U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld thanked Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliev on Thursday for his country's support in the war on terrorism.

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld thanked Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliev on Thursday for his country's support in the war on terrorism. Rumsfeld spoke with Aliev on a trip to visit U.S. allies in the region. Defense Minister Gen. Col. Safar Abiyev assured Rumsfeld that his country is committed to keeping 150 soldiers in Iraq. Azerbaijan is one of the few predominantly Muslim countries that has contributed troops to the multinational coalition assisting the emerging forces of the Iraqi interim government. Kazakhstan also has a presence in Iraq. Azerbaijan, which also has 22 troops in Afghanistan, is seeking U.S. support in modernizing its military and resolving a territorial dispute with neighboring Armenia. The United States, meanwhile, is appealing to Caspian Sea countries like Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan as foils to Iran, which also borders on the oil-rich sea.