October 7, 2005: Arab troops are joining in the war on terror. Aside from conducting operations on their own soil (essentially âregime protectionâ missions), there are indications that some Arab countries have done more than just verbally support U.S., NATO, and Coalition forces in the war on terror. Apparently small contingents of special operations (commandoes) personnel (usually platoons or companies of 50 â150 troops) from a number of Arab states, have seen action in Afghanistan and Iraq, and perhaps elsewhere. In addition, a number of Arab countries have contributed cadres to support the training of Iraqi military and security forces, and some have even opened their own military training camps to Iraqi personnel.
These activities benefit the countries involved in a number of ways. For one thing, they cement ties with the US and the emergent governments in both Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition, the commitments provide valuable training and experience for their own armed forces, which may prove useful for domestic internal security purposes.
News about these activities is not being widely disseminated, mainly because public opinion in many Arab countries is still pro-terrorist. |