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Last group of Japanese troops leaves Iraq

The last batch of Japanese troops to pull out from Iraq arrived in Kuwait on Monday and will be leaving that country within a week, said Fukushiro Nukaga, Japan's State Minister for Defense.

But some 210 Japanese airmen who transport non-military material into Iraq from airbases in Kuwait will remain "indefinitely" in the Gulf state, Nukaga told a press conference.

"Today, the last batch of ground Self-Defense Forces arrived in Kuwait. They will undergo certain procedures and medical checkup for one week and then will go back home," the minister said.

The group, consisting of 220 personnel, was a part of the several hundred Japanese ground troops on a humanitarian and reconstruction mission in Iraq's southern Muthanna Province.

During their mission in Iraq, the Japanese troops suffered no casualties and did not fire their weapons. The mission relied on British and Australian troops for protection, as Japanese troops are barred from using force.

Nukaga said the Japanese forces "successfully" completed their humanitarian mission in Iraq, which included rebuilding many schools, over 100km of roads and installing water purification machines.

"Providing humanitarian aid and reconstruction was the main aim of the Japanese forces, while preserving security was a secondary goal," Nukaga said.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi ordered the 600 Japanese troops to leave Iraq after Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced that his government would assume responsibility for security in the province.

Koizumi went ahead with the Iraq deployment despite domestic opposition in a country that has been firmly pacifist for more than six decades.

Nukaga said Japanese airmen will remain in Kuwait "to support multinational forces in improving the living conditions of Iraqis."
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