WASHINGTON, Sept 20: The United States and Britain have asked Pakistan to contribute 12,000 troops for peacekeeping in Iraq, US official and diplomatic sources said on Saturday.

“The troops are required for deployment in Mosul, Basra and Baghdad sectors,” said a senior official source.

Diplomatic sources said that the United States and Britain had conveyed their request for troops to Pakistan soon after the Iraqi war in April but the number of troops and deployment plans were communicated later.

Sources in Washington say that if the current US efforts to get a UN mandate succeed, Pakistan will be among the first few countries to contribute troops for Iraq.

Besides Pakistan, the US also has asked Turkey and South Korea to contribute between 10,000 to 15,000 troops each for Iraq, the sources said.