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Non-US Forces in Iraq - 23 August 2004

The size and capabilities of the Coalition forces involved in operations in Iraq has been a subject of much debate, confusion, and at times exageration. As of April 23, 2004, MNF-I/MNC-I claimed that 33 countries were contributing forces to operations in Iraq although, the list provided only listed 32 countries. These were Albania, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Rep, El Salvador, Estonia, Georgia, Honduras, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Thailand, United Kingdom, and Ukraine. Not included in that tally was Spain, which was about to withdraw its troops from Iraq. Also not included in that list is Singapore, which had pledged to dispatch 191 troops to Iraq and which were, by that date, already in country.

Since then, Spain pulled out its troops out the country. So did the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Honduras. The Kingdom of Tonga did, however, deploy 45 Royal Marines in early July to Iraq. With the withdrawal of the Philippines Troops, there are 31 countries participating in the coalition.

Recent developments

• In an article in the Western Daily Mail from August 26, 2004, an MoD spokesman was reported as saying that there were 8,361 UK service personnel in Iraq.
• The Associated Press reported on August 19, that El Salvador had that day dispatched 150 for Kuwait as part of a regularly scheduled rotation to Iraq. The remaining 230 troops would leave on August 20 and 22.
• The Sunday Territorian in Australia reported on August 15, that 50 soldiers from the Territory's 1st Brigade were to be deployed to Iraq in September for a period of four months and tasked with protecting Australian diplomats and escort supply convoys. The troops are to be drawn from the 2nd Calvary Regiment and 5/7 RAR Battalion Royal Australian Regiment. They will be equipped with 6 Australian Light Armoured Vehicles.
• Ukraine announced on August 13 that it would proceed with the rotation, in the mid-September and mid-October timeframe, of a brigade to Iraq to replace its contingent deployed there. The brigade would consist of three battalions.
• Clarification: Japan was believed to have had ~1,100 troops in the region. This figure included approximately 550 troops based in Samawah, Iraq. It also included an approximately additional 200 or so Japanese Air Self-Defense Force personnel based out of Kuwait's Ali Al-Salem Air Base. These provide C-130 airlifts of aid and equipment. The remaining were from two Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force ships (the destroyer Murasame and the transport ship Oosumi) which ferried vehicles and material to Kuwait for the Japanese GSDF troops. The return home of two ships however on April 8, 2004 had not been previously noted. Though, as of late April 2004, two japanese supply ships and three destroyers were supporting US-led anti-terrorism operations in the Arabian Sea, with the next rotation to consist of a single supply ship and two destroyers, these are not included in this tally for Japanese troops are they are prohibited by law from supporting missions unrelated to anti-terrorism activities related to the 11 September attacks. As a result the number of Japanese troops in the area has been revised downward to ~750 troops in the region.
• On August 09, 2004, Philippine military officials announced that a battalion of soldiers were getting prepared for the possibility of a deployment to Iraq, should the Philippino government decide to send another contingent of 500 peacekeepers to Iraq under the mandate of the United Nations.
• BBC Monitoring Reports reported that on August 6 a ceremony was held for the departure of the Romanian 3rd National Engineer Detachment to Iraq. The unit is composed of 149 troops from the 96th Engineer Battalion and 58 troops from other units. The departure date was not announced. Also unclear was whether this deployment would be in addition to other Romanian troops already deployed or as part of a rotation.
• A Pakistani Foreign Office spokesman announced on August 2 that Pakistan would not contribute troops for Iraq given the 'volatile' situation in Iraq.
• Ukraine's prime minister, Viktor Yanukovych, openly called on August 2, 2004, for Ukraine to reduce the size of its troop contingent in Iraq, numbering 1,576 troops. The report by the Associated Press, also mentionned the announcement on August 1 by the Ukrainian Defense Minister, that a brigade would be rotating into Iraq in September and would number 1,722 troops, reflecting an increase in strength of close to 10%.
• BBC Monitoring reported on August 2, that the rotation of the Romanian 26th Infantry Battalion Neagoe Basarab was complete, with the last detachment from that unit having arrived back home earlier that day.
• El Salvador announced on July 30, 2004 that it would deploy a 380-strong contingent of troops to Iraq on August 17. The third Salvadorian contingent to be deployed to Iraq, the unit is to include both medical personnel and engineers and is to be tasked mainly with civil recontruction as well as training of Iraqi forces. The country is the lone remaining member of the "Ultra Plus Brigade" formerly commanded by Spain.
• According to a July 29, 2004 Xhinhua report, the Czech Republic, in drafting its peacekeeping missions participation plan had settled on withdrawing troops from Iraq, thereby reducing its presence to an at-the-most 10-men stron surgical team in Basrah. The account also reported that roughly 100 MPs were in-country for training purposes.
• According to a ITAR-TASS report from July 29, 2004, Ukraine restated its intention to carry out the roration of its' brigrade seven in Iraq. Negotations to that effect had been started in Warsaw and pursued at the June Istanbul NATO defense ministers meeting.
• According to a BBC Monitoring report from July 27, 2004, the rotation of Romanian troops involving the relieving of the 26th Infantry Battalion Neagoe Basarab with the 812th Infantry Battalion would be completed by mid-August. The 26th Infanty Battalion replaced the 811th Battalion in January 2004.
• According to a BBC monitoring report, the Republic of Fiji Military Forces had abandoned plans to deploy a battalion to Iraq, for financial reasons.
• A BBC report from July 20 reported that the first detachment of the Romanian 812th Infantry Battalion Carpathian Hawks left on that date to replace the the 26th Red Scorpions Battalion of Craiova.
• The peacekeeping mission in Iraq of the Philippines contingent terminated on July 19, as the last troops still in country left for Kuwait to return home.
• According to various press accounts, the withdrawal of Philippine Troops will be complete on Monday, July 19. Polish troops will take over the duties previously assumed by the Philippines contingent.
• On July 16, 2004, the Philippines announced the withdrawal of an additional 10 soldiers as well as the head of its humanitarian mission to Iraq. This brought the number of Philippines troops still in country to 32.
• Various news media were reporting that Singapore had quietly reduced its presence in Iraq from 191 to 33. It is unclear when the troops left the country. Update: Singapore has a KC-135 refueling aircraft deployed to the region. Conflicting media reports suggest the 33 troops might be assigned to that aircraft with some uncertainty as to whether the aircraft is actually based in Iraq.
• The Washington Post, on July 15, reported that Moldova had quietly reduced its contingent to 12. It also reported that New Zealand was planning to pull out its 60 engineers by September and that Thailand was almost certain to withdraw its 450 men contingent. On the other hand Albania had pledged to increase its commitment from 70 to 200 troops.
• A BBC Worldwide Monitoring report from July 14, mentionned the departure of 100 MPs from the Romanian 265th Battalion to Iraq's province of Di Qar for six months. They are to operate under Italian command there.
• According to An Associated Press report from July 13, Poland had announced the week prior that it would reduce in January its troops strength in Iraq from 2,400 to between 1,000 and 1,500.
• The 2nd Bulgarian Army infantry battalion stationed in Iraq completed its rotation home on July 13.
• On July 13, 2004, the Philippines announced that it would withdraw its troops from Iraq as soon as possible under pressure from kidnappers holding a Filipino hostage. They were originally scheduled to leave the country on August 20, 2004. On July 14, 2004, it had reduced its troop contingent from 51 to 43.
• On July 4, MNF-I/MNC-I reported that approximately 45 Royal Marines from the Kingdom of Tonga had arrived in Iraq to augment the I Marine Expeditionary Force in the Al Anbar Province