By IRNA
London : The British government was reported Friday to be delaying its plans to further cut its troops in Iraq by 1,600 due to the upsurge in violence in Basra.
Ministry of Defence officials have admitted that they were no longer thinking about cutting troop numbers to 2,500 from the spring, as had been outlined by Prime Minister Gordon Brown last October, according to the Times newspaper.
“Any plans for a reduction of British troops is off the table for the time being,” a senior source was quoted saying by the daily.
Under present strategy, the 4,100 British troops still in Iraq are based at the airport northwest of Basra.
British officials have insisted that so far UK forces were providing support only in the form of air cover and logistics, including 19 liaison officers in Basra city.
But the Times said it did not rule out sending a small force to help the Iraqis against the insurgency if requested by the authorities in Baghdad.
Earlier this month, Defence Secretary Des Browne flew to Basra to meet commanders on the ground as uncertainty hung over the withdrawal plans.
In a statement to parliament last October, the British premier said the intention was to reduce the number of UK troops there to 2,500, starting in the spring, but speculation is that the UK may have altered its plans.