IRAQ: Basra residents welcome news of British troop cut

Basra residents express delight at the plan to cut British troops by 1,000 by the end of the year. Basra people on Tuesday welcomed news of a plan to cut British troops level to 4,500 by the end of the year. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced on Tuesday during a surprise visit to Baghdad that 500 more soldiers would be home from Iraq by the end of the year, fuelling speculation he may soon call a national election. On his first visit to Iraq as prime minister, Brown said Iraq could take responsibility for security in Basra province within two months, completing the transfer of power in all four southern provinces for which Britain was once responsible. "We feel happy to hear the news and God willing, they will all leave. We do not want any one of them to them to stay," said Raad, citizen of the southern Iraqi city. Other citizens called for a full withdrawal of the British forces from the city. "We hope that they would withdraw all their troops from this country, from Iraq and from Basra in order that Basra would enjoy secure life and the people lead a quiet life without blasts and instability," said Falah Nouri Mansour. Britain has been trimming its Iraq force from 5,500 since it pulled 500 soldiers from a palace in the city of Basra to a vast airbase on its outskirts in early September. The total now stands at about 5,250 and was due to fall to 5,000 soon. "I believe that by the end of the year British troops can be reduced to 4,500," Brown told reporters during a visit to Baghdad. "That releases 1,000 of our troops and hopefully they will be home by Christmas." Basra has enormous strategic importance as the hub for Iraq's vital oil exports that account for 90 percent of its revenue and a centre of imports and exports throughout the Gulf. The volatile city has witnessed its share of violence in a sectarian conflict and insurgency that has killed tens of thousands of Iraqis since the 2003 invasion to topple Saddam. The British were frequent targets -- 41 soldiers were killed this year, the most since 2003 -- but the daily mortar attacks on Basra palace have largely stopped since the troops withdrew. "I believe that within the next two months we can move to provincial Iraqi control, that is Iraqis taking responsibility for their own security (in Basra)," Brown told reporters. The decision by Brown's predecessor, Tony Blair, to join the invasion of Iraq in 2003 was deeply unpopular in Britain and his Labour Party, and ultimately led to him being hounded from power after a decade in office.

ITN Source | October 2, 2007

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