British Iraq pull-out plan

Source: The Sunday Times

BRITISH commanders in Iraq have drawn up plans to allow Gordon Brown to withdraw almost all UK troops by the end of the year.

The British commander in southern Iraq, Major-General Jonathan Shaw, produced a “commander’s tactical advice” several weeks ago, senior defence sources said last night. The advice was written for Lieutenant-General Nick Houghton, the chief of joint operations, in London after the Ministry of Defence asked for options that could be presented to Brown when he takes over as prime minister.

Brown is due to fly to Iraq to be briefed by Shaw and other commanders on when Britain’s 5,500 troops should be pulled out of Iraq.

Shaw’s “tactical advice” was endorsed by the most senior British officer in Iraq, Lieutenant-General Graeme Lamb, who is deputy coalition commander and based in Baghdad. The advice referred to UK success in training the Iraq security forces in the south of the country, but is also understood to have highlighted the danger of staying in Basra for too long.



Read more: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1876221.ece

But in a freedom of information request released 10 days ago, the MoD said the Iraqi 10th Division, which is taking over from British troops in four provinces, has five brigades. Three of those brigades have already taken over in Dhi Qar, Maysan and Muthanna provinces. The remaining two are responsible for Basra and should have it under their control by the end of the year.

Withdrawal from Iraq would be far from easy. A large number of armoured vehicles would have to be moved to the port of Um Qasr or Kuwait. Other equipment might have to be destroyed or handed to the Iraqi army.

“There are several contingency plans about exactly how British troops will get out,” one defence source said. “Whatever way we use it will be ugly.”

Read Mick Smith's defence blog at www.timesonline.co.uk/micksmith

Brown's there so long as Bush wants him there. He & his precious Treasury may be let go after the election: they haven't served out their purpose yet. The day Labour has a foreign policy or national strategic doctrine is the day France adopts English as its official language and bans cheese.

as the road out of Iraq would be through Q8. Redeployment to the rear bases that have been set up over a decade ago and await further instructions during a stand down period imo.
From there they could monitor how the Iranians react to the redeployment.

(Hey! They're giving "the terrorists" a "timetable"...!):sarcasm:

MoD to pull troops out of Iraq within a year

By Sean Rayment and Patrick Hennessy, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 12:48pm BST 03/06/2007

Military chiefs are drawing up plans to withdraw all British troops from Iraq within 12 months.

A fresh timetable, which would see a unilateral withdrawal from the war-torn country by next May, will be presented to Gordon Brown within weeks. It is understood that when Mr Brown becomes prime minister later this month, he will be told by defence chiefs that Britain should withdraw from Iraq in "quick order" and concentrate on fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Until now, the Government and the military have both insisted the withdrawal of troops from Iraq would be dictated by "events and not time". But the lack of progress in Iraq and the need to send more troops to Afghanistan, where success is regarded by some in the military as easier to measure, has forced the Government to "accelerate its withdrawal plan".

The disclosure that Britain is planning a unilateral pull-out is likely to be met with dismay by US generals, who hoped Britain would fight alongside their troops for as long as America had a military presence in Iraq.

(more at link)
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/06/03/wirq03.xml>

yet they are still there

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,1673277,00.html