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Iraq: Blair Announces Troops Cut
British presence reduced from 7,100 to 5,500 in spring; more to return home in summer
Prime Minister Tony Blair has announced that the number of British troops in Iraq will be reduced by 1,600. Just over 5000 troops will stay in Iraq until 2008 to assist in the handover of security duties to Iraqi forces.
Most British troops are based in southern Iraq, in and around the city of Basra. Shortly after the US-led invasion of Iraq, this region was viewed as relatively safe and British troops wore caps rather than armoured helmets; The security situation later deteriorated as unrest spread throughout the country.
132 British soldiers have died in Iraq since the invasion in 2003.
Blair admitted that Basra is a "difficult and sometimes dangerous place" but said that "the next chapter in (its) history will be written by Iraqis."
The BBC reports that most British forces in the region will return to bases over the next few months. Their duties will include protecting supply lines and, interestingly, securing the border with Iran.
The removal of British forces from Iraq has taken place relatively slowly: Indeed, many will be disappointed that Blair's announcement means an imminent return to Blighty for only two thousand men and women. However, the number of troops currently in Iraq is much, much fewer than the peak of combat operations. In March-April 2003, when combat ops began, there were 45,000 British servicemen in the country. This was reduced to 19,000 by May 2003 and the number was halved again by May 2004.
Current levels have been stable since May last year.
Blair said that the reduction in troop numbers reflected not only the professionalism of the Iraqi forces who will take over in the region, but was a signal that the coalition forces were not planning to stay for years in Iraq. His words were welcomed by Iraq's national security adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie, who added that while he was grateful for the British presence, he had rather hoped that they would have returned home sooner.
However, other voices argued that Britain's work in Iraq is far from complete. Sir Menzies Campbell, who leads the anti-war Liberal Democrats, said that Britain was leaving a country on the verge of civil war.
Denmark's prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced that his country's 470 troops would also leave Iraq by summer, leaving a small helicopter squadron in the country.
The troop reductions by Britain and Denmark come as US president George Bush has pledged another 21,000 troops for Iraq.
Naturally, the political repercussions of Blair's announcement will be much discussed. Is southern Iraq a "job well done" or an acceptance of the impossibility of improving the situation in the wretched country? Much depends on the following months: It will be immensely difficult for UK forces to enter Basra again to support Iraqi forces if the situation worsens: Indeed, if they do, and find themselves under-resourced and under-protected, the political fallout for Blair could be disastrous.
Others will detect Iran's shadow in the decision. Blair has ruled out participating in an attack on Iran, even if the US strikes. Signals that British troops will not be on Iran's border in large numbers might signal to Tehran that the diplomatic route towards disarmament offered by the "EU Three" is still open.
