Italy to begin removing troops from Iraq in September News
Italy to begin removing troops from Iraq in September

[JURIST] Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi [Wikipedia profile] announced Friday at the G8 summit that his country will begin withdrawing 300 of its 3,000 troops from Iraq as early as September, depending on security conditions. The announcement comes amid concerns of increased tension between the US and Italy following the accidental March killing of an Italian agent [JURIST report] by American soldiers in Iraq after a hostage-taking and the issuance of Italian arrest warrants [JURIST report] for 13 purported CIA operatives accused of kidnapping an Egyptian cleric off the street in Milan. Italian Reforms Minster Roberto Calderoli said, "it's evident that after New York, Madrid and London, Italy represents the most probable next objective of the terrorists…The time has come to begin to think also about our house, and to use the same resources currently committed in Iraq to prevent and combat possible attacks on our territory." AP has more.