Italy to complete troop withdrawal from Iraq within days

Source: Xinhuanet | 11-27-2006 15:48

ROME, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said on Monday that Italy will complete its troop withdrawal from Iraq by Dec. 2 after the last soldiers turn over their base in southern Iraq to Iraqi forces.

In an interview with local television Telelombardia, Prodi said that Italy currently has only 60 to 70 troops left in Nassiriyah and they will be back home between Dec. 1 and 2.

Prodi added that he talked about the pullout with U.S. President George W. Bush and the latter voiced regret about it.

Pulling all Italian troops out of Iraq by the year-end was a campaign pledge made by Prodi, whose party narrowly won the April parliamentary election.

Italy dispatched 3,000 troops to Iraq in 2003 after the U.S.-led invasion of the Gulf state.

Editor:Ji Xuewen