Philippines pull out of Iraq to save hostage

The commander of Filipino soldiers in Iraq returned home today ahead of his troops after the Philippines decided to withdraw them to meet a demand by Iraqi insurgents threatening to behead a Filipino hostage.

The kidnappers holding truck driver Angelo dela Cruz, 46, have said they would release him if all Philippine peacekeepers are withdrawn before the end of the month.

Arriving at Manila’s airport early today, army Brigadier General Jovito Palparan said he was happy to be back.

“The men I left there are OK, they are preparing to return home,” he said.

Palparan later met Foreign Secretary Delia Albert and military chief Narciso Abaya to report details of the withdrawal that was to be completed later today.

Some of the 51 Filipino peacekeepers left for Kuwait last week. The rest were to depart after an “exit call” on the new Polish commander at Camp Charlie in Iraq’s Babil province, then were to take a commercial flight to Manila.

A pressure group for overseas workers, Migrante, welcomed the withdrawal, but also urged President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to withdraw all support for the US-led force, fearing that 4,000 Filipino contract workers in Iraq and more than 1.4 million others in the Middle East could be in danger.

Relatives of dela Cruz in the northern province of Pampanga were overjoyed and prayed after hearing of plans to complete the withdrawal today. They urged the kidnappers to free him.

“I’m happy that the troops are on their way back,” said Feliciano de la Cruz, the hostage’s younger brother. ”I hope my brother follows them home.”

The Philippine decision to withdraw its troops earlier than their scheduled Aug. 20 departure has been criticised by allies, who said it would encourage terrorists and endanger other coalition members in Iraq. The US-led international contingent already had been weakened by Spain’s pullout following deadly terror attacks on Madrid’s train system.