Foreign troops scale down Sri Lanka tsunami relief

TERRA.WIRE

Foreign troops scale down Sri Lanka tsunami relief
COLOMBO (AFP) Feb 01, 2005
Foreign troops were scaling down their tsunami relief operations in Sri Lanka with most of the ships and aircraft leaving the island, the Sri Lankan defence ministry said Tuesday.

India pulled out its last ship from the northeastern port of Trincomalee Monday reducing its strength to 80, defence ministry officials said.

The officials noted that New Delhi was the first to respond with military relief units after the December 26 disaster.

The United States has said it wants to complete a withdrawal of its troops by the middle of this month and was down to less than 600 personnel by Monday, the Sri Lankan officials said.

Other foreign troops were down to nearly 80 Austrians, 69 Belgians, nearly 200 Canadians, 80 Indians, and 170 Pakistanis, said a defence ministry official who declined to be named.

Sri Lanka lost at least 30,957 people killed in the December 26 tsunami.