Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki wants to take over security in the southern province of Basra from British troops within three months.
Maliki made the remarks in a telephone conversation with new British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Thursday, the Iraqi leader’s office said in a statement.Prime Minister al-Maliki confirmed the intention of Iraqi forces to assume the security control of Basra within three months, the statement said.Britain has handed security responsibility back to Iraq in three of four southern provinces, with only Basra remaining.
He expressed his hopes that after three months, British forces would only play a supporting role.
The number of British troops in Iraq was recently cut to about 5,500 from 7,000.
More than 150 British soldiers have been killed in Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003.
Basra is home to southern Iraq’s oil industry.
July 6, 2007 at 2:46 am |
Interesting…
I haven’t been paying as much attention to the War in Iraq as I have the War in Afghanistan. How has the security situation been in the three Iraqi controlled provinces?
July 6, 2007 at 7:31 am |
Hmm interesting it shows that the training and assistance the British troops have give is really paying off
Well done to Iraq
Brib