Britain will likely be asked to fill gap in Iraq left by Italy

http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=38814

More British troops will probably be asked to go to Iraq to help fill the void left by Italy's proposed withdrawal of its 3,000 troops there, a British military expert said.

Charles Heyman, a senior defense analyst for Jane's Information Group, was quoted by Britain's Press Association news agency as saying it would cost tens of millions of pounds (dollars) for Britain to supply the extra troops for six months.

A large number of the Italians are under British control in the southern half of Iraq, and finding replacements will be as much a problem for the British as it is for the United States, he was quoted as saying.

Many of the Italian troops are based in the town of Nasiriyah within the Multi-National Division South East, which is headed by British forces but have personnel from other nations under their command.

Heyman said that Nasiriyah had been relatively quiet recently, but the predominately Shiite Muslim area had the potential to become volatile.

Blair's meat.

from the time of the invasion.