WASHINGTON, Oct 12: The United States hopes that at least two of its Muslim allies — Pakistan and Turkey — would be able to send their troops to Iraq by the end of this year, diplomatic sources told Dawn.

The sources said that the Bush administration expects the two states to send at least 10,000 soldiers each to join a multilateral peacekeeping force Washington is trying to set up.

Turkey’s parliament voted last week to send up to 10,000 troops to Iraq, a move that may annoy some of Ankara’s Muslim neighbours but will win US support for the Turkish government, which is seen in the West as dominated by religious Muslims.

But diplomatic observers in Washington say that it may be difficult for Pakistan to emulate the Turkish move. Pakistan has been reluctant to commit troops for a cause not popular at home and is also opposed by many in Iraq and other Muslim countries.

Pakistan’s decision, the observers say, has been made even more difficult by two recent developments. Last week, the US-backed Governing Council in Iraq urged other Muslim nations not to send troops and over the weekend an OIC summit in Malaysia also asked Muslim countries not to get involved in Iraq.

The only supportive statement for Pakistan on this issue came from Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan. “I believe Turkish soldiers will be a guarantee of peace there,” said Mr Erdogan, the first head of a Muslim country to agree to dispatch of troops to back the US-led occupation.