British Troops in Iraq Pull Out of Basra Palace

British Troops in Iraq Pull Out of Basra Palace

By Tom Rivers

London

03 September 2007

The highly symbolic pull out of British forces from Basra Palace to a nearby airbase is widely seen as the beginning of the end to British involvement in Iraq. For VOA, Tom Rivers reports from London.

After four years, Britain's presence in Iraq's second-largest city is no more. Just more than 500 soldiers were stationed at the complex that used to be a one of Saddam's palaces in the center of Basra.

Mortar attacks against the palace had become commonplace.

As the British troops packed up, responsibility for the base was handed over to Iraqi security forces.

British spokesman in Basra, Major Mike Shearer says the departure went off smoothly.

"There were no major incidents during the operation and all troops are now safely back at the contingency operating base and have been since mid-day today," said Shearer.

The departure of the troops was greeted with cheers by many locals who lined the streets. This man says he hopes the scene will be repeated elsewhere.

"My happiness would be full if they were to withdraw from all [of] Iraq, not only from Basra," said an Iraqi.

Here in London, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the withdrawal was not a defeat, but rather another milestone signaling more responsibility being handed back to the Iraqis.

"This is a pre-planned, and this is an organized move from Basra palace to Basra Air Station," said Mr. Brown. "This is essentially a move from a position where we were in a combat role in four provinces and now we are moving over time to being in an over-watch role."....

BBC News
world affairs editor John Simpson said it was hard not to use the word
"defeat" in connection with the withdrawal.

He said: "The fact is it isn't a defeat today, it was a defeat some years ago.

Anti-war campaigner Reg Keys

"It was a defeat when the British were too undermanned, too poorly
resourced to be able to deal with these militias which have been
fighting down there pretty much ever since.

"We have to say it could have been really much worse. There were
people in the White House who said the British would be chased out by
the Iraqis, firing and shooting at them as they went."

A poll for BBC Two's Newsnight programme suggests more than
two-thirds of the British public think UK troops are losing the war in
Iraq.

Some 52% of those questioned believed victory was impossible, and a
further 17% thought British troops were losing but could eventually
win.