The Poor Man alerts us...

In a surprise announcement, Poland said Monday that it would withdraw its troops from Iraq by the end of 2005, leaving the U.S.-led multinational forces the task of finding replacements to fill a crucial security role in south-central Iraq.

Jerzy Szmajdzinski, Poland's defense minister, said in an interview with the daily Gazeta Wyborcza that the withdrawal of the 2,500 troops should coincide "with the expiry of United Nations Resolution 1546 of the Security Council." Once the troops are withdrawn, South Korea will be the third-largest contributor of soldiers to Iraq.