If Prince Harry is being deployed and the UK is withdrawing its troops, what am I missing?

[shance]

Is there something contradictory here?

[Prophet 451]

1. Sort-of but not really

The UK is withdrawing a portion of it's troops. Over time, they will all be withdrawn. In the meantime, fresh units have to be rotated in and old ones have to be rotated out. Hal's unit are going in, some other unit is coming out.

[babylonsister]

2. Logic says he'll be there for a while until all British troops are removed.

And a prince has some pull, I guess, though as far as a 'good idea', I have doubts.

LONDON - Prime Minister Tony Blair will announce on Wednesday a new timetable for the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq, with 1,500 to return home in several weeks, the BBC reported.

Blair will also tell the House of Commons during his regular weekly appearance that a total of about 3,000 British soldiers will have left southern Iraq by the end of 2007, if the security there is sufficient, the British Broadcasting Corp. said, quoting government officials who weren't further identified.

The announcement comes even as President Bush implements an increase of 21,000 more troops for Iraq.

But Blair said Sunday that Washington had not put pressure on London to maintain its troop numbers. The BBC said Blair was not expected to say when the rest of Britain's forces would leave Iraq. Britain currently has about 7,100 soldiers there.

more...

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=9238

[Bozita]

3. Archduke Ferdinand of the 21st Century?

Bartcop has some creepy thoughts about this in today's edition.

http://www.bartcop.com/

-snip-

A chunk of Brit forces are pulling out, but Prince Harry's unit is going IN in spite of that.
And WHERE is he going?

To patrol the Iraqi-Iranian border to stop supposed shipments of IED's from Iran.
So what if Harry is a sacrificial lamb?
What if the warmongers are COUNTING on him getting killed?

Having Diana's son killed is sure to piss off people, and perhaps the Prince's murder would 
provide the U.S. with an excuse to invade Iran, you know, "In defense of our coalition partner's interests...."

You think the media is in a maudlin, morose frenzy over Anna Nicole? 
Oh the coverage of Harry's death would make that PALE in comparison.
That, combined with some other rigged event to whip up support would be all that they needed.

It's a twisted thought I realize, but look who we're dealing with.

-snip-

[Bozita]

4. Mike Webb talking Harry now! -- streaming link:

http://stream2.mikewebb.org:8001/listen.pls

[uppityperson]

5. "some" of its troops.

[pennylane100]

6. Apparently Harry said he would leave the service if he could not serve

in Iraq. If this is true, then for the first time in my life (and I grew up in Britain) I have real respect for a member of the most costly welfare family in the country.

[fortyfeetunder]

7. Calling Blair's bluff

Harry knew what he was doing. Like his uncle Andy, he wants to serve. And considering the circumstances, maybe this was his way to voice an opinion about the war....

[CJCRANE]

8. Afghanistan.

UK troops are being pulled out of Iraq to go fight in Afghanistan against the resurgent Taliban. Harry gets the easy option, a tour in Basra is a walk in the park in comparison.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6388717.stm


Excerpt:
"The government is set to announce that more British troops are to be sent to Afghanistan, the BBC has learned.
Defence Secretary Des Browne is expected to give details to the House of Commons on Monday of the substantial new deployment.

The UK has been reluctant to send more soldiers to the country, having reinforced several times already.

But troop withdrawal from Iraq means more personnel are available to join the 5,000-strong force in Afghanistan."

[applegrove]

9. Plus they are upping the troops in Afghanistan too.