Many Iraqis in the southern city of Samawah feel grateful to withdrawing Japanese troops for rebuilding roads, hospitals and other vital facilities there, but some have felt disappointed because they had higher expectations for what the troops could do, a Samawah-based Iraqi journalist said.
"Japanese troops have brought goodness to the city, accomplishing so much, given the extent of the city's destruction," said Hassan Halawa, who visited Japan last week.
But "some residents thought things would work out once the troops came, when the reality was that everything won't be ready in one or two or even in 10 years," he said.