UK troops may hand over Basra ‘by spring’
UK troops may hand over Basra ‘by spring’
By Christopher Adams in London and Steve Negus, Iraq Correspondent
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2006
Published: November 22 2006 14:32 | Last updated: November 22 2006 14:32
British troops could hand responsibilty for security in southern Iraq, including the city of Basra, to local authorities by the spring, Margaret Beckett, the UK’s foreign secretary said on Wednesday.
Speaking to the House of Commons, Ms Beckett said the process of transferring security to Iraqi forces was “well under way” and that the US-administered province of Najaf was likely to be the next to be handed over to local control.
“In our own area of responsibility we expect Maysan to follow in January and the progresses of the current operation in Basra gives us confidence that we may be able to achieve transition in that province too at some point next spring,” she told MPs.
However, the Ministry of Defence said it was “too early to say” what the impact of handing over control would be on troop numbers on the ground. British forces would still maintain “an overwatch role and training and mentoring role” for the Iraqi forces.
A spokeswoman added that the planned handover was “conditions based” and not certain to take place.
According to a system approved earlier in the year by the Iraqi government and the US-led multinational forces, provinces can be transferred to local control if the authorities there can maintain security in the province under normal circumstances without assistance from either foreign troops or the Iraqi military.
Throughout much of this year, Basra has witnessed frequent clashes between rival militias who are believed to earn considerable incomes from oil smuggling and kidnapping rackets. In addition, a feud between some branches of the radical Shia Mahdi Army and the British military forced Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to declare a state of emergency in the early summer.
Since then, British and Iraqi forces have launched Operation Sinbad, an operation to secure the city which, according to a British military source in Iraq, is about halfway complete. “If we can complete Operation Sinbad successfully, when it is finished Basra will be in a state where it is very near to Iraqi provincial control,” he said.
Ms Beckett’s comments appeared to confirm private suggestions that the military is preparing to bring forward a change in its role that would see it conducting operations at Iraqi request and ending regular patrols.
Responsibility for two of the provinces in the British-controlled zone, Dhi Qar and al-Muthanna, has already been transferred to Iraqi authorities. The government has in the past made clear Maysan could follow at about the end of the year.
But Ms Beckett’s comments on the timing for a handover in Basra, where four service personnel were killed in an improvised bomb attack on a patrol boat last week, surprised some commentators.
There were expectations that such a comprehensive handover in southern Iraq was likely to take place later next year.
It is understood that troops would probably withdraw from their bases in the city to camps in the surrounding area, handing many of the current operational duties to their Iraqi counterparts. However, there is unlikely to be any immediate reduction in troop numbers on the ground.
The total number of British troops killed in operations in Iraq rose to 125 after the latest attack in Basra. The UK has 7,200 troops in the south of the country, mostly stationed in and around Basra.
During Wednesday’s debate in the Commons, Ms Beckett said there was “no question of us cutting and running from Iraq. To do so would be an act of gross irresponsibility, abandoning the Iraqi people to bloodshed perhaps even worse than we see today.”
She told MPs the government owed it to British troops and the Iraqi people to “hold our nerve in this critical period”.
The United Nations reported that October was the bloodiest month for civilians since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
The monthly total of 3,709 civilian deaths was contained in a summary of the latest human rights report released by the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq. It exceeded the previous monthly high of 3,590 in July.
By Christopher Adams in London and Steve Negus, Iraq Correspondent
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2006
Published: November 22 2006 14:32 | Last updated: November 22 2006 14:32
British troops could hand responsibilty for security in southern Iraq, including the city of Basra, to local authorities by the spring, Margaret Beckett, the UK’s foreign secretary said on Wednesday.
Speaking to the House of Commons, Ms Beckett said the process of transferring security to Iraqi forces was “well under way” and that the US-administered province of Najaf was likely to be the next to be handed over to local control.
“In our own area of responsibility we expect Maysan to follow in January and the progresses of the current operation in Basra gives us confidence that we may be able to achieve transition in that province too at some point next spring,” she told MPs.
However, the Ministry of Defence said it was “too early to say” what the impact of handing over control would be on troop numbers on the ground. British forces would still maintain “an overwatch role and training and mentoring role” for the Iraqi forces.
A spokeswoman added that the planned handover was “conditions based” and not certain to take place.
According to a system approved earlier in the year by the Iraqi government and the US-led multinational forces, provinces can be transferred to local control if the authorities there can maintain security in the province under normal circumstances without assistance from either foreign troops or the Iraqi military.
Throughout much of this year, Basra has witnessed frequent clashes between rival militias who are believed to earn considerable incomes from oil smuggling and kidnapping rackets. In addition, a feud between some branches of the radical Shia Mahdi Army and the British military forced Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to declare a state of emergency in the early summer.
Since then, British and Iraqi forces have launched Operation Sinbad, an operation to secure the city which, according to a British military source in Iraq, is about halfway complete. “If we can complete Operation Sinbad successfully, when it is finished Basra will be in a state where it is very near to Iraqi provincial control,” he said.
Ms Beckett’s comments appeared to confirm private suggestions that the military is preparing to bring forward a change in its role that would see it conducting operations at Iraqi request and ending regular patrols.
Responsibility for two of the provinces in the British-controlled zone, Dhi Qar and al-Muthanna, has already been transferred to Iraqi authorities. The government has in the past made clear Maysan could follow at about the end of the year.
But Ms Beckett’s comments on the timing for a handover in Basra, where four service personnel were killed in an improvised bomb attack on a patrol boat last week, surprised some commentators.
There were expectations that such a comprehensive handover in southern Iraq was likely to take place later next year.
It is understood that troops would probably withdraw from their bases in the city to camps in the surrounding area, handing many of the current operational duties to their Iraqi counterparts. However, there is unlikely to be any immediate reduction in troop numbers on the ground.
The total number of British troops killed in operations in Iraq rose to 125 after the latest attack in Basra. The UK has 7,200 troops in the south of the country, mostly stationed in and around Basra.
During Wednesday’s debate in the Commons, Ms Beckett said there was “no question of us cutting and running from Iraq. To do so would be an act of gross irresponsibility, abandoning the Iraqi people to bloodshed perhaps even worse than we see today.”
She told MPs the government owed it to British troops and the Iraqi people to “hold our nerve in this critical period”.
The United Nations reported that October was the bloodiest month for civilians since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
The monthly total of 3,709 civilian deaths was contained in a summary of the latest human rights report released by the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq. It exceeded the previous monthly high of 3,590 in July.
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