German Experts to Train Iraqi Troops

Germany, which last year opposed the US-led war in Iraq, has sent a team of 32 army experts to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where they are to train Iraqi troops in the use of heavy military trucks, a defense ministry spokesman said Monday. A batch of 25 trainers left Monday for Abu Dhabi to join seven colleagues who departed over the weekend. The spokesman said the team was expected to return to Germany to spend the Christmas holidays. The mission is to teach 140 Iraqi soldiers how to use some 100 heavy military trucks being provided by the German military. A third of the trucks have already been delivered. Germany already trained Iraqi police officers in the UAE between March and May this year. Berlin announced in late September that it planned to supply the Iraqi army with 20 armored troop transport vehicles. (AFP)