Good-bye, Iraq

British troops to be reduced in war-torn country

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British Prime Minister Tony Blair with troops at Shaiba Logistics Base, in Basra, Iraq, on December 22, 2004. (Photo: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images/NewsCom)

February 21, 2007

British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced on Wednesday a plan to withdraw approximately 1,600 troops from Iraq over the coming months. The troops will be taken from the southern region of Basra (BAHZ-ra).

"The next chapter in Basra’s history can be written by Iraqis,” said Blair.

Basra is reportedly more stable than the city of Baghdad, where the U.S. plans to send additional troops by the end of the year. Blair's withdrawal plan means that the number of British forces in the region will be reduced from 7,100 to about 5,500.

Blair emphasized that British troops would leave only if Basra is secure (not besieged by outbreaks of violence). The struggle for power between two religious groups in Iraq, Sunnis and Shiites, has led to many of these outbreaks throughout the country.

This is not the first time Blair has decreased Great Britain’s presence in Iraq. At the beginning of the war, in 2003, Britain sent approximately 40,000 soldiers and armed forces to the region. Two years ago, the number of British troops in Iraq was down to about 9,000.

Britain and the U.S. are part of a team of countries in Iraq called a coalition. Other members of the coalition include Australia, Denmark, Georgia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and South Korea. A major goal of coalition forces is to leave Iraq in the hands of a stable Iraqi government.

Britain is not the only country in the coalition with plans to withdraw troops. Denmark plans to withdraw about 460 troops by August. South Korea plans to send half of its 2,300 troops currently in Irbil (a city in northern Iraq) home by April.

Meanwhile, President George W. Bush plans to send more than 21,000 additional troops to Iraq by the end of the year.

Reaction to the Announcement

President Bush has been criticized by many Americans for deciding to send more troops while other countries are gradually withdrawing from the region. According to government officials, President Bush sees the change as a sign things are going as planned.

“The President views this as a success,” said National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe. “The President wants to do the same thing, to bring our troops home as soon as possible.”

Tony Blair has said he will step down this year, after a decade in office as British Prime Minister. His decision several years ago to involve Britain in the war in Iraq has reportedly hurt his popularity in recent years. Political analysts say the Prime Minister’s just-announced decision to withdraw British troops may be an effort to boost his standing in Britain before he leaves office.

 

Critical Thinking Question

Read today's news story, and then answer the following question.

Good-bye, Iraq What do you think of Tony Blair's decision to withdraw British troops from Iraq?

Join a discussion of this question on our bulletin board.

 

Samantha Henderson is a contributing writer for Scholastic News Online.

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