At present there are 7,100 British troops stationed in southern Iraq, mostly in Basra, the country’s second largest city and the plan is to reduce the numbers in Iraq from 7,100 to 5,500.
Tony Blair is expected to confirm in the House of Commons that 1,500 soldiers whose duties end in April will not be sent back to Iraq, nor will new men replace them. Another 1,500 troops are returning to Britain in December.
Meanwhile a unit of about 50 soldiers manning four observational helicopters will replace the Danish troops, numbering about 460, Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced, and he added that the decision to pull out of the country was made after consultation with the Iraqi and British governments.
