India agrees to send troops to Sudan in Sept

While being non-committal on whether Indian troops would be sent to Iraq, a senior Army official said here today that a 1,500-strong Indian contingent would be deployed as part of United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Sudan in September-October.

8216;8216;The major chunk of troop deployment in Sudan will be from India,8217;8217; said Major General R.P.S. Malhan, Additional Director General Staff Duties. 8216;8216;We will send 1,500 troops, along with some add-ons like hospital staff, two engineering companies,8217;8217; he added.

Declining to comment on any troop deployment in Iraq, Malhan said the Indian Army had earmarked a brigade plus force for deployment for peacekeeping under UN banner. 8216;8216;The earmarked troops are not sitting idle. They continued to be operationally deployed in J-K and North-East and once they get the go ahead they would need just weeks of orientation,8217;8217; Malhan said.