U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld made a surprise visit to recently
arrived South Korean troops stationed in northern Iraq Sunday, expressing words
of encouragement and telling them their mission is crucial in the fight against
global extremism.
It was Rumsfeld's first visit to non-U.S. foreign forces stationed in Iraq.
The Korean troops greeted Rumsfeld with thunderous applause as he arrived in
a cavernous tent to speak and dine with them. He told them, however, that their
mission "won't be easy and it won't be smooth."
"You took time off your busy schedule to visit us. We sincerely welcome you,"
said Maj. Gen. Hwang Eui-don, the commanding officer of the Korean contingent,
named Zaytun, Arabic for "olive."
"The Zaytun division will fulfill its role as a member of the coalition
forces to help democracy take root in Iraq," he said. The troops are posted at
Irbil, west of Kirkuk.
Rumsfeld also made a phone call to his South Korean counterpart, Yoon
Kwang-ung, in Seoul to express thanks for Seoul's troop contribution.
Yoon in turn said he was grateful for Rumsfeld's visit to the Zaytun unit.
The two defense chiefs reaffirmed the importance of the two countries' alliance,
Korean officials said.
About 2,800 Korean troops went to the Kurdish-controlled city for
reconstruction work in late September.
With another 660 troops that have been operating in Iraq since April 2003,
South Korea maintains the second-largest military presence after Britain as a
contributor to the U.S.-led operations there.
The visit may have helped make amends for the President Bush's failure to
mention Korea's contributions to the war when acknowledging other coalition
members' help during a speech at the Republican National Convention a few weeks
ago.
Earlier Sunday Rumsfeld told U.S. troops in Iraq that the United States may
be able to reduce its troop levels there after Iraq's January elections if
security is strengthened and Iraqi government forces continue to expand and
improve.
In a question-and-answer session with hundreds of Marines assembled in a
concrete-lined aircraft hangar at Al Asad Air Base in western Iraq, the
72-year-old defense secretary was asked what the future holds for the length and
frequency of troop deployments in the country.
On his first visit to Iraq since its interim government was installed in
June, Rumsfeld said the insurgent violence is likely to get worse in the weeks
ahead, so troop reductions are unlikely. The United States now has about 135,000
troops in Iraq.
"Our hope is that as we build up Iraqi forces, we will be able to relieve the
stress on our forces and see a reduction in coalition forces over some period of
time, probably post-Iraqi elections," the Pentagon chief said. "But again, it
will depend entirely on the security situation here in this country." |