Japan may pull troops out of Iraq in early 2006

[leftchick]

TOKYO (AFP) - Japan is currently studying a plan to pull its 600 troops out of southern Iraq in the first half of next year, a newspaper reported.

The Yomiuri Shimbun said Japan had begun looking at the withdrawal of the force, which does reconstruction work in the southern city of Samawa, because a new Iraqi government was likely to be formed by the end of the year.

The paper said the planned withdrawal in May next year of the Australian and British troops who are currently in charge of security in Samawa was influencing Japan's plans.

The paper said the government intended to formally extend the deployment of the force by one year when the current mission expires in December.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20050929/wl_asia_afp/japaniraqtroops_050929054102

[Roland99]

1. 600 whole troops? That'll destroy the "coalition"!!

[NewJeffCT]

2. isn't the UK pulling its troops out in May of '06?

or was that not true?

So, basically it was be US soldiers, with Blackwater & CACI mercenaries?