Rumsfeld: U.S. to Send 1, 500 - 2, 000 Troops to Haiti [View All]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States plans to provide about 1,500 to 2,000 troops to serve in an international stability force totaling less than 5,000 troops in Haiti, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Monday.

President Bush on Sunday directed U.S. Marines to lead an international force to restore order and stability to Haiti after President Jean-Bertrand Aristide resigned in the face of an armed rebellion and fled to Africa.

During a Pentagon briefing, Rumsfeld said an international ``interim'' stability force in Haiti authorized by the United Nations ``will probably be less than 5,000 total,'' with the U.S. contribution what he described as ``a small fraction of that.''

He said, ``I don't know what the number will be, but for the sake of argument, say 1,500 or 2,000, or less. But time will tell. We'll have what's needed.''

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http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/politics/politics-haiti-usa-rumsfeld.html