WASHINGTON, Feb 6: The 101st Airborne Division of the US Army, one of the primary US ground force divisions, said on Thursday that it had been ordered to the Gulf region.

A spokesman said deployment orders had been received to go to “the US Central Command operation area” which covers the Gulf region and Afghanistan and would have responsibility for any war against Iraq.

The spokesman did not say exactly where the troops would go, how many were deployed or when they would leave.

The US Central Command under General Tommy Franks covers US forces in 25 countries from the Horn of Africa to Afghanistan.—AFP