The Tonga Defence Service Second Deployment to Iraq will leave Tonga on Saturday August 18 to serve alongside USA soldiers in a peacekeeping mission in Iraq.

Captain Toni Fonokalafi, who will lead the 55 soldiers, said today that the Tongan troops will be based at Camp Victory in Baghdad for six months.

Camp Victory is an area of 1,082 acres located near the Baghdad International Airport, and the headquarters of the Multinational Force (at the Al Faw Palace) is located within the camp. The camp accommodates 9,800 people with 4,800 civilians, 4,300 military personnel 300 Coalition Forces and 400 Iraqi Guards.

Cpt Fonokalafi said that the most likely and most common threat of attack to the camp is indirect fire. He travelled to the camp last month to see where the Tongan soldiers will be staying. "It looked at ease but bear in mind that this is a war zone and anything can happen," he said.

The tasks of the Tongan soldiers at the camp will include providing securing of all entry control points into the Al Faw Palace, perimeter defence, provide direction to VIP guests, assist in any emergency requests and provide reports to the Commandant's office.

Cpt Fonokalafi said that apart from personal weapons the Tongan troops will be taking with them, the US Force would be supplying the uniforms, combat tools, food and shelter, ammunition, transport and communication, pre-deployment training and the airlift from Tonga.

Training

The Tongan troops will first travel to the United States on August 18 where they will have two-weeks pre deployment training at Camp Pendleton near Los Angeles.

They will leave for Kuwait on September 1 for another two-weeks of final preparation before heading off to Iraq on September 16.

Cpt Fonokalafi said the Tongan troops are all male soldiers and they will return to Tonga in March next year.

The third and final rotation of Tongan deployment to Iraq is expected to take place around the same time next year and will be deployed for another six months.

The first deployment of Tongan troops to Iraq was in June 2004 consisting of 46 soldiers who all returned home safely.