TOKYO, July 17 (Xinhua) -- With the last group of more than 200 troops arriving at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait on Monday, the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force(GSDF) completed their 11-day withdrawal from Iraq, Kyodo News reported.

    The troops, carried by the Air Self-Defense Force's C-130 transport planes, was the sixth group of withdrawing GSDF members since the first batch of about 30 troops arrived in Kuwait on July 7.

    Japanese Defense Agency Director General Fukushiro Nukaga welcomed the last group of GSDF members at the base.

    The troops plan to return to Japan by the end of July after receiving health checks, Kyodo quoted Japanese officials as saying.

    Japan has stationed troops in Samawah in southern Iraq for humanitarian and reconstruction missions since January 2004. Altogether 5500 GSDF troops have been dispatched in rotation to the war-torn country in the last two and a half years. Enditem