Rudd Pledges to Withdraw Australian Troops From Iraq

Australia's incoming prime minister, Kevin Rudd, today pledged to withdraw the country's 550 combat troops from Iraq by the middle of next year.

The move is likely to disappoint Washington, which counted Australia as one of its few staunch allies in the unpopular war in Iraq until Labor party leader Rudd won a landslide victory in Saturday's general election.

Rudd, who officially takes office on Monday, said his government would soon start discussions with the US about the withdrawal, and a meeting with the American ambassador, Robert McCallum, would be arranged.

There are about 1,500 Australian troops involved in Iraqi operations, although most are outside the country. Only the 550 combat troops stationed in southern Iraq will be withdrawn under Rudd's plan.

"The combat force in Iraq, we would have home by around about the middle of next year," Rudd told a Melbourne radio station.

"We've not begun our discussions with the United States on that. We'll have a meeting with the United States ambassador before too long to set up the appropriate processes for discussing that."

Rudd had promised to withdraw the front line troops from Talil, in southern Iraq, if elected but said he would leave behind several hundred other Australian troops in non-combat roles such as guarding diplomats. Australia also has 1,000 troops in Afghanistan, a deployment Rudd supports and has no plans to reduce.

US President George Bush was the first foreign leader to phone Rudd to congratulate him on his election victory, and the Australian leader said he would visit Washington early next year, with Iraq certain to top the agenda.

Australia's outgoing conservative prime minister, John Howard, sent 2,000 troops to support the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Howard, a close ally of Bush and a staunch ally in the war on terror, had refused to set any timetable for withdrawing the troops. He said terrorists worldwide would be emboldened if they were pulled out.

But Rudd, a former diplomat, says the Iraq deployment has made Australia more of a target for terrorism.