Down Under Gov declares Iraq mission a success

Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon has paid tribute to Australia's combat troops in Iraq, saying they will leave a lasting legacy in the strife-torn nation.

The 550-member Overwatch Battle Group-West (OBG-W), based at Camp Terendak within the sprawling Tallil base outside the city of Nasiriyah in Iraq's Dhi Qar province, has now started its withdrawal.

As the flag was lowered on Australia's combat commitment, Mr Fitzgibbon on Monday declared the mission a success which had allowed Iraq's own security forces to successfully take control.

The battle group gave the fledgling Iraqi army the space and time to train, grow and consolidate into a capable force that had proven itself time and time again in recent months, he said.

Australian personnel had contributed to the individual and collective training of 33,000 Iraqi army soldiers.

Australian forces also helped train the Iraqis in logistics management, combat service support and importantly, effective counter-insurgency operations.

"While only a small element of the 3,700 ADF personnel who served in security and training roles, the Australian contribution to the Iraqi army's Counter Insurgency Academy is one of the lasting legacies of our commitment," he said in a statement.

The start of the withdrawal from Iraq honours a Labor election promise to bring home combat troops by mid-year.

However, some 300 troops will remain inside Iraq, including the 110-member security detachment guarding Australian diplomats and others in Baghdad.

A further 500 will remain in the region, including 200 sailors aboard the frigate HMAS Stuart in the Persian Gulf.