Reuters: UK to cut Iraq troops by "thousands" by end-2007

[Eugene]

UK to cut Iraq troops by "thousands" by end-2007
27 Nov 2006 11:33:20 GMT
Source: Reuters

-snip-

LONDON, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Britain expects to be able to withdraw "thousands"
of its troops from Iraq by the end of 2007, Britain's Defence Minister Des
Browne said on Monday.

Browne refused to give specific numbers, but said: "By the end of next year
I expect numbers for British forces in Iraq to be significantly lower by a matter
of thousands."

In a speech in central London, he said military planners had been working on a
possible troop reduction for some months.

-snip-

Britain has around 7,200 troops in southern Iraq, mostly stationed in and
around Basra, Iraq's second largest city. Shi'ite factions are battling each
other for control of the city and British troops are sometimes attacked.

-snip-

Full article: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L27856783.htm

[lapfog_1]

1. Something tells me this will be sooner than that.

Events on the ground (god I hate that phrase) are overtaking military planners. Rapidly.

The Maliki government may not even last the week, much less the year. If there is no puppet government, how will we now operate as occupiers? Make a deal with al-Sadr? I doubt he would want a deal with us.

[jamesinca]

2. I just thought of something

The US should pull out tomorrow and leave the UK holding the bag. We could blame them for the collapse of Iraq then. Lets face it, it is about as reasonable as anything these idiots have proposed yet.

But I see the opposite happening. Everybody else is leaving and we will be left holding the bag and taking all the blame. Our co-conspirators are going to walk off, only having lost a reelection bid. It is smart on their part, but Mr. stay the course can't see it coming.

[Javaman]

5. Technically and historically speaking it was England that started this

mess to begin with. They were the ones that drew up the borders after WWI. But that was an entire empire ago.

I don't think Britain would be pulling troops out unless they consulted with moron* first.

I believe something bigger is in the works.

[Warren Stupidity]

3. Or not.

It is the same old story. They have been replaying the 'we will be leaving real soon now as long as conditions are right' bullshit for the last year or so. "Britain expects to be able to withdraw" or not, we will see.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

4. 2 Friedmans?

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/06/12/friedman-defends-prediction/

[TexasLawyer]

6. All the Brits have in Iraq is "thousands"

7,200 to be exact.

Over the years, the Brits have been quietly withdrawing most of their troops in Iraq. They don't have much of a military presence left.