British forces to begin rapid withdrawal from Iraq by May 31 - Here comes the flowers

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British forces to begin rapid Iraq pullout by May 31: Brown(AFP)

18 December 2008

LONDON - British forces are to begin a rapid withdrawal from Iraq by May 31 next year, with most of them out of the country by the end of July, Prime Minister Gordon Brown told lawmakers Thursday.

“The fundamental change of mission... will take place at the latest by May 31, 2009,” Brown said in parliament following a trip to the region.

“At that point we will begin a rapid withdrawal of our troops, taking the total from just under 4,100 to under 400 by July 31. The majority of those remaining troops will be dedicated to naval training,” he added.

The timetable is in line with a bill approved by the Iraqi cabinet calling for all foreign troops except for US forces to end their missions by the end of May and pull out definitively by the end of July.