Britain: Iraq troop reduction postponed
LONDON (AP) - April 1, 2008 Defense Secretary Des Browne said military commanders are
putting on hold a plan to reduce British troop numbers from 4,000
to 2,500, as outlined by Prime Minister Gordon Brown late last
year.
Browne said it would be "prudent" to pause any further
reductions while the situation was unfolding.
Britain has about 4,000 troops stationed at an air base on the
fringe of Basra. Forces withdrew from the city center late last
year and began to focus only on training Iraqi troops and police.
Violence erupted after Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki
launched a crackdown against Shiite militias in Basra. Street
battles left more than 200 dead, including civilians, Iraqi troops
and militants, and forced British troops back into combat.
The British army joined in the fighting for the first time
Saturday, firing artillery to support an operation by Iraqi
soldiers, military officials said.
"At this stage we intend to keep our forces at their current
levels of around 4,000 as we work with our coalition partners and
with the Iraqis to assess future requirements," Browne said.
He gave no timetable to reduce British troop numbers in the
future, but said he will update lawmakers later this month.
