British Troops Withdraw From Iraq
March 30th, 2009 at 7:12 pm - by Tom Prout
The British military is expected to officially begin a withdrawal of its forces from Iraq Tuesday, with a projected 90% reduction of the 4,000 troops currently stationed in Basra, southern Iraq. The beginning of the withdrawal will involve a transferring of authority from the U.K.’s foremost general in the area to his U.S. counterpart.
The area in question is soon to be known as the Multi-National Division South, and shall be placed under the command of US Major General Michael Oates, signifying the first step towards May 31, the date which has officially been scheduled for the end-of-combat. The British mission is currently headed by Major General Andy Salmon, who has expressed satisfaction with forces’ achievements in the area, saying that troops should hold their heads high as they leave over the coming months.
In transferring authority to the U.S. military, the mission in Iraq undergoes a change of focus, concentrating in the future on equipping and training Iraqi security forces in hopes of establishing self-governance — a key concern raised when last month President Obama announced a pullout plan. Several groups feared that a premature withdrawal of troops, at the time scheduled for August 2010, would undo much of the progress accomplished thus far in the campaign. The majority of the 142,000 troops presently stationed in Iraq are now expected to remain there until some time in 2011.
The U.S. has several major goals in mind, besides the training of Iraqi police: one priority is the prolonged insurance of safe trade routes between the south and Baghdad, but perhaps more crucial is a consistency in the approach taken in the area. Lt. Colonel AJ Johnson is the American successor to the role of Iraqi Army liaison at Basra HQ, and has stressed the importance of encouraging a visible presence of Iraqi forces as has been seen during the British handling of the campaign.
There are hopes for a seamless transition, and Lt. Colonel Johnson remains optimistic that forces’ efforts to ensure this will be successful.
