Singapore will send troops to support a U.S.-led coalition combating the Islamic State, making it the first Southeast Asian nation to join a growing effort to stamp out the extremists.
The Singapore Armed Forces plans to contribute about 50 to 60 personnel to the multinational campaign, known as Operation Inherent Resolve, according to local media reports. More than 40 countries are participating in the military effort.
Singapore Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said his country also plans to contribute a tanker aircraft for air-to-air refueling and an imagery analysis team, which was previously deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the Straits Times.
None of Singapore’s troops will operate out of Iraq or Syria, Mr. Hen said. Instead, the troops will participate in the fight from locations in neighboring countries, he said.
Singapore’s government is tracking at least two citizens who traveled to Syria to join the Islamic State, said Teo Chee Hean, the country’s deputy prime minister.
Mr. Hean told members of Singapore’s parliament in October that the whereabouts of the two citizens were unknown.
• Maggie Ybarra can be reached at mybarra@washingtontimes.com.
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