No timetable for a full pull out.
“We need to be clear: the handover does not mean withdrawal”
Thousands of British troops could remain in Iraq for another decade, Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, said yesterday.
Speaking at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Mr Browne said that he expected to withdraw a substantial number of the 7,200 British Armed Forces in southern Iraq by the end of next year.
The reduction will be possible when British soldiers hand over responsibility for Maysan and Basra, the last two provinces under their direct control. Maysan is due to be transferred in January and Basra in April. “If both these go to plan, we will be able to start drawing down our forces,” he said. “By the end of next year I expect the numbers of British Forces in Iraq to be significantly lower, by a matter of thousands.”
Whitehall officials expect the number to be halved but British Forces will remain at brigade strength with armour and air support at Basra airport and the Shaiba logistics base south of the city.
Yesterday’s announcement did little to satisfy demands at home and in Iraq for American and British forces to set a timetable for a complete withdrawal. “Des Browne will have to try much harder if he wants to satisfy calls for a detailed plan for withdrawal,” Nick Harvey, the Liberal Democrat defence spokesman, said. “Vague assurances are not enough.”
Italy, once a significant contributor with 3,000 troops in southern Iraq, said yesterday that the last of its forces would leave the country this week. Poland said that all its 900 soldiers would be home by the end of next year. Japan withdrew this year and many other states plan to follow suit.
Mr Browne insisted, however, that reducing the size of the British contingent in Iraq did not mean that Britain was withdrawing, and said that there was no timetable for a full pull out. “We need to be clear: the handover does not mean withdrawal,” he said.
0 responses so far ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.