Britain consulted with U.S. on Iraq pullout decision

The defense chiefs of the U.S. and Britain said Thursday that the decision to withdraw half of Britain’s 5,000 troops in Iraq by spring was made only after both countries agreed that southern Iraq was secure enough to hand over to Iraqi forces.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, meeting his British counterpart for the fifth time since taking office in December, said Britain’s decision to withdraw its forces from Basra was directly coordinated with Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq.

Some senior Pentagon officials have expressed concern that Britain may reduce its forces below 2,500 by the end of 2008, following public remarks by British officials that the nation was on a “glide path” toward complete withdrawal.

But at a joint news conference after his meeting with Des Browne, the British Defense secretary, Gates said he would not speculate on future British reductions.

He said he had sought assurances from Browne that Britain would leave enough forces in the south to support long-term efforts there.

“One of the subjects we have been discussing with our British colleagues was ensuring we had the infrastructure remaining in the south to support other coalition partners who are active there,” Gates said. “I think we’re content they will be provided for.”

A U.S. Defense official traveling with Gates said security improvements in the south might allow other nations to withdraw from the area, including Australia, which has 550 troops around Basra.

While announcing the troop reduction in Parliament on Monday, Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for his nation’s military to move out of active combat and into a role of “overwatch” of Iraqi security forces.

The Pentagon has been pushing its European allies to provide more troops for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization mission in Afghanistan.

That pressure has led to discussions that British forces leaving Iraq may move to the Afghan theater, where Britain now has 6,000 troops. But the British Defense secretary insisted that there was no connection between the two.

“All the decisions we take about Iraq are in response to the circumstances and conditions in Iraq, and those decisions we take about Afghanistan are in response to the circumstances and conditions of Afghanistan,” Browne said.

--

peter.spiegel@latimes.com