Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, raised the prospect today of some British troops staying in Iraq even after the handover of control to Iraqi authorities. The Defence Secretary reaffirmed hopes voiced last week by Margaret Beckett, the Foreign Secretary, that British forces would pull out of Basra by next Spring.
In a speech at Chatham House in London, Mr Browne also said that the overall number of British troops in Iraq by the end of next year should be “significantly lower, by a number of thousands. I want to make sure that we do not allow a single one of the 7,000 total British soldiers, sailors and air personnel to stay in Iraq longer than necessary,” he said. But the Defence Secretary warned that transferring control of parts of southern Iraq now patrolled by British troops did not mean all UK forces withdrawing from the country.
When British troops started to “draw down”, the number of insurgent attacks may rise, he said. “As we move towards handover, perversely, the number of attacks on us may increase,” he warned. “We need to be clear that handover does not mean withdrawal.” Mr Browne added: “What is changing is not the strategy but the pace at which it is enforced.”
He added that Nouri Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, wanted the handover to happen quickly but knew that if troops were withdrawn immediately, the results would be “catastrophic”.
The Defence Secretary said 14 of IraqÂ’s 18 provinces were relatively peaceful, four of which were under British control. Two were handed over in the summer, leaving Maysan and Basra still British-led. He said he hoped Maysan could be handed over in January and Basra a few months later.