IRAQ: The Philippines began pulling troops out of Iraq yesterday to save the life of a Filipino hostage, ignoring calls from the US and other allies not to bow to kidnappers' demands.
Diplomats in Baghdad said a headless corpse found in the Tigris River was probably that of a Bulgarian hostage killed by militants linked to al-Qaeda ally Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi. Hopes of finding a second Bulgarian alive were fading, they said.
Speaking on television, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Albert said all of Manila's small force would leave soon.
"The Philippine government has recalled the head of the Philippine humanitarian contingent in Iraq. He is leaving Iraq today with 10 members of the Philippine humanitarian contingent," Albert said. The rest would follow shortly.
All the troops had been scheduled to leave on August 20th, but that date was brought forward to satisfy Islamic militants threatening to behead truck driver Angelo de la Cruz.
On Thursday, Iraq's interim prime minister urged Manila to hold firm as he announced the formation of a domestic spy agency to "annihilate" the insurgents launching daily attacks.
A group led by Zarqawi claimed the killing of the governor of the northern city of Mosul in an ambush on Wednesday. Governor Osama Kashmoula was the most senior official to be assassinated in Iraq since May, when a suicide bomber killed the head of Iraq's now-defunct Governing Council.
Zarqawi's group has claimed responsibility for major attacks and killed an American and a South Korean hostage. Washington has put a $25 million bounty on his head.
The US insisted its coalition was strong despite the Philippines decision to follow Spain, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Honduras in pulling out.