Tonga sends 44 troops to help US in Iraq

1.00pm

NUKU'ALOFA, Tonga - The small South Pacific kingdom of Tonga sent 44 soldiers on Tuesday to join United States-led forces in Iraq.

Tonga, with a population of 100,000 spread over 170 coral islands 2,000km north of New Zealand, was an original member of the so-called "coalition of the willing" who lent military, political or moral support to the US-led invasion of Iraq.

Prime Minister Prince 'Ulukalala Lavaka Ata said Tonga was obliged to make a commitment when the United States asked for assistance.

"We remember when the United States came to defend Tonga and the region during the Second World War... but Tonga's contribution to the effort to bring peace and stability to Iraq is only relative to what we can afford," he said.

He described the deployment as a peacekeeping mission. The troops will serve alongside the same US Marine division that Tonga served with in the Solomon Islands during World War Two.

Tonga, dubbed the friendly islands by British explorer Captain James Cook, has a 400-person defence service, made up of a headquarters platoon and a light infantry company, according to the US State Department website.

- REUTERS

Herald Feature: Iraq