UK troops to withdraw from Iraq by June- paper

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Britain is planning a full troop withdrawal from Iraq by June 2009, the British Guardian said on Wednesday, noting that the Britons will hand over authority to U.S. troops rather than the Iraqi government. “Britain’s six-year occupation of south Iraq will begin drawing to a close in March, and the last troops will leave Basra by June, a senior defence source disclosed yesterday,” according to the newspaper’s report. “But instead of handing over to Iraqi authorities, the British will be replaced at their Basra airport base by a large force of US troops, who will set up their own headquarters there, the source revealed.” “The withdrawal follows months of planning and security assessments by British and American commanders. The timetable is expected to be confirmed by Gordon Brown early in the new year,” it added. “The initial rundown will be relatively modest, with the tempo increasing later, defence officials said. ‘It’ll be very gradual, and then a fairly steep reduction,’ one said. By the end of June almost all the 4,000 UK troops now stationed at Basra will be gone. About 300 will remain at the request of the Iraqis to help set up colleges for officer cadets and senior staff officers, and to train the Iraqi navy.” SS (P) 1