Post by Moses on Feb 6, 2006 14:00:15 GMT -5
So of course the Britpols regard this as a reason to extend their occupation:
Independent UK
Members of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee witnessed the poor security situation at first hand during a fact-finding mission to the country last week. Paul Keetch, a Liberal Democrat member of the committee, said: "When I went two and a half years ago to Basra we could walk around with troops in berets and some security but basically free to move around.
"When we went there last week we would not leave the base, indeed walking from building to building in the base we had to put on full body-armour. The security situation has deteriorated, there is no doubt about that. There is a real possibility that troops could come out of rural areas but the idea that we can pull out of other areas is not something commanders on the ground are thinking about."
Brigadier James Everard, who will be leading the 20th Armoured Brigade when it takes over in May, hopes that this is the year British troops will start to pull out. But he acknowledged that it will depend on the establishment of a credible and confident Iraqi Army and police force, and in particular the rooting out of the "small rotten core" amongst the police.
"I would expect that 2006 should be a year, not of completion, but of a year of transition," he said. "It is a process of progressive disengagement as we feel there is a credible, capable Iraqi security force that can provide a secure and stable environment."
William Hague, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, told the BBC: "It would be a catastrophic mistake to pull out too soon, to pull the rug from under the people trying to build a democracy there. We are not calling for any immediate withdrawal. This can only take place in a very measured way."
Sir Menzies Campbell, the acting Liberal Democrat leader, told ITV's Dimbleby programme: "We have a moral obligation to ensure that we leave Iraq in as good a condition as we possibly can. That is not served by deadlines."
Independent UK
Members of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee witnessed the poor security situation at first hand during a fact-finding mission to the country last week. Paul Keetch, a Liberal Democrat member of the committee, said: "When I went two and a half years ago to Basra we could walk around with troops in berets and some security but basically free to move around.
"When we went there last week we would not leave the base, indeed walking from building to building in the base we had to put on full body-armour. The security situation has deteriorated, there is no doubt about that. There is a real possibility that troops could come out of rural areas but the idea that we can pull out of other areas is not something commanders on the ground are thinking about."
Brigadier James Everard, who will be leading the 20th Armoured Brigade when it takes over in May, hopes that this is the year British troops will start to pull out. But he acknowledged that it will depend on the establishment of a credible and confident Iraqi Army and police force, and in particular the rooting out of the "small rotten core" amongst the police.
"I would expect that 2006 should be a year, not of completion, but of a year of transition," he said. "It is a process of progressive disengagement as we feel there is a credible, capable Iraqi security force that can provide a secure and stable environment."
William Hague, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, told the BBC: "It would be a catastrophic mistake to pull out too soon, to pull the rug from under the people trying to build a democracy there. We are not calling for any immediate withdrawal. This can only take place in a very measured way."
Sir Menzies Campbell, the acting Liberal Democrat leader, told ITV's Dimbleby programme: "We have a moral obligation to ensure that we leave Iraq in as good a condition as we possibly can. That is not served by deadlines."