Poland will withdraw all of its forces from Iraq by the end of next year, Defense Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski said Monday, according to AFP.
"The final date should be that of the expiry of the UN Security Council resolution," the minister said Monday, referring to UN resolution 1546 endorsing the timetable for political transition in Iraq, which expires in December 2005.
Meanwhile, Iraq's interim government has asked Australia to continue its military presence, Australia's Prime Minister John Howard said on Monday ahead of next week elections.
Howard noted that his country would not "cut and run" from its commitment in Iraq. "The Iraqi government is very keen that we stay," Howard told Australian radio. (albawaba.com)
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