Arab troops are joining in the war on terror. Aside from conducting
operations on their own soil (essentially ?regime protection? missions), there
are indications that some Arab countries have done more than just verbally
support U.S., NATO, and Coalition forces. Apparently small contingents of special
operations (commandoes) personnel (usually platoons or companies of 50 ?150
troops) from a number of Arab states, have seen action in Afghanistan and Iraq,
and perhaps elsewhere. In addition, a number of Arab countries have contributed
troops and technical personnel to support the training of Iraqi military and
security forces, and some have even opened their own military training camps to
Iraqi personnel.



These activities benefit the countries involved in a number of ways. For one
thing, they cement ties with the US and the emergent governments in both Iraq
and Afghanistan. In addition, the commitments provide valuable training and
experience for their own armed forces, which may prove useful for domestic
internal security purposes.