The Philippines has begun to pull out troops from Iraq to save the life of a Filipino hostage.
It has been accused by US ally Australia of of giving in to militants
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"The Philippine government has recalled the head of the
Philippine humanitarian contingent in Iraq. He is leaving Iraq today with ten members of the Philippine humanitarian contingent," Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Albert said in a televised broadcast.
Washington had tried to persuade its Asian ally not to bow to the demands of militants who threatened to kill Filippino truck driver Angelo de la Cruz. Some analysts said the pullout would severely strain Manila's relations with Washington.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard said caving in to militants' demands would not give Manila immunity from attack. "I don't want to be harsh on a friend but . . . it's a mistake and it won't buy them immunity," he told Australian radio.
"It's a wretched state of affairs, but if you give in, you won't stop it happening again - you will invite people to do it with increasing severity."
Mr De la Cruz told his family in a videotaped message he would be returning home. "Wait for me, I'm coming back to you," Al-Jazeera said in its translation of his remarks yesterday.
But the group holding him said it would only free him after Manila withdraws its last soldier, a statement read by the Arabic satellite channel said.
Bulgaria watched a deadline for the execution of a Bulgarian hostage pass without news on Wednesday but stood firm on its pro-US policies and refused to pull out its troops.
Militants linked to al-Qaeda ally Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi have killed one of two Bulgarian truck drivers held hostage and are threatening to execute the second.
Iraqi police found a headless corpse in the Tigris river dressed in an orange jumpsuit like those often worn by foreign hostages in video tapes released by militants. It is not known whether the body was that of a Bulgarian hostage killed by his captors earlier this week. Hopes of finding the second man alive are fading.
Insurgents holding an Egyptian truck driver yesterday gave his Saudi employers 48 hours to show they would meet demands to quit Iraq. The Saudi transport company has said it would pull out to save the driver from execution but has not given a date.