British commander says ready to withdraw from Basra by July

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Maj. Gen. Andy Salmon, the British commander of multinational forces in southeastern Iraq, said on Monday that his forces will end their missions by the end of May and will be ready to leave the country as of next July. “The British forces will end their mission in Iraq by the end of May and will be ready to leave the country by July 31,” Maj. Gen. Salmon told IraqiNews.com news agency, noting that the security authorities in Basra have the ability to deal with the whole situation in the city. He announced the completion of the joint Iraqi-British command building in Basra. Britain was part of the 2003 US-led coalition that invaded Iraq, and currently has about 4,100 troops stationed in the country, most of whom are based just outside the southern city of Basra. Basra, 590 km (340 miles) south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, has an estimated metropolitan population of 2,300,000 in 2008. Basra, a Shiite province with 20% of the population are Sunnis, is the cradle of the first civilization of Sumer. It has the seven main Iraqi ports. The first built in Islam 14 A.H. (After Hegira), the city played an important role in early Islamic history. The area surrounding Basra has substantial petroleum resources and many oil wells. The city’s oil refinery has a production capacity of about 140,000 barrels per day (bpd). The only Iraqi outlet to the sea, Basra is in a fertile agricultural region, with major products including rice, maize corn, barley, pearl millet, wheat and dates as well as livestock. A network of canals flowed through the city, giving it the nickname “The Venice of the Middle East” at least at high tide. The only Iraqi outlet to the sea, Basra has the commercial ports of Iraq. SH (S) 1