Britain will reduce its contingent of just over 7,000 soldiers in Iraq by almost half in May as it hands the main province of Basra over to Iraqi army and security forces, a newspaper reported. A spokesman at the British Ministry of Defense said the News of the World report was "speculation," adding that any troop reduction will depend on security conditions and consultations with Britain's allies.
The report added some 3,000 British soldiers will be withdrawn in May, even though a withdrawal had not been expected until November.
A senior government source quoted by the newspaper said: "The situation in Basra has reached a stage where troop withdrawals are now possible. "Things are not getting any safer, but they are also not getting any worse. It is therefore time to let the Iraqi forces get on with things," the source was quoted as saying.
"There will still be a sizeable British presence in Iraq for the next decade. But like Bosnia, it will be a garrison, not an occupational force," the source said.
The decision to withdraw thousands of soldiers will be announced by Prime Minister Tony Blair to parliament at the end of the current crackdown in Basra, within about three weeks, the newspaper said.
At least four battalions will stay in Britain even though they had been tapped to deploy to Iraq in May to replace troops returning home, the newspaper said. Britain will hand control of Basra province to the Iraqi army and police within months, it added.
