Italian army providing 2,500 soldiers for Turin Olympics

The Italian army is moving 2,500 soldiers _ including 1,000 members of an anti-aircraft artillery unit _ to strengthen security at next month's &to=http://english.pravda.ru/world/20/91/365/16558_Turin.html' target=_blank>Turin Olympics.

Many are already patrolling Turin and the Alpine venues based around Sestriere for the Feb. 10-26 games.

General Franco Cravarezza said on Tuesday that 760 soldiers will help prepare ski courses and another 40 will be assigned to emergency snowmobile vehicles, according to news agency ANSA.

Italian police forces are expected to mobilize around 9,000 officers as the main security force.

Also, Italian State Police said a team of officers from Interpol would be in Turin during the Olympics, providing the Italians with fast and direct access to the agency's database, which includes information on stolen documents.

"During the Olympics, in times when nobody is immune from the threat of terrorism, Interpol will provide its operational support to Italy and every other participating country," Interpol secretary general Ronald Noble said in a statement.