Troops leave Basra Palace

9.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 4th Sep 2007

British troops have transferred their final post in downtown Basra to Iraqi control. On Sunday, at 0100 local time, 550 soldiers withdrew from Basra Palace, joining 5,000 of their colleagues at an army outpost, near Basra Airport. This will mean British forces cannot leave the compound, outside the city, unless called upon by Iraqi authorities. Responding to the announcement, Prime Minister Gordon Brown claimed the withdrawal was "not a defeat". Two senior British generals have criticised US post-war policy in Iraq. Gen Sir Mike Jackson, head of the Army during the invasion, told the Daily Telegraph US policy was "intellectually bankrupt". In an interview published on Saturday, Sir Mike said a claim by the then US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld that US forces "don't do nation-building" was "nonsensical". Maj Gen Tim Cross, who was the most senior UK officer involved in post-war planning, told the Sunday Mirror US policy was "fatally flawed".

Sir Ming Campbell, Leader of the Liberal Democrats said "The inevitable retreat from central Basra underlines the futility of the continuing British presence in Iraq. Nothing confirms that more than the fact the British troops will now be confined to Basra airport, an area which is impossible to defend and from where they cannot conceivably carry out any useful military function other than training the Iraqi army." He further said in reaction to to General Jackson's comments he said "What General Jackson has said is absolutely correct. It goes to the very heart of the lack of real planning for post-war Iraq. The sad fact is that British military personnel are paying with their lives on a regular basis for that lack of foresight. It underlines yet again our determination to get our troops out as soon as is practically possible."