Italy Has Withdrawn Troops From Iraq Early (moved from ATSNN), page 1

Italy has begun its troop withdrawal a month early. It decided not to replace more than 100 soldiers who's tour of Iraq had ended. Italian PM, Silvio Berlusconi, had planed to recal 300 Italian troops in September. Only half of the 130 sailors, a squadron of CH-47 Chinook transport helicopters and some 100 army pilots, who's tour of Iraq have ended will be replaced.

news.yahoo.com
ROME - More than 100 Italian troops whose tours in southern Iraq have ended are not being replaced, apparently marking the beginning of the country's withdrawal from Iraq ahead of schedule, a newspaper reported Saturday.

Premier Silvio Berlusconi, a U.S. ally, said last month that Italy would begin bringing home about 300 troops in September as Iraqi security forces become capable of securing the territory.

But the Italian daily La Stampa said about 130 sailors, a squadron of CH-47 Chinook transport helicopters and some 100 army pilots, mechanics and machine-gunners had left Iraq and only half of those posts would be replaced. The newspaper did not cite sources

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I see this as a deepening of the covert rift between Rome and Washington. It started with Calipari and got worse with the CIA abducting an Italian citizen.

What positive spin will Rome and Washington put on this latest punch from Rome? The Americans remained silent at the arrest warrants for CIA agents placed by the Italian judiciary. Will they just ignore this latest exodus from Iraq by the coalition of the willing? Will they be replaced with American, Australian or British troops? Or is this what the Columbian mercenaries were bought to replace?

[edit on 13/8/05 by subz]