PYONGYANG (dpa-AFX) - 10,000 North Korean troops are currently camped in Russia's Kursk Oblast, and if they join forces with Russian troops in the war, they are legitimate targets for Ukrainian soldiers, according to the Pentagon.
Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said at a news conference that the U.S. Defense officials estimate there are now 11,000 to 12,000 North Korean troops in Russia. 'We've seen the press reports about alleged [North Korean] combat ops, and we're looking into those. At this point, we cannot corroborate those reports. But as you heard [Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III] say last week, should these troops engage in combat support operations against Ukraine, they would become legitimate military targets.'
The North Korean troops entered Russia last month, and Russian troops are training those forces in infantry tactics, operating with unmanned aerial vehicles, artillery tactics, trench-clearing and the like, according to intelligence. 'All indications are that they will provide some type of combat or combat support capability. We would fully expect that the Ukrainians would do what they need to do to defend themselves and their personnel,' Ryder told reporters.
The Russians have provided the North Korean troops with Russian uniforms and equipment.
'We'll see exactly how these forces are integrated into Russian operations, and how they're committed to the battlefield, assuming that they are replacements for Russian forces,' he said.
Ryder pointed to Austin's remarks last week discussing the large number of casualties Russian forces are suffering. The North Korean forces could be coming in 'to replace the massive losses that Russia is experiencing. I think that is probably a fair assessment, and I certainly would not want to be a North Korean soldier there.'
Ryder also discussed the deployment of additional U.S. forces to the Central Command region. Austin ordered additional ballistic missile defense destroyers, fighter squadrons, tanker aircraft and several B-52 long-range strike bombers to the Middle East.
The B-52 bombers have already arrived in the region with the other forces expected in the days and weeks to come.
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