Thailand’s troops will be withdrawn early from Iraq if unrest worsens following the handover of power by the U.S.-led coalition, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said Tuesday. He said Thailand wanted to complete its scheduled one-year deployment by late September as planned but "if there was no security or no one needed our help we can withdraw immediately," he told reporters.
Thailand posted a 450-strong contingent including engineers and medics to Iraq last September after remaining neutral during the U.S.-led invasion. They are due to be withdrawn by September 20 after a controversial stint and constant calls for them to be brought home, particularly after the deaths of two Thai soldiers in a car bombing in December in the Shiite holy city of Karbala. Thaksin said the government was monitoring the situation after U.S. overseer Paul Bremer officially handed over control to the interim Iraqi leadership on Monday. Chettha Thanajaro, Thailand’s defense minister, said in a radio interview that commanders on the ground would make the decision to pull out if attacks got worse. "I have instructed the task force commander to make his decision if security worsened and slipped to a dangerous level," Chettha said. He said troops would start to move out from as early as next month to ensure all men and equipment were out by the deadline date. |