Philippines to Pull Troops From Iraq

[GreenPartyVoter]

MANILA, Philippines (AP) - The Philippines will withdraw its peacekeeping contingent from Iraq on schedule next month, the government said Saturday, the day militants vowed to kill a Filipino hostage if the troops were not sent home.

As the government made its announcement, the Arab television station Al-Jazeera showed a video of the hostage appealing to Manila to give in to the insurgents and withdraw its 51-member force. In a tape Wednesday, the militants threatened to behead the hostage if the government did not comply within three days.

The government decision appeared to be deliberately ambiguous, representing the fine line Manila is walking to obtain hostage Angelo dela Cruz's release while remaining one of Washington's closest supporters of the global war on terrorism.

The Filipino soldiers are participating in civic projects to help the 160,000-strong foreign force.

http://apnews1.iwon.com//article/20040710/D83NSGQ00.html?PG=home&SEC=news

[Deja Q]

1. Oops, Duhbya did it again...

Except I suspect the hostage will be slaughtered anyway. Hopefully he won't be as that would show a smidgen of honor on the part of the enemies we made and make the US look worse, if that is even possible.

[KharmaTrain]

2. Coalition Of The Willing??? Whose Left?

Shows you there's only so far blood money goes even in the Phillipines.

Other than the Britons hanging in Basra, a smattering of Japanese, South Korean, Poles and Ukranians...who else is left? There a Salvadoran left?

The myopic right wing can't see how isolated this country has become...and how it really works against their xenophobic world view. Fools!