Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko paid an unannounced one-day visit to Iraq Monday to visit his country's troops, his office said. The visit comes amid the pullout of the remaining 867 Ukrainian troops from Iraq where they served as a part of the U.S.-led coalition, under Polish command in southern and central Iraq. All are due home by Dec. 30, making the former Soviet nation the latest country to wind down its presence in the coalition forces, the Associated Press reported. Yushchenko plans to visit troops at the Ukrainian headquarters base in the town of Al Kut, said presidential spokeswoman Irina Gerashchenko. Yushchenko also plans to meet top Iraqi officials to discuss Ukraine's role in the reconstruction of the country, Gerashchenko said. Ukraine initially contributed 1,650 troops to the U.S.-led force in Iraq.
