Britain hopes to pull out most troops from Iraq by mid-2008

LONDON – Britain will pull most of its troops from Iraq by the middle of 2008 under a phased withdrawal that could begin within months, Britain’s top army officer said in an interview published yesterday.

Lieutenant General Nick Houghton, quoted by The Daily Telegraph, said the army plans to go ahead with such a withdrawal because it is confident it can be replaced by Iraq’s newly trained 225 000 soldiers and police officers. More than 8 000 British troops are currently deployed in Iraq.The Iraqi people needed to see the withdrawal of foreign forces soon to be reassured that they did not plan to stay on in the country, Houghton was quoted as saying.”There is a fine line between staying too long and leaving too soon,” he said.”A military transition over two years has a reasonable chance of avoiding the pitfalls of overstaying our welcome but gives us the best opportunity of consolidating the Iraqi security forces,” he told the daily.He said the United States was thinking along the same lines, though not necessarily to the same timetable.Houghton said the first step would occur in the next few months, when the authority for security in Maysan and Muthanna provinces is handed to the new Iraqi security forces.Although the US military agrees to the proposal, Houghton said the plan was flexible.A spokesman for the ministry of defence, who was quoted by the daily, said: “The general made it clear that all of this was conditions-based and was outlining possible scenarios for handover.The key point is that no decisions on timing or force levels have been taken.”Houghton, the leading British army officer in Iraq who was preparing to end a five-month tour, is second in command of forces in Iraq and defers only to the US commander, General George Casey.- Nampa-AFPMore than 8 000 British troops are currently deployed in Iraq.The Iraqi people needed to see the withdrawal of foreign forces soon to be reassured that they did not plan to stay on in the country, Houghton was quoted as saying.”There is a fine line between staying too long and leaving too soon,” he said.”A military transition over two years has a reasonable chance of avoiding the pitfalls of overstaying our welcome but gives us the best opportunity of consolidating the Iraqi security forces,” he told the daily.He said the United States was thinking along the same lines, though not necessarily to the same timetable.Houghton said the first step would occur in the next few months, when the authority for security in Maysan and Muthanna provinces is handed to the new Iraqi security forces.Although the US military agrees to the proposal, Houghton said the plan was flexible.A spokesman for the ministry of defence, who was quoted by the daily, said: “The general made it clear that all of this was conditions-based and was outlining possible scenarios for handover.The key point is that no decisions on timing or force levels have been taken.”Houghton, the leading British army officer in Iraq who was preparing to end a five-month tour, is second in command of forces in Iraq and defers only to the US commander, General George Casey.- Nampa-AFP