But the bird emblazoned on his shoulder flash wasn't the "Screaming Eagle" of the US airborne. It was the double-headed eagle of Albania, one of the small allied contingents still fighting alongside their American comrades.

Five years after US troops invaded Iraq at the head of an already limited coalition, the alliance has withered to a rump of mainly former Communist bloc nations keen to prove their new allegiance to Washington.

Of the 168,000 foreign troops still in Iraq, all but 10,000 are drawn from the United States' own over-stretched military and many of the remaining allies are from units which are already slated to head home in the coming months.

Major ally Britain has reduced its commitment to 2,500 personnel at a single airbase, Australia has vowed to bring its remaining 550 combat troops home by mid-year and Poland's 900-strong deployment will end in October.

In May 2003, two months after the US invasion, the occupying force was made up of 150,000 Americans and 23,000 other troops from 40 countries. Now, US numbers have increased, while the coalition has shrunk by more than half.

As the big players head home, they leave Georgia, Romania, El Salvador, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Albania, Mongolia, Czech Republic, Armenia, Macedonia, Tonga, Lithuania, Bosnia, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Latvia and Moldova.

But although these contingents are small, this does not mean they lack enthusiasm for the mission, especially as many of their governments regard friendship with Washington as a vital prop in their own home regions.

"Albanians are very proud of their cooperation with the US army. All the people and the parliament are 100 percent behind this mission," said Major Behar Mara, commander of the 120-strong Albanian force.

"All the guys are volunteers. Some of them have served here before."

Former prime ministers Tony Blair of Britain, John Howard of Australia, Jose Maria Aznar of Spain and Silvio Berlusconi of Italy lost their jobs, in part because of their support of the war, and Albania's enthusiasm is rare.

But Albanians remember America's support for the ethnic brethren in Kosovo -- last month Mara and his men held a barbecue in Mosul to celebrate the territory's independence declaration -- and remain loyal.

"We'll be here as long as the Americans are," Mara predicted.

Tirana has provided two special forces teams and a commando unit, with men serving six-month rotations at Forward Operating Base Marez in Mosul. The units have been posted here since the start of the occupation.

The troops provide security at the fortified front gate -- where in 2004 they beat off a fierce insurgent attack -- and patrol the base perimeter with two quick reaction forces equipped with armoured Humvee jeeps.

They also check visitors to the camp's huge canteen block, which has been rebuilt since December 2004, when a suicide bomber blew himself up in the crowded mess hall and killed 22 people, including 14 soldiers.

Nevertheless, with less than a single company of troops, Albania military contribution to the coalition is a minor one. The true role of the mission is political, for both Albania and the United States.

While Washington likes to point to its remaining partners to deflect diplomatic criticism from a war that is increasingly unpopular around the world, Tirana is seeking to prove themselves as a western ally.

Given the political instability still threatening parts of the Balkans, one might think that Albania would want its 120 most elite troops at home, but in reality the true guarantor of stability would be full NATO membership.

"Here, we're learning operational standards for membership," Mara said.

The Atlantic alliance will meet in Brussels on Thursday to discuss Albania's application. "We're very optimistic," grinned special forces Lieutenant Hysen Lumani, sure his men's service in Mosul will count in their favour.

Although US headquarters in Baghdad still now lists 26 coalition members, many contingents are very small, such as Moldova's 12 military engineers, or limited to non-combat support, such as Japan's military transport planes.

In addition, the costs incurred by 20 of the poorer allied forces are paid by US taxpayers. According to US Congress auditors, this cost some 1.5 billion dollars (one billion euros) between the 2003 invasion and May 2007.

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