Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko on Wednesday announced the withdrawal of all Ukrainian troops from Iraq by the end of 2005. The announcement will come as no surprise, as Ukraine's Security and Defence Council passed a resolution March 1 calling for a gradual withdrawal of all troops stationed in Iraq since 2003 as part of the U.S.-led coalition. Yuschchenko had however originally planned to pull out all troops by the end of October. Around 150 of the Ukrainian contingent in Iraq left in mid-March, leaving 1,300 troops still deployed. Some 17 Ukrainian soldiers were killed during the Iraq mission.
