Baku: Azeri troops to leave for Iraq

"Azerbaijan will become the first Muslim nation who will join the US-led force in Iraq," told Azeri Defence Minister Sefer Abiyev. The peacekeepers will head for Kuwait and they will be deployed to northern and central Iraq. They will operate under US command and its primary task will be to help keep order around Shiite holy places in the cities of Kirkuk, Mosul and Kerbala. Azerbaijan will cover some of the expenses for the deployment.