By IRNA
London : British troops have reassumed air traffic control responsibility for commercial flight services at Basra airport, Defence Secretary Des Browne has revealed.
Announcing the decision to parliament, Browne said it adds to Britain's potential liability as the responsibility "theoretically increases the Ministry of Defence's exposure to the risk of a third- party claim in the unlikely event of an aviation accident." "The potential contingent liability is unquantifiable and would be dependent on circumstances," he said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
But the defence secretary insisted that "the probability of this liability arising is very low given that the use of professional RAF (Royal Air Force) controllers will substantially reduce the likelihood of an incident occurring."
The decision to reassume air traffic control for commercial flights comes after British troops based at Basra airport have come under increasing attack.
Since 2004, the role of British troops had been to support Iraqi authorities to take on full responsibility for commercial flights at the international airport.
Browne said that because the Ministry of Defence now holds responsibility for the liability, Britain's Treasury will continue to consider any claim against the reserve, made by the department in the usual manner.
British soldiers are going on "nightly suicide missions" in southern Iraq and they are there only at the behest of the US, Labour MPs on the Commons defence committee told the government yesterday.
Also in parliament on Tuesday, Labour MPs told the Defence Committee that British troops in Basra had told them that the only reason they were staying in southern Iraq was "because of our relations with the US."
The MPs painted a dark picture of the security situation in the city, with Iraqi forces inadequately trained and infiltrated by militia and criminal gangs.
Ninety per cent of attacks in Basra were against British troops, the committee was told. Labour MP Kevan Jones suggested the soldiers were going on "nightly suicide missions" when being attacked while delivering supplies to the UK garrison at Basra Palace.