Pat Dollard | Young Americans

Times Online:

NEARLY 1,000 extra troops are on standby to be sent to Iraq before Christmas to cover the handover of Basra to the Iraqis.

The troops represent an overall increase in the size of the force in Iraq despite the pledge by Gordon Brown this month, when “election fever” was at its height, that 1,000 troops would be home by Christmas.

It later emerged that half of them had already returned while the others would not even be setting foot in Iraq. Now 250 paratroopers from the Special Forces Support Group have been warned they will be spending Christmas in Basra. They will be joined by the 600 men of the 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh Regiment, which is based in Cyprus.

The net result will be a temporary addition of 850 to the force of 5,000 troops in Iraq.

The move follows a decision last week by Des Browne, the defence secretary, to hand over control of Basra province to the Iraqis by early December.

The decision to give control to “provincial Iraqi control” is expected to lead to an eventual reduction in the number of British troops in Iraq to about 2,500, half the current figure, early next year.

Those 2,500 troops will be built around an 1,800-strong quick reaction force to be sent in to assist the Iraqi forces in the event of serious violence. It will remain in Iraq for the foreseeable future.

The extra special forces and infantry will be deployed temporarily to provide additional protection to cover the withdrawal of the 2,500.

General Peter Wall, deputy chief of the defence staff, said last week he saw no scope for further reductions in the near future, although more of the 2,500 could be moved to Kuwait at some point.

One senior officer said that despite reports of increased violence, Basra was relatively peaceful. “Attacks are down and the Iraqi army and police who are now running downtown Basra are doing a great job,” he said.

“There have been incidents but in the main they are keeping the peace. From December there will be a battle group on standby to support the Iraqi army, but only in extreme circumstances where they cannot use their own people or need help.”

Brown became embroiled in a “spin” row over his announcement on a surprise visit to Basra about troops returning home.

Of the 1,000 he announced, 500 had already been sent home after the pullout from the Basra palace base. The other 500 were troops who had been due to be sent to Iraq but were not needed.

The announcement was considered partly responsible for the Tories’ surge and Brown’s decision not to call an election.