Browne pledges ‘significant’ Iraq withdrawal
The number of British troops in Iraq will be cut by thousands within the next year, the defence secretary has announced.
Des Browne said although he would not give exact details of how many of the 7,000 troops deployed may be withdrawn, the number would be “significant” and would ensure that “we ask not a single soldier to remain in Iraq longer than is necessary”.
However, he stressed that plans to hand over control next spring of the southern city of Basra, where most British troops are based, was not the same as a withdrawal.
The defence secretary also warned that “perversely”, attacks on British troops were likely to increase in the run up to the handover as local militias attempted to take credit for the drawing back.
His comments come as David Cameron visits Basra to talk with troop commanders and Iraqi politicians. The Conservative leader said he wanted to get a “more direct understanding” of what was going on in Iraq.
In a keynote speech in London this morning, Mr Browne confirmed the announcement by foreign secretary Margaret Beckett last week that Britain hoped to hand over the last province under their control to the Iraqis in the spring.
This would follow the transfer of two provinces this summer and a third, Maysan, in January next year. Basra was always going to be the most difficult handover, because of the rival militias operating for control of the city.
But Mr Browne said he believed the strategy of building up Iraqi forces was “making progress.and progress against the strategy will bring a draw down of our forces”.
However, he stressed the need for “careful handling – those who have been attacking our forces will claim a propaganda victory hoping to gain status in local power struggles. They will seek to portray a reduction in our forces as a victory for violence”.
The defence secretary added: “We need to be clear that handover does not mean withdrawal. Even when all the provinces are handed over, we will still provide support to mentor and back up the Iraqi army and police, and to protect coalition supply routes.”
He continued: “I can tell you that by the end of next year I expect numbers of British forces in Iraq to be significantly lower by a matter of thousands.”
The defence secretary insisted Britain would not “cut and run”, and said the handover of control of Basra was “not about political gestures or about a trial of wills – it is about recognising the challenges we face as well as the commitments we have made”.
He said: “We will stay as long as we are making a positive difference and as long as the Iraqi government needs our support. We will hand over when it is right to do so, driven not by arbitrary deadlines but by reality on the ground.
“I repeat that I am determined not to allow a single one of the 7,000 soldiers, sailors and air personnel currently in Iraq to stay there longer than is necessary.”
On Friday, sergeant Jonathan Hollingsworth, from the parachute regiment, became the 126th member of the British armed forces to be killed in Iraq since March 2003. He was shot during a search and detention operation in Basra city and later died of his injuries.
