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Friday March 19, 12:56 AM Poland 'taken for a ride' over Iraq's WMD: President AFP In a first sign of official criticism in Poland of the US-led invasion of Iraq, President Aleksander Kwasniewski said that his country had been "taken for a ride" about the alleged existence of weapons of mass destruction in the strife-torn country. "That they deceived us about the weapons of mass destruction, that's true. We were taken for a ride," Kwasniewski said Thursday. He argued however that it made no sense to pull US-led coalition troops out of Iraq. His comments marked the first time Poland...

<p>BRUSSELS, Belgium (Reuters) -- Poland has vowed not to pull troops out of Iraq because of "terrorist" attacks and said it was willing to remain in command of a stabilisation force there if Spain, which had been due to take over, withdrew.</p>

ARLINGTON, Va. — Beginning in September, the Army each month will designate one U.S.-based brigade as a “force stabilized” unit that will arrive, train and fight as a unit for three years before turning over as a group. At the same time, the service will begin a “home basing” approach, which will keep junior soldiers at one installation for six to seven years — well beyond the current three-year average, according to Brig. Gen. Sean Byrne, the Army’s director of military personnel policy. Force stabilization, as the initiative is known, is supposed to foster “increased readiness and stability for the...

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20 August 2003 U.S., 27 Other Nations Providing Troops to Iraq Answer to question taken at August 20 State Department briefing Following is the official answer to a question taken at the August 20 regular State Department briefing; the answer was posted later in the day: U.S. Department of State Office of the Spokesman Question Taken at August 20, 2003 Press Briefing New Troop Contributions to the Coalition in Iraq Question: Have there been any new discussions with countries regarding the contribution of troops to Coalition efforts in Iraq? What are the results of those discussions? Have any new countries...

DUTCH Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende arrived in Iraq today on a surprise visit to Dutch troops stationed there, the Netherlands Government Information Service (RVD) told AFP. "He has arrived and will pay a visit to the soldiers," RVD spokesman Gerard van der Wulp said. The visit was not announced earlier for security reasons. The Dutch have 1200 troops in southern Iraq as part of the US-led multinational force. The snap visit is intended to boost morale among Dutch troops. "We want to show the soldiers that we are thinking of them and that the Netherlands feels their work in...

Conditions Improve in Southeastern Iraq, Says British General By Gerry J. GilmoreAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Dec. 23, 2003 – The security situation in southeastern Iraq "is now relatively stable" and improving daily along with economic conditions, the British general in charge of that area said in Baghdad today. Maj. Gen. Graham Lamb told reporters that British and other coalition troops in southeastern Iraq have successfully worked with Iraqis to provide security, repair power plants, restore water and sewage services, repair schools and roads, and circumvent oil-smuggling operations. Lamb, the commander of the Multinational Division (South East) for the...

AMSTERDAM, Dec 11 (Reuters) - The Dutch parliament agreed on Thursday to prolong the mission of about 1,100 Dutch marines as part of an international stabilisation force in Iraq by another six months. The troops, who are based in the British-controlled Al Muthanna province in the south of the country, will now stay until July 2004, Defence Ministry spokesman Hendrik Schoenau said. The decision to extend their stay was agreed by a large majority of parliamentarians, despite concern voiced in the assembly and in the Dutch press that the Dutch soldiers could become the target of attacks.

DoD, Coalition to Look into Iraqi Army Resignations By Jim GaramoneAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Dec. 11, 2003 – Defense Department and coalition officials will look into why about a third of the men in the first battalion of the new Iraqi army have resigned, Pentagon officials said. Officials in Baghdad said the first indication is that many of the men left over pay issues. Officials said between 200 and 250 men in the 600-man battalion resigned. Many said they could make about $10 a month more if they entered other Iraqi security forces. Pentagon officials said they recognize...

Sixteen nations sign on to rebuild Iraq; France holds back 12/6/2003 1:29 PM By: Associated Press ROME (AP) -- The United States has recruited 15 countries to help it rebuild Iraq, but the French are still refusing to take part in the effort. Paris and Washington differed vehemently over the U.S.-led war in Iraq, and the French are still refusing to have any official part in the Iraq reconstruction. Iraq's interim trade minister says the $2.4-billion deal would do for Iraq what the Marshall Plan did for Europe after World War II. The deal was signed in Rome Saturday by...

The Associated Press TOKYO Dec. 4 — The bodies of two Japanese diplomats slain in Iraq were flown to Tokyo on Thursday, while major newspapers reported that the prime minister has approved a plan to start sending 1,000 troops for non-combat duty in Iraq. The diplomats' deaths, the first Japanese fatalities in Iraq since the U.S.-led war started in March, heightened fears that sending troops would make Japan a target of terrorist attacks. But Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has said the killings must not deter Japan from contributing to Iraq reconstruction efforts. The Mainichi daily said Koizumi approved the decision...

The Source for Navy News   031010-N-1384B-029 Al Hillah, Iraq (Oct. 10, 2003) -- Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) members and Polish Army soldiers conduct a safe disposal area (SDA) site survey. The SDA will eventually be used to destroy unexploded ordnance found in the Al Hillah area. The Navy EOD team, in conjunction with the Polish army, is in the area to provide Improvised Explosive Device (IED) response. U.S. Navy photo by Journalist 1st Class Phil Beaufort. (RELEASED)   View Larger Download HiRes   Navy EOD Team, Polish Security Operate in IraqStory Number: NNS031107-26Release Date: 11/9/2003 9:01:00 AMBy...

US allies Italy, Spain, Portugal and Poland vowed to keep their 6,000 troops in Iraq as part of the US-led coalition despite the deaths of 23 people in a deadly attack on Italian forces. "Our determination is the same as those Italians in uniform who are honouring the coalition engaged in supporting Iraq on its road to democracy," Italian Prime Minister Silvio said. "No intimidation will change our desire to help this country to rebuild and form a government, in security and freedom." Condolences poured in for the Italian people, with the White House thanking Rome for its help in...

Members of the Polish elite commando team GROM arrive on the beach during an exercise on the Baltic Sea coast October 22, 2003. The elite GROM unit was Poland's only active participant in Operation Iraqi Freedom and may have also won a new lease on its existence during the Iraqi war. Photo by Peter Andrews/Reuters Polish Prime Minister Leszek Miller, left, gives a medal to Polish soldiers for their work in Iraq (news - web sites) during his visit at the Camp Babylon Base, some 80 miles south of Baghdad, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2003. Miller marked his country's 85th...

SOUTH Korea confirmed today that it will send thousands of troops to Iraq to help US forces there. Washington and Seoul, however, differed on the size of South Korea's troop deployment, with Seoul offering to send 3000 soldiers while Washington requested more, said Lee Soo-hyuk, a senior Foreign Ministry official. The two sides will continue their discussions when US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld visits Seoul in mid-November, said Lee, who led a government delegation to Washington last week to work out details of the deployment. "After Turkey cancelled its plan to dispatch troops, the United States earnestly wants other...

KIEV, Ukraine - Seven Ukrainian peacekeepers were wounded when militants attacked their patrol in southern Iraq, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said Wednesday. Two armored personnel carriers with 17 Ukrainian peacekeepers were ambushed Tuesday night near As Suwayrah, northwest of their base at Kut in southern Iraq, said Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Kostiantyn Khivrenko. Three mines exploded under the vehicles, and militants then opened fire. Khivrenko said that the wounded soldiers' condition was stable. Five of them were hospitalized in Baghdad, and the two others suffered only slight injuries. A Ukrainian peacekeeper died earlier this month when the vehicle he was...

By Adrian Croft REUTERS FORMENTOR, Spain – Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday Turkey preferred not to send troops to Iraq if Iraqis did not want them there, but said the decision ultimately rested with the United States. NATO member Turkey has offered troops to help stabilise Iraq after the U.S.-led war that toppled Saddam Hussein in April, but the prospect has angered the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council and rattled Kurds in northern Iraq. At a news conference during a seminar on the Spanish island of Mallorca, Erdogan said Turkey's offer of troops was simply a response to a...

South Korea to Send Troops to Iraq 1 hour, 22 minutes ago By JAE-SUK YOO, Associated Press Writer SEOUL, South Korea - South Korea (news - web sites) said Saturday it would send additional troops to help U.S. forces rebuild and stabilize Iraq (news - web sites). "The government will decide on the number, characteristics and timing of the dispatch after considering the U.S. request and public opinion," said Yoon Tae-young, a spokesman for South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun. Yoon did not clarify whether the unidentified number of new troops will be combat or non-combat forces. South Korea has sent...

WASHINGTON — Turkey's vote authorizing peacekeeping troops for Iraq is a victory for the Bush administration, which has been working for months to entice allies to send more forces &#8212; especially Muslim troops &#8212; to ease pressure on American forces. But Turkey's move, while welcomed by the White House, could further complicate the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq. Iraq's American-appointed governing council opposes having troops from neighboring Turkey in the country, reflecting fears Turkey wants to dominate the country or suppress its Kurdish population. And any new Turkish forces probably won't arrive in time to erase the need for two National Guard...

ANKARA, Turkey - Turkey's parliament voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to give the government permission to send troops to Iraq (news - web sites), a move that could lead to the first contingent of Muslim peacekeepers being sent to Iraq. Lawmakers voted 358-183 in a closed-door session in favor of dispatching troops, which would help patch up damaged ties with Washington and give Turkey a say in ruling Iraq. The motion gives the government the authority to send troops for a year, but does not specify how many troops would be deployed or when. Washington has asked Turkey to contribute some 10,000...