SDF dispatch would involve 1,000 troops

The Self-Defense Forces team Japan plans to send to Iraq could be the biggest to be sent overseas, featuring some 1,000 troops of the ground, air and maritime forces, government sources said Friday.

If dispatched, the SDF troops would mainly supply safe water in southern Iraq, centering on the city of Samawah, and would airlift weapons and soldiers for the United States in areas Tokyo defines as noncombat zones.

Of the 1,000 troops in question, 550 would come from the Ground Self-Defense Force, 300 from the Maritime Self-Defense Force and the remaining 150 from the Air Self-Defense Force.

The ADSF troops could leave Japan in January, with the GSDF troops following them in February, the sources said.

The details will be decided in an implementation guideline that will be compiled by Defense Agency chief Shigeru Ishiba.

Before the implementation guideline, the Cabinet of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi plans to endorse a rough plan for the dispatch, probably on Tuesday.

This would represent the government's final approval of the dispatch. This basic plan is unlikely to cover the details of the dispatch, including the time frame, due to the uncertainties surrounding the security situation in Iraq.

The government plans to allow SDF personnel to perform duties in areas such as southern Iraq, areas surrounding Baghdad International Airport, the sea route between Japan and Iraq, and Kuwait, the sources said.

Southern Iraq is considered safer than the Baghdad area. The ASDF is set to be based in Kuwait.

Japan's special law for the SDF dispatch merely allows troops to provide humanitarian and reconstruction assistance in areas where the government determines no battles are taking place.