Tirana, Dec 18 נAlbania is ending its presence in the United States-led mission in Iraq, local media reported on Thursday.
Defence Minister Gazmend Oketa, is currently in Mosul were he participated in a ceremony for the departure of the troops.
In Iraq, Albania maintains a 200 non-combat contingent, stationed at Mosul Airport. An Albanian commando contingent is also stationed as part of the NATO mission in Afghanistan.
Together with Croatia, Albania was invited to join NATO at the Bucharest summit in April.
In July, Albania sent 120 commando troops to Chad in central Africa as part of the European Union mission there.
The European Union peacekeeping mission has been deployed to Chad to stem fears of an all out of war in a country wracked by decades of tension between the mainly Arab-Muslim north and the predominantly Christian and animist south, and more recently an overspill of violence from neighbouring Sudan’s conflict-ravaged Darfur region.
The government has also pledged a contingent of peacekeeping troops to serve as a part of the United Nations’ mission in Lebanon and that it will boost country’s military presence in Afghanistan.
More than 400 Albanian peacekeepers currently serve in various international missions.
