Troops begin arriving home from Iraq

news.com.au ^ | June 1st 2008

[naturalman1975]

AUSTRALIAN troops have begun arriving home from Iraq, signalling an end to the nation's combat mission in the war-torn country and fulfilling an election promise made by Kevin Rudd.

The first of about 500 soldiers from the Overwatch Battle Group (West) 4 and Australia's Army Training Team reportedly touched down in Brisbane late this afternoon.

The soldiers had been stationed at Tallil air base, 300km south of Baghdad, and were responsible for providing security training for Iraqi forces, as well as reconstruction and aid work.

A British military spokesman in the southern city of Basra has confirmed the withdrawal was underway.

"The Australian battle group is pulling out,'' the British military spokesman said.

A flag-lowering ceremony will be held at the base later tonight.

The homecoming also delivers on a promise made by Mr Rudd in the lead-up to last year's election.

Mr Rudd, who ousted John Howard's coalition government after 12 years at last November's election, promised to bring home frontline troops this year.

[naturalman1975]

Please note - despite the way some of the media is trying to spin it, this is nowhere near a total Australian withdrawal from Iraq. Approximately two thirds of Australian Defence Force personnel remain in theatre.

It does represent the withdrawal of Australia's largest frontline combat unit from the theatre, and I, for one, would have preferred, for symbolic reasons alone, to avoid the media having the chance to spin it, that they stayed, but they completed the mission they were set up for two years ago now. They've done their job and they've done it well.

[ishabibble]

God bless the Aussies!

[Grimmy]

The Diggers have nothing to apologize for.

Y’all stood up when it was time to do so and it’s getting toward time for everyone to start standing down by stages.

[LZ_Bayonet]

"They've done their job and they've done it well."

The troops have indeed "done it well". But the Australian people have withdrawn support for the mission they sent them on. The majority of the Australian people, by their votes, have failed their troops. Thank goodness we don't have a Parliamentary form of government. It's bad enough we have government by and for the MSM.

[naturalman1975]

The Iraq War was not a major issue in the recent Federal election. If it had been, Howard probably would have done better.

The war was always unpopular here - but they reelected him in 2004 despite that.

[Gay State Conservative]

I understand that Mr Rudd is fluent in Mandarin.I wonder if he's also “fluent” in Mao-thought.Like “all power comes from the barrel of a gun”.Followers of the Religion of Pieces certainly understand that.

[Gay State Conservative]

But the Australian people have withdrawn support for the mission they sent them on. The majority of the Australian people, by their votes, have failed their troops.

It seems that a good percentage of Australians,like New Zealanders,think that their geographic isolation will protect them from the dangers facing Western Civilization.And yet the followers of the Religion of Pieces are demanding that a huge I Slamic school be built in the suburbs of their largest city.I guess that,just as many Americans have forgotten 9/11 and many Brits have forgotten the subway bombings and most Spaniards have forgotten their train bombings,many Aussies have forgotten Bali.

[SandRat]

Just print these simple words for the Diggers:

They would not let their cobbers down.