Coalition mulls troop pull-out

2005-07-10 11:29

London - The United States and Britain are considering the withdrawal of more than 100 000 coalition troops from Iraq next year as one of many options but no decision has been made, the British defence ministry said on Sunday.

"We have always said that it is our intention to hand over the lead in fighting terrorists to the Iraqi security forces as their capability increases," said a defence ministry spokeswoman.

"We therefore continually produce papers outlining possible options... this is but one of a number of papers produced over recent months covering various possible scenarios," she told AFP.

"It is simply prudent planning."

The spokesperson was referring to a document by British defence secretary John Reid, which was leaked to the Mail on Sunday.

The document said Washington hoped to hand over control of security to Iraqi forces in 14 out of 18 provinces in the country by early next year, allowing it to slash US-led troop levels to 66 000 from 176 000.

Britain, for its part, had a plan to cut its 8 500-strong contingent to 3 000.

The document - entitled "Options for future UK force posture in Iraq" and marked "Secret - UK eyes only" said London would need to reach decisions later this year on troop levels.

Britain, which heads a foreign military force in southern Iraq, wants to give back control of Al-Muthanna and Maysan provinces this October, followed by the other two provinces it handles next April, it said.

"This should lead to a reduction in the total level of UK commitment in Iraq to around 3,000 personnel," a copy of the document said, according to the Mail on Sunday.

"This in turn should lead to an estimated halving of the costs of around £1bn per annum. Though it is not clear when this reduction might manifest itself, it would not be before around the end of 2006."

T he defence ministry spokeswoman, however, reiterated that no decision had been made.

"We have made it clear we will stay in Iraq as long as is needed," she said.

About the United States, the Reid document stated, "There is a strong US military desire for significant force reductions."

It said, however, that differences had emerged between the Pentagon, which favours a bold drop in troop numbers, and the US-led force, which prefers a more cautious approach.

In addition, the document said Japan would be reluctant to keep its 550-strong contingent on the ground if protection was provided solely by the Iraqis, while the Australian position may also be "uncertain".

- AFP