Post Reply 
 
Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Britain ends military operations in Iraq
05-01-2009, 07:00 AM
Post: #1
Britain ends military operations in Iraq
BASRA (May 01 2009): British forces formally ended combat operations in Iraq on Thursday, one month ahead of schedule, after a solemn ceremony to remember their dead comrades from six years of warfare. The conclusion of the military campaign, which began with the March 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, came as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown met his Iraqi counterpart Nuri al-Maliki in London.

"Today marks the closing chapter of the combat mission in Iraq," Brown said. "The flag of 20 Armoured Brigade will be lowered as British combat patrols in Basra come to an end and our armed forces prepare to draw down.

"Today we are taking steps to strengthen and deepen our relationship and to make it a long-term partnership of equals," he added. A ceremony was held in the southern city of Basra for the handover to US forces by the British military, Washington's closest ally in the war.

"Today marks the end of the UK's combat mission in support of the government of Iraq," said Brigadier Tom Beckett, commander of 20th Armoured Brigade, moments before the unit's flag was lowered. "We are sad to leave our Iraqi friends, but we leave knowing we have done our job, and done it well."

British troop numbers were the second largest in the Iraq campaign, peaking at 46,000 at the height of combat operations that resulted in Saddam's ouster and his eventual execution for crimes against humanity. The formal end of combat operations means that all troops still in Iraq will use the remainder of their deployment to pack up their gear before heading to their next posting.

The official withdrawal of forces was launched on March 31 when the pennant of the British headquarters in Basra came down and the base was handed over to US control. A deal signed by Baghdad and London last year had agreed that the last 4,100 British soldiers would complete their mission - primarily training the Iraqi army - by June, before a complete withdrawal from the country in late July.

Before the handover, British forces paid tribute to their 179 colleagues killed since the US-led invasion. The names of the soldiers, sailors and airmen as well as those of 55 multinational forces personnel who died in British-led operations in the Basra area were read out at the memorial service, which was attended by British Defence Secretary John Hutton.

"The very act of calling by name is an important one," said the military chaplain leading the service. "Each name is unique and each name tells a story - the story of a son or a daughter, a husband or a wife, a father or a mother. Each name will invoke powerful memories, not least for family and loved ones back home."

Britain, under then-prime minister Tony Blair, was America's key ally when former president George W. Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq to overthrow Saddam. The pullout of troops comes almost 50 years after Britain's previous exit from Iraq, in May 1959, when the last soldiers left the Habbaniyah base, west of Baghdad, ending a presence that dated back to 1918.

Basra, Iraq's third-largest city and a strategic oil hub, had been under British command since 2003, but the province and its airport returned to Iraqi control four months ago. As well as training its soldiers, Britain has been instrumental in the rebirth of the Iraqi navy. A Royal Navy training team is based at the southern port of Umm Qasr, and its role is expected to continue although a new agreement has yet to be reached. The drawdown of foreign troops comes amid an upturn in violence in April. A series of bombings, suicide attacks and shootings have claimed more than 300 lives so far this month.

http://www.brecorder.com/index.php?id=33311
Quote this message in a reply
Post Reply 


Possibly Related Threads...
Thread: Author Replies: Views: Last Post
  LDA Conducts Operations Against Illegal Ferozepur Road Construction LRE-Azan 0 338 08-18-2023 06:35 PM
Last Post: LRE-Azan
  NAB has arrested two retired military and a civilian office's for DHA Islamabad Scam LRE-Azan 0 4,145 07-18-2018 12:54 PM
Last Post: LRE-Azan
  Clean and Green Islamabad: First phase of campaign ends Salman 0 4,373 03-01-2014 01:21 PM
Last Post: Salman
  ‘Pakistan, Britain need to develop better economic, social ties’ Salman 0 3,815 04-07-2012 12:30 PM
Last Post: Salman
  Parliament can privatise Haj operations: Kazmi Lahore_Real_Estate 0 3,410 12-11-2010 03:01 PM
Last Post: Lahore_Real_Estate
  Britain chills as temperature falls to record low Lahore_Real_Estate 0 2,856 11-29-2010 04:08 PM
Last Post: Lahore_Real_Estate
  Punjab ends Saturday holiday Lahore_Real_Estate 0 2,794 11-15-2010 06:14 PM
Last Post: Lahore_Real_Estate
  No WMD in Iraq: Bush Ashamed! LRE 0 3,184 11-04-2010 10:43 AM
Last Post: LRE
  US announces $2 billion military aid to Pakistan Lahore_Real_Estate 0 3,200 10-23-2010 12:29 PM
Last Post: Lahore_Real_Estate
  US sorry for 'mistreatment' of military delegation Lahore_Real_Estate 0 3,185 09-03-2010 12:14 PM
Last Post: Lahore_Real_Estate
  Obama marks the symbolic end of Iraq operations Lahore_Real_Estate 0 3,411 08-31-2010 12:33 PM
Last Post: Lahore_Real_Estate
  USAID provides 40 rescue boats for flood-relief operations Lahore_Real_Estate 0 3,569 08-28-2010 12:35 PM
Last Post: Lahore_Real_Estate
  DHA to participate in flood relief operations Lahore_Real_Estate 0 3,060 08-06-2010 01:27 PM
Last Post: Lahore_Real_Estate
  President Zardari faces terror row in Britain Lahore_Real_Estate 0 3,359 08-04-2010 02:15 PM
Last Post: Lahore_Real_Estate
  US military aid to Pakistan could be used against India: Antony Lahore_Real_Estate 0 3,472 07-27-2010 01:13 PM
Last Post: Lahore_Real_Estate
  Summary of american budget in Iraq & Afghanistan LRE 0 3,909 07-09-2010 12:58 AM
Last Post: LRE
  Iraq War: 4394 US soldiers Killed, $ 721 Billion Spent LRE 1 5,841 05-11-2010 10:03 AM
Last Post: LRE
  Britain keeps flight ban until 1800 GMT Monday Lahore_Real_Estate 0 3,446 04-19-2010 01:41 PM
Last Post: Lahore_Real_Estate
  American military playing expanded role in Pakistan Lahore_Real_Estate 0 3,052 04-14-2010 10:19 AM
Last Post: Lahore_Real_Estate
  Britain expels Israeli diplomat in passport row Lahore_Real_Estate 0 3,107 03-24-2010 12:30 PM
Last Post: Lahore_Real_Estate

Forum Jump:


User(s) browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)