Latvia to pull troops out of Iraq by June 21
06/06/2007 15:53 RIGA, June 6 (RIA Novosti) - Latvia will withdraw its military contingent from Iraq June 19-21, the republic's defense minister said Wednesday.
"Our soldiers will celebrate [Midsummer] Ligo Day [June 23-24] at home. They have not been involved in combat operations since May 31," Atis Slakteris.
The decision to pull Latvian soldiers out of Iraq was made following a NATO summit in Riga last November, which also decided to double the Latvian contingent in Afghanistan.
Presently there are 102 Latvian soldiers in Iraq, all of them professional contract servicemen, who went through a special selection procedure to participate in the international mission.
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