Iowa Guard will send about 550 soldiers to Mideast

About 550 Iowa National Guard soldiers based in eastern and northern Iowa will be sent this spring to the Mideast.

The Guard announced Thursday that members of its 1st Battalion would be deployed in late May to provide “area security and force protection" as part of military efforts that encompass 27 countries. Those countries include Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

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Soldiers will be mobilized from armories in Charles City, Davenport, Dubuque, Iowa City, Iowa Falls, Oelwein and Waterloo.

The soldiers will complete final training at Fort Bliss in Texas before being sent on the overseas mission. The deployment is scheduled to last about a year.