The troops are to join about 800 other Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers from Puerto Rico already in Iraq, said Jose Pagan, a spokesman for the Army's Fort Buchanan in suburban San Juan.

The soldiers were given a two-day pass to spend time with relatives before departing, Pagan said. "Because of the security posture at the airport, the farewells were left for them to do them at home."

The soldiers departed on a flight to Kuwait from the U.S. Caribbean territory's Luis Munoz Marin International Airport, Pagan said. They were to travel on to Iraq, he said.

About 800 additional soldiers are training and awaiting orders at Puerto Rico's Camp Santiago, Pagan said. Most of them are expected to be sent to Iraq.

At least 12 soldiers from Puerto Rico or of Puerto Rican descent have been killed in Iraq.

The island's 4 million residents cannot vote for president and have no vote in U.S. Congress. They were made American citizens in 1917 during World War I and have served in the U.S. military ever since.

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