MPs question Iraq strategy
British troops in Basra are moving to overwatch
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Monday, 03, Dec 2007 08:16
UK troops remaining in Iraq next year should come home if they cannot make a difference to the country's security situation, MPs believe.
A report by the House of Commons defence select committee criticises the government for not making clear what will happen after UK force numbers in Basra are reduced to 2,500 next spring.
It says progress in training up the Iraqi police forces has been "painfully slow" and, while welcoming a decline in attacks on coalition forces, notes that attacks on the civilian population have not seen a similar drop.
"We cannot ask our forces to remain in Iraq unless they have an effective and clearly-defined role," committee chairman James Arbuthnot said.
"A full withdrawal from Iraq will only be possible if the Iraqis are trained and equipped to handle their own security effectively. This work is not yet complete."
The report describes "murderous, corrupt and militia-infiltrated" elements of the police force which urgently need further training.
"It is unclear how its trainers will be supported once UK force levels are reduced further in the spring," it states.
Mr Arbuthnot added it was not clear what the remaining forces in Iraq would be doing or how the 2,500 figure, announced by prime minister Gordon Brown in October, was arrived at.
"If there is still a role for UK forces in Iraq, those forces must be capable of doing more than just protecting themselves at Basra Air Station," the report concludes.
"If the reduction in numbers means they cannot do more than this, the entire UK presence in south-eastern Iraq will be open to question."