US calls in further 17,000 reservists

THE US military, getting ready for a possible war with Iraq, yesterday said it had activated nearly 17,000 more reserve troops, bringing the total number of reservists on active duty to more than 111,000.

The latest mobilisation means that nearly 10% of the total of about 1.2 million US reservists now have been summoned to active duty.

The announcement came as the US continued to assemble a large military force in the Gulf region for a possible invasion of Iraq. Many reservists are heading to the Gulf region along with more than 100,000 US regular troops, ships and warplanes.