April 08, 2004

Japan Says It Has `No Reason' to Withdraw Iraq Troops

Japan has "no reason'' to withdraw its troops from Iraq after Qatar's Al-Jazeera television station reported kidnappers are holding three Japanese journalists, a spokesman for the Pacific nation said.
[This, even in spite of the fact that the terrorists were threatening to "burn them alive."--Jen]
[...]
In Italy, the government said it had no intention of withdrawing its 3,000 soldiers from Iraq after three days of clashes in which 15 were injured. A Foreign Ministry spokesman, who declined to be named, repeated defense Minister Antonio Martino's assurance Wednesday that Italian troops would remain.

Ukraine to keep troops in Iraq

UKRAINE vowed Thursday to keep its force of some 1,600 soldiers in southern Iraq even though mounting violence forced them to retreat from the volatile town of Kut to their base.

A senior Ukrainian military figure confirmed that Ukrainian soldiers had left Kut "because they did not have the means to engage in combat."

"Peacekeepers are not meant to get involved in battle," Interfax quoted Deputy Chief of Staff Oleg Sibeshenko as saying.

Could we get these Ukrainians some guns or ammo and whatever else they need to get the job done or will that be a problem?