The United States has requested Hungary to establish a military base for training members of the Iraqi opposition in non-combat roles in the event of military action against Iraq. Peter Matyuch, an official from the Hungarian Ministry of Defense, told Voice of America that this request was made by Donald Rumsfeld, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, on Tuesday to the Hungarian Ministry of Defense. Hungarian officials say that the U.S. wants to use the Tazhar airbase in southwestern Hungary to train Iraqis for translation and administrative tasks in the event of sending troops to Iraq. Officials state that this training will last for several months and will involve about 2,400 Iraqi exiles and 2,000 U.S. military personnel. If the Hungarian parliament approves this proposal, training could begin as early as next month.
Establishment of a Military Base for Training Iraqis in Hungary - 2002-12-11
The U.S. has requested Hungary to set up a military base for training Iraqi opposition members in non-combat roles in preparation for potential military action against Iraq. This initiative involves training around 2,400 Iraqi exiles and 2,000 U.S. military personnel. The approval from the Hungarian parliament is needed for the training to commence next month.
👥 Key Players
📰 What Happened
The U.S. has requested Hungary to establish a military base to train Iraqi opposition members in non-combat roles in preparation for potential military action against Iraq. This initiative involves training around 2,400 Iraqi exiles and 2,000 U.S. military personnel.
- The training is intended for translation and administrative tasks.
- Approval from the Hungarian parliament is required for the training to commence.
💡 Why It Matters
📚 Background
In the early 2000s, the U.S. was preparing for military intervention in Iraq, which was seen as a part of its broader strategy to reshape the Middle East post-9/11. This involved supporting opposition groups to weaken Saddam Hussein's regime.
🏷️ Entities Mentioned
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Translation confidence: 85%