Ukraine prepares to say "Bye-bye" to the "fledgling democracy":
Ukraine to Withdraw Troops From Iraq
By NATASHA LISOVA, Associated Press Writer
KIEV, Ukraine - President Viktor Yushchenko has signed the order to withdraw Ukraine's troops from Iraq, cementing a pledge by the new leadership to bring back its 1,650-strong force, the head of the country's security council said Tuesday.
The end date for the pullout will be "fixed after consultations with the other coalition members," and the entire Ukrainian contingent is likely to leave Iraq in November or December, Petro Poroshenko said.
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Earlier this month Yushchenko and top defense officials ordered Ukraine's soldiers to leave by year's end, and the pullout began last week. The ex-Soviet republic provided the sixth-largest contingent in the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq.
Eighteen Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in Iraq and more than two dozen have been wounded, fueling public dismay about the unpopular deployment.
More than 130 soldiers returned home last week, and Ukraine plans to withdraw an additional 550 soldiers from Iraq by May 15, the Defense Ministry has said.
Poland is also scheduled to re-evaluate its deployment this Spring.
And who is going to pick up the slack? Our depleted U.S. forces? A new and improved Iraqi defense force?
Yesterday's news from Iraq:
Gun battle in Baghdad 'kills 24'
Insurgents Kill Civilians, Iraq Soldiers
Assassin kills Iraqi police chief
I'm sure other nations will be flocking to our sides. Especially now that Condi is making the rounds drumming up support.
Right?
Right?
The Bush administration motto:
Making friends the world over
UPDATE: Meanwhile, Rumsfeld is blaming Turkey for the Pentagon's failure to plan for post-invasion Iraq:
Rumsfeld Faults Turkey for Barring Use of Its Land in '03 to Open Northern Front in Iraq
WASHINGTON, March 20 - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Sunday used the second anniversary of the American-led invasion of Iraq to answer the most tenacious criticism of the war effort - that the Pentagon did not commit sufficient troops to the major offensive or to stability efforts after Baghdad fell.
The fault, Mr. Rumsfeld contended in two appearances on television talk shows, rested with Turkey, a NATO ally, which would not give permission for the Fourth Infantry Division to cross its territory and open a northern front at the start of the war in March 2003.
What a jackass. And a coward.