El Salvador to withdraw troops from Iraq after December 31

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
President Tony Saca said he will withdraw Salvadoran troops from Iraq after December 31. El Salvador is the only Latin American nation that still has military forces in Iraq. Five of its soldiers have been killed, and more than 20 have been wounded since the country deployed soldiers there in 2003. Saca told reporters Tuesday that El Salvador has "fulfilled our mission with Iraq," and that troops would leave after December 31, when the United Nations resolution that authorized the international coalition expires. Britain has already said it plans to withdraw its 4,000 troops from southern Iraq by the end of May. Australia, Estonia and Romania also have forces in the country.