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Philippine Pullout Takes Its Toll On Occupation: Experts
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Hussien
expects a surge hostage abductions to pressure governments to
withdraw from Iraq
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By
Amir Heider, IOL Staff
CAIRO,
July 19 (IslamOnline.net) – The Philippine government’s decision
to pull out its troops of Iraq – completed Monday – is certain to
have a domino effect on the remaining US-led forces in the war-torn
country, according to a cohort of political experts Monday, July 19.
The
experts further projected more troop withdrawals in the days ahead as
Iraqi resistance grows stronger day in and day out.
“Though
small in number, but the withdrawal of the 51 Philippine troops is
highly significant,” Amr Al-Shobaky, an expert at Al-Ahram Center
for Political and Strategic Studies told IslamOnline.net.
“It
will shake the US-led to its foundation and gnaw away at its
legitimacy,” the added the Egyptian analyst.
He
stressed as long as the Iraqi resistance and the vicious cycle of
indiscriminate attacks continued, the United States "would end up
in an unenviable situation and fail to heal the yawning rift”.
The
last remaining Philippine troops in Iraq began leaving the country as
part of a controversial deal to
save the life of a Filipino truck driver held hostage by an
Iraqi group.
Foreign
Secretary Delia Albert said Monday the 34 soldiers would be off Iraqi
soil before the end of the day, despite criticism from the United
States and the new Iraqi government over the early pullback.
The
head of the 51-strong contingent, Brigadier General Jovito Palparan,
arrived in Manila earlier Monday.
The
Philippine government has ignored the criticism from Washington,
saying its actions were consistent with its national interest.
A
group calling themselves the "Khaled Ibn Al-Walid Brigade"
had given the Philippine government until July 31 to pull out its
troops.
The
kidnappers had threatened to behead Angelo de la Cruz, a truck driver
and a father of eight, unless the pullback went ahead. The Filipino
force was originally due to leave on August 20.
Unprecedented
Retired
General Zakria Hussein, the former director of the prestigious Naser
Military Academy in Cairo, said it is an unprecedented incident since
the start of the US-led invasion April last year that a coalition
partner bow to kidnappers’ demands.
He
expected a surge in abduction of foreign hostages and soldiers to
pressure their governments to withdraw from Iraq.
Thailand
followed the Philippine lead and decided Friday, July 16, to withdraw
its 450 soldiers stationed in the southern Shiite city of Karbala.
Last
April, Spain inspired
Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic to pull out their
troops of Iraq.
US
Deception
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Filipino
troops happily leaving Iraq (AFP)
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Iraqi
political analyst Walid Al-Zubeid said the troop withdrawal will make
such governments give a second reading to the US policies worldwide.
“It
will basically expose the US deception and misleading of entire
governments into the invasion of Iraq,” he told IOL over the phone
from Baghdad.
Seventeen
countries are contributing to the US invasion of Iraq, most of them
with symbolic participation.
The
US itself has some 132,000 troops across the oil-rich country, while
chief ally Britain has 10,000 troops mainly in the south.
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