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| Southeast Asia |
| Eid Kabalu praises Filippino pull-out from Iraq |
| 2004-07-15 |
| The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) commended Wednesday the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the gradual withdrawal of the small Philippine military contingent to Iraq to save the life of a Filipino truck driver being held hostage by Iraqi militants. âWe appreciate the governmentâs move. Itâs a wise decision,â MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said in a telephone interview. He said the government could have been pressured by militant groups and non-government organizations all over the country who are planning to launch mass actions if Iraqi militants would behead De la Cruz. The truck driver was abducted last week while delivering crude oil from Saudi Arabia. The Department of Foreign Affairs has made announcements about the pullout from Iraq. Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis said over the Al-Jazeera Arab television network that the Philippines will soon pull out of Iraq but gave no specific date. In a statement in the DFA website, Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Albert said that she is âcoordinating the pullout of the humanitarian contingentâ with the Department of National Defense. As of today (Wednesday), the headcount has been reduced from 51 to 43, she added. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |