Honduras has begun its troop withdrawal from Iraq, as the first of its 369 soldiers arrived in Kuwait, Honduran President, Ricardo Maduro, announced in an interview broadcast early Tuesday from Tokyo.

"I'm pleased to officially announce to the Honduran people that we have begun withdrawing our soldiers from Iraq and that some of them are already in Kuwait," Maduro said.

Honduras and the Dominican Republic decided to pull their troops out of Iraq last month, following Spain's decision to do the same.

The Honduran soldiers and some 300 Dominican troops were attached to the 1 400-strong Spanish-led brigade in Najaf, 160 kilometers south of Baghdad.

Maduro did not specify how many troops had left Iraq, but said preparations for a full withdrawal were well under way and that all the troops would soon return to Tegucigalpa.

He refused to provide dates on the pullout "for the security of the soldiers."

Madro is on a tour of Japan, Spain and Italy aimed at promoting foreign investment in Honduras. - Sapa-AFP