S’pore to send medical team to Iraq as part of fight against IS

SINGAPORE — Singapore will send a medical team to Iraq as part of its contribution towards global efforts to defeat Islamic State (IS), said Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen.

Writing on Facebook early this morning, Mr Ng said the announcement was made by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in a joint statement with United States President Barack Obama during Mr Lee’s official visit to the US.

“The SAF medical team, when deployed, will take care of both soldiers and civilians who are injured, as they did in Afghanistan,” Dr Ng wrote, referring to the Singapore Armed Forces’ previous deployment of medical personnel to Afghanistan as part of Singapore’s overall contribution to international security operations.

“Soldiers from the ADF will also join them (the SAF team in Iraq) for force protection,” Dr Ng added, in an apparent reference to the Army Deployment Force, SAF's new rapid response unit to deal with terrorism among others.  

“As long as terrorist groups gain a foothold in any country, they can radicalise others from all around the world, including Singapore. This is why Singapore joined the fight against terror in Afghanistan, and now against Isis in Iraq and Syria.”

Singapore announced in November 2014 that it would support the multinational coalition against the extremist threat posed by IS.

So far, the Singapore Armed Forces’ contributions to this end include the deployment of liaison and intelligence officers, as well as sending an imagery analysis team to the combined joint task force’s headquarters in Kuwait. A Singapore Air Force KC-135R Stratotanker has also been deployed since May last year to support air-to-air refuelling operations.

In the joint statement by Mr Lee and Mr Obama, released by the White House this morning, the two leaders acknowledged the continued global threat posed by terrorism and the need to enhance information sharing on counterterrorism-related issues.

“President Obama welcomed Singapore’s commitment to continue existing contributions to coalition efforts, including the deployment of refuelling tanker aircraft and an Imagery Analysis Team, as well as Singapore’s new commitment to deploy medical support to Iraq.” The statement did not offer any details on the deployment of the medical team.

Mr Lee’s official visit to the US is the first by a Singapore prime minister in more than 30 years. On Monday, he met US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter, who expressed appreciation for Singapore’s support for the US’ engagement of Asia and contributions towards the US-led international coalition against IS.

Both leaders reaffirmed the longstanding defence cooperation between the two countries, following a lunch meeting where they discussed ways to further strengthen defence relations and exchanged views on key regional and global developments, including the fight against terrorism, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday.

Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said both leaders discussed a range of issues related to mutual security interests, including cooperation on maritime security and countering violent extremism. “They also discussed the need for a principled, networked regional security architecture, rooted in a shared, enduring interest in regional stability and the rule of law,” he said.

“With regard to the South China Sea, the two reaffirmed the importance of the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law. The secretary noted the recent, legally binding Law of the Sea Convention Tribunal ruling on the Philippines-China arbitration is an important contribution to addressing disputes peacefully.” AGENCIES

CORRECTION: In an earlier version of this article, it was reported that the term "ADF" was referring to the Australian Defence Force. This is incorrect. The ADF refers to the Army Deployment Force, SAF's new rapid response unit to deal with terrorism among others. We apologise for the error.