ANALYSIS: Most members of coalition in Iraq remain willing

ANALYSIS

Most members of coalition in Iraq remain willing - for the time being

by Kathleen Ridolfo
RFE/RL Newsline

Coalition forces have remained committed to keeping troops in Iraq despite the surge in violence, according to international media reports.

The recent violence has left coalition allies in a number of southern Iraqi cities in a difficult position, as a number of states committed troops under the condition that they serve only in a peacekeeping or humanitarian capacity. However, many of these countries' troops were thrust into combat roles when coalition bases in central and southern Iraq were targeted in attacks this week by Iraqi insurgents. The insurgents also battled coalition and Iraqi forces while attempting to take over government buildings and police stations in various cities.

Coalition forces in south-central Iraq sustained few casualties in comparison to those sustained by U.S. forces in the Iraqi capital and surrounding areas, but it is likely that those deaths will affect public opinion in their home countries. On April 4, one Salvadoran soldier was killed when militants attacked a coalition camp in Al-Najaf. Twelve of his compatriots were wounded in the same incident.

A Bulgarian patrol was attacked in Karbala on April 6 just minutes before militants struck the Bulgarian base Camp Kilo in Karbala. Three Bulgarian soldiers were lightly wounded in the first incident, while no casualties were reported in the second incident. In a third incident, a Bulgarian driver was shot dead near Al-Nasiriyah. Bulgarian Defense Minister Nikolay Svinarov said on April 7 that Bulgarian soldiers who wish to return home may do so. He also demanded that U.S. and U.K. forces be sent to Karbala to assist in stabilizing the situation. International media reported on April 8 that Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Al-Mahdi Army now controls the city.

One Ukrainian soldier was also killed this week and five others were wounded as the Ukrainian contingent lost control of Kut to Iraqi insurgents. But Ukraine is not considering pulling its peacekeeping contingent out of Iraq, Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Markian Lubkivskyi told ITAR-TASS on April 7. Meanwhile, Hungarian Defense Minister Ferenc Juhasz said on April 7 that Hungarian troops will not be withdrawn from Iraq because the current threats have not impeded their ability to carry out their mission there, Hungarian media reported. However, Mr. Juhasz called for a U.N. resolution that would pave the way for additional troops to be sent to Iraq, saying that an additional 100,000 troops are needed to restore order.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said on April 6 that Italian troops will remain in Iraq. "It is quite unthinkable that we should run away from a mission that we started and that needs to be carried through to the end," Mr. Berlusconi said. "We would be leaving the country in chaos," RAI Television quoted him as saying. Eleven Italian troops were reportedly wounded in fighting in Al-Nasiriyah on April 7.

South Korea apparently remains committed to sending some 3,500 troops to Iraq in the coming weeks, despite the fact that militants loyal to al-Sadr held two South Korean aid workers captive on April 5-6. "There is no change at all in the principle of our troop dispatch," Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon said on April 7.

Meanwhile, Japanese Self-Defense Forces holed themselves up at their camp in Samawah this week in an effort to avoid being caught up in the violence. Japan committed troops to Iraq to carry out humanitarian operations and has gone to great lengths - even placing television ads on Arab satellite channels - to inform Iraqis that the Japanese contingency is not in Iraq to police the country.

Norway appears for the time being to be one of the few coalition partners adamant about withdrawing its contingent from Iraq. Norwegian Foreign Minister Jan Petersen said on April 6 that he expects Norway to withdraw its forces from Iraq within a few months. Mr. Petersen made his comments after meeting with U.N. officials in New York, Oslo's NRK reported. Mr. Petersen reportedly told U.N. officials that his country's forces would be better placed among NATO operations in Afghanistan and Kosovo. Norway has about 150 soldiers in Iraq.

Kazakstan's Defense Minister said on April 7 that the country will not keep its peacekeepers in Iraq after their mandate expires at the end of May.

Meanwhile, incoming Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has vowed to pull the 1,300 Spanish troops out of Iraq. Similar statements have been made by Honduras and the Dominican Republic.

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