Norwegian troops will probably leave Iraq - also- Kazakhstan troops to quit Iraq in May

Norway Post ^ | 4/7/04

[areafiftyone]

Norwegian troops will probably leave Iraq

Norway will probably withdraw its troops from Iraq within the next few months.

Foreign Minister Jan Petersen said this following meetings at the UN in New York on Tuesday.

Petersen said Norway in future would give priority to other nations rather than Iraq.

We are in Iraq to help stabilize the Iraqi society, to help the country back to a civilian government and to assist in rebuilding, Petersen said to TV 2.

Norway has around 150 soldiers in Iraq, and according to the Norwegian Foreign Minister, it is not expected that Norway will maintain an extensive engagement in the country over a longer
period.

During Petersen's meetings at the UN on Tuesday, the wish was expressed that Norway would be available for missions in other regions.

The UN had wanted Norway first and foremost to contribute towards a peacekeeping force in the Sudan, if this would be needed.

Petersen said to TV 2 that Norway would give priority to its present engagements in the ongoing NATO-led operations in Afghanistan and in Kosovo.

With its limited resources, Norway must decide where to give priority, Petersen said.

-For Norway it is particularly important to put Afghanistan at the top of the list. The country is dependent on outside aid, and Norway must be prepared to contribute to this nation for a considerable number of years, the Norwegian Foreign Minister said.

(NRK)

From Reuters:

ALMATY, April 7 (Reuters) - Kazakhstan will pull its troops out of Iraq when the tour of its present contingent ends in May, Defence Minister Mukhtar Altynbayev said on Wednesday.

Altynbayev also said the Central Asian state's troops, about 30-strong, had been ordered confined to its camp until tensions abated around the southern town of Kut, where they are deployed.

"You know that the term of our second group is running out. We have therefore proposed that when the term ends there will be no further contingent sent to Iraq. Matters will end there," Altynbayev said on Khabar television.

He said Kazakh servicemen, most of whom are engineers, had suffered no casualties in fighting between forces of the U.S.-led coalition and followers of Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

"We have barred our contingent from leaving camp while tensions remain high," he told the television station.

Troops from ex-Soviet Ukraine were pulled out of Kut on Wednesday after clashes in recent days. A Ukrainian serviceman was among 35 coalition soldiers killed.

Azerbaijan is the third ex-Soviet state to have contributed soldiers to the coalition.

Two Central Asian states, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, have allowed U.S. bases on their territory as part of efforts to back Washington's war on terror.

[dirtboy]

Norway will probably withdraw its troops from Iraq within the next few months.

That's OK, ski troops aren't very useful in Iraq during the summer months anyway.

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[alloysteel]

Suddenly the war zone turns hot. Bug-out time.

Jubilation T. Cornpone, take your troops to the rear!

Hey listen, those people are SHOOTING at us!

Nobody ever said it was going to be easy to be known as a hero.

[SolutionsOnly]

I sure hope they don't pull all 150 at once!

[Seydlitz]

To be fair, Norwegian commandos have done a lot of shooting in Afghanistan. The force in Iraq was just a small, good faith gesture to the United States.

[Eurotwit]

I find this report very weird (I am Norwegian). Just recently the FM, went out with this story after having visited our "token of goodwill" force.

"Foreign Minister Jan Petersen is more positive to extending Norway's military commitment to the rebuilding of Iraq after a surprise secret visit to troops in the field. After a day seeing things first-hand in Basra, Petersen was convinced that the soldiers are doing an important, humanitarian job in Iraq. "

"If you ask me personally, I don't want to go back on July 15. And my men don't either, this is more than just a bit meaningful," said Second Lieutenant Kristian Egeland about the project that can bring agricultural independence to regional farmers"


http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1110019/posts

But, the truth might be that the current spineless Norwegian government have turned their back on the coalition. The timing couldn't have been worse IMHO.


Cheers.

[LadyDoc]

With its limited resources, Norway must decide where to give priority, Petersen said.

Yup. Can't bother to even send a token force to Iraq...But don't worry. If Norway is invaded, the Minnesota National Guard still has Norwegians who remember what courage means...