Iraqis take Basra command as UK plans troop cuts
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Britain put Iraqis in command of the  main Iraqi army unit in Basra on Tuesday, a move billed as  paving the way for Washington's main ally to formally announce  major cutbacks in troops.
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British troops withdraw from Basra Palace, handing control of base to Iraqi forces.
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The United States was set on Thursday   to hand over formal command of Iraqi troops to Prime Minister   Nuri al-Maliki's government, a significant step toward the   withdrawal of some 150,000 U.S.-led foreign troops.
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The British Army is to start pulling troops out of Iraq next month despite the deteriorating security situation in much of the country, The Observer has learnt.
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BASRA, Iraq - British troops withdrew on Saturday from radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's main office in the southern city of Basra a day after occupying the building and seizing an arms cache in fighting that killed three and wounded five, the British military and police said.    Explosions and gunfire again echoed across the city Saturday before the soldiers withdrew from the offices in the city center and handed over the keys to local authorities, said British military spokesman Capt...
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. British troops moved north from Basra Wednesday to take over a deadly area near Baghdad and free up US troops for a possible attack on Falluja.
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Prime Minister Tony Blair announced Wednesday that British troop numbers in southern Iraq would be reduced from 7,100 to 5,500 in the months ahead.
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Defence secretary confirms planning is under way for UK troops to leave southern Iraqi province.
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BAGHDAD -- British troops and armory rolled north from Basra yesterday to take over a deadly area near Baghdad and free up US troops for an expected attack on the rebel-held city of Fallujah.
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UK forces are to hand back control of security in Basra province to Iraq, four-and-a-half years after the invasion.
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Â· Siege fear as Britain plans handover to Iraqis Â· Commanders say they expect attacks to increase
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Iraq is ready to take over security in the entire southern province of Basra from the British military, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told visiting Defence Secretary Des Browne on Wednesday.
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British troops have begun pulling out of the southern Iraqi city of Basra in a move north to central Iraq. The 1st Battalion The Black Watch is to take over operations previously carried out by US troops in
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After handing control of Basra province to Iraqi authorities at the weekend, British officials are hoping the region's economic development will hasten its path towards stability.
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BASRA, Iraq  - Britain handed over security in Basra province to Iraqi forces on Sunday, effectively marking the end of nearly five years of British control of southern Iraq.
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Britain has received a request from Washington to redeploy some of its troops in Iraq from their current base in the southern city of Basra into restive US-held areas but is still considering a response, Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon told parliament.
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Shia militia to target British troops after its Basra leader was killed by Iraqi forces