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Japan Opts Out of Iraq, Calling Mission 'Success'

Japan, declaring its humanitarian mission in Iraq a "success," announces it will pull its 600 non-combat troops out of Iraq. The troops have been in Iraq since early 2004.

The decision brings to an end the country's biggest overseas military mission since the end of World War II. The Japanese were assigned to an area of southern Iraq where they concentrated on road building and other reconstruction projects.

Robert Siegel talks with Michael O'Hanlon, senior fellow in foreign policy studies at the Brookings Institution, about the shrinking U.S.-led "Coalition of the Willing" -- allies that have sent troops and resources to Iraq. O'Hanlon says that while it is smaller than it originally was, the coalition is still significant and is doing important work.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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