Jordan Times
Friday - Saturday, November 23 -24, 2001
Jordan army medical team to be sent to Afghanistan
By Tareq Ayyoub
AMMAN — Jordan is expected to soon dispatch an army medical team to the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif as part of the international assistance to the war-torn nation, officials said on Thursday.They said the team of a few hundred soldiers and medical personnel will establish a 60-bed field hospital to treat Afghans injured in the US bombings of the Asian country and conflicts since the takeover of the country from the Taleban forces.
The Jordanian embassy in Uzbekistan is expected to play a major role in extending logistical assistance to the Jordanian mission in Afghanistan, the sources added.
A government official said that a Jordanian liaison officer will be assigned to coordinate the activities of the Kingdom's contingent in Afghanistan with the Russian consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif.
The official, who asked not to be named, told The Jordan Times that this issue was discussed with Russian officials during His Majesty King Abdullah's visit to Russia on Wednesday.
Diplomats said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised to extend support to Jordan to facilitate the operation of its forces in Afghanistan. Jordan is the only Arab state to send a military medical corps to Afghanistan.
Turkey, France, Germany and Poland are among the nations which pledged to dispatch forces to the Central Asian nation as part of the United Nations peacekeeping force which will undertake humanitarian missions including the distribution of aid to 26 million Afghans.
A Jordanian source said the Jordanian force is expected to leave for Afghanistan by Sunday.