By Dipankar De Sarkar
London : British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who paid a surprise visit to Iraq Tuesday, is said to be considering halving the number of British troops there over the next six months.
Brown has kept political watchers guessing about his Iraq policy. He has pledged to maintain and develop traditionally close Anglo-American relations while appearing to position his government a little distance away from the Bush administration in comparison to the previous British government led by Tony Blair.
However, according to reports Tuesday, Brown could come up with a surprise in a scheduled statement to MPs next week, in which he will address the issue of when security in Iraq’s Basra province – under British charge at the moment – can be handed over to the Iraqis.
There are currently 5,250 British troops stationed in the southern Iraqi province and, according to British media reports that were not attributed, Brown is considering a phased reduction by up to 3,000 by April 2008.
Such a move would go a long way in placating the bulk of Brown’s Labour Party supporters ahead of possible snap mid-term elections next year – as publicly speculated upon by his Conservative Party opponents.
Unlike in the US, the Iraq war continues to be deeply unpopular and divisive in Britain and it is thought to be the main reason why Blair had to quit as the longest-serving Labour prime minister earlier this year.
Brown, however, has defied easy categorisation as either pro- or anti-Iraq war so far. According to British political commentators, he has kept his cards close to his chest without appearing to either endorse or oppose the continuing presence of British troops in Iraq.
However, over the past weeks, Brown is reported to have discussed several options for the future of British troops in Basra, including their complete withdrawal, which he rejected.
Among plans that he is reportedly considering are redeployment of battle-tested Merlin helicopters from Iraq to Afghanistan, beefing up the British military presence in Helmand, Afghanistan, and giving the remaining British forces in Iraq an ‘overwatch’ role that would see them mentoring and training Iraqi forces while standing by to intervene in emergencies.
British officials said the purpose of Brown’s trip to Iraq Tuesday was to gauge the readiness of the Iraq forces to take more control of their own security.
Brown’s reported plan has already won the support of Conservative leader David Cameron, who told BBC Radio Tuesday: “If it is now possible to hand over progressively to the Iraqi army and to bring more of our troops back home, then he will certainly have my support.”
However, Britain’s consul general in Basra, Richard Jones, said that local people fear an all-out war could break out between rival militias once Britain hands over security to local forces.