STEPPING UP

Breaking ranks with many of its European neighbors, the Netherlands has sent 1,100 Dutch peacekeepers to southern Iraq so a nearly equal number of American marines can go home.

The Dutch force, which officially deployed late this week, is a response to American and British requests for help in the relatively secure Shiite-populated province of Muthanna, bordering Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

"For us there was no choice," the defense minister, Henk Kamp, said in an interview. "The Americans helped us in the Second World War. Now they are helping the people in Iraq."

The Dutch contingent is considerable for this tiny country and the mission has aroused a range of reactions. Some supporters say it reflects renewed gratitude for American help in liberating the Netherlands from the Nazis.