The Los Angeles Times newspaper reported Friday on how American installations in South Korea are going on high alert, after intelligence was gathered on a retaliatory terrorist attack following the dispatch of Korean troops to Iraq.
Following is an excerpt from the paper.
More than 33,000 U.S. troops, civilians and military contractors have had a 9 p.m. curfew since September 24th. Roadblocks and armored vehicles have been circling U.S. facilities and access to bases has been restricted.
The Seoul government has also bolstered security around its overseas diplomatic establishments.
A South Korean official said that in recent weeks very "specific intelligence" had been received from several countries including the U.S. warning of possible attacks against American and South Korean targets.
The South Korean military announced last week that it had completed the deployment of the Zaitun unit to the Kurdish city of Irbil in northern Iraq. The 2,800-strong Korean force is the largest foreign troop presence in the war-torn gulf state after U.S. and British troops.