British forces take over defence of Japanese troops
The Dutch mission in Iraq formally ended today when its troops in the south ceded command to the British.
The Netherlands sent a force of 1,400 troops to the relatively peaceful province of Muthana as part of the US-led coalition. Two Dutch soldiers were killed in ambushes during their 20 month mission, which began in August 2003, shortly after US President George Bush declared an end to major combat operations.
