US military to leave Iceland

by: Lowana Veal

Iceland: After decades of campaigning for the removal of the US military base from Iceland, peace campaigners are now celebrating - the US military has announced it will leave Iceland, no later than October 2006. Many of the operations, however, will cease before that. The helicopter and four planes will probably go sometime in April, while it is thought that the majority of military personnel will leave as soon as school is finished for the year, at the end of May.

Although it was probable that the US would run down their operations in Iceland to some degree, the decision, relayed by a junior official by telephone, came as a surprise. Some people say that Iceland's decision to support Bush in the Iraq War was a direct bribe for, "We'll support you in Iraq if you maintain US military operations in Iceland." Now, government ministers are wondering how Iceland will be defended in the future. Departure by the military has repercussions for both the Icelanders who work at the base, for whom new jobs must be found, and for the state of the land they have occupied. Health officials are demanding that the military remove unexploded bombs and bomb remains, and clear up military sites so that the land and water supply are not contaminated.