5 Jul 2004

America advises territories that military reservists could be called up

3:13 pm on 5 July 2004

The US military has alerted several of its dependencies and allies in the Pacific, it may ask them to send troops to Iraq.

The governor of Saipan in the northern Marianas says army reservists and police officers will be deployed to either Iraq or Afghanistan.

The Saipan Tribune reports the governor, Juan Babauta, as saying about 83 reservists, including 30 police officers, would be deployed beginning this week.

Meanwhile there are reports from Guam that about 1-hundred and 50 reservists have been alerted for deployment to Iraq.

The military in Hawaii has announced that more than three-quarters of the state's National Guard is on alert.

News reports also indicate that 2-hundred personnel in American Samoa have been alerted for possible call-up.