Last month, Gordon Brown said after meeting American President George Bush at Camp David that the decision to hand over security in Basra province -- the last of the four held by the British -- "will be made on the military advice of our commanders on the ground".
"Whatever happens, we will make a full statement to Parliament when it returns (in October)," the PM had said.
Two British Generals told The Independent in London that the military advice given to Gordon Brown last week states: "We've done what we can in the south [of Iraq]". In fact, commanders want to hand over Basra Palace -- where 500 British troops are subjected to up to 60 rocket and mortar strikes a day -- by the end of this month.
Britain has already announced the withdrawal of 500 soldiers. The Army is drawing up plans to "reposture" the 5,000 that will be left at Basra airport, and aims to bring the bulk of them home in the next few months.
Before the invasion in 2003, officers were told that the Army's war aims were to bring stability and democracy to Iraq and to the Middle East as a whole.
Those ambitions have been drastically revised, the newspaper said. The priorities now are an orderly withdrawal, with the reputation and capability of the Army "reasonably intact", and for Britain to remain a "credible ally". - DDNEWS
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