Washington: United States on September 13 said it has not received any official communication from India on its inability to send troops to Iraq, owing to its heavy commitment in fighting terrorism in Kashmir.

Asked about reports that India might not be contributing to the proposed multilateral force in Iraq, US Secretary of State Colin Powell told reporters on board his plane en route to Geneva that he had received no official word from the Indian government in this regard.

"India would have to make its political decisions once the UN resolution now being negotiated is in place," he said.

Powell said other countries, including Turkey, Pakistan and Bangladesh, still could contribute to what is hoped to be an extra 15,000 troops in Iraq from international sources.

Earlier, State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said there is no shortage of countries willing to send troops to Iraq under a UN mandate.

"There are no shortages of countries that are committed to that. There are already 30 on the ground doing it right now, and we expect that there will be many, many others joining the effort. It is an ongoing process. And there are many, many ways to work out contributions for those willing to do so."

The issue came up when a correspondent asked at the briefing about a report that India will not be willing to contribute troops to Iraq.

PTI