Romania sending 400 troop replacements

Left: An Orthodox priest blesses troops at a ceremony held before the departure of Romanian troops to Iraq.

Some 400 Romanian troops will leave for Iraq for a six-month mission, replacing some Romanian peacekeepers already there under British command, the Defense Ministry said Wednesday.

Romania has about 600 troops in Iraq, most of them stationed with British troops in the south. Their presence in Iraq has become a contentious issue in domestic politics, with Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu calling for their withdrawal. But President Traian Basescu, who is commander in chief, has decided they should stay...

The peacekeepers will operate in the southern province of Dhi Qar.

Read the rest at the International Herald Tribune

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