British troops Monday withdrew from their last base in the Iraqi city of Basra with Prime Minister Gordon Brown rejecting suggestions that it was a "defeat" and insisting that the pullout, which has antagonised the US, was a "pre-planned" move.
As a statement from the Iraqi defence ministry announced that the pullout was underway, defence officials in London said the UK forces had relocated and would hand over responsibility for the base to Iraqi authorities in the coming days.
The 550 British troops stationed at Basra palace handed it over to Iraqi control leaving the second-largest city in the war-ravaged country without any multinational presence for the first time since the US-led invasion in 2003.
The defence ministry said the handover of Basra was now expected in the autumn. "Handing over Basra Palace to the Iraqi authorities has long been our intention, as we have stated publicly on numerous occasions," it said in a statement. The ministry said UK forces would now operate from their base at Basra Air Station and "retain security responsibility" for Basra until the full handover.
The military will continue to train Iraqi troops. Brown, however, said UK forces would assume an "overwatch" role but could "re-intervene" if necessary. Asked whether the withdrawal of troops amounted to a defeat for Britain, he said it had been planned well in advance.
"This is a pre-planned and this is an organised move," Brown told BBC radio. Brown, who has declined to set a deadline for troop withdrawal despite growing public dismay with the war, said the pullout reflected a transition from a "combat" role to an "overwatch" role.
"We will discharge all our responsibilities to the Iraqi people; we will discharge our international obligations exacted in the United Nations," Brown added. "We are able to reintervene in certain circumstances. The purpose has been to hand the security over from the British Army to the Iraqi security forces."
British defence officials have expressed frustration with the Iraqi security officials who announced a withdrawal was taking place while it was still in its early stages. "It illustrates the challenge we are up against," an official said. Officials said that while moving headquarters was laden with symbolic value, it was part of long established plans to reduce the UK presence as Iraqi capabilities improved.
"It is totemic move but it is in line with our overall policy," said one official. "It is another step in the process of transferring responsibility to the Iraqis."
The prime minister is expected to outline plans for Iraq in a statement to the House of Commons next month. After the pullout from Basra palace, UK troop numbers are expected to drop to below 5,000. The much-anticipated troop withdrawal has made the US defence officials unhappy prompting Brown to clarify that the UK was not planning to "cut and run" from its responsibilities in Iraq.
Two retired British generals last week blamed Donald Rumsfeld, former US defence secretary, for problems in Iraq. General Sir Mike Jackson, who led the British army during the invasion, described US policy as "intellectually bankrupt". General Tim Cross, who led UK postwar planning, said US plans were "fatally flawed".
