LONDON - Britain and the US are trying to build a new strategy to exit Iraq that could see British troops coming home by Christmas, a newspaper reported citing a government memo written by the defence secretary.
The Mail on Sunday reported that British Defence Secretary John
Reid drafted a secret paper for Prime Minister Tony Blair outlining how most of
the country’s 8,500 troops could be sent home from Iraq within three months,
with the rest by the end of the year. The document also said the US was looking to cut back its own
troop levels to 66,000, down from the 135,000 there
now. But in a statement released by Britain Defence Ministry, Reid said
the document was simply one of several period updates examining possible
scenarios for the war in Iraq. “We have made it absolutely plain that we will stay in Iraq for as
long as is needed,” Reid said in a statement. “No decisions on the future force
posture of UK forces have been
taken.” In a copy of the letter, portions of which were printed by the
newspaper and marked “Secret - UK Eyes Only,” Reid wrote that there was a strong
desire in the US military to reduce the number of its troops in Iraq and hand
over security duties to Iraqi forces in 14 of the country’s 18 provinces by the
end of the year. “There is a debate between the Pentagon/CENTCOM who favor a
relatively bold reduction, and MNF-I (US commanders in Iraq) whose approach is
more cautious,” part of the letter
reads. Support for Britain’s backing of the US-led invasion by the
British public has been mixed. A pair of Al Qaeda-inspired groups that claimed responsibility for
the bombings that killed 49 people and injured at least 700 on Thursday in
London, cited the country’s role in
Iraq. Earlier this week, Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi said 300 of
Italy’s soldiers would start leaving in
September. Reid, however, said Britain was committed to the
coalition. “We have made it absolutely plain that we will stay in Iraq for as
long as is needed,” he said in a statement. “No decisions on the future force
posture of UK forces have been
taken.” He added that it has always been the British government’s intent
to ultimately hand over the lead in fighting in Iraq to that country’s own
forces, when they are ready to assume the
responsibility. “We therefore continually produce papers outlining possible
options and contingencies. This is but one of a number of such papers produced
over recent months covering various scenarios,” Reid said. “This is prudent
planning. I stress again that no decisions on the future force posture of UK
forces have been taken.”
