Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Talabani says UK troops to leave by end of 2007
Security
Iraq's president forecast on Tuesday that British troops could go home by the end of next year but, on another day of killings, Britain's visiting foreign minister cautioned against leaving a "security vacuum." Beckett stressed London had no date in mind for troops pulling out and said the 2007 timeframe was Talabani's personal opinion. After meeting Iraq's top leadership, she said she found general support for the continued presence of 150,000 mainly U.S. forces until 300,000 Iraqi troops and police are ready. British troops control a swathe of Shi'ite southern Iraq that has largely escaped the violence in the Sunni-dominated and ethnically mixed provinces in central Iraq, but which has witnessed a surge in violence in recent weeks. A top British commander said last month Britain planned to halve its force by the middle of next year. British forces handed over control of one province to the Iraqi army in July and are due to transfer power over a second this month. Meanwhile, Britain will deploy 360 extra troops to Iraq later this year to reinforce its 7,200-strong force in the restive southern city of Basra, a military spokesman said.
