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Two US allies leaving Iraq, more may go
(AP)
Updated: 2005-12-02 07:15
Two of America's allies in Iraq are withdrawing forces this month and a
half-dozen others are debating possible pullouts or reductions, increasing
pressure on Washington as calls mount to bring home U.S. troops.
Bulgarian soldiers
prepare to board an aircraft at Krumovo airfield, some 150 kilometers (93
miles) east of Sofia, in this Aug. 11, 2003 file photo.
[AP] |
Bulgaria and Ukraine will begin withdrawing their combined 1,250 troops by
mid-December. If Australia, Britain, Italy, Japan, Poland and South Korea reduce
or recall their personnel, more than half of the non-American forces in Iraq
could be gone by next summer.
Japan and South Korea help with reconstruction, but Britain and Australia
provide substantial support forces and Italy and Poland train Iraqi troops and
police. Their exodus would deal a blow to American efforts to prepare Iraqis to
take over the most dangerous peacekeeping tasks and craft an eventual U.S. exit
strategy.
"The vibrations of unease from within the United States clearly have an
impact on public opinion elsewhere," said Terence Taylor of the International
Institute for Strategic Studies in Washington. "Public opinion in many of these
countries is heavily divided."
Although the nearly 160,000-member U.S. force in Iraq dwarfs the
second-largest contingent �� Britain's 8,000 in Iraq and 2,000 elsewhere in the
Gulf region �� its support has shrunk substantially.
In the months after the March 2003 invasion, the multinational force numbered
about 300,000 soldiers from 38 countries. That figure is now just under 24,000
mostly non-combat personnel from 27 countries. The coalition has steadily
unraveled as the death toll rises and angry publics clamor for troops to leave.
In the spring, the Netherlands had 1,400 troops in Iraq. Today, there are 19,
including a lone Dutch soldier in Baghdad.
Ukraine's remaining 876 troops in Iraq are due home by Dec. 31, fulfilling a
campaign pledge by President Viktor Yushchenko. Bulgaria is pulling out its 380
troops after Dec. 15 parliamentary elections, Defense Minister Veselin Bliznakov
said.
In his strategy for Iraq, announced Wednesday, President Bush said expanding
international support was one of his goals. He also seemed to address the issue
of more allies withdrawing.
"As our posture changes over time, so too will the posture of our coalition
partners," the document says. "We and the Iraqis must work with them to
coordinate our efforts, helping Iraq to consolidate and secure its gains on many
different fronts."
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