BBC - Iraq leader welcomes troops' exit

[jannyk]

<<Tony Blair's plan to recall 1,600 British troops from Iraq within the next few months has been welcomed by the country's president.
Jalal Talabani's spokesman said it was a "welcome catalyst" that would force Iraqi forces to take responsibility for the country's security....snip...

The prime minister acknowledged that Basra was still "difficult and sometimes dangerous", but he said levels of murder and kidnappings had dropped and reconstruction was under way. He said that it was important to show the Iraqis that Britain - and the other multinational force members - did not intend their forces to stay longer than necessary. ...snip....

On this subject, BBC Baghdad Correspondent David Loyn said: "I think this is a very significant day - a real divergence between Washington and Whitehall for the first time over Iraq." Our correspondent said none of the Iraqis he had spoken to in coffee shops wanted British troops to remain in the country.

He said: "The whole reason that the British are able to leave is because there are Iraqi forces that they now think are just strong enough. "But Basra is still, in Tony Blair's words, a difficult and dangerous place, which means that this is far short of the victory they wanted in 2003 but something, they hope, short of a total defeat."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6384685.stm

[HysteryDiagnosis]

1. How many Iraqi civilians, (whether they have taken up arms or

not) will have to die before gw's warinerror against the "terrorists" can be called a "victory"??

[ohioINC]

2. the surge

I suspect that Bush's timing for requesting an increase in troops had something to do with the UK wanting out. They were securing Basrah the site of Iraq's main oil terminal. The US will never allow Basrah to be patrolled by Iraqi forces while the insurgency is out of control. Bush could either ask for more troops to secure the city or move units out of Bahgdad