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Associated Press Worldstream
January 21, 2005 Friday 12:52 PM Eastern Time
Armenian troops join coalition force in Iraq
WARSAW, Poland
A contingent of 46 Armenian non-combat troops joined the Polish-led
coalition force in Iraq on Friday, a military spokesman said.
Gen. Andrzej Ekiert, the commander of the 6,000-strong Polish-led
international force, shook hands with the Armenian soldiers and spoke
a few words of welcome to them at the force's headquarters in
Diwaniyah, south of Baghdad, said Lt. Col. Artur Domanski, a Polish
military spokesman.
The 46 soldiers - 10 bomb-disposal experts, 30 drivers, three medics
and three officers - will be given a week "to get acclimated to the
climate, get equipment and rest" before starting work, Domanski said.
The troops will be based at Camp Charlie in the city of Hillah.
Armenia's parliament voted in December to send the contingent, a move
that was backed by President Robert Kocharian but drew sharp
criticism from many Armenians, opposition groups, and even the
30,000-strong Armenian community in Iraq, which fears being targeted
for attacks.
January 21, 2005 Friday 12:52 PM Eastern Time
Armenian troops join coalition force in Iraq
WARSAW, Poland
A contingent of 46 Armenian non-combat troops joined the Polish-led
coalition force in Iraq on Friday, a military spokesman said.
Gen. Andrzej Ekiert, the commander of the 6,000-strong Polish-led
international force, shook hands with the Armenian soldiers and spoke
a few words of welcome to them at the force's headquarters in
Diwaniyah, south of Baghdad, said Lt. Col. Artur Domanski, a Polish
military spokesman.
The 46 soldiers - 10 bomb-disposal experts, 30 drivers, three medics
and three officers - will be given a week "to get acclimated to the
climate, get equipment and rest" before starting work, Domanski said.
The troops will be based at Camp Charlie in the city of Hillah.
Armenia's parliament voted in December to send the contingent, a move
that was backed by President Robert Kocharian but drew sharp
criticism from many Armenians, opposition groups, and even the
30,000-strong Armenian community in Iraq, which fears being targeted
for attacks.