An advance group of around 43 Australian soldiers, part of a deployment of 450 extra troops, arrived at an airbase in Kuwait on their way to southern Iraq.

Australia now maintains about 950 military personnel in the Middle East, with 400 in Iraq.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard announced in February that Australia would send 450 more troops to Iraq's southern province of Muthanna to protect Japanese engineers and help train local forces.

The soldiers set out from Darwin, capital of Northern Territory, aboard HMAS Tobruk on Sunday morning for the 19-day journey to the Middle East, with 20 Australian light armored vehicles, stores, equipment on board.

A defense spokesman said the remaining soldiers will head to Iraq by sea or by commercial air later this month and early next month.

HMAS Tobruk will undertake training operations while still in Australian waters, army officer Captain Keith Wilkinson said.

"They will drive out into the harbor, into open water and cruise around and participate in training activities in preparation for the Iraq voyage," Wilkinson was quoted by Australian Associated Press as saying.

(Xinhua News Agency April 18, 2005)