LONDON - Britain's defense secretary says a freeze on British troop withdrawals from Iraq will remain in place for the foreseeable future. Defense Secretary Des Browne says in a statement to lawmakers Thursday that reductions in the number of British troops in Iraq will only be made "if conditions allow." Britain has 4,000 troops in Iraq.
Earlier this month Browne postponed a plan to withdraw around 1,500 troops from Britain's base outside the oil-rich southern city of Basra following a surge in militia violence.