might have to return without having really conducted any missions.
Earlier, the ministry said that construction of the unit's bases would be completed at the end of this month and troops would be ready to start missions in November. Zayituun's base is located 5 kilometers (3 miles) west of Irbil, capital of the Kurdish autonomous region.
Published in: Joong Ang Daily
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