UK denies leaving Basra is a retreat
Iraq-UK, Politics, 12/18/2007

UK Armed Forces Minister Bob Ainsworth yesterday denied that the transfer of control in Basra to Iraqi authorities represented a defeat for British soldiers.

"We have not been forced to retreat," Ainsworth told the BBC radio following Sunday's hand over following four-and-a-half years of British control.

"We have never denied that the situation in Basra is far from the ideal and nobody is trying to suggest that it is," he insisted.

Basra's new police commander, Major General Jalil Khalaf, has criticized Britain's retreat in the face of the growing power of local armed groups.

"They left me militia, they left me gangsters, and they left me all the troubles in the world," Khalaf said in an interview with the Guardian and ITV television Monday.

The British defense minister denied UK forces had been forced to retreat because they "realized the Iraqi army was riddled by militia," saying that the "final story isn't written yet." "We have pulled back from Basra in cooperation with the Iraqis themselves and with the agreement of the Iraqi government and with the agreement of the coalition," he said.

But Ainsworth also admitted that the presence of British troops had been making the situation worse. "That is true and nobody has denied that we became the target over time," he said.

"We would like the situation to be far better than it is, but nonetheless... we believe that they are up to the job of running that province and putting it in the right direction so there's hope for the future," he said.

But former British commander during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Colonel Tim Collins, warned that the withdrawal from Basra had "badly damaged" the UK's military reputation.

"There was no clear mission. I think the whole enterprise has been muddled thinking and characterized by a lack of planning and over optimism," Collins told the Today program.

The opposition Conservative's shadow defense secretary Liam Fox raised questions about the future role of British troops in Iraq.

"The prime minister has said that the force will be able to redeploy as a combat force" after halving its current numbers, Fox said.

"First of all, is having 2,500 troops big enough to allow that to happen? And secondly, under what circumstances would such a force redeploy and who would make those decisions?" he asked.

Acting Liberal Democrat Leader Vince Cable said that if power was being handed back to Iraqis "there is no justification" for the continuing presence of 4,500 troops in the country.

The plans in switching from a combat role to one of overwatch include reducing the number of British troops in Iraq to about 4,500 by the end of the year from about 5,500 in the summer and down to 2,500 by next spring.

The Guardian quoted British officials saying that two battle groups, a total of 1,200 troops, would still be available to help if necessary and that a further 500 British troops will be based in Kuwait to help run supply lines.

They were said to have painted an optimistic picture. "There is not the level of violence there but competition for political influence", a diplomatic source said.

Previous Stories:
  Brown on Iraq held British hostages   (12/11/2007)
  UK resettlement costs of Iraqi interpreters   (11/14/2007)
  Armed forces weakened by Iraq, Afghan wars - UK admits   (11/14/2007)

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