MONGOLIAN ARMED FORCES PREPARE FOR POSSIBLE 8TH

S E C R E T ULAANBAATAR 000156 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/07/2017 TAGS: MARR PREL PTER MG IZ PL SUBJECT: MONGOLIAN ARMED FORCES PREPARE FOR POSSIBLE 8TH ROTATION TO IRAQ REF: ULAANBAATAR 0150 Classified By: Acting DCM Patrick J. Freeman, for reasons 1.5(B) and (D ) ¶1. (S) On March 7, DATT was told by a tired-looking Chief of General Staff LTG Togoo that he would meet with senior government officials in late afternoon regarding the issue of an 8th rotation of 100 troops to Iraq. Togoo said he would need to meet with DATT after that meeting (note: most likely on March 9, since March 8 is a local holiday). ¶2. (S) A General Staff Peacekeeping Department official told DATT that the 7th rotation, which had been due to return from Iraq on or about March 20, likely would be extended two months. This would give time for recruit the soldiers in the next rotation, then begin the month-long training at the end of March. (Note: Mongolia deploys ad hoc units of volunteers to Iraq and other PKO missions, usually with about half being veterans of previous deployments.) The Peacekeeping Department officer said that the commander of the 7th rotation has already been informed of the likely extension, but the other soldiers do not yet know. According to the official, the Mongolian Armed Forces General Staff met for six hours on March 6 to discuss the arrangements for the 8th rotation. MINTON