N. KOREAN TROOPS APPEAR POISED FOR COMBAT:Β
The mettle of North Korean troops dispatched to Russia byΒ Kim Jong UnΒ is about to be tested in the crucible of battle in Kursk, where several thousand DPRK soldiers are camped just miles from the Ukrainian border near the area of Kursk currently occupied by Ukrainian forces following their surprise August offensive.
βWe believe that the DPRK [Democratic Peopleβs Republic of Korea] has sent around 10,000 soldiers in total to train in eastern Russia that will probably augment Russian forces near Ukraine over the next several weeks,β Sabrina Singh, deputy press secretary, told reporters at the Pentagon Monday. βA portion of those soldiers have already moved closer to Ukraine, and we are increasingly concerned that Russia intends to use these soldiers in combat or to support combat operations against Ukrainian forces in Russiaβs Kursk Oblast near the border with Ukraine.β
