By NNN-KUNA
London : British Defence Minister Bob Ainsworth has said that security in Basra is “far from ideal” after the withdrawal of British troops, but the “final story isn’t written yet.”
In an interview with BBC radio, Ainsworth denied British forces had been forced to retreat because they “realised the Iraqi army was riddled by militia.”
“We have not been forced to retreat. We have pulled back from Basra in cooperation with the Iraqis themselves and with the agreement of the Iraqi government and with the agreement of the coalition,” he said. But the Minister admitted that the presence of British troops had been making the situation worse.
“That is true and nobody has denied that we became the target over time,” he said.
“We made progress more quickly in Basra in terms of our relationship with the population. Over time that deteriorated, nobody has denied that.
“There is rarely perfection in circumstances like these. We have never denied that the situation in Basra is far from the ideal and nobody is trying to suggest that it is. We would like the situation to be far better than it is, but nonetheless … we believe that they are up to the job of running that province and putting it in the right direction so there’s hope for the future.
“The final story isn’t written yet. We will continue to assist, support and to train and we will get more into the civilian areas of assisting with economic regeneration which is surely the future for the people of Basra,” Ainsworth added.
But Colonel Tim Collins, who was the commander of the 1st Battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment at the time of the Iraqi invasion in 2003, said the withdrawal from Basra had “badly damaged” Britain’s military reputation.
“I am not aware of any aim or objective and that was part of the problem,” he told the BBC. “There was no clear mission. I think the whole enterprise has been muddled thinking and characterised by a lack of planning and over optimism,” Collins said.
For his part, Vince Cable, the acting leader of the opposition Liberal Democrats, said that if power was being handed back to Iraqis “there is no justification” for the continuing presence of 4,500 troops in the country. “The (British) Government should set a timetable to bring all UK troops home from Iraq,” Cable added.