Tuesday, July 20, 2004 Pullout complete; where's Angelo?
MANILA -- Philippine troops crossed into Kuwait from Iraq Monday after Manila said the contingent's remaining 34 members would be out of Iraqi soil by the end of the day.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Domingo Albert said the last Filipino soldiers in Iraq made an "exit call" on their Polish commander at the base in Hillah, south of Baghdad, then left in a convoy of six pick-up trucks.
The troops would travel by road from their base in Hilla in southern Iraq to nearby Kuwait where they would board a commercial flight to Manila.
The head of the 51-strong contingent, Brigadier General Jovito Palparan, arrived in Manila earlier Monday.
The withdrawal of the Philippine peacekeeping contingent from Iraq was in compliance with the demand of Iraqi militants holding Filipino truck driver Angelo dela Cruz.
Islamic militants calling themselves the "Khaled Ibn al-Walid Brigade" said they would behead dela Cruz if the Philippine government did not pull out its troops by July 31, almost a month ahead of schedule.
"The last component of the humanitarian contingent began their journey out of Iraq this morning," Albert said in a statement. "Before the end of the day, all members of the Philippine humanitarian contingent will be out of Iraq."
But as the last of the Philippine troops pulled out of Iraq, a move that has been strongly criticized by the US and its allies, Islamic militants holding dela Cruz remained silent as to when they would free their Filipino hostage.
The militants, who snatched dela Cruz last July 7 near Fallujah, had said they would release him only when the last Filipino soldier has left Iraq.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told a news conference in Baghdad with visiting US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage that the withdrawal of the Philippine troops "has set a bad precedent and sends the wrong messages."
"We too very much regret the decision of the Philippine government for the same reason as my esteemed colleague has outlined," said Armitage, who insisted it would not affect relations between Washington and Manila.
The Philippine government has ignored the criticism, saying its actions were consistent with its national interest.
Analysts say President Arroyo, who began a six-year term less than three weeks ago after a bitterly disputed May 10 election, feared massive street protests, which could topple her government if the hostage was executed.
Bing Icamina of the consultancy firm Wallace Business Forum said the withdrawal could affect relations with the United States.
However, he said it was too early to say whether the US government would stop helping the Philippines in its fight against Al-Qaeda-linked Islamic militants in the south of the country.
"There would be some effect on the relations, but then the war against terrorism will still require some support," Icamina said.
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