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| Iraq-Jordan |
| El Salvador Won't Pull Troops Out of Iraq |
| 2005-09-19 |
| NEW YORK (AP) - Salvadoran President Tony Saca said Sunday his country's troops would not leave Iraq ahead of schedule, despite protests over his El Salvador's involvement in the U.S.-led occupation. ``Tell me what logical reason would I have to abandon the countries of the Iraq coalition, leaving them to their luck while the terrorists continue wreaking havoc,'' Saca said in an interview with The Associated Press. Two Salvadoran soldiers have been killed since the country began sending troops in August 2003. El Salvador's government has been one of the staunchest U.S. allies and is the only Latin American country with troops still in Iraq. ``We are going to finish our task. And as the coalition makes a gradual withdrawal as the Iraqi forces take control, we will do the same at that time along with the rest of the coalition,'' said Saca, who spoke in Spanish. He said the Iraqi military should be able to take over within a year. Salvadoran soldiers have been stationed in the Iraqi city of Hillah, 60 miles south of Baghdad, performing humanitarian works including school construction and medical attention. Most recently a contingent of 380 soldiers arrived there in August, replacing a roughly equal number that departed. Some in the Central American country of 6 million people have staged protests and called for an end to its participation in Iraq. Saca cast doubt on terrorist threats for El Salvador to withdraw its troops, saying ``it seems some of them originated in the country, and I can't tell you exactly who made them because anyone can make a threat on the Internet with technology today.' |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #1 Gracias, Amigos. Obviously, we know where the brave Spaniards all went. |
| Posted by: Jackal 2005-09-19 09:35 |