South Korea among countries ending Iraq deployment

[December 01, 2008]  IRBIL, Iraq (AP) -- South Korean troops are leaving Iraq, bringing to an end a mission that focused on rebuilding hospitals, roads and schools but divided South Korea's people.

Their departure is the latest exodus from a dwindling U.S.-led coalition. The South Koreans are among troops from 13 countries being sent home in advance of the Dec. 31 expiration of the U.N. mandate that authorized military operations in Iraq.

A ceremony to mark the end of the South Korean mission was held Monday in Irbil, the capital of the Kurdish self-ruled region 220 miles north of Baghdad. The pullout will begin Wednesday and conclude by Dec. 20, the South Korean military said.

The first South Korean "Zaytun" contingent -- the Arabic word for olive and the troops' code name for their mission -- was sent to Irbil in September 2004 with 3,600 troops. Some 520 troops will be part of this month's withdrawal.

At its height, the coalition numbered about 300,000 soldiers from 38 countries -- 250,000 from the United States, about 40,000 from Britain, and the rest ranging from 2,000 Australians to 70 Albanians.

As the war continued and the insurgent violence increased, the coalition dwindled as countries either reduced their contingents or pulled their troops completely.

Already Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovinia have recently ended missions in Iraq. Other countries were set to follow later this week.

The only coalition troops to remain in Iraq after the mandate expires will be the United States' biggest ally, Britain, as well as Australia, El Salvador, Estonia and Romania.

"The composition of the coalition will change significantly between now and the end of the year as (the mandate) expires and will be based on decisions made by the government of Iraq and coalition members," said Col. Bill Buckner, a U.S. military spokesman.

Iraq's parliament has approved a U.S. security pact that requires all American troops to withdraw from the country in three years. The pact still must be signed by a three-member presidential council and submitted to the voters in a referendum by July 30.

The U.S. now has more than 150,000 troops in Iraq, compared with 4,000 for Britain.

Buckner said those countries whose troops remain in Iraq will negotiate their own agreements with the Iraqi government.

Additionally, he said coalition forces will reassess battlefield operations as the Iraqi security forces improve and the threat levels decrease.

South Korea has had troops stationed in Iraq as part of a reconstruction mission since 2003 at the request of Washington, which has 28,000 troops based in South Korea as deterrent against North Korea.

Technically, the two Koreas are still at war, because their 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.

Since deploying to Irbil in 2004, Zaytun's medical unit has treated more than 88,800 Iraqis, and South Korean troops have taught more than 2,000 people how to use computers and other equipment, the South Korean military said in a statement Monday from Seoul.

The South Koreans also spent time in southern Iraq. Some 670 troops -- medics and engineers -- were dispatched to Nasiriyah in 2003. But the next year, some of those returned home while the others moved to Irbil to join the Zaytun unit.

Some South Koreans believed participating in the Iraq operation would strengthen ties to the United States.

However, the deployment has been unpopular among some South Koreans, who generally view the U.S.-led war in Iraq as unjust.

South Korea's government had to overcome strong protests from activists when accepting U.S. requests for troops and later to extend the deployment.

Opposition mounted after Islamic extremists beheaded a South Korean civilian working in Iraq in 2004.

[Associated Press; By CHELSEA J. CARTER]

Associated Press writer Jae-soon Chang contributed to this report from Seoul, South Korea.

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