So Gordon announces British troops are withdrawing from Iraq, but note the stay behind military ‘advisers’ and of course no one talks about the mercs-
At a press conference, Mr Brown said: “We have agreed today that the mission will end no later than 31 May next year. “Our troops will be coming home within the next two months [after that].”
Mr Maliki confirmed that the agreement included a provision for the Iraqi government to request an extension of the British military presence. However, both leaders indicated it was not expected to be used.
But take the shiny spin off and look at it this way-
British Forces will leave Iraq by the end of next July under a humiliating proposal that lumps the once-valued deployment with five smaller contingents, including those of Romania, El Salvador and Estonia.
Grouping Britain with contingents such as Estonia, which has only 36 soldiers in Iraq, and El Salvador, with a mere 200, is a far cry from the start of the invasion when British Forces were second in importance only to those of the US.
That July includes those two months that now Iraq are not even reckoning on allowing, so The Times patriotic wounded pride aside…good we are -mostly- leaving, coalition of the shilling over. No word on reparations and of course this slinking home is spun by the government as a great victory where our brave boys made Iraq such a better place. So much so they can’t wait to kick them out. Oh yes and Ben Griffin? Still gagged, so no truth about our role in torture yet. Funny he didn’t get a look in at The Sun’s military award Imperio-patrio-pornography (in conjunction with the MOD, truth to power, fourth estate an’ all that… Gordon *Hearts* Rupert)
