Italy to Withdraw Troops

Italy will start to withdraw its troops from Iraq this September, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Tuesday.

"We will begin to reduce our contingent even before the end of the year, starting in September, in agreement with our allies," he said in an interview on state television RAI.

Italy has 3,000 troops in Iraq, the fourth largest foreign contingent after the United States, Britain and South Korea. (Reuters)