An advance team of non-combat troops has departed for Iraq. The Defense Ministry said it dispatched a 20-member contingent team to the Gulf region Thursday night. The ministry said the team, comprising of 10 military engineers and 10 medics, will operate their missions in a U.S. military base in Kuwait. Three hundred additional soldiers will be dispatched on April 30th and the remainder on May 14th. The ministry said the troops are likely to be located near the northern region of Nasiriyah.