The Italian flag held by Bersaglieri Army Corps soldier, is taken for a brief ceremony to mark the end of the Italian military mission in Iraq , at the Ciampino military airport, in Rome, Saturday Dec. 2, 2006. (Xinhua/AFP Photo) Photo Gallery >>>

    ROME, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The last batch of Italian troops deployed in Iraq arrived in Rome on Saturday, bringing an end to Italy's military mission in the violence-ravaged country.

    At a welcome ceremony in honor of the returning soldiers, Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said he felt proud of these soldiers, whose mission was to help the Iraqi people build a future.

    Prodi said on Monday that Italy would complete its troop withdrawal from Iraq by Saturday after the last soldiers turned over their base in southern Iraq of Nassiriyah to Iraqi forces.

    Pulling all Italian troops out of Iraq by the year-end was a campaign pledge by Prodi, whose party narrowly won the April parliamentary elections.

    Italy dispatched 3,000 troops to Iraq in 2003 after the U.S.-led invasion, and the mission was cut down to only 60 to 70 troops before they were pulled out.