UK: UK to reduce its Iraq force to 2,500 troops as anti war protesters march in London

Prime Minister Gordon Brown says Britain will halve its force in Iraq to 2,500 troops from spring next year, after handing over responsibility for the southern province of Basra to Iraqi forces, and in London thousands take to the streets to protest the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Britain will reduce its force in Iraq -- now numbering more than 5,000 -- to 2,500 troops from spring next year, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Monday (October 8) in his parliamentary statement on Iraq. In his first major foreign policy speech to parliament, Brown also announced plans to allow Iraqis who have worked for British troops to apply for funds to resettle in Britain, Iraq or other countries in the region. Brown announced during a visit to Iraq last week that 500 more soldiers would be home from the unpopular war in Iraq by year's end. The force had already been due to fall from 5,500 to 5,000, and will now fall to 2,500 from spring next year. Brown, who took over from Tony Blair as prime minister in June, had been widely expected to speed up the withdrawal of British troops after voters' dismay at the war sent Blair's popularity plummeting and hastened his departure from office. The announcement marks a turning point in southern Iraq, where there will no longer be a major presence of international forces patrolling the street. However, Brown told parliament, Britain's "overwatch" role would still mean British troops had "a capacity to operate supply lines and look at the border issues." "With the Iraqis already assuming security responsibility, we expect to establish provincial Iraqi force in Basra province in the next two months as already announced by the prime minister of Iraq, move to the first stage of "overwatch", reduce numbers in southern Iraq from at the start of September - 5-and-a-half-thousand to 4-and-a-half-thousand immediately after provincial Iraqi control and then to 4,000. And then in the second stage of "overwatch" in the spring, and guided as always by advice of military commanders, reduce to around 2,500 troops with a further decision about the next phase made then," said Brown to a full House of Commons. Britain had sent 45,000 troops to Iraq during the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 as Washington's main ally and had maintained around 7,000 to 8,000 troops for most of the past four years in the mainly Shi'ite area that produces most of Iraq's oil wealth. Brown also said on Monday that Britain would order 140 more Mastiff patrol vehicles, which provide protection against mines and roadside bombs, for British forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Labour government has been subjected to persistent criticism that British soldiers operating overseas have not been provided with adequate equipment. As Britain has withdrawn from bases in Iraq, the treatment of interpreters who work for British troops has been an issue in Britain after several were hunted down and murdered by militants. In the past they were not given asylum in Britain, but Brown ordered a review of that policy in August. Anti-war protesters were given an 11th hour go-ahead to stage a march to parliament on Monday after police had earlier threatened to use an old Victorian law to stop them. The Stop the War Coalition said it had been given police permission to march from Trafalgar Square to parliament less than an hour before the start of the event, designed to call for the government to withdraw troops from Iraq. The ban was lifted as an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 people gathered in Trafalgar Square in central London. They heard a series of speeches from politicians, union leaders and peace campaigners demanding that Gordon Brown brings all British troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan. George Galloway, a member of parliament and prominent opponent of the war in Iraq, said Britain should not allow the United States to drag it into war with Iran. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Monday that he would not rule out any option in tackling Iran over its nuclear ambitions, even though he hoped to resolve the dispute through diplomacy. Iran denies pursuing nuclear arms and says its nuclear programme is aimed at power generation. "So I say to those MPs , who are able to go the the House of Commons, you'd better tell Gordon Brown to make up his mind, to stand up and say: "No, not one single British soldier or military assets will be lent to George W. Bush for any war with Iran, thank you." Galloway is currently serving a ban from attending sessions at the House of Commons after clashing with the speaker. The Stop the War Coalition had been determined to go ahead with the march -- organised to coincide with the first day of parliament after the long Summer recess -- even if it had not been given the official green light. Dozens of police officers escorted the banner-waving marchers as they left Trafalgar Square and headed towards the House of Parliament. The authorities had initially banned the march under the Metropolitan Police Act of 1839 which dates from the time of the Chartist protest movement, a period when the ruling class believed they were on the brink of social revolution.

ITN Source | October 9, 2007

Tags:. .blairs. .politicians. .patrolling. .patrol. .initially