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Tonga to send troops to Iraq
A contingent of troops from the tiny Pacific kingdom of Tonga will leave on Saturday for a six-month deployment in Iraq. Captain Toni Fonokalafi, who will lead the 55 soldiers, said Wednesday that the Tongan troops will be based at Camp Victory in Baghdad. The contingent is the second to be sent from Tonga, which has a population of 110,000 and a military numbering about 450 troops. After two weeks in the United States for training, the Tongan troops will leave for the Middle East on September 1, Fonokalafi said. They will mostly provide security at Camp Victory, which is situated near Baghdad's airport. The first six-month deployment of Tongan troops to Iraq took place in mid-2004 and a final rotation is due next year.Posted by: Fred 2007-08-17 |
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