UK Iraq combat operations to end

[dipsydoodle]

Source: BBC News

British combat operations in Iraq will come to an end later on Thursday with a handover to American forces.

The move, a month ahead of schedule, ends a six-year UK military presence.

A memorial service has taken place in Basra for the 179 British personnel who have died during the conflict, attended by Defence Secretary John Hutton.

The focus was a memorial wall featuring the names of the 234 UK and foreign troops who lost their lives while serving under British command in Iraq.



Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8026136.stm

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The official end of operations will come when the UK's 20 Armoured Brigade hands over to an American brigade at 1215 BST which is 5 hours ahead of New York for example.

[Blandocyte]

1. "It's all your mess now,

Yanks! Make some room for BP when you're divvying up the pipeline routes."

[saigon68]

2. LOL

Get the Mayor of Kabul in on the deal too

[kpete]

3. Britain Ends Combat Iraq Operations

Source: New York Times

Filed at 9:43 a.m. ET

LONDON (AP) -- British troops ended six years of combat operations in Iraq on Thursday, beginning to withdraw from the southern city of Basra after a bloody and costly mission that was deeply unpopular at home.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown praised his military's accomplishments and sacrifices, speaking after meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki at Brown's Downing Street office in London.

''Today marks the closing chapter of the combat mission in Iraq,'' Brown said, adding that Britain's remaining 3,700 troops had begun to leave their base on the outskirts of Basra.

Since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, 179 British service personnel have been killed in Iraq. In Basra, the British military held a ceremony to honor those who died -- reading aloud the names of all of those killed.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/04/30/world/AP-EU-Britain-Iraq.html?_r=2&ref=global-home

[ShortnFiery]

4. Soon our mighty multi-national coalition in Afghanistan will wane as well.

:(

[winter999]

5. It's not Our coalition in Afganistan. It's NATO and UN.

[OneAngryDemocrat]

6. George W. Bush's "Coalition of the Willing..."

George W. Bush's so-called "Coalition of the Willing" outlasted his administration exactly 100 Days: A pathetic statemnt about an even more pathetic President.

[ConcernedCanuk]

7. George W. Bush's "Coalition of the Willing..." was corrected to Coalition of the Coerced years ago

.
.
.

OH

and lied to

bribed

threatened

whatever else the BFEE and PNAC gangs could think of.

How long does the USA military think they can bully the world before the world fights back?

It may not be with bullets and bombs,

ostracizing works well . . .

[tabasco]

9. You give the so-called "coalition" too much credence.

The joke of a "coalition," in which most countries had a few hundred support troops, disintegrated a long time ago.

[gratuitous]

8. Cuttin' and runnin' are they?

Has Jean Schmidt been informed?

[Vidar]

10. Good for Britain.

[KakistocracyHater]

11. our guys & gals get 6 weeks basic training

then go to Iraq where they "train Iraqis" to be 'police' for 5 years & counting. They seemed to police themselves fine before we invaded, but it was always about creating a cloud under which a group robs America.

[struggle4progress]

12. British operations in Iraq come to an end

British operations in Iraq come to an end
• Army hands base over to US brigade, not Iraqis
• Brown and Maliki sign economic agreement
* Richard Norton-Taylor and Ian Black
* The Guardian, Friday 1 May 2009

... It was significant that UK forces handed over their base not to the Iraqis but the Americans. US forces will remain in Basra protecting the important supply route from Kuwait, and helping the Iraqi army and police force ...

All the remaining 4,000 or so UK troops in Basra will have left the base by 31 May, say defence officials, but around 400 will remain training Iraqi forces, mainly the navy, at Umm Qasr, Basra's port ...

David Cameron said that now the departure of British forces was imminent, it was time the government announced what he called "a proper Franks-style inquiry" into the events leading up to the invasion of Iraq. The Franks inquiry into the Argentinian invasion of the Falklands was made up of privy counsellors and met in private ...

Maliki later joined senior Iraqi officials and business leaders at a London investment conference ... He said that his government was working to amend Iraqi law to allow foreign investors to own land. Currently, foreign investors are permitted to lease property for up to 50 years ...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/may/01/british-army-end-occupation-iraq

[Moderate2008]

13. Basra is a conflict-ridden city. It will be rough (nt)

[conspirator]

14. Let me guess. Shell has finished signing the oil plundering contracts nt