1\TpTA7C OiaPQt MsSiated Press X ^ W w Edited by Jennifer O'Cilka First troops reach refugees, bringing supplies to Kurds ANKARA, Turkey - U.S., Brit ish and French aircraft on Sunday dropped tons of supplies to Iraqi refugees on the Turkish and Ira nian borders, and the first U.S. troops reached a remote refugee camp to aid in the relief effort. About 500,000 refugees, mostly Kurds, have fled northern Iraq to the rugged, mountainous Turkish border and another 900,000 have sought refuge in Iran, officials in both countries say. The Kurds fear the wrath of Saddam Hussein following their failed rebellion after the Persian Gulf war. In the mountains, the refugees have faced hunger, dis ease and death. Saddam insisted anew that in nocent civilians had nothing to fear from his troops, and urged Kurds to return to their homes. Iraqi radio reported Sunday that he had made the assurances a day earlier during a visit to northern Iraq. In southern Iraq, the remaining American forces began pulling back Sunday to a newly established de militarized zone along the Iraq Kuwait border, the U.S. Central Command announced. Despite the pullback, Defense Secretary Dick Cheney restated the U.S. commitment to help the refu gees stranded on Iraq’s northern and southern borders. In an interview on NBC-TV, Cheney said that for at least “the next several days” the United States would maintain responsibility for providing food and water for the refugees in the north and south of Iraq. The United States then plans to turn the operation over to inter national relief organizations. The number of American troops involved in the relief effort jumped to about 8,000 Sunday when 3,500 members of the 24th Marine Expe ditionary Unit arrived at the Turk ish port of Iskenderun, U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. PhilipCrowley said. Crowley, a spokesman for the U.S.-Turkish Incirlik air base — which is coordinating relief efforts — said they would assess refugee needs and teach them to put up shelters and provide first-aid. Re lief workers and religious officials have estimated that scores of people have died of dysentery, hunger and cold in the barren camps. The Isikvcren camp lies in an almost inaccessible part of Tur key, on the western part of the Turkish border with Iraq. It is the largest single settlement, with more Lhan 100,000 refugees. Final pullout Troop withdrawal begins RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - The fi nal withdrawal of American combat troops from southern Iraq began Sunday, 88 days after the United States launched its massive offensive to drive Saddam Hussein’s forces from Ku wait. American troop strength in the region — which had peaked at more than half a million — has now dropped below 300,000, the military said Sunday. U.S officers said the pullout offi cially ends the occupation of south ern Iraq, but that American warplanes will remain in the air to protect the withdrawing ground troops. They spoke on condition of anonymity. The officers estimated there were at least 40,000 American troops, per haps more, in southern Iraq, but they could not give a precise figure. They said a division-sized force of 10,000 to 15,000 troops would tem porarily remain in the newly estab lished demilitarized zone until a 1,440 member U.N. peacekeeping force is in place. The other U.S. troops will return home as soon as possible, the U.S. officers said. The zone reaches six miles into Iraq from the Kuwaiti border, but U.S. officers said this is a technical point and that the troop movement - ii ---" We have a very rough idea of deployment, but nothing has been finalized. Hotter U.N. official -- >f _ essentially will end the U.S. occupa tion of Iraqi territory. The move back to the demilita rized zone will be completed within a few days, they said. The U.S. military also said the United States and its allies would not abandon more than 40,000 refugees in southern Iraq, many of whom oppose Saddam Hussein. It said the allies would protect them from reprisals and feed and house them. The command issued an invitation to any refugees in the area occupied by the Americans to move with them into the demilitarized zone. If they do, “they will be provided assistance and protection by coalition forces,” the Central Command said. Military sources said President Bush issued the withdrawal orders to has ten the American pullout to avoid being dragged into Iraqi’s civil war tor a prolonged period and risk fur ther American casualties. U.S. casualties in thegulf war were extremely low by military standards — 139 killed in action, 357 wounded in action, six missing in action and 117 killed in non-combat circum stances. Iraqi war dead were believed to number in the tens of thousands, but no figure was ever released. The U.S. Central Command said American troop strength has dropped to 295,000 in the Persian Gulf from a peak of 540,000 when the war started on Jan. 17. About 5,000 American troops are leaving every day. The command sai.' the last re maining Army corps, the VII Corps, was moving from south of the Eu phrates River in Iraq to the zone along the Iraq-Kuwait border. Joachim Hutter, a U.N. official who is part of the peacekeeping mis sion, said he could not give a time frame for getting the troops to the DMZ because many logistical mat ters must be worked out. Some of the U.N. troops should begin arriving this week, but it is unlikely they will go straight to the border, U.N. officials have said. “We have a very rough idea of deployment, but nothing has been finalized,” Hutter said. 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