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War in Iraq ends for international forces
The Times ^ | 11/29/2008 | Deborah Haynes in Baghdad

Posted on 11/28/2008 5:59:23 PM PST by bruinbirdman

President Bush's “coalition of the willing” is set to all but disappear from Iraq by the end of the year, with 13 countries, including South Korea, Japan, Moldova and Tonga preparing to withdraw their few remaining troops.

Britain, Australia, Romania, Estonia and El Salvador are the only nations, apart from the US, that plan to remain after a UN mandate authorising their presence expires on December 31.

London must still reach an agreement with Baghdad, however, to keep its 4,100-strong contingent on the ground into the new year. Failure to do so in time would leave British troops without legal cover and they too would have to leave.

“We are going to say farewell to 13 different nations in the space of two and a half weeks,” said Brigadier-General Nicolas Matern, a deputy commander for Multi-National Corps Iraq, which oversees the US military's coalition partners.

“We started off with 35 countries but it has steadily been going down ... As from December it is going to go all the way down,” he told The Times.

A farewell ceremony took place on Wednesday for 76 Macedonian soldiers. Another is due today for 86 troops from Bosnia and Herzegovina and a third is scheduled for South Korea's contingent tomorrow. Others set to follow suit include soldiers from Albania, Azerbaijan, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Lithuania and Ukraine.

President Bush and Tony Blair scrambled the coalition together in the build-up to the Iraq invasion in a bid to put an international face on what was fast becoming an unpopular war. But the list of participants drew scorn for failing to include a greater number of powerful states, with the US and Britain the main contributors.

The size of the outgoing contingents ranges from just 4 Lithuanians to 300 South Koreans. Many countries have reduced

(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: mohammedanism; victoryiniraq

1 posted on 11/28/2008 5:59:23 PM PST by bruinbirdman
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To: bruinbirdman

Mission Accomplished


2 posted on 11/28/2008 6:05:28 PM PST by Edit35 (.)
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To: bruinbirdman

And...AND....Iraq is fast losing its position as the most Violent place in the World.

If America WINS a WAR, will the Main Stream News REPORT the VICTORY ?

Let us start a “CLICK OFF” Write in Campaign. Dear MSM, either report the VICTORY in IRAQ before President Bush leaves office . . Or CLICK (Sound of Channel changer bypassing ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, PBS etc..etc...Never to be viewed again.
Who in America would want to Watch Al Jazzera wanna be’s ?
N0T me, Kemosabe.


3 posted on 11/28/2008 6:35:16 PM PST by 4Speed
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To: bruinbirdman

A heartfelt thanks to all the soldiers from the allied coalition who served so well in Iraq ( and in Afghanistan).

They are the real representatives of their countries, not their local politicians and street-protesting reds.


4 posted on 11/28/2008 6:57:11 PM PST by MadMax, the Grinning Reaper
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To: 4Speed
Nope. They will wait for Obama to lose the peace, then blame Bush.

Remember, everything that ever happens is Obama's fault. Clear til doomsday.

5 posted on 11/28/2008 7:38:10 PM PST by JasonC
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To: bruinbirdman
they just can't make themselves say WE WON... MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!

telling the truth isn't in them.

6 posted on 11/28/2008 8:59:25 PM PST by Chode (American Hedonist -)
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