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US, UK said to have Iraq pullout plan
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-07-11 12:58
Britain and the U.S. are trying to build a new strategy to exit Iraq that
could see British troops leaving the country by Christmas, a newspaper reported
citing a government memo written by the defense secretary.
A U.S. soldier
carries away unexploded munitions after soldiers detonated a car rigged
with explosives in Kirkuk, Iraq Sunday, July 10, 2005. U.S. and Iraqi
troops carried out a controlled explosion on a parked car rigged with a
bomb less than 100 meters away from the scene of an earlier carbomb
attack. The second car was intended to cause more casualties as security
forces arrived at the scene, police said.
[AP] |
The Mail on Sunday reported that
British Defense 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 U.S. 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 Defense 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
U.S. 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 (U.S. commanders in Iraq) whose approach is more cautious,"
part of the letter reads.
Support for Britain's backing of the U.S.-led invasion by the British public
has been mixed.
A pair of al-Qaida-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."
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