Gen. Richard Myers, America’s top military official, inspected a line of Mongolia’s soldiers Tuesday and thanked this central Asian nation for sending troops to support the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq. "They are disciplined. They are tough. They are physically fit. They are highly motivated," Myers said as he reviewed troops expecting deployment to Iraq later this month. The first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to visit Mongolia, Myers also met with Mongolia’s president and military chief of staff.
| I'll bet they tighten the Iraqi undies almost as much as the Turks... |
A contingent of 173 Mongolian soldiers began serving in Iraq last fall under a Polish-led multinational force. They are operating around Hillah, in the southern part of the country. Although their area has been subject to mortar and grenade attacks, they have taken no casualties, said Maj. Gen. M. Bombatar, Mongolia’s deputy chief of staff. At the end of the month, they will rotate home, and another company will be sent to replace them. The number of Mongolian troops in Iraq is small, compared with the thousands of U.S. and British troops in Iraq, but their presence represents the former Soviet satellite state’s efforts to gain international prestige and America’s good favor by supporting peacekeeping missions worldwide.
There have been a lot of Mongolians going through english language training at DLI. Great folks, and the Mongolian female troops are hot!
Bombatar said his country plans to triple the number of troops available for such missions. "The Mongolian government has openly supported the global war on terrorism," he said. Mongolia, situated between the giant nations of Russia and China, is also said to be planning to turn their country into a training center for other peacekeeping forces. Already, a group of U.S. Marines have ridden horse patrols in the Mongolian steppes alongside native troops.
Return of the Horse Marines, bet there was a hell of a fight to get that assignment. |