Tony Blair: troops could begin Iraq pullout within six months

[Thom Little]

Tony Blair indicated yesterday that a phased withdrawal of British troops from Iraq could begin within six months in the first official confirmation of an exit plan. Speaking during a lightning visit to Basra, his fourth in the past 12 months, Mr Blair held out the prospect of a pullout beginning in the first half of 2006.

Mr Blair refused to divulge a specific timetable, but he sounded an optimistic note and gave the clearest signal yet of British military intentions.

Asked whether Major General Tim Dutton, the former British commander in southeast Iraq, had been right when he said troop withdrawals could begin in six months, the prime minister replied: "There is no reason why not, if everything goes to plan." He added: "The general is probably in a better position than me to give a timeline."

.......

"It is our strategy to draw down forces and we don't want to leave people here longer than we need to. The whole process is to build up the Iraqi capability in the armed forces and police so we can draw down our own forces. The political aspect can only be buttressed by a strong security aspect increasingly taken over by the Iraqis themselves."


http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1673277,00.html

[Warren Stupidity]

1. Obviously they need to use the SAS to stir up some more trouble

Can't have no reason to stay. Get those fake arabs back in play and sack a few more police stations.

[jackbourassa]

2. WHAT????

Isn't Blair helping the terrorists by signalling a withdraw?

[SoCalDem]

3. The UK only has about 8,000 troops

They could probably leave NOW, and not have a big impact, he;s only "staying the course" because of his ties to *²

[EuroObserver]

4. It's one thing or the other for British troops:

Either developments in the south are good enough to justify our now getting out, or else we're not going to hang around long enough to get caught up in the forthcoming civil war (and possible Israel/Iran/Syria/Turkey, etc. action).

Special forces and other varieties of 'diplomacy', of course, that's something else...

(Hope I don't sound too cynical/ironic and/or clearspoken, there :freak: )