Iraqi joy at British 'defeat' as Bush makes surprise visit to Baghdad
Source: http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/arti ... +pull+out+
September 2, 2007 Author:
British troops pulled out of their besieged base in central Basra last night.
The move to the city's airport is the clearest sign yet that Gordon Brown is paving the way for a complete withdrawal from Iraq.
The last 550 troops in Basra Palace had been surrounded by Shia militants in a scene likened to "cowboys and Indians".
Now all Britain's 5,500 troops in Iraq will be consolidated in the sprawling base at the airport, itself under daily mortar attack.
Downing Street said the withdrawal from Basra Palace was part of the continuing process of handover to Iraqi forces.
But the move produced an angry reaction in Washington. Bush administration officials were furious that the operation was launched at a time when the president is begging for more time for his 'surge' strategy to turn the tide of the war.
Although the Prime Minister refuses to say when he will order UK troops home, observers believe the stage is set for a fullscale pull-out - and a serious rift in the special relationship with the U.S.
Former Labour defence minister Peter Kilfoyle last night predicted a complete withdrawal of British troops by Christmas.
He said: "Now the troops are out of the palace, that only leaves the airbase. The Americans are going to be very disconcerted by this move, which is long overdue."
Labour MP Kevan Jones, who recently visited Basra, welcomed the decision to pull out of the palace. He said deliveries of supplies to the garrison had been "nightly suicide missions".
Shadow defence secretary Liam Fox said: "This is not an unexpected move, but the families of the personnel involved will want to know that every possible precaution has been taken to maximise their safety.
"Our troops must not be put at needless risk to satisfy the political needs of Gordon Brown's Government, any moves must be based upon the military reality on the ground."
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell said: "The inevitable retreat from central Basra underlines the futility of the continuing British presence in Iraq.
"We have heard from the most senior British military voices their concern about the lack of post-invasion planning.
"Nothing confirms that more than the fact the British troops will now be confined to Basra airport, an area which is impossible to defend and from where they cannot conceivably carry out any useful military function other than training the Iraqi army."
The last troops in the palace were the 4th Battalion The Rifles battle group, which is based in Bulford, Wiltshire. They had been there since mid-May.
The Defence Ministry said the base would be handed over to Iraqi authorities "in the next few days", but eyewitnesses said Iraqi troops were already there last night.
Basra is the last of five provinces in the UK's sphere of operations in southern Iraq which has yet to move to local Iraqi control.
In the others, British forces play only an 'overwatch' role.
That involves some training and supervision of local forces and a readiness to move in to support Iraqi military and police if necessary.
Mr Brown has said Basra would move to 'overwatch' as soon as conditions allowed.
He has insisted that UK forces will stay in Iraq to fulfil Britain's obligations to the government and people there and the United Nations.
Downing Street said last night that an overall reduction in troops in Iraq would "depend on the assessment of commanders on the ground over the coming weeks and months".
Kevan Jones, a member of the Parliamentary defence committee, said: "These plans have been in place for some time and we were told that September was going to be the time.
"The operational reasons for being in Basra Palace were negligible, so the withdrawal is not going to affect the security situation. It will certainly reduce the number of our troops being used as targets."
American officials say the withdrawal means Britain has effectively accepted defeat in southern Iraq.
Last month General Jack Keane, a former vice-chief of staff of the U.S. Army, said there was 'frustration' in Washington at the deteriorating security situation in the British-run area.
The withdrawal means the end of a British presence in Basra for the first time since the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.
Attacks on British troops have surged recently, with 41 killed in southern Iraq this year, the highest number since the first year of the war.
Basra, Iraq's second largest city, is strategically vital as the hub of oilfields that produce nearly all the country's revenue. It is also a key centre for imports and exports.
The city has been torn by a battle for supremacy between Shia militias, including supporters of cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr and groups backed by Iran.
Residents say there is now a fragile calm, but there are fears that the British withdrawal will be followed by an upsurge in violence.
