More troops to be withdrawn from Iraq

On July 1st, likely Slovakian Prime Minister, Robert Fico, said he would pull the country's troops out of Iraq as soon as his new government is formed. Recently, both Japan and Italy have announced plans to withdraw their troops from Iraq. Romanian Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu has proposed a referendum to decide whether Romanian military forces should stay in Iraq. Personally he does not wish Romanian troops to remain in Iraq. Even the U.S.'s staunch ally, Britain, will not deny the possibility of withdrawing its military. In the middle of June, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said withdrawing from Iraq is part of a strategy that his government has to consider.

More than two years ago, there was a flurry of military withdrawals from Iraq when Spain, Honduras, Dominica, Ukraine, Poland and Bulgaria elected to withdraw or cut back on troops in Iraq. Now, just over two years later, another group of countries are making important decisions on their military's future in Iraq. This suggests the likelihood of another mass withdrawal of troops.

Although these countries have different timetables, arrangements and motives for their military withdrawal, they cite common reasons for doing so.

Pressures from both home and broad are increasing. The US-led Iraq war, unauthorized by the UN, is regarded as illegal and unjust by a number of nations and righteous people. The U.S.'s excuse for the war -- Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction-has been proved invalid. And calls from the international community to end the war and get out of Iraq have always been loud. In those countries involved in Iraq, there are always protests against sending troops or calls to scale back their involvement. In Britain, Japan, Italy, Australia and many other countries, anti-war protests take place.

The morale of foreign troops in Iraq is very low and they often suffer casualties. A lot of foreign soldiers in Iraq do not know why they came to Iraq. When they arrive, they find they are not welcomed in the country and from time to time they come under attack from resistance armies. Living with considerable anxiety, they are under great psychological pressure. According to statistics from the British Ministry of Defense, there were 727 cases of psychosis and mental disorder in 2005, of which 66 were very serious. All 66 seriously mentally ill British soldiers had to be sent back to the U.K. for medical treatment.

There seems to be no end to Iraq's chaotic situation. The countries that continue to send troops to Iraq and support the war have become targets for blame. On top of the burden of blame is the enormous cost of maintaining troops in Iraq. However none of this will make the situation in Iraq change for the better. As Fico put it, it is not necessary for Slovak troops stay in Iraq and it won't make any difference to the country whether they stay or go.

Unlike US troops in Iraq, other countries' military forces usually assume rear-service duties or other auxiliary tasks. These tasks only really have a symbolic impact on Iraq, no matter how many troops they send. Naturally, their withdrawal will not affect the military strength of the allied forces very much. Nevertheless, the foundation of the allied forces in Iraq will weaken as more and more countries pull their troops out.

By People's Daily Online