Britain will halve its remaining troop contingent in Iraq next spring, Prime Minister Gordon Brown declared Monday. Brown stated Britain would lower troop levels to 2,500 by mid-2008 and redeploy logistics staff to neighboring states.
According to the AP, the British leader told lawmakers Monday his Iraq plan follows the success of the American troop increase this summer and efforts by Iraqis to drive suspected al-Qaeda elements from havens in Anbar province, west of Baghdad.
He said decisions on further cuts would be made once the cut to 2,500 was complete, rejecting a call from opposition lawmakers to set a timetable to withdraw all British forces. Officials said the latest troop cut would be complete by April.
The British presence in Iraq peaked with 46,000 troops during the March 2003 invasion. It was cut to 18,000 that May, and 8,600 by the end of May 2004. This past May, there were about 5,500 British troops in Iraq.
Brown said Monday that British forces will initially carry out oversight duties including securing key supply and transit routes from Kuwait to Baghdad. By next spring, troops will be focused mainly on training and mentoring. Some 500 British logistics and support staff will be moved outside Iraq, but within the Middle East, to support the remaining troops, Brown said.
