<p>"SYDNEY, Australia Australia, a staunch U.S. ally and one of the first countries to commit troops to the Iraq war five years ago, ended combat operations there Sunday, a Defense Department official said.</p>
<p>Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was swept into office in November largely on the promise that he would bring home the country’s 550 combat troops by the middle of 2008.</p>
<p>Rudd has said the Iraq deployment has made Australia more of a target for terrorism."
[FOXNews.com</a> - Australia Ends Iraq Combat Operations - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News](<a href=“http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,361248,00.html]FOXNews.com”>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,361248,00.html)</p>