SYDNEY, Australia — The United States expects that thousands of North Korean troops massing in Russia will "soon" enter combat against Ukraine, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said Saturday. About 10,000 North Korean soldiers were believed to be based in the Russian border region of Kursk, Austin said, where they were being "integrated into the Russian formations". "Based upon what they've been trained on, the way they've been integrated into the Russian formations, I fully expect to see them engaged in combat soon," Austin told reporters during a stopover in Pacific nation Fiji. Austin said he had "not seen significant reporting" of North Korean troops being "actively engaged in combat" to date. Kyiv has warned that Moscow, alongside the North Korean soldiers, has now amassed a 50,000-strong force to wrest back parts of the border region seized by Ukrainian forces.

Source: Philippine Star November 23, 2024 18:14 UTC