Honduran Troops Complete Iraq Withdrawal -

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TEGUCIGALPA - The last Honduran troops in Iraq completed their withdrawal on Tuesday, a Honduran defense ministry spokesman said.

The Central American nation's 370-strong contingent had originally planned to stay until its mandate expired in July but decided to pull out early due to an escalation of violence and Spain's decision to withdraw its 1400 troops.

The troops started their withdrawal on May 11.

"All our soldiers have now left Iraq and are in Kuwait. The last group arrived in Kuwait today," Lieutenant Colonel Rafael Moreno told Reuters.

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Link: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/latestnewsstory.cfm?storyID=3567382&thesection=news&thesubsection=world

Hopefully we will get a clue soon!

:shrug:

And they will stay there as long as possible to get as much profit out of American taxpayers as possible. Our kids lives don't seem to be a concern for them, it's not their kids involved with death and fighting. Bush is doing a great job of reducing this society to the haves and the have nots with the have nots fighting for the profits and greed of the haves. They got a surprise coming.

I'm glad they are out.
But what will the U$ do in retribution? We all know how the Negroponte types have screwed (this is understatement) Central America.

He was the ambassador to Honduras during the Reagan-funded right-wing death squad atrocities there and many in Honduras probably hate his guts.

the hell they are calling that farce now.

No pictures or flowers for them.

They've been shoved around so hard by our government but they finally got their courage back and claimed their independence. Good for them.

Fewer than 7,000,000 people, infant mortality 29 in 100,000 (our own is around 7)

Honduras, one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere with an extraordinarily unequal distribution of income, is banking on expanded trade privileges under the Enhanced Caribbean Basin Initiative and on debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. While the country has met most of its macroeconomic targets, it failed to meet the IMF's goals to liberalize its energy and telecommunications sectors. Growth remains dependent on the status of the US economy, its major trading partner, on commodity prices, particularly coffee, and on reduction of the high crime rate.

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ho.html

BANGKOK (AFP) May 18, 2004
Thai soldiers stationed in Iraq could be withdrawn after the June 30 handover of authority by the United States if the security situation worsens, Defense Minister Chettha Thanajaro said Tuesday.
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Chettha said he had authorised commanders of the Thai humanitarian task force of 451 military personnel stationed in the central Iraqi holy city of Karbala to have the final say.
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US President George W. Bush phoned Thaksin on April 27 seeking to shore up Thai support for the coalition after withdrawal announcements by Spain, Honduras and the Dominican Republic.
Surveys show a majority of Thais want the kingdom's troops pulled out.
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http://www.spacewar.com/2004/040518052847.zjwajrwv.html

It's just wrong to ask these small countries to send off their young guys to fight for their lives in a war which was bogus, and whose outcome wouldn't begin to affect them, one way or another.

For shame.

Thanks.

they were led to believe that, at best, Uncle Sammy might not be a very good friend in the future if they didn't play along, and some may have worried their arms would be twisted right off.