Indian Muslims oppose troops deployment in Iraq

By: Irfan Malik

NEW DELHI, India: Muslims in India have strongly opposed New Delhi’s decision of deploying troops in the holy land of Iraq as part of a US-led stabilization force.

According to reports, some warned of a backlash that could have an impact on the electoral fortunes of the ruling Hindu nationalists.

But Maulana Kalbe Sadiq, a religious leader in the northern Indian city of Lucknow, has favored the deployment.

The Indian government has been thinking about the dispatch of nearly 17,000 soldiers to Iraq since Washington made a request in early May, hoping to tackle the growing difficulties in replacing its forces with an international stabilization force there.

According to officials India is waiting for some clarification from the United States before committing troops to Iraq. This included the announcement of a timetable for the setting up of a democratic establishment in Iraq.

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