Iraq to send troops to Afganistan
The Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has announced plans to send a contingent of soldiers on a UN peace-keeping mission in Afghanistan.
2,000 troops will be deployed in the North-East of the country for six months beginning in February 2006.
Said Talabani, "It is a proud moment for the Iraqi people. As President Bush has said, Iraq is now a strong ally against terror and a force for democracy in the Middle East. Having completed the path to democracy, we are prepared to share our experience of peaceful reconstruction and help the Afghanis build a society that will hopefully one day enjoy the same level of peace and prosperity as we enjoy in our completely normal Middle-Eastern democratic republic."
In an unrelated incident, the Vice-President of Iraq, six of his bodyguards, seventeen members of the new Iraqi police force and all eighty-two units of the Iraqi army were blown up in a massive car bomb blast Sunday evening.