BAKU, July 3 (RIA Novosti) - Azerbaijan has sent 88 servicemen to Iraq as part of a regular rotation of its peacekeeping contingent in the war-torn country, the Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
The former Soviet republic approved the deployment of 150 peacekeepers to Iraq in May 2003.
Azerbaijani peacekeepers are currently protecting a hydroelectric power station in the town of Al-Hadida, which supplies Baghdad City with half of its electricity.
On June 28, the Defense Ministry announced that an Azerbaijani peacekeeper was killed in Iraq in the line of duty, the first death since 2003.
There are also 45 Azerbaijani peacekeepers serving in Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), a NATO-led security and development mission in the country.
A request was submitted to the Azerbaijani parliament to increase their number to 100.
