Indian troops for Iraq? Won't speculate, Arun Jaitley says

NEW DELHI: Defence minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday refused to "speculate" when asked if India planned to send troops to Iraq to rescue Indians trapped there.

"I am not going to speculate," the minister told the media.

Nearly 120 Indians are stranded and 39 have been abducted in Iraq in areas overrun by Sunni insurgents. There are more than 10,000 Indians in Iraq overall, according to the external affairs ministry.

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'Expedite military purchases'

Describing the slow pact of military purchases "a major concern", Arun Jaitley said several decisions in the pipeline need to be expedited.

"Key matter of concern is the slow pace of acquisition of equipment and assets that are required," the minister told the media here.

"Several decisions in the pipeline are good cases for these processes to be expedited," he added.

"The entire resources of the country, notwithstanding various pressures, have to be made available in significant amount for those in defence of the country," said Jaitley.

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