By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
South Korean officials expressed negative views Friday about the idea of redeploying forces to Afghanistan to support U.S.-led stabilizing operations in the central Asian nation.
``We've just pulled our troops out of Afghanistan. I think it will be impossible to send them again,'' a senior military source said on condition of anonymity, responding to a report that Washington wants to discuss Seoul's troops redeployment to Afghanistan with the Lee Myung-bak government.
In a congressional confirmation hearing Wednesday, Kathleen Stephens, the U.S. ambassador-designate to South Korea, expressed hope that the issue will be discussed during the upcoming summit between Presidents Lee and George W. Bush next week, Yonhap News Agency reported.
``I think this is a discussion we should have with the new government. I think we need to discuss what the needs are in Afghanistan and see how they can contribute,'' Stephens said.
She was responding to questions from Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), who asked why Seoul was hesitant to send forces there despite requests from Washington to help stabilize Afghanistan, according to Yonhap.
``South Korea understands the need to have stability at its border,'' the senator said, suggesting that such an understanding should extend to security in central Asia. ``I would hope that in this new opportunity we have with you and the new president, that we will make that case.''
Last December, all South Korean non-combatant troops returned home, ending their five-year-long humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, following the death of a soldier in a suicide bomb attack and the abduction of 22 South Koreans by Taliban militants.
After the troop pullout, South Korea has been contributing to the security of the central Asian country by joining the NATO-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT).
PRT is an administrative unit administering international aid to Afghanistan and Iraq, consisting of civilians and military specialists who perform small construction projects or provide security for others involved in aid and reconstruction work.
A Defense Ministry official said the United States has not requested the redeployment.
``That's just remarks made by the ambassador-designate during a confirmation hearing. We haven't received any request on troop redeployment to Afghanistan from the U.S. government,'' the official said.
South Korean forces consisting of engineers and medics conducted humanitarian and rehabilitation work in Afghanistan from 2002 to 2007.
The Dongui Medical Unit was dispatched to the country in September 2002 to support the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom aimed at toppling the Taliban regime that ruled most of the country from 1996 to 2001. The Dasan Engineering Unit was sent to the country a year later.
The operation was initiated in late 2001 after the Sept. 11 attacks and Islamic extremists refused to hand over Osama bin Laden, who the United States accused of masterminding the attacks on U.S. soil. Washington also aimed to disrupt the use of Afghanistan as a terrorist base for operations.
About 44,000 coalition forces from 44 nations are conducting military operations in the country under the command of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, according to reports.